Question 1

The time for a planet to revolve around the Sun is its _.

Accepted Answer

orbital period or year

Question 2

Kepler found the orbits of planets are ellipses, not circles.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  True

Question 3

While the Copernican model was simpler than Ptolemy's, it was no more accurate in predicting planetary behavior at first. How did Kepler improve it?

Accepted Answer

Like Ptolemy, Copernicus believed all orbits to be perfectly circular; Kepler's ellipses, combined with the heliocentric model, made planetary motion much more predictable.

Question 4

Which of these observations of Galileo refuted Ptolemy's epicycles?

Accepted Answer

A)  the rotation of sunspots across the Sun's surface 
B)  the complete cycle of Venus' phases 
C)  the craters on the Moon 
D)  the revolution of Jupiter's moons around it 
E)  the visibility of many more stars with the telescope 
A)  the rotation of sunspots across the Sun's surface 
B)  the complete cycle of Venus' phases 
C)  the craters on the Moon 
D)  the revolution of Jupiter's moons around it 
E)  the visibility of many more stars with the telescope

Question 5

Among Galileo's discoveries with his telescope were sunspots.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

If the distance between two asteroids is doubled, the gravitational force they exert on each other will

Accepted Answer

A)  be four times greater. 
B)  be one- fourth as great. 
C)  also be doubled. 
D)  be 1/16 as great. 
E)  be one- half as great. 
A)  be four times greater. 
B)  be one- fourth as great. 
C)  also be doubled. 
D)  be 1/16 as great. 
E)  be one- half as great.

Question 7

Copernicus believed the Earth was the center of all celestial motion.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

What did Galileo discover through his telescope when he looked at Jupiter, and how did it refute the Ptolemaic model?

Accepted Answer

That Jupiter had four moons in

Question 9

A fatal flaw with Ptolemy's model is its inability to predict the observed phases of

Accepted Answer

A)  Mercury and Venus. 
B)  the Sun during an eclipse. 
C)  Jupiter and Saturn. 
D)  Mars and Jupiter. 
E)  the Moon in its monthly cycle. 
A)  Mercury and Venus. 
B)  the Sun during an eclipse. 
C)  Jupiter and Saturn. 
D)  Mars and Jupiter. 
E)  the Moon in its monthly cycle.

Question 10

According to Copernicus, retrograde motion for Venus must occur around

Accepted Answer

A)  greatest elongation, when the planet is farthest from the Sun. 
B)  inferior conjunction, when it passes between us and the Sun. 
C)  opposition, when the planet lies opposite the Sun in the sky. 
D)  quadrature, when the planet is 90 degrees away from the Sun. 
E)  superior conjunction, when the planet is on the far side of the Sun. 
A)  greatest elongation, when the planet is farthest from the Sun. 
B)  inferior conjunction, when it passes between us and the Sun. 
C)  opposition, when the planet lies opposite the Sun in the sky. 
D)  quadrature, when the planet is 90 degrees away from the Sun. 
E)  superior conjunction, when the planet is on the far side of the Sun.

Question 11

According to Newton's first law, if a body is moving in the absence of any net external force, describe the continuing motion of the object.

Accepted Answer

in a strai

Question 12

The mean distance between the Earth and Sun is called

Accepted Answer

A)  the parsec. 
B)  the light-year. 
C)  the megameter. 
D)  the Kepler. 
E)  the astronomical unit. 
A)  the parsec. 
B)  the light-year. 
C)  the megameter. 
D)  the Kepler. 
E)  the astronomical unit.

Question 13

Tycho Brahe's contribution to Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion were

Accepted Answer

A)  his observations of Jupiter's moons. 
B)  a precise lunar calendar. 
C)  his detailed and accurate observations of the planets' positions. 
D)  a mathematical explanation of epicycles. 
E)  the correct explanation of lunar phases. 
A)  his observations of Jupiter's moons. 
B)  a precise lunar calendar. 
C)  his detailed and accurate observations of the planets' positions. 
D)  a mathematical explanation of epicycles. 
E)  the correct explanation of lunar phases.

Question 14

Kepler relied heavily on the telescopic observations of Galileo in developing his laws of planetary motion.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

According to Copernicus, retrograde motion occurs at opposition for the outer planets.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

What did Galileo discover when looking at the Sun with his telescope, and how did this support Copernicus?

Accepted Answer

Sunspots, which rotated across

Question 17

When Earth overtakes Mars, the outer planet retrogrades near .

Accepted Answer

The answer of When Earth overtakes Mars, the outer planet...

Question 18

While both Ptolemy and Copernicus assumed all orbits were _, Kepler's first law corrected this and made planetary motion predictable.

Accepted Answer

The answer of While both Ptolemy and Copernicus assumed all...

Question 19

Kepler's third law relates the square of the planet's orbital period in years to the cube of its average distance from the Sun in astronomical units.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

In Ptolemy's geocentric model, the planet's motion along its deferent is all that is needed to understand retrograde motion.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

The time for a planet to revolve around the Sun is its _.

Kepler found the orbits of planets are ellipses, not circles.

While the Copernican model was simpler than Ptolemy's, it was no more accurate in predicting planetary behavior at first. How did Kepler improve it?

Which of these observations of Galileo refuted Ptolemy's epicycles?

Among Galileo's discoveries with his telescope were sunspots.

If the distance between two asteroids is doubled, the gravitational force they exert on each other will

Copernicus believed the Earth was the center of all celestial motion.

What did Galileo discover through his telescope when he looked at Jupiter, and how did it refute the Ptolemaic model?

A fatal flaw with Ptolemy's model is its inability to predict the observed phases of

According to Copernicus, retrograde motion for Venus must occur around

According to Newton's first law, if a body is moving in the absence of any net external force, describe the continuing motion of the object.

The mean distance between the Earth and Sun is called

Tycho Brahe's contribution to Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion were

Kepler relied heavily on the telescopic observations of Galileo in developing his laws of planetary motion.

According to Copernicus, retrograde motion occurs at opposition for the outer planets.

What did Galileo discover when looking at the Sun with his telescope, and how did this support Copernicus?

When Earth overtakes Mars, the outer planet retrogrades near .

While both Ptolemy and Copernicus assumed all orbits were _, Kepler's first law corrected this and made planetary motion predictable.

Kepler's third law relates the square of the planet's orbital period in years to the cube of its average distance from the Sun in astronomical units.

In Ptolemy's geocentric model, the planet's motion along its deferent is all that is needed to understand retrograde motion.

Charting the Heavens: the Foundations of Astronomy

Light and Matter: the Inner Workings of the Cosmos

Telescopes: the Tools of Astronomy

The Solar System: Interplanetary Matter and the Birth of the Planets

Earth and Its Moon: Our Cosmic Backyard

The Terrestrial Planets: a Study in Contrasts

The Jovian Planets: Giants of the Solar System

Moons, Rings, and Plutoids: Small Worlds Among Giants

The Sun: Our Parent Star

Measuring the Stars: Giants, Dwarfs, and the Main Sequence

The Interstellar Medium: Star Formation in the Milky Way

Stellar Evolution: the Lives and Deaths of Stars

Neutron Stars and Black Holes: Strange States of Matter

The Milky Way Galaxy: a Spiral in Space

Normal and Active Galaxies: Building Blocks of the Universe

Hubbles Law and Dark Matter: the Large-Scale Structure of the Cosmos

Cosmology: the Big Bang and the Fate of the Universe

Life in the Universe: Are We Alone

Filters

Exam 2: The Copernican Revolution: the Birth of Modern Science

The time for a planet to revolve around the Sun is its _.

Kepler found the orbits of planets are ellipses, not circles.

While the Copernican model was simpler than Ptolemy's, it was no more accurate in predicting planetary behavior at first. How did Kepler improve it?

Which of these observations of Galileo refuted Ptolemy's epicycles?

Among Galileo's discoveries with his telescope were sunspots.

If the distance between two asteroids is doubled, the gravitational force they exert on each other will

Copernicus believed the Earth was the center of all celestial motion.

What did Galileo discover through his telescope when he looked at Jupiter, and how did it refute the Ptolemaic model?

A fatal flaw with Ptolemy's model is its inability to predict the observed phases of

According to Copernicus, retrograde motion for Venus must occur around

According to Newton's first law, if a body is moving in the absence of any net external force, describe the continuing motion of the object.

The mean distance between the Earth and Sun is called

Tycho Brahe's contribution to Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion were

Kepler relied heavily on the telescopic observations of Galileo in developing his laws of planetary motion.

According to Copernicus, retrograde motion occurs at opposition for the outer planets.

What did Galileo discover when looking at the Sun with his telescope, and how did this support Copernicus?

When Earth overtakes Mars, the outer planet retrogrades near .

While both Ptolemy and Copernicus assumed all orbits were _, Kepler's first law corrected this and made planetary motion predictable.

Kepler's third law relates the square of the planet's orbital period in years to the cube of its average distance from the Sun in astronomical units.

In Ptolemy's geocentric model, the planet's motion along its deferent is all that is needed to understand retrograde motion.

Charting the Heavens: the Foundations of Astronomy

Light and Matter: the Inner Workings of the Cosmos

Telescopes: the Tools of Astronomy

The Solar System: Interplanetary Matter and the Birth of the Planets

Earth and Its Moon: Our Cosmic Backyard

The Terrestrial Planets: a Study in Contrasts

The Jovian Planets: Giants of the Solar System

Moons, Rings, and Plutoids: Small Worlds Among Giants

The Sun: Our Parent Star

Measuring the Stars: Giants, Dwarfs, and the Main Sequence

The Interstellar Medium: Star Formation in the Milky Way

Stellar Evolution: the Lives and Deaths of Stars

Neutron Stars and Black Holes: Strange States of Matter

The Milky Way Galaxy: a Spiral in Space

Normal and Active Galaxies: Building Blocks of the Universe

Hubbles Law and Dark Matter: the Large-Scale Structure of the Cosmos

Cosmology: the Big Bang and the Fate of the Universe

Life in the Universe: Are We Alone

Filters