Question 1

What is the relationship between Kepler's laws of planetary motion and Newton's laws of motion and universal gravitation?

Accepted Answer

A)  Newton's laws are more accurate than Kepler's laws. 
B)  Newton's laws apply to objects on Earth and Kepler's laws apply for orbiting objects. 
C)  Newton's laws can explain Kepler's laws. 
D)  Newton's laws are identical to Kepler's laws. 
A)  Newton's laws are more accurate than Kepler's laws. 
B)  Newton's laws apply to objects on Earth and Kepler's laws apply for orbiting objects. 
C)  Newton's laws can explain Kepler's laws. 
D)  Newton's laws are identical to Kepler's laws.

Question 2

Which of the following best explains why most astronomers accepted a geocentric model of the universe for 2000 years?

Accepted Answer

A)  The geocentric model allowed astronomers to make accurate predictions about the positions of the planets. 
B)  The geocentric model was required to explain retrograde motion. 
C)  Astronomers were unlikely to question the authority of Aristotle. 
D)  Telescopes were required to show that Earth's orbit is not a perfect circle. 
A)  The geocentric model allowed astronomers to make accurate predictions about the positions of the planets. 
B)  The geocentric model was required to explain retrograde motion. 
C)  Astronomers were unlikely to question the authority of Aristotle. 
D)  Telescopes were required to show that Earth's orbit is not a perfect circle.

Question 3

Galileo's telescopic discovery of mountains on the Moon were controversial because it suggested something about the Moon. What was it?

Accepted Answer

A)  that it is older than the Earth 
B)  that it is not a perfect sphere 
C)  that it was inhabited 
D)  that it orbits the Earth 
A)  that it is older than the Earth 
B)  that it is not a perfect sphere 
C)  that it was inhabited 
D)  that it orbits the Earth

Question 4

The force due to gravity between two objects decreases as the square of the distance between them increases."

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

If a planet orbits the Sun at a distance of 4 AU, then its orbital period is 8 years.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

Why do astronauts feel weightless when in orbit around Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)  There is no gravity at the location of their orbit. 
B)  Gravity is very weak at the location of their orbit. 
C)  They are falling around Earth at the same rate as the spaceship. 
D)  There is no air pressure in space. 
A)  There is no gravity at the location of their orbit. 
B)  Gravity is very weak at the location of their orbit. 
C)  They are falling around Earth at the same rate as the spaceship. 
D)  There is no air pressure in space.

Question 7

Imagine a satellite in orbit around the Earth, always at a constant distance from the centre of the Earth. Which of its properties changes?

Accepted Answer

A)  velocity 
B)  speed 
C)  acceleration 
D)  mass 
A)  velocity 
B)  speed 
C)  acceleration 
D)  mass

Question 8

The Copernican system was no more accurate than the Ptolemaic system in predicting the positions of the planets because of a key factor that was unchanged from the Ptolemaic system. What was that factor?

Accepted Answer

A)  The Copernican system assumed the Earth was at rest at the centre. 
B)  The Copernican system used elliptical planetary orbits. 
C)  The Copernican system used uniform circular motion. 
D)  The Copernican system assumed all planets orbited the Sun. 
A)  The Copernican system assumed the Earth was at rest at the centre. 
B)  The Copernican system used elliptical planetary orbits. 
C)  The Copernican system used uniform circular motion. 
D)  The Copernican system assumed all planets orbited the Sun.

Question 9

What did Eratosthenes measure very accurately?

Accepted Answer

A)  the size of the Earth 
B)  the length of the year 
C)  the distance to the Moon 
D)  the length of the month 
A)  the size of the Earth 
B)  the length of the year 
C)  the distance to the Moon 
D)  the length of the month

Question 10

When Mars is located directly behind the Earth with respect to the Sun in its orbit, we see it at its highest in the sky. At what time of day or night does this happen?

Accepted Answer

A)  at sunset 
B)  at midnight 
C)  at sunrise 
D)  at noon 
A)  at sunset 
B)  at midnight 
C)  at sunrise 
D)  at noon

Question 11

Would your mass and weight change if you went to the Moon?

Accepted Answer

A)  Weight would change but mass would not. 
B)  Mass would change but weight would not. 
C)  Both would change. 
D)  Neither would change. 
A)  Weight would change but mass would not. 
B)  Mass would change but weight would not. 
C)  Both would change. 
D)  Neither would change.

Question 12

Gravity obeys an inverse square relation. What does this statement imply about the force due to gravity between two masses?

Accepted Answer

A)  It will increase as the distance between the two masses increases. 
B)  It will decrease as the square of the distance between the two masses increases. 
C)  It will cause the two masses to move in a straight line. 
D)  It will cause the two masses to orbit each other. 
A)  It will increase as the distance between the two masses increases. 
B)  It will decrease as the square of the distance between the two masses increases. 
C)  It will cause the two masses to move in a straight line. 
D)  It will cause the two masses to orbit each other.

Question 13

What was a common feature of astronomy as practiced worldwide prior to the Greeks?

Accepted Answer

A)  recognizing patterns 
B)  making hypotheses 
C)  defining the 24-hour clock 
D)  observing supernovae 
A)  recognizing patterns 
B)  making hypotheses 
C)  defining the 24-hour clock 
D)  observing supernovae

Question 14

Whose writings became so famous that he was known throughout the Middle East simply as "The Philosopher"?

Accepted Answer

A)  Ptolemy 
B)  Eratosthenes 
C)  Aristotle 
D)  Hipparchus 
A)  Ptolemy 
B)  Eratosthenes 
C)  Aristotle 
D)  Hipparchus

Question 15

Which of the following astronomers described the universe in a way that matches the diagram?

Accepted Answer

A)  Kepler 
B)  Ptolemy 
C)  Copernicus 
D)  Galileo 
A)  Kepler 
B)  Ptolemy 
C)  Copernicus 
D)  Galileo

Question 16

What was the basis for Isaac Newton's conclusion that a force from the Earth must be acting on the Moon?

Accepted Answer

A)  A force is needed to keep the Moon in motion in its orbit. 
B)  A force is needed to pull the Moon outward. 
C)  A force is needed to accelerate the Moon toward the Earth, away from straight-line motion. 
D)  The Moon moved at a constant velocity in a straight line. 
A)  A force is needed to keep the Moon in motion in its orbit. 
B)  A force is needed to pull the Moon outward. 
C)  A force is needed to accelerate the Moon toward the Earth, away from straight-line motion. 
D)  The Moon moved at a constant velocity in a straight line.

What is the relationship between Kepler's laws of planetary motion and Newton's laws of motion and universal gravitation?

Which of the following best explains why most astronomers accepted a geocentric model of the universe for 2000 years?

Galileo's telescopic discovery of mountains on the Moon were controversial because it suggested something about the Moon. What was it?

The force due to gravity between two objects decreases as the square of the distance between them increases."

If a planet orbits the Sun at a distance of 4 AU, then its orbital period is 8 years.

Why do astronauts feel weightless when in orbit around Earth?

Imagine a satellite in orbit around the Earth, always at a constant distance from the centre of the Earth. Which of its properties changes?

The Copernican system was no more accurate than the Ptolemaic system in predicting the positions of the planets because of a key factor that was unchanged from the Ptolemaic system. What was that factor?

What did Eratosthenes measure very accurately?

When Mars is located directly behind the Earth with respect to the Sun in its orbit, we see it at its highest in the sky. At what time of day or night does this happen?

Would your mass and weight change if you went to the Moon?

Gravity obeys an inverse square relation. What does this statement imply about the force due to gravity between two masses?

What was a common feature of astronomy as practiced worldwide prior to the Greeks?

Whose writings became so famous that he was known throughout the Middle East simply as "The Philosopher"?

Which of the following astronomers described the universe in a way that matches the diagram?

What was the basis for Isaac Newton's conclusion that a force from the Earth must be acting on the Moon?

The Scale of the Cosmos: Space and Time

Users Guide to the Sky: Patterns and Cycles

Astronomical Telescopes and Instruments: Extending Humanitys Vision

The Sun: the Closest Star

The Family of Stars

The Structure and Formation of Stars

The Deaths of Stars

The Milky Way Galaxy

Galaxies

Cosmology in the 21st Century

Planet Formation and Exoplanets

Comparative Planetology of the Terrestrial Planets

The Outer Solar System

Life on Other Worlds

Filters

Exam 3: The Origin of Modern Astronomy

What is the relationship between Kepler's laws of planetary motion and Newton's laws of motion and universal gravitation?

Which of the following best explains why most astronomers accepted a geocentric model of the universe for 2000 years?

Galileo's telescopic discovery of mountains on the Moon were controversial because it suggested something about the Moon. What was it?

The force due to gravity between two objects decreases as the square of the distance between them increases."

If a planet orbits the Sun at a distance of 4 AU, then its orbital period is 8 years.

Why do astronauts feel weightless when in orbit around Earth?

Imagine a satellite in orbit around the Earth, always at a constant distance from the centre of the Earth. Which of its properties changes?

The Copernican system was no more accurate than the Ptolemaic system in predicting the positions of the planets because of a key factor that was unchanged from the Ptolemaic system. What was that factor?

What did Eratosthenes measure very accurately?

When Mars is located directly behind the Earth with respect to the Sun in its orbit, we see it at its highest in the sky. At what time of day or night does this happen?

Would your mass and weight change if you went to the Moon?

Gravity obeys an inverse square relation. What does this statement imply about the force due to gravity between two masses?

What was a common feature of astronomy as practiced worldwide prior to the Greeks?

Whose writings became so famous that he was known throughout the Middle East simply as "The Philosopher"?

Which of the following astronomers described the universe in a way that matches the diagram?

What was the basis for Isaac Newton's conclusion that a force from the Earth must be acting on the Moon?

The Scale of the Cosmos: Space and Time

Users Guide to the Sky: Patterns and Cycles

Astronomical Telescopes and Instruments: Extending Humanitys Vision

The Sun: the Closest Star

The Family of Stars

The Structure and Formation of Stars

The Deaths of Stars

The Milky Way Galaxy

Galaxies

Cosmology in the 21st Century

Planet Formation and Exoplanets

Comparative Planetology of the Terrestrial Planets

The Outer Solar System

Life on Other Worlds

Filters