Question 1

The Moon is constantly falling toward Earth.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

State Newton's three laws of motion.

Accepted Answer

1.In the absence of a net force,an objec

Question 3

Tidal friction caused by Earth's stretching from the Moon's gravity is gradually slowing down the rotation of Earth.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

At which lunar phase(s)are tides least pronounced (e.g. ,the lowest high tides)?

Accepted Answer

A) first quarter 
B) new Moon 
C) full Moon 
D) both new and full Moons 
E) both first and third quarters 
A) first quarter 
B) new Moon 
C) full Moon 
D) both new and full Moons 
E) both first and third quarters

Question 5

Why is Newton's version of Kepler's third law so useful to astronomers?

Accepted Answer

A) It allows us to calculate distances to distant objects. 
B) It can be used to determine the masses of many distant objects. 
C) It tells us that more-distant planets orbit the Sun more slowly. 
D) It explains why objects spin faster when they shrink in size. 
A) It allows us to calculate distances to distant objects. 
B) It can be used to determine the masses of many distant objects. 
C) It tells us that more-distant planets orbit the Sun more slowly. 
D) It explains why objects spin faster when they shrink in size.

Question 6

Which of the following best describes the origin of ocean tides on Earth?

Accepted Answer

A) Tides are caused by the difference in the force of gravity exerted by the Moon across the sphere of the earth. 
B) The Moon's gravity pulls harder on water than on land,because water is less dense than rock. 
C) Tides are caused by the 23 1/2° tilt of the earth's rotational axis to the ecliptic plane. 
D) Tides are caused primarily by the gravitational force of the Sun. 
E) Tides are caused on the side of Earth nearest the Moon because the Moon's gravity attracts the water. 
A) Tides are caused by the difference in the force of gravity exerted by the Moon across the sphere of the earth. 
B) The Moon's gravity pulls harder on water than on land,because water is less dense than rock. 
C) Tides are caused by the 23 1/2° tilt of the earth's rotational axis to the ecliptic plane. 
D) Tides are caused primarily by the gravitational force of the Sun. 
E) Tides are caused on the side of Earth nearest the Moon because the Moon's gravity attracts the water.

Question 7

Suppose you are in an elevator that is traveling upward at constant speed.How does your weight compare to your normal weight on the ground?

Accepted Answer

A) It is greater. 
B) It is less. 
C) It is the same. 
D) You are weightless. 
A) It is greater. 
B) It is less. 
C) It is the same. 
D) You are weightless.

Question 8

Momentum is defined as

Accepted Answer

A) mass times speed. 
B) mass times velocity. 
C) force times velocity. 
D) mass times acceleration. 
E) force times acceleration. 
A) mass times speed. 
B) mass times velocity. 
C) force times velocity. 
D) mass times acceleration. 
E) force times acceleration.

Question 9

Kepler deduced his laws of planetary motion once Newton had published his universal law of gravitation.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

Which of the following represents a case in which you are not accelerating?

Accepted Answer

A) driving in a straight line at 60 miles per hour 
B) going from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 10 seconds 
C) slamming on the brakes to come to a stop at a stop sign 
D) driving 60 miles per hour around a curve 
A) driving in a straight line at 60 miles per hour 
B) going from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 10 seconds 
C) slamming on the brakes to come to a stop at a stop sign 
D) driving 60 miles per hour around a curve

Question 11

Doubling the distance between two objects halves the gravitational force between them.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

The orbital period of a geosynchronous satellite is

Accepted Answer

A) 23 hours 56 minutes. 
B) 24 hours. 
C) 365.25 days. 
D) 12 years. 
E) 26,000 years. 
A) 23 hours 56 minutes. 
B) 24 hours. 
C) 365.25 days. 
D) 12 years. 
E) 26,000 years.

Question 13

The acceleration of gravity on Earth is approximately 10 m/s² (more precisely,9.8 m/s²).If you drop a rock from a tall building,about how fast will it be falling after 3 seconds?

Accepted Answer

A) 30 m/s. 
B) 10 m/s. 
C) 30 m/s² 
D) 10 m/s² 
E) 20 m/s 
A) 30 m/s. 
B) 10 m/s. 
C) 30 m/s² 
D) 10 m/s² 
E) 20 m/s

Question 14

Which of the following is an example in which you are traveling at constant speed but not at constant velocity?

Accepted Answer

A) rolling freely down a hill in a cart,traveling in a straight line 
B) driving backward at exactly 50 km/hr 
C) driving around in a circle at exactly 100 km/hr 
D) jumping up and down,with a period of exactly 60 hops per minute 
E) none of the above 
A) rolling freely down a hill in a cart,traveling in a straight line 
B) driving backward at exactly 50 km/hr 
C) driving around in a circle at exactly 100 km/hr 
D) jumping up and down,with a period of exactly 60 hops per minute 
E) none of the above

Question 15

The allowed shapes for the orbits of objects responding only to the force of gravity are

Accepted Answer

A) ellipses,parabolas,and hyperbolas. 
B) ellipses only. 
C) ellipses,spirals,and parabolas. 
D) circles and ellipses. 
A) ellipses,parabolas,and hyperbolas. 
B) ellipses only. 
C) ellipses,spirals,and parabolas. 
D) circles and ellipses.

Question 16

If you are driving at 30 miles per hour and increase your speed to 60 miles per hour,you quadruple your kinetic energy.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

Radiative energy is

Accepted Answer

A) heat energy. 
B) energy from nuclear power plants. 
C) energy carried by light. 
D) energy of motion. 
A) heat energy. 
B) energy from nuclear power plants. 
C) energy carried by light. 
D) energy of motion.

Question 18

If an object's velocity is doubled,its momentum is

Accepted Answer

A) halved. 
B) unchanged. 
C) doubled. 
D) quadrupled. 
E) dependent on its acceleration. 
A) halved. 
B) unchanged. 
C) doubled. 
D) quadrupled. 
E) dependent on its acceleration.

Question 19

Explain what synchronous rotation is.What is it caused by? Give an example.

Accepted Answer

Synchronous rotation is when the rotatio

Question 20

Each of the following lists two facts.Which pair of facts can be used with Newton's version of Kepler's third law to determine the mass of the Sun?

Accepted Answer

A) Earth is 150 million km from the Sun and orbits the Sun in one year. 
B) Mercury is 0.387 AU from the Sun and Earth is 1 AU from the Sun. 
C) The mass of Earth is 6 × 10²⁴ kg and Earth orbits the Sun in one year. 
D) Earth rotates in one day and orbits the Sun in one year. 
A) Earth is 150 million km from the Sun and orbits the Sun in one year. 
B) Mercury is 0.387 AU from the Sun and Earth is 1 AU from the Sun. 
C) The mass of Earth is 6 × 10²⁴ kg and Earth orbits the Sun in one year. 
D) Earth rotates in one day and orbits the Sun in one year.

Exam 4: Making Sense of the Universe: Understanding Motion, Energy, and Gravity

The Moon is constantly falling toward Earth.

State Newton's three laws of motion.

Tidal friction caused by Earth's stretching from the Moon's gravity is gradually slowing down the rotation of Earth.

At which lunar phase(s)are tides least pronounced (e.g. ,the lowest high tides)?

Why is Newton's version of Kepler's third law so useful to astronomers?

Which of the following best describes the origin of ocean tides on Earth?

Suppose you are in an elevator that is traveling upward at constant speed.How does your weight compare to your normal weight on the ground?

Momentum is defined as

Kepler deduced his laws of planetary motion once Newton had published his universal law of gravitation.

Which of the following represents a case in which you are not accelerating?

Doubling the distance between two objects halves the gravitational force between them.

The orbital period of a geosynchronous satellite is

The acceleration of gravity on Earth is approximately 10 m/s² (more precisely,9.8 m/s²).If you drop a rock from a tall building,about how fast will it be falling after 3 seconds?

Which of the following is an example in which you are traveling at constant speed but not at constant velocity?

The allowed shapes for the orbits of objects responding only to the force of gravity are

If you are driving at 30 miles per hour and increase your speed to 60 miles per hour,you quadruple your kinetic energy.

Radiative energy is

If an object's velocity is doubled,its momentum is

Explain what synchronous rotation is.What is it caused by? Give an example.

Each of the following lists two facts.Which pair of facts can be used with Newton's version of Kepler's third law to determine the mass of the Sun?

A Modern View of the Universe

Discovering the Universe for Yourself

The Science of Astronomy

Light and Matter: Reading Messages from the Cosmos

Telescopes: Portals of Discovery

Our Planetary System

Formation of the Solar System

Planetary Geology: Earth and the Other Terrestrial Worlds

Planetary Atmospheres: Earth and the Other Terrestrial Worlds

Jovian Planet Systems

Asteroids, Comets, and Dwarf Planets: Their Nature, Orbits, and Impacts

Other Planetary Systems: The New Science of Distant Worlds

Our Star

Surveying the Stars

Star Birth

Star Stuff

The Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

Our Galaxy

Galaxies and the Foundations of Modern Cosmology

Galaxy Evolution

The Birth of the Universe

Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Fate of the Universe

Life in the Universe

Celestial Timekeeping and Navigation

Space and Time

Spacetime and Gravity

Building Blocks of the Universe

Filters