Question 1

Absolute zero is

Accepted Answer

A) 0 Kelvin. 
B) 0° Celsius. 
C) 0° Fahrenheit. 
D) 100° Celsius. 
A) 0 Kelvin. 
B) 0° Celsius. 
C) 0° Fahrenheit. 
D) 100° Celsius.

Question 2

What do we mean by the orbital energy of an orbiting object (such as a planet,moon,or satellite)?

Accepted Answer

A) Orbital energy is the sum of the object's kinetic energy and its gravitational potential energy as it moves through its orbit. 
B) Orbital energy is the object's kinetic energy as it moves through its orbit. 
C) Orbital energy is a measure of the object's speed as it moves through its orbit. 
D) Orbital energy is the amount of energy required for the object to leave orbit and escape into space. 
A) Orbital energy is the sum of the object's kinetic energy and its gravitational potential energy as it moves through its orbit. 
B) Orbital energy is the object's kinetic energy as it moves through its orbit. 
C) Orbital energy is a measure of the object's speed as it moves through its orbit. 
D) Orbital energy is the amount of energy required for the object to leave orbit and escape into space.

Question 3

Which of the following statements is not one of Newton's Laws of Motion?

Accepted Answer

A) What goes up must come down. 
B) The rate of change of momentum of an object is equal to the net force applied to the object. 
C) In the absence of a net force acting upon it,an object moves with constant velocity. 
D) For any force,there always is an equal and opposite reaction force. 
A) What goes up must come down. 
B) The rate of change of momentum of an object is equal to the net force applied to the object. 
C) In the absence of a net force acting upon it,an object moves with constant velocity. 
D) For any force,there always is an equal and opposite reaction force.

Question 4

Changing the orbit of a spacecraft by firing thrusters is an example of

Accepted Answer

A) Newton's first law of motion. 
B) Newton's second law of motion. 
C) Newton's third law of motion. 
D) the universal law of gravitation. 
E) none of the above. 
A) Newton's first law of motion. 
B) Newton's second law of motion. 
C) Newton's third law of motion. 
D) the universal law of gravitation. 
E) none of the above.

Question 5

The escape velocity from Earth is greater for larger rockets than for small ones.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

If you double the mass of fusion material in a hydrogen bomb,you quadruple the amount of energy generated.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

When a spinning ice skater pulls in his arms,he spins faster because

Accepted Answer

A) his angular momentum must be conserved,so reducing his radius must increase his speed of rotation. 
B) there is less friction with the air. 
C) there is less friction with the ice. 
D) there exists an unbalanced reaction force. 
A) his angular momentum must be conserved,so reducing his radius must increase his speed of rotation. 
B) there is less friction with the air. 
C) there is less friction with the ice. 
D) there exists an unbalanced reaction force.

Question 8

Speed and velocity are the same thing.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Process of Science: Give some everyday examples that illustrate Newton's Laws of Motion.

Accepted Answer

Many possibilities here.For example,ice

Question 10

In which of the following cases would you feel weightless?

Accepted Answer

A) while walking on the Moon 
B) while falling from an airplane with your parachute open 
C) while traveling through space in an accelerating rocket 
D) while falling from a roof 
E) none of the above 
A) while walking on the Moon 
B) while falling from an airplane with your parachute open 
C) while traveling through space in an accelerating rocket 
D) while falling from a roof 
E) none of the above

Question 11

A basketball player jumps to make a basket,and remains in the air for a moment.A sportscaster,talking about the game,then remarks that she has "defied gravity." Which of the following accurately describes the situation?

Accepted Answer

A) The player did stay in the air in spite of the Law of Gravitation,but a single counter-observation is not enough to warrant revisiting a theory that usually works. 
B) The player produced enough force with her legs to accelerate up into the air,and gravity brought her back down with an acceleration of 9.8 m/s². 
C) The player only seemed to defy gravity,but part of the Universal Law of Gravitation makes an exception for basketball players. 
D) The player has defied gravity,so scientists must go back into the lab to refine their theory. 
A) The player did stay in the air in spite of the Law of Gravitation,but a single counter-observation is not enough to warrant revisiting a theory that usually works. 
B) The player produced enough force with her legs to accelerate up into the air,and gravity brought her back down with an acceleration of 9.8 m/s². 
C) The player only seemed to defy gravity,but part of the Universal Law of Gravitation makes an exception for basketball players. 
D) The player has defied gravity,so scientists must go back into the lab to refine their theory.

Question 12

Suppose that the Sun shrank in size but that its mass remained the same.What would happen to Earth's orbit?

Accepted Answer

A) The size of Earth's orbit would shrink,and it would take less than one year to orbit the Sun. 
B) Earth's orbit would expand,and it would take more than one year to orbit the Sun. 
C) Earth's orbit would be unaffected. 
D) Earth would change from a bound orbit to an unbound orbit and fly off into interstellar space. 
A) The size of Earth's orbit would shrink,and it would take less than one year to orbit the Sun. 
B) Earth's orbit would expand,and it would take more than one year to orbit the Sun. 
C) Earth's orbit would be unaffected. 
D) Earth would change from a bound orbit to an unbound orbit and fly off into interstellar space.

Question 13

If you drop a rock from a great height,about how fast will it be falling after 5 seconds,neglecting air resistance?

Accepted Answer

A) It depends on how heavy it is. 
B) It depends on what shape it is. 
C) 10 m/s 
D) 15 m/s 
E) 50 m/s 
A) It depends on how heavy it is. 
B) It depends on what shape it is. 
C) 10 m/s 
D) 15 m/s 
E) 50 m/s

Question 14

When space probe Voyager 2 passed by Saturn,its speed increased (but not due to firing its engines).What must have happened?

Accepted Answer

A) Voyager 2 must have dipped through Saturn's atmosphere. 
B) Saturn's rotation must have sped up slightly. 
C) Saturn must have lost a very tiny bit of its orbital energy. 
D) Saturn must have captured an asteroid at precisely the moment that Voyager 2 passed by. 
A) Voyager 2 must have dipped through Saturn's atmosphere. 
B) Saturn's rotation must have sped up slightly. 
C) Saturn must have lost a very tiny bit of its orbital energy. 
D) Saturn must have captured an asteroid at precisely the moment that Voyager 2 passed by.

Question 15

How does the Space Shuttle take off?

Accepted Answer

A) Its rocket engines push against the launch pad propelling the shuttle upwards. 
B) It converts mass-energy to kinetic energy. 
C) It achieves lift from its wings in the same way that airplanes do. 
D) Hot gas shoots out from the rocket and,by conservation of momentum,the shuttle moves in the opposite direction. 
E) The hot rocket exhaust expands the air beneath the shuttle,propelling it forward. 
A) Its rocket engines push against the launch pad propelling the shuttle upwards. 
B) It converts mass-energy to kinetic energy. 
C) It achieves lift from its wings in the same way that airplanes do. 
D) Hot gas shoots out from the rocket and,by conservation of momentum,the shuttle moves in the opposite direction. 
E) The hot rocket exhaust expands the air beneath the shuttle,propelling it forward.

Question 16

The difference between speed and velocity is that

Accepted Answer

A) they are expressed in different units. 
B) velocity also includes a direction. 
C) velocity is the same as acceleration but speed is different. 
D) velocity is calculated using a physics equation. 
A) they are expressed in different units. 
B) velocity also includes a direction. 
C) velocity is the same as acceleration but speed is different. 
D) velocity is calculated using a physics equation.

Question 17

There is no gravity in space.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

Give an example in which thermal energy might be converted to gravitational energy.

Accepted Answer

A hot air balloon rises: as we heat the

Question 19

Newton showed that Kepler's laws are

Accepted Answer

A) natural consequences of the law of universal gravitation. 
B) seriously in error. 
C) actually only three of seven distinct laws of planetary motion. 
D) the key to proving that Earth orbits our Sun. 
A) natural consequences of the law of universal gravitation. 
B) seriously in error. 
C) actually only three of seven distinct laws of planetary motion. 
D) the key to proving that Earth orbits our Sun.

Question 20

The mass of Jupiter can be calculated by

Accepted Answer

A) measuring the orbital period and distance of Jupiter's orbit around the Sun. 
B) measuring the orbital period and distance of one of Jupiter's moons. 
C) measuring the orbital speed of one of Jupiter's moons. 
D) knowing the Sun's mass and measuring how Jupiter's speed changes during its elliptical orbit around the Sun. 
E) knowing the Sun's mass and measuring the average distance of Jupiter from the Sun. 
A) measuring the orbital period and distance of Jupiter's orbit around the Sun. 
B) measuring the orbital period and distance of one of Jupiter's moons. 
C) measuring the orbital speed of one of Jupiter's moons. 
D) knowing the Sun's mass and measuring how Jupiter's speed changes during its elliptical orbit around the Sun. 
E) knowing the Sun's mass and measuring the average distance of Jupiter from the Sun.

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

Absolute zero is

What do we mean by the orbital energy of an orbiting object (such as a planet,moon,or satellite)?

Which of the following statements is not one of Newton's Laws of Motion?

Changing the orbit of a spacecraft by firing thrusters is an example of

The escape velocity from Earth is greater for larger rockets than for small ones.

If you double the mass of fusion material in a hydrogen bomb,you quadruple the amount of energy generated.

When a spinning ice skater pulls in his arms,he spins faster because

Speed and velocity are the same thing.

Process of Science: Give some everyday examples that illustrate Newton's Laws of Motion.

In which of the following cases would you feel weightless?

A basketball player jumps to make a basket,and remains in the air for a moment.A sportscaster,talking about the game,then remarks that she has "defied gravity." Which of the following accurately describes the situation?

Suppose that the Sun shrank in size but that its mass remained the same.What would happen to Earth's orbit?

If you drop a rock from a great height,about how fast will it be falling after 5 seconds,neglecting air resistance?

When space probe Voyager 2 passed by Saturn,its speed increased (but not due to firing its engines).What must have happened?

How does the Space Shuttle take off?

The difference between speed and velocity is that

There is no gravity in space.

Give an example in which thermal energy might be converted to gravitational energy.

Newton showed that Kepler's laws are

The mass of Jupiter can be calculated by

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