Question 1

Explain how Newton could turn observations of a cannonball in flight into a satellite orbit.

Accepted Answer

Newton noted that the faster the ball was fired,the farther downrange it fell.He realized that if the speed were the orbital velocity of 18,000 mph,the ball would fall with a curvature that matched the Earth's,and remain in orbit.

Question 2

Combining Newton's and Kepler's laws,we can weigh the Sun,provided we know:

Accepted Answer

A)  its density as found by spectroscopy. 
B)  its temperature as found by Wien's Law. 
C)  the size of the A.U. and exact length of the year. 
D)  the Earth's mass and circumference. 
E)  the exact timings of the transits of Venus and its diameter. 
A)  its density as found by spectroscopy. 
B)  its temperature as found by Wien's Law. 
C)  the size of the A.U. and exact length of the year. 
D)  the Earth's mass and circumference. 
E)  the exact timings of the transits of Venus and its diameter. C

Question 3

The orbits of most of the planets in our solar system have eccentricities close to zero.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  True

Question 4

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 5

Why do Newton's Laws show a force must be acting on the planets?

Accepted Answer

The planets are moving in elliptical orb

Question 6

Mercury,with a higher eccentricity orbit,should change its orbital speed more than do Venus or Earth.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

The eccentricity of a perfectly circular orbit is 1.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

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

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Which of the following is a contribution to astronomy made by Galileo?

Accepted Answer

A)  The astronomical telescope can show us far more detail than the eye can. 
B)  Jupiter has four moons orbiting it. 
C)  The Moon has craters, mountain, valleys, and dark flat areas on its surface. 
D)  Venus appears almost fully lit when it lies on the far side of the Sun. 
E)  All of the above. 
A)  The astronomical telescope can show us far more detail than the eye can. 
B)  Jupiter has four moons orbiting it. 
C)  The Moon has craters, mountain, valleys, and dark flat areas on its surface. 
D)  Venus appears almost fully lit when it lies on the far side of the Sun. 
E)  All of the above.

Question 10

Which of these was NOT a part of the original Copernican model?

Accepted Answer

A)  The Sun lies at the center of the solar system. 
B)  Mercury must move faster in its orbit than any other planet. 
C)  The Earth rotates on its axis once a day. 
D)  Venus can go all the way around the Sun. 
E)  Mercury speeds up at perihelion, and slows down at aphelion. 
A)  The Sun lies at the center of the solar system. 
B)  Mercury must move faster in its orbit than any other planet. 
C)  The Earth rotates on its axis once a day. 
D)  Venus can go all the way around the Sun. 
E)  Mercury speeds up at perihelion, and slows down at aphelion.

Question 11

Explain how the eccentricity describes the shape of an ellipse.

Accepted Answer

The higher the eccentricity,th

Question 12

Which concept was NOT a part of Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion?

Accepted Answer

A)  All planetary orbits are ellipses. 
B)  The square of the planet's period is equal to the cube of its average distance. 
C)  A planet must move fastest in its orbit at perihelion. 
D)  Epicycles are needed to explain the varying brightness of the planets. 
A)  All planetary orbits are ellipses. 
B)  The square of the planet's period is equal to the cube of its average distance. 
C)  A planet must move fastest in its orbit at perihelion. 
D)  Epicycles are needed to explain the varying brightness of the planets.

Question 13

According to Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation,if the Moon were three times further from Earth,the force by Earth on the Moon would:

Accepted Answer

A)  increase by a factor of 3. 
B)  decrease by a factor of 3. 
C)  increase by a factor of 9. 
D)  decrease by a factor of 9. 
E)  stay the same. 
A)  increase by a factor of 3. 
B)  decrease by a factor of 3. 
C)  increase by a factor of 9. 
D)  decrease by a factor of 9. 
E)  stay the same.

Question 14

Newton's modification of Kepler's Laws allows us to find the ________ of the planets,if we can observe satellites in orbit about them.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Newton's modification of Kepler's Laws allows us...

Question 15

What contribution to astronomy was made by Tycho Brahe?

Accepted Answer

A)  The planets' orbits around the Sun are ellipses, not circles. 
B)  The Earth is not the center of the Universe. 
C)  His observations of planetary motion with great accuracy proved circular orbits could not work. 
D)  His telescope revealed the moons of Jupiter before Galileo noted them. 
E)  Retrograde motion must be explained by epicycles larger than those of Ptolemy. 
A)  The planets' orbits around the Sun are ellipses, not circles. 
B)  The Earth is not the center of the Universe. 
C)  His observations of planetary motion with great accuracy proved circular orbits could not work. 
D)  His telescope revealed the moons of Jupiter before Galileo noted them. 
E)  Retrograde motion must be explained by epicycles larger than those of Ptolemy.

Question 16

It took two centuries for the Copernican model to replace the Ptolemaic model because:

Accepted Answer

A)  in Copernicus' time, there were no telescopes. 
B)  the Church wouldn't let anyone talk about Copernicus' model for 200 years. 
C)  there was no scientific evidence to support either model until Galileo made his observations. 
D)  the Ptolemaic model was simpler and more aesthetically pleasing. 
E)  the Copernican model required complicated new terms to explain it correctly. 
A)  in Copernicus' time, there were no telescopes. 
B)  the Church wouldn't let anyone talk about Copernicus' model for 200 years. 
C)  there was no scientific evidence to support either model until Galileo made his observations. 
D)  the Ptolemaic model was simpler and more aesthetically pleasing. 
E)  the Copernican model required complicated new terms to explain it correctly.

Question 17

Kepler's first law worked,where Copernicus' original heliocentric model failed,because Kepler described the orbits as:

Accepted Answer

A)  elliptical, not circular. 
B)  much larger than Copernicus had envisioned. 
C)  around the Sun, not the Earth. 
D)  being on equants instead of epicycles. 
E)  complex, with epicycles to account for retrograde motions. 
A)  elliptical, not circular. 
B)  much larger than Copernicus had envisioned. 
C)  around the Sun, not the Earth. 
D)  being on equants instead of epicycles. 
E)  complex, with epicycles to account for retrograde motions.

Question 18

The principal culture that transferred Greek astronomical knowledge to Renaissance Europe was:

Accepted Answer

A)  Byzantine. 
B)  Chinese. 
C)  Mongol. 
D)  Islamic. 
E)  Mayan. 
A)  Byzantine. 
B)  Chinese. 
C)  Mongol. 
D)  Islamic. 
E)  Mayan.

Question 19

Because he failed to observe stellar ________,Aristotle wrongly concluded we could not be in orbit around the Sun.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Because he failed to observe stellar ________,Aristotle...

Question 20

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

Accepted Answer

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

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

Explain how Newton could turn observations of a cannonball in flight into a satellite orbit.

Combining Newton's and Kepler's laws,we can weigh the Sun,provided we know:

The orbits of most of the planets in our solar system have eccentricities close to zero.

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

Why do Newton's Laws show a force must be acting on the planets?

Mercury,with a higher eccentricity orbit,should change its orbital speed more than do Venus or Earth.

The eccentricity of a perfectly circular orbit is 1.

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

Which of the following is a contribution to astronomy made by Galileo?

Which of these was NOT a part of the original Copernican model?

Explain how the eccentricity describes the shape of an ellipse.

Which concept was NOT a part of Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion?

According to Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation,if the Moon were three times further from Earth,the force by Earth on the Moon would:

Newton's modification of Kepler's Laws allows us to find the ________ of the planets,if we can observe satellites in orbit about them.

What contribution to astronomy was made by Tycho Brahe?

It took two centuries for the Copernican model to replace the Ptolemaic model because:

Kepler's first law worked,where Copernicus' original heliocentric model failed,because Kepler described the orbits as:

The principal culture that transferred Greek astronomical knowledge to Renaissance Europe was:

Because he failed to observe stellar ________,Aristotle wrongly concluded we could not be in orbit around the Sun.

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

Charting the Heavens: The Foundations of Astronomy

Radiation: Information from the Cosmos

Spectroscopy: The Inner Workings of Atoms

Telescopes: The Tools of Astronomy

The Solar System: Comparative Planetology and Formation Models

Earth: Our Home in Space

The Moon and Mercury: Scorched and Battered Worlds

Venus: Earth's Sister Planet

Mars: A Near Miss for Life?

Jupiter: Giant of the Solar System

Saturn: Spectacular Rings and Mysterious Moons

Uranus and Neptune: The Outer Worlds of the Solar System

Solar System Debris: Keys to Our Origin

Exoplanets: Planetary Systems Beyond Our Own

The Sun: Our Parent Star

The Stars: Giants,Dwarfs,and the Main Sequence

The Interstellar Medium: Gas and Dust among the Stars

Star Formation: A Traumatic Birth

Stellar Evolution: The Life and Death of a Star

Stellar Explosions: Novae,Supernovae,and the Formation of the Elements

Neutron Stars and Black Holes: Strange States of Matter

The Milky Way Galaxy: A Spiral in Space

Galaxies: Building Blocks of the Universe

Galaxies and Dark Matter: The Large-Scale Structure of the Cosmos

Cosmology: The Big Bang and the Fate of the Universe

The Early Universe: Toward the Beginning of Time

Life in the Universe: Are We Alone?

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