Question 1

Galileo observed all of the following. Which observation offered direct proof of a planet orbiting the Sun?

Accepted Answer

A)  Phases of Venus 
B)  Four moons of Jupiter 
C)  Patterns of shadow and sunlight near the dividing line between the light and dark portions of the Moon's face 
D)  The Milky Way is composed of many individual stars. 
A)  Phases of Venus 
B)  Four moons of Jupiter 
C)  Patterns of shadow and sunlight near the dividing line between the light and dark portions of the Moon's face 
D)  The Milky Way is composed of many individual stars.

Question 2

You are using a piece of string and two tacks to draw ellipses on a piece of paper. How can you draw two ellipses with the same semi-major axes but different eccentricities? How can you draw two ellipses with the same eccentricity but with the semi-major axis of one double the other?

Accepted Answer

a. Use the same length of string for bot

Question 3

One of the "nails in the coffin" for the Earth-centered universe was

Accepted Answer

A)  the retrograde motion of the planets. 
B)  the phases of the Moon. 
C)  eclipses of the Sun. 
D)  Galileo's observation of stars in the Milky Way. 
E)  Galileo's observations of the moons of Jupiter. 
A)  the retrograde motion of the planets. 
B)  the phases of the Moon. 
C)  eclipses of the Sun. 
D)  Galileo's observation of stars in the Milky Way. 
E)  Galileo's observations of the moons of Jupiter.

Question 4

It is possible for science as a whole to be objective despite the fact that all individual scientists have personal biases and beliefs.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

Suppose the planet Uranus were much brighter in the sky, so that it was as easily visible to the naked eye as Jupiter or Saturn. Which one of the following statements would most likely be true in that case?

Accepted Answer

A)  A week would have eight days instead of seven. 
B)  Its brightness would make it possible to read by starlight at night. 
C)  Its gravity would cause the tides to be much higher than they actually are. 
D)  The discovery that the Earth is a planet going around the Sun would have come hundreds of years earlier. 
E)  Its slow motion through the sky would have led it to be named after the Goddess of Procrastination. 
A)  A week would have eight days instead of seven. 
B)  Its brightness would make it possible to read by starlight at night. 
C)  Its gravity would cause the tides to be much higher than they actually are. 
D)  The discovery that the Earth is a planet going around the Sun would have come hundreds of years earlier. 
E)  Its slow motion through the sky would have led it to be named after the Goddess of Procrastination.

Question 6

The point along a planet's orbit where it is closest to the Sun is called the orbit's

Accepted Answer

A)  perihelion 
B)  aphelion 
C)  eccentricity 
D)  semi-major axis 
E)  period 
A)  perihelion 
B)  aphelion 
C)  eccentricity 
D)  semi-major axis 
E)  period

Question 7

Earth is farthest from the Sun in July and closest to the Sun in January. During which Northern Hemisphere season is Earth moving fastest in its orbit?

Accepted Answer

A)  Spring 
B)  Summer 
C)  Fall 
D)  Winter 
A)  Spring 
B)  Summer 
C)  Fall 
D)  Winter

Question 8

Scientific thinking developed only in the past few decades.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

According to Kepler's third law (p² = a³), how does a planet's mass affect its orbit around the Sun?

Accepted Answer

A)  A planet's mass has no effect on its orbit around the Sun. 
B)  More massive planets orbit the Sun at higher average speed. 
C)  More massive planets must have more circular orbits. 
D)  A more massive planet must have a larger semimajor axis. 
A)  A planet's mass has no effect on its orbit around the Sun. 
B)  More massive planets orbit the Sun at higher average speed. 
C)  More massive planets must have more circular orbits. 
D)  A more massive planet must have a larger semimajor axis.

Question 10

How did ancient peoples of central Africa predict the weather?

Accepted Answer

They observed the orientation

Question 11

State Kepler's three laws of planetary motion.

Accepted Answer

1. The orbit of each planet is an ellips

Question 12

Which of the following statements about an ellipse is not true?

Accepted Answer

A)  The focus of an ellipse is always located precisely at the center of the ellipse. 
B)  A circle is considered to be a special type of ellipse. 
C)  The semimajor axis of an ellipse is half the length of the longest line that you can draw across an ellipse. 
D)  An ellipse with a large eccentricity looks much more elongated (stretched out) than an ellipse with a small eccentricity. 
A)  The focus of an ellipse is always located precisely at the center of the ellipse. 
B)  A circle is considered to be a special type of ellipse. 
C)  The semimajor axis of an ellipse is half the length of the longest line that you can draw across an ellipse. 
D)  An ellipse with a large eccentricity looks much more elongated (stretched out) than an ellipse with a small eccentricity.

Question 13

Which of the following claims cannot be tested by science?

Accepted Answer

A)  This drug will cure cancer. 
B)  The geometry of the universe is curved. 
C)  Smoking shortens people's lifespans. 
D)  The Earth was created by God. 
E)  The Sun goes around the Earth. 
A)  This drug will cure cancer. 
B)  The geometry of the universe is curved. 
C)  Smoking shortens people's lifespans. 
D)  The Earth was created by God. 
E)  The Sun goes around the Earth.

Question 14

Imagine for a moment that despite all the evidence, Earth actually is not rotating and orbiting the Sun. Which of these hypothetical observations (none of them are real) would be inconsistent with our Sun-centered view of the solar system?

Accepted Answer

A)  We discover a small planet beyond Saturn that rises in the west and sets in the east each day. 
B)  We discover an Earth-sized planet orbiting the Sun beyond the orbit of Pluto. 
C)  We find that we are unable to measure any parallax for a distant galaxy. 
D)  We discover that the universe is actually contracting, not expanding. 
A)  We discover a small planet beyond Saturn that rises in the west and sets in the east each day. 
B)  We discover an Earth-sized planet orbiting the Sun beyond the orbit of Pluto. 
C)  We find that we are unable to measure any parallax for a distant galaxy. 
D)  We discover that the universe is actually contracting, not expanding.

Question 15

The names of the seven days of the week are based on ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  the names of the seven planets closest to the Sun 
B)  the seven most prominent constellations in the summer sky 
C)  the names of prophets in the Bible 
D)  the seven naked-eye objects that appear to move among the constellations 
A)  the names of the seven planets closest to the Sun 
B)  the seven most prominent constellations in the summer sky 
C)  the names of prophets in the Bible 
D)  the seven naked-eye objects that appear to move among the constellations

Question 16

What is meant by a scientific paradigm?

Accepted Answer

A)  a conundrum or unexplained set of facts 
B)  a radical change in scientific thought 
C)  a generally well established scientific theory or set of theories 
D)  a pseudoscientific idea 
E)  a historical theory that has been proved inaccurate 
A)  a conundrum or unexplained set of facts 
B)  a radical change in scientific thought 
C)  a generally well established scientific theory or set of theories 
D)  a pseudoscientific idea 
E)  a historical theory that has been proved inaccurate

Question 17

Historians trace the origins of a 24-hour day to

Accepted Answer

A)  the druids of Stonehenge. 
B)  the ancient Egyptians. 
C)  the Mayans. 
D)  the Aztecs. 
E)  the Babylonian astronomer, Meton. 
A)  the druids of Stonehenge. 
B)  the ancient Egyptians. 
C)  the Mayans. 
D)  the Aztecs. 
E)  the Babylonian astronomer, Meton.

Galileo observed all of the following. Which observation offered direct proof of a planet orbiting the Sun?

You are using a piece of string and two tacks to draw ellipses on a piece of paper. How can you draw two ellipses with the same semi-major axes but different eccentricities? How can you draw two ellipses with the same eccentricity but with the semi-major axis of one double the other?

One of the "nails in the coffin" for the Earth-centered universe was

It is possible for science as a whole to be objective despite the fact that all individual scientists have personal biases and beliefs.

Suppose the planet Uranus were much brighter in the sky, so that it was as easily visible to the naked eye as Jupiter or Saturn. Which one of the following statements would most likely be true in that case?

The point along a planet's orbit where it is closest to the Sun is called the orbit's

Earth is farthest from the Sun in July and closest to the Sun in January. During which Northern Hemisphere season is Earth moving fastest in its orbit?

Scientific thinking developed only in the past few decades.

According to Kepler's third law (p² = a³), how does a planet's mass affect its orbit around the Sun?

How did ancient peoples of central Africa predict the weather?

State Kepler's three laws of planetary motion.

Which of the following statements about an ellipse is not true?

Which of the following claims cannot be tested by science?

Imagine for a moment that despite all the evidence, Earth actually is not rotating and orbiting the Sun. Which of these hypothetical observations (none of them are real) would be inconsistent with our Sun-centered view of the solar system?

The names of the seven days of the week are based on ________.

What is meant by a scientific paradigm?

Historians trace the origins of a 24-hour day to

Our Place in the Universe

Discovering the Universe for Yourself

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

Light: the Cosmic Messenger

Formation of Planetary Systems: Our Solar System and Beyond

Earth and the Terrestrial Worlds

Jovian Planet Systems

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

Our Star

Surveying the Stars

Star Stuff

Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

Our Galaxy

Galaxies and the Foundation of Modern Cosmology

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

The Beginning of Time

Life in the Universe

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Exam 3: The Science of Astronomy

Galileo observed all of the following. Which observation offered direct proof of a planet orbiting the Sun?

You are using a piece of string and two tacks to draw ellipses on a piece of paper. How can you draw two ellipses with the same semi-major axes but different eccentricities? How can you draw two ellipses with the same eccentricity but with the semi-major axis of one double the other?

One of the "nails in the coffin" for the Earth-centered universe was

It is possible for science as a whole to be objective despite the fact that all individual scientists have personal biases and beliefs.

Suppose the planet Uranus were much brighter in the sky, so that it was as easily visible to the naked eye as Jupiter or Saturn. Which one of the following statements would most likely be true in that case?

The point along a planet's orbit where it is closest to the Sun is called the orbit's

Earth is farthest from the Sun in July and closest to the Sun in January. During which Northern Hemisphere season is Earth moving fastest in its orbit?

Scientific thinking developed only in the past few decades.

According to Kepler's third law (p² = a³), how does a planet's mass affect its orbit around the Sun?

How did ancient peoples of central Africa predict the weather?

State Kepler's three laws of planetary motion.

Which of the following statements about an ellipse is not true?

Which of the following claims cannot be tested by science?

Imagine for a moment that despite all the evidence, Earth actually is not rotating and orbiting the Sun. Which of these hypothetical observations (none of them are real) would be inconsistent with our Sun-centered view of the solar system?

The names of the seven days of the week are based on ________.

What is meant by a scientific paradigm?

Historians trace the origins of a 24-hour day to

Our Place in the Universe

Discovering the Universe for Yourself

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

Light: the Cosmic Messenger

Formation of Planetary Systems: Our Solar System and Beyond

Earth and the Terrestrial Worlds

Jovian Planet Systems

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

Our Star

Surveying the Stars

Star Stuff

Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

Our Galaxy

Galaxies and the Foundation of Modern Cosmology

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

The Beginning of Time

Life in the Universe

Filters