Question 1

Suppose a star rises due east, passes directly overhead, and then sets 12 hours after it rose. What is its average angular speed (in arcseconds per second)?

Accepted Answer

A) 7.5 
B) 15 
C) 30 
D) 180 
A) 7.5 
B) 15 
C) 30 
D) 180

Question 2

10-2 × 102 =

Accepted Answer

A) 0 
B) 1/100 
C) 1 
D) 10,000 
A) 0 
B) 1/100 
C) 1 
D) 10,000

Question 3

105 × 108 =

Accepted Answer

A) 1040 
B) 103 
C) 1013 
D) 1020 
A) 1040 
B) 103 
C) 1013 
D) 1020

Question 4

Astronomy:

Accepted Answer

A) has not yet influenced our lives significantly, although future developments like mining on the Moon may become important. 
B) studies only far-away places and has no application to our lives here on Earth. 
C) allows us to predict our individual destinies from the movements of the planets, but has never had any other useful application. 
D) has had important practical applications including the development of Newtonian mechanics, on which much of modern technology is based. 
A) has not yet influenced our lives significantly, although future developments like mining on the Moon may become important. 
B) studies only far-away places and has no application to our lives here on Earth. 
C) allows us to predict our individual destinies from the movements of the planets, but has never had any other useful application. 
D) has had important practical applications including the development of Newtonian mechanics, on which much of modern technology is based.

Question 5

Using a technique known as very long baseline interferometry (VLBI), in which the signals received by two radio telescopes located on different continents are combined as if they were a single radio telescope, astronomers can resolve two objects separated by only 0.00001 second of arc. What is the smallest detail we can see in a quasar 15 billion light-years away using this kind of interferometer?

Accepted Answer

A) 0.7 ly 
B) 44 ly 
C) 2400 ly 
D) 150,000 ly 
A) 0.7 ly 
B) 44 ly 
C) 2400 ly 
D) 150,000 ly

Question 6

The average distance from Earth to the Sun, 149,600,000 km, can be written in shorthand notation as:

Accepted Answer

A) 1.496 × 109 km. 
B) 1.496 × 106 km. 
C) 1.496 × 108 km. 
D) 1.496 × 107 km. 
A) 1.496 × 109 km. 
B) 1.496 × 106 km. 
C) 1.496 × 108 km. 
D) 1.496 × 107 km.

Question 7

An object on the surface of Earth has a mass of 40 kg. This is the same as:

Accepted Answer

A) 4 × 104 g. 
B) 3.92 × 105 gs. 
C) 40 lb. 
D) 392 lb. 
A) 4 × 104 g. 
B) 3.92 × 105 gs. 
C) 40 lb. 
D) 392 lb.

Question 8

106/106 =

Accepted Answer

A) 1 
B) 10 
C) 0 
D) 1012 
A) 1 
B) 10 
C) 0 
D) 1012

Question 9

The mean distance of Jupiter from the Sun, 778,300,000 km, can be written in shorthand notation as:

Accepted Answer

A) 7.783 × 108 km. 
B) 7.783 × 109 km. 
C) 7.783 × 107 km. 
D) 7.783 × 106 km. 
A) 7.783 × 108 km. 
B) 7.783 × 109 km. 
C) 7.783 × 107 km. 
D) 7.783 × 106 km.

Question 10

Now about halfway through its life cycle, our Sun is expected to last another __________ billion years.

Accepted Answer

A) 1 
B) 5 
C) 10 
D) 20 
A) 1 
B) 5 
C) 10 
D) 20

Question 11

Each of the following is a possible stage in the late evolution of a massive star except one. Which is the exception?

Accepted Answer

A) quasar 
B) supernova 
C) pulsar 
D) black hole 
A) quasar 
B) supernova 
C) pulsar 
D) black hole

Question 12

The Crab Nebula (See Figure 1-8 of Universe, 11th ed.) is the result of a supernova explosion of a star that occurred at a distance of about 1.99 kpc from Earth. If people on Earth saw the explosion in the year 1054 C.E., when did the explosion actually occur?

Accepted Answer

A)  936 C.E. 
B)  about 1048 C.E. 
C)  about 5446 B.C.E. 
D)  936 B.C.E. 
A)  936 C.E. 
B)  about 1048 C.E. 
C)  about 5446 B.C.E. 
D)  936 B.C.E.

Question 13

If we could view each of the following objects from the same distance, which would be the brightest?

Accepted Answer

A) a star 
B) a quasar 
C) a normal galaxy 
D) a solar system 
A) a star 
B) a quasar 
C) a normal galaxy 
D) a solar system

Question 14

On May 9, 2018, the planet Jupiter had an angular diameter of 43.8 arcseconds as viewed from Earth. Which of the following is a correct statement about this angular diameter?

Accepted Answer

A) This value is constant. Jupiter always has that angular diameter when viewed from Earth. 
B) This value changes. The angular diameter gets larger as the distance to Jupiter becomes larger, and smaller as the distance to Jupiter becomes smaller. 
C) This value changes. The angular diameter gets larger as the distance to Jupiter becomes smaller, and smaller as the distance to Jupiter becomes larger. 
D) This value changes. It is always larger during that part of Saturn's orbit when Jupiter is closer to the Sun, and it is smaller when Jupiter is farther from the Sun. 
A) This value is constant. Jupiter always has that angular diameter when viewed from Earth. 
B) This value changes. The angular diameter gets larger as the distance to Jupiter becomes larger, and smaller as the distance to Jupiter becomes smaller. 
C) This value changes. The angular diameter gets larger as the distance to Jupiter becomes smaller, and smaller as the distance to Jupiter becomes larger. 
D) This value changes. It is always larger during that part of Saturn's orbit when Jupiter is closer to the Sun, and it is smaller when Jupiter is farther from the Sun.

Question 15

106/109 =

Accepted Answer

A) 1054 
B) 1015 
C) 10-3 
D) 103 
A) 1054 
B) 1015 
C) 10-3 
D) 103

Question 16

If a fire burned a large part of a medieval city 1000 years ago, approximately how far out in space has some of that light now reached? (Note to instructors: This question must be modified yearly.)

Accepted Answer

A) 1000 × (3 × 108) m = 6.04 × 1011 m 
B) 1000 au 
C) 1000 ly 
D) 1000 pc 
A) 1000 × (3 × 108) m = 6.04 × 1011 m 
B) 1000 au 
C) 1000 ly 
D) 1000 pc

Question 17

What do we mean by the Big Bang?

Accepted Answer

A) the cosmic explosion at the beginning of the universe and the origin of the cosmic expansion that we now observe 
B) the projected end of the universe, the result of the cosmic collapse that will inevitably follow the cosmic expansion we now observe 
C) the cataclysmic event that produced our solar system about 13.7 billion years ago 
D) the tremendous explosion that occurs when a quasar becomes a black hole, sending gravitational waves and cosmic rays throughout the universe 
A) the cosmic explosion at the beginning of the universe and the origin of the cosmic expansion that we now observe 
B) the projected end of the universe, the result of the cosmic collapse that will inevitably follow the cosmic expansion we now observe 
C) the cataclysmic event that produced our solar system about 13.7 billion years ago 
D) the tremendous explosion that occurs when a quasar becomes a black hole, sending gravitational waves and cosmic rays throughout the universe

Question 18

Larger stars have more thermonuclear "fuel":

Accepted Answer

A) and, since all nuclear reactions proceed at the same rate, they live longer than smaller stars which have less fuel. 
B) but they also consume their fuel at a larger rate and thus live the same length of time as smaller stars, which have less fuel but consume it more slowly. 
C) but they also consume their fuel at a larger rate and thus live the a shorter time than smaller stars, which have less fuel but consume it more slowly. 
D) but there is no correlation between the size of a star and its lifetime. 
A) and, since all nuclear reactions proceed at the same rate, they live longer than smaller stars which have less fuel. 
B) but they also consume their fuel at a larger rate and thus live the same length of time as smaller stars, which have less fuel but consume it more slowly. 
C) but they also consume their fuel at a larger rate and thus live the a shorter time than smaller stars, which have less fuel but consume it more slowly. 
D) but there is no correlation between the size of a star and its lifetime.

Question 19

(2 × 102)3 =

Accepted Answer

A) 6 × 106 
B) 8 × 106 
C) 8 × 105 
D) 6 × 105 
A) 6 × 106 
B) 8 × 106 
C) 8 × 105 
D) 6 × 105

Question 20

We know the properties of hydrogen atoms well from studying them in laboratories on Earth. A fundamental idea in astronomy is that:

Accepted Answer

A) a hydrogen atom anywhere else in the universe is the same as it is here. 
B) hydrogen atoms change in regular and predictable ways as they get farther from Earth. 
C) the characteristics of hydrogen atoms follow different rules in different galaxies, but these can be predicted by studying the properties of each galaxy as a whole. 
D) hydrogen atoms are unique to our solar system and the manner in which it was formed. 
A) a hydrogen atom anywhere else in the universe is the same as it is here. 
B) hydrogen atoms change in regular and predictable ways as they get farther from Earth. 
C) the characteristics of hydrogen atoms follow different rules in different galaxies, but these can be predicted by studying the properties of each galaxy as a whole. 
D) hydrogen atoms are unique to our solar system and the manner in which it was formed.

Exam 1: Astronomy and the Universe

Suppose a star rises due east, passes directly overhead, and then sets 12 hours after it rose. What is its average angular speed (in arcseconds per second)?

10-2 × 102 =

105 × 108 =

Astronomy:

The average distance from Earth to the Sun, 149,600,000 km, can be written in shorthand notation as:

An object on the surface of Earth has a mass of 40 kg. This is the same as:

106/106 =

The mean distance of Jupiter from the Sun, 778,300,000 km, can be written in shorthand notation as:

Now about halfway through its life cycle, our Sun is expected to last another __________ billion years.

Each of the following is a possible stage in the late evolution of a massive star except one. Which is the exception?

The Crab Nebula (See Figure 1-8 of Universe, 11th ed.) is the result of a supernova explosion of a star that occurred at a distance of about 1.99 kpc from Earth. If people on Earth saw the explosion in the year 1054 C.E., when did the explosion actually occur?

If we could view each of the following objects from the same distance, which would be the brightest?

On May 9, 2018, the planet Jupiter had an angular diameter of 43.8 arcseconds as viewed from Earth. Which of the following is a correct statement about this angular diameter?

106/109 =

If a fire burned a large part of a medieval city 1000 years ago, approximately how far out in space has some of that light now reached? (Note to instructors: This question must be modified yearly.)

What do we mean by the Big Bang?

Larger stars have more thermonuclear "fuel":

(2 × 102)3 =

We know the properties of hydrogen atoms well from studying them in laboratories on Earth. A fundamental idea in astronomy is that:

Knowing the Heavens

Eclipses and the Motion of the Moon

Gravitation and the Waltz of the Planets

The Nature of Light

Optics and Telescopes

Comparative Planetology I: Our Solar System

Comparative Planetology II: the Origin of Our Solar System

The Living Earth

Our Barren Moon

Mercury, Venus, and Mars: Terrestrial, yet Unique

Jupiter and Saturn: Lords of the Planets

Jupiter and Saturns Satellites of Fire and Ice

Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and the Kuiper Belt: Remote Worlds

Asteroids, Comets, and Impacts

Our Star, the Sun

The Nature of the Stars

The Birth of Stars

Stellar Evolution: on and After the Main Sequence

Stellar Evolution: The Death of Stars

Stellar Remnants: Neutron Stars and Black Holes

Our Galaxy

Galaxies

Quasars and Active Galaxies

Cosmology: The Origin and Evolution of the Universe

Exploring the Early Universe

The Search for Extraterrestrial Life

Filters

10^-2 × 10² =

10⁵ × 10⁸ =

10⁶/10⁶ =

10⁶/10⁹ =

(2 × 10²)³ =