Question 1

0.0064 m is:

Accepted Answer

A) 0.64 mm. 
B) 640 mm. 
C) 6.4 mm. 
D) 64 mm. 
A) 0.64 mm. 
B) 640 mm. 
C) 6.4 mm. 
D) 64 mm.

Question 2

The angle of 60° between the line from the Sun to Jupiter and the line from the Sun to the Trojan group of asteroids (See Figure 15-14a of Universe, 11th ed.) is what fraction of a full circle?
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Accepted Answer

A) 1/2 
B) 1/3 
C) 1/5 
D) 1/6 
A) 1/2 
B) 1/3 
C) 1/5 
D) 1/6

Question 3

An astronomer is measuring the brightness of a star using infrared light of wavelength 7.8 μm. This corresponds to a wavelength of:

Accepted Answer

A) 7.8 millionths of a meter. 
B) 7.8 billionths of a meter. 
C) 7.8 trillionths of a meter (where 1 trillion = 1 million million) 
D) 780 millionths of a meter. 
A) 7.8 millionths of a meter. 
B) 7.8 billionths of a meter. 
C) 7.8 trillionths of a meter (where 1 trillion = 1 million million) 
D) 780 millionths of a meter.

Question 4

In galaxies, where are the sites of star formation?

Accepted Answer

A) in the spiral arms 
B) in the center 
C) in black holes 
D) nowhere; stars appear to be formed in the space between galaxies. 
A) in the spiral arms 
B) in the center 
C) in black holes 
D) nowhere; stars appear to be formed in the space between galaxies.

Question 5

(1/2)3 =

Accepted Answer

A) 8 
B) 1.25 × 10-1 
C) 0.5 
D) 0.167 
A) 8 
B) 1.25 × 10-1 
C) 0.5 
D) 0.167

Question 6

One yard is the same distance as:

Accepted Answer

A) 0.9144 m. 
B) 1.0936 m. 
C) 100 cm 
D) 10-3 km. 
A) 0.9144 m. 
B) 1.0936 m. 
C) 100 cm 
D) 10-3 km.

Question 7

The laws of physics developed in laboratories on Earth are generally assumed to be valid:

Accepted Answer

A) only on Earth. 
B) only in our solar system. 
C) only in our galaxy. 
D) everywhere in the universe. 
A) only on Earth. 
B) only in our solar system. 
C) only in our galaxy. 
D) everywhere in the universe.

Question 8

If the 40-kg object in the previous problem were taken to the surface of the Moon its mass would be:

Accepted Answer

A) 4 × 104 g. 
B) 6.53 × 104 g. 
C) 40 lb. 
D) 65.3 lb. 
A) 4 × 104 g. 
B) 6.53 × 104 g. 
C) 40 lb. 
D) 65.3 lb.

Question 9

The angle subtended by the Moon (diameter 3500 km) to an observer on Earth (Moon-Earth distance is about 400,000 km) is approximately:

Accepted Answer

A) 1/2 degree. 
B) 1700 degrees. 
C) 1/1700 degree. 
D) 1/2 arcminute. 
A) 1/2 degree. 
B) 1700 degrees. 
C) 1/1700 degree. 
D) 1/2 arcminute.

Question 10

How long does it take light to travel from the Sun to Earth? (There are 3.15 x 107 seconds in 1 year.)

Accepted Answer

A) 0.007 seconds 
B) 9 minutes 
C) 4 and a half days 
D) 11 weeks 
A) 0.007 seconds 
B) 9 minutes 
C) 4 and a half days 
D) 11 weeks

Question 11

The scientific method is a major force in science and has been developed to ensure that:

Accepted Answer

A) theories about physical phenomena are so good and our faith in them is so strong that we never need to test them against observations. 
B) theories about physical phenomena agree with the wisdom of the ancients. 
C) results from experiments can be adjusted to agree with our carefully developed theories about physical phenomena. 
D) theories about physical phenomena agree with what we find in experiments and observations. 
A) theories about physical phenomena are so good and our faith in them is so strong that we never need to test them against observations. 
B) theories about physical phenomena agree with the wisdom of the ancients. 
C) results from experiments can be adjusted to agree with our carefully developed theories about physical phenomena. 
D) theories about physical phenomena agree with what we find in experiments and observations.

Question 12

A particular molecule has a diameter of 12 billionths of a meter. This distance is equal to:

Accepted Answer

A) 1.2 nanometers (1.2 nm). 
B) 1.2 micrometers (1.2 μm). 
C) 12 nanometers (12 nm). 
D) 12 micrometers (12 μm). 
A) 1.2 nanometers (1.2 nm). 
B) 1.2 micrometers (1.2 μm). 
C) 12 nanometers (12 nm). 
D) 12 micrometers (12 μm).

Question 13

The oldest objects in the solar system whose age has been measured are:

Accepted Answer

A) the Moon rocks brought back by the Apollo astronauts. 
B) rocks from the Canadian shield of North America. 
C) the large satellites of the jovian planets. 
D) meteorites. 
A) the Moon rocks brought back by the Apollo astronauts. 
B) rocks from the Canadian shield of North America. 
C) the large satellites of the jovian planets. 
D) meteorites.

Question 14

25 =

Accepted Answer

A) 100,000 
B) 32 
C) 25 
D) 200,000 
A) 100,000 
B) 32 
C) 25 
D) 200,000

Question 15

If a stick of length 5.18 m is placed so that the ends just touch a circle of radius 10 m, the stick will subtend a 30° angle when viewed from the center of the circle. What does the formula derived in Box 1-1 give you as the length of this stick?

Accepted Answer

A) 1.26 m 
B) 5.18 m 
C) 5.24 m 
D) 11.8 m 
A) 1.26 m 
B) 5.18 m 
C) 5.24 m 
D) 11.8 m

Question 16

An underlying theme of astronomy is that the:

Accepted Answer

A) fundamental physical laws differ randomly from galaxy to galaxy, but they can be learned for a given galaxy by detailed observation. 
B) fundamental physical laws governing the universe change in a predictable way with increasing distance from Earth. 
C) universe is a hodgepodge of unrelated things behaving in arbitrary and unexplainable ways. 
D) entire universe is governed by a single set of fundamental physical laws. 
A) fundamental physical laws differ randomly from galaxy to galaxy, but they can be learned for a given galaxy by detailed observation. 
B) fundamental physical laws governing the universe change in a predictable way with increasing distance from Earth. 
C) universe is a hodgepodge of unrelated things behaving in arbitrary and unexplainable ways. 
D) entire universe is governed by a single set of fundamental physical laws.

Question 17

2.5 × 104 × 2.5 × 10-4 =

Accepted Answer

A) 5.0 × 10-8 
B) 5.0 
C) 6.25 
D) 1.0 × 106 
A) 5.0 × 10-8 
B) 5.0 
C) 6.25 
D) 1.0 × 106

Question 18

(0.5)2 =

Accepted Answer

A) 2.5 × 10-2 
B) 0.25 
C) 2.5 
D) 1.0 
A) 2.5 × 10-2 
B) 0.25 
C) 2.5 
D) 1.0

Question 19

The Saturn 5 rocket, used to send astronauts to the Moon, stood about 110 m high. At what distance would you have to stand in order to have the rocket subtend an angle of about 2.5 degrees? (This angle is the field of view of a 600-mm focal length telephoto lens on a 35-mm camera.)

Accepted Answer

A) 275 km 
B) 0.25 km 
C) 2700 km 
D) 2.5 km 
A) 275 km 
B) 0.25 km 
C) 2700 km 
D) 2.5 km

Question 20

The study of galaxies gives astronomers important clues about the:

Accepted Answer

A) origin of intellect. 
B) existence of life in the universe beyond Earth. 
C) formation of planets. 
D) beginning of the universe. 
A) origin of intellect. 
B) existence of life in the universe beyond Earth. 
C) formation of planets. 
D) beginning of the universe.

Exam 1: Astronomy and the Universe

0.0064 m is:

The angle of 60° between the line from the Sun to Jupiter and the line from the Sun to the Trojan group of asteroids (See Figure 15-14a of Universe, 11th ed.) is what fraction of a full circle? ​ ​

An astronomer is measuring the brightness of a star using infrared light of wavelength 7.8 μm. This corresponds to a wavelength of:

In galaxies, where are the sites of star formation?

(1/2)3 =

One yard is the same distance as:

The laws of physics developed in laboratories on Earth are generally assumed to be valid:

If the 40-kg object in the previous problem were taken to the surface of the Moon its mass would be:

The angle subtended by the Moon (diameter 3500 km) to an observer on Earth (Moon-Earth distance is about 400,000 km) is approximately:

How long does it take light to travel from the Sun to Earth? (There are 3.15 x 107 seconds in 1 year.)

The scientific method is a major force in science and has been developed to ensure that:

A particular molecule has a diameter of 12 billionths of a meter. This distance is equal to:

The oldest objects in the solar system whose age has been measured are:

25 =

If a stick of length 5.18 m is placed so that the ends just touch a circle of radius 10 m, the stick will subtend a 30° angle when viewed from the center of the circle. What does the formula derived in Box 1-1 give you as the length of this stick?

An underlying theme of astronomy is that the:

2.5 × 104 × 2.5 × 10-4 =

(0.5)2 =

The Saturn 5 rocket, used to send astronauts to the Moon, stood about 110 m high. At what distance would you have to stand in order to have the rocket subtend an angle of about 2.5 degrees? (This angle is the field of view of a 600-mm focal length telephoto lens on a 35-mm camera.)

The study of galaxies gives astronomers important clues about the:

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

(1/2)³ =

How long does it take light to travel from the Sun to Earth? (There are 3.15 x 10⁷ seconds in 1 year.)

2⁵ =

2.5 × 10⁴ × 2.5 × 10^-4 =

(0.5)² =