Question 1

Two balls are dropped from rest in a vacuum chamber on Earth.They have identical sizes,but the red ball is twice as massive as the blue ball.What happens?

Accepted Answer

A)  The balls accelerate at the same rate. 
B)  The red ball accelerates faster than the blue ball. 
C)  The blue ball accelerates faster than the red ball. 
D)  The balls will not move because they are in a vacuum. 
A)  The balls accelerate at the same rate. 
B)  The red ball accelerates faster than the blue ball. 
C)  The blue ball accelerates faster than the red ball. 
D)  The balls will not move because they are in a vacuum. A

Question 2

Which of the following observations provided the most direct challenge to the geocentric model of solar system orbits?

Accepted Answer

A)  the topography of the Moon 
B)  phases of Venus 
C)  sunspots 
D)  supernovae 
A)  the topography of the Moon 
B)  phases of Venus 
C)  sunspots 
D)  supernovae B

Question 3

Pluto has a perihelion of about 50 AU and an aphelion of 30 AU.What is the ratio of the gravitational force at aphelion to the gravitational force at perihelion?

Accepted Answer

A)  1 
B)  5/3 
C)  25/9 
D)  25/3 
A)  1 
B)  5/3 
C)  25/9 
D)  25/3 C

Question 4

Suppose the Sun suddenly quadrupled its mass,while Earth remained at the same distance from it.What is the ratio of Earth's orbital period after the change to that before it?

Accepted Answer

A)  1:16 
B)  1:4 
C)  1:2 
D)  1:1 
A)  1:16 
B)  1:4 
C)  1:2 
D)  1:1

Question 5

Kepler's laws of planetary motion were formulated using data recorded by:

Accepted Answer

A)  Tycho Brahe. 
B)  Nicolaus Copernicus. 
C)  Galileo Galilei. 
D)  Isaac Newton. 
A)  Tycho Brahe. 
B)  Nicolaus Copernicus. 
C)  Galileo Galilei. 
D)  Isaac Newton.

Question 6

Why did Galileo's discovery of the moons of Jupiter support the heliocentric model?

Accepted Answer

They proved that there were ob

Question 7

Suppose two planets outside of Earth's orbit both show retrograde motion.Planet A's retrograde loop fills a larger angle on the sky than Planet B's does.How are Planet A and B related to each other?

Accepted Answer

A)  Planet A is closer to Earth than Planet B. 
B)  Planet A is farther from Earth than Planet B. 
C)  Planet A moves slower in its orbit than Planet B. 
D)  Planet A has a larger epicycle than Planet B. 
A)  Planet A is closer to Earth than Planet B. 
B)  Planet A is farther from Earth than Planet B. 
C)  Planet A moves slower in its orbit than Planet B. 
D)  Planet A has a larger epicycle than Planet B.

Question 8

The scientist who explained orbits as an effect of gravity was:

Accepted Answer

A)  Nicolaus Copernicus. 
B)  Johannes Kepler. 
C)  Galileo Galilei. 
D)  Isaac Newton. 
A)  Nicolaus Copernicus. 
B)  Johannes Kepler. 
C)  Galileo Galilei. 
D)  Isaac Newton.

Question 9

Two asteroids,A and B,orbit the Sun.Asteroid A follows a circular orbit with a radius of 6 AU.
Asteroid B follows an elliptical orbit with a perihelion distance of 4 AU and an aphelion distance of 8 AU.
How do their orbital periods compare to each other?

Accepted Answer

A)  Asteroid B has about half the period of asteroid A. 
B)  Asteroid B has about 1.5 times the period of asteroid A. 
C)  Asteroid B has about twice the period of asteroid A. 
D)  The asteroids have identical periods. 
A)  Asteroid B has about half the period of asteroid A. 
B)  Asteroid B has about 1.5 times the period of asteroid A. 
C)  Asteroid B has about twice the period of asteroid A. 
D)  The asteroids have identical periods.

Question 10

Why did Tycho Brahe's observations challenge the prevailing astronomical paradigm?

Accepted Answer

The supernova Tycho discovered

Question 11

The Copernican explanation for retrograde motion requires that:

Accepted Answer

A)  the planets have circular orbits. 
B)  the planets move on epicycles. 
C)  the planets have different orbital periods. 
D)  only planets outside of Earth's orbit undergo retrograde motion. 
A)  the planets have circular orbits. 
B)  the planets move on epicycles. 
C)  the planets have different orbital periods. 
D)  only planets outside of Earth's orbit undergo retrograde motion.

Question 12

An asteroid follows a circular orbit around the Sun with a radius of 5 AU.Which of the following is closest to its orbital period?

Accepted Answer

A)  3 years 
B)  11 years 
C)  25 years 
D)  125 years 
A)  3 years 
B)  11 years 
C)  25 years 
D)  125 years

Question 13

Newton's laws are often referred to as "universal." Why?

Accepted Answer

Newton's laws of motion descri

Question 14

A monkey throws a pineapple to its playmate.The pineapple,with a mass of 0.5 kg,is accelerated to the left at a rate of 6 m/s².The monkey has a mass of 2 kg.What is its acceleration?

Accepted Answer

A)  1 m/s2 
B)  1.5 m/s2 
C)  3 m/s2 
D)  6 m/s2 
A)  1 m/s2 
B)  1.5 m/s2 
C)  3 m/s2 
D)  6 m/s2

Question 15

Consider an object on a circular orbit around the Sun.Which of the following quantities remains unchanged throughout the orbit?

Accepted Answer

A)  acceleration 
B)  speed 
C)  velocity 
D)  position 
A)  acceleration 
B)  speed 
C)  velocity 
D)  position

Question 16

Suppose Galileo had observed the phases of Mars instead of the phases of Venus.Could he have used them to disprove the heliocentric model? Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

No.Because Mars is outside of

Question 17

The astronomer who first introduced the model shown below was:

Accepted Answer

A)  Ptolemy. 
B)  Johannes Kepler. 
C)  Nicolaus Copernicus. 
D)  Galileo Galilei. 
A)  Ptolemy. 
B)  Johannes Kepler. 
C)  Nicolaus Copernicus. 
D)  Galileo Galilei.

Question 18

Which of the following was NOT a reason the geocentric worldview was so popular in Europe in 1400 CE?

Accepted Answer

A)  The geocentric model matched physical intuition. 
B)  The geocentric model made accurate predictions about the night sky. 
C)  The geocentric model was compatible with the worldview of the Catholic Church. 
D)  The geocentric model had been continuously improved by European astronomers over the previous millennium. 
A)  The geocentric model matched physical intuition. 
B)  The geocentric model made accurate predictions about the night sky. 
C)  The geocentric model was compatible with the worldview of the Catholic Church. 
D)  The geocentric model had been continuously improved by European astronomers over the previous millennium.

Question 19

Galileo was put on trial by the Catholic Church for:

Accepted Answer

A)  publishing a book in support of the heliocentric model. 
B)  using a telescope to study the heavens. 
C)  believing in the heliocentric model. 
D)  showing that the Sun was imperfect. 
A)  publishing a book in support of the heliocentric model. 
B)  using a telescope to study the heavens. 
C)  believing in the heliocentric model. 
D)  showing that the Sun was imperfect.

Question 20

A ball with a mass of 1 kg is launched upward from a baseball field.Assuming that it begins with an upward velocity of 15 m/s,what is its velocity after two seconds have elapsed? What would the answer be if the ball had a mass of 3 kg? (The acceleration due to gravity on Earth is 9.8 m/s².)

Accepted Answer

4.6 m/s,directed dow

Two balls are dropped from rest in a vacuum chamber on Earth.They have identical sizes,but the red ball is twice as massive as the blue ball.What happens?

Which of the following observations provided the most direct challenge to the geocentric model of solar system orbits?

Pluto has a perihelion of about 50 AU and an aphelion of 30 AU.What is the ratio of the gravitational force at aphelion to the gravitational force at perihelion?

Suppose the Sun suddenly quadrupled its mass,while Earth remained at the same distance from it.What is the ratio of Earth's orbital period after the change to that before it?

Kepler's laws of planetary motion were formulated using data recorded by:

Why did Galileo's discovery of the moons of Jupiter support the heliocentric model?

Suppose two planets outside of Earth's orbit both show retrograde motion.Planet A's retrograde loop fills a larger angle on the sky than Planet B's does.How are Planet A and B related to each other?

The scientist who explained orbits as an effect of gravity was:

Two asteroids,A and B,orbit the Sun.Asteroid A follows a circular orbit with a radius of 6 AU. Asteroid B follows an elliptical orbit with a perihelion distance of 4 AU and an aphelion distance of 8 AU. How do their orbital periods compare to each other?

Why did Tycho Brahe's observations challenge the prevailing astronomical paradigm?

The Copernican explanation for retrograde motion requires that:

An asteroid follows a circular orbit around the Sun with a radius of 5 AU.Which of the following is closest to its orbital period?

Newton's laws are often referred to as "universal." Why?

A monkey throws a pineapple to its playmate.The pineapple,with a mass of 0.5 kg,is accelerated to the left at a rate of 6 m/s².The monkey has a mass of 2 kg.What is its acceleration?

Consider an object on a circular orbit around the Sun.Which of the following quantities remains unchanged throughout the orbit?

Suppose Galileo had observed the phases of Mars instead of the phases of Venus.Could he have used them to disprove the heliocentric model? Why or why not?

The astronomer who first introduced the model shown below was:

Which of the following was NOT a reason the geocentric worldview was so popular in Europe in 1400 CE?

Galileo was put on trial by the Catholic Church for:

A ball with a mass of 1 kg is launched upward from a baseball field.Assuming that it begins with an upward velocity of 15 m/s,what is its velocity after two seconds have elapsed? What would the answer be if the ball had a mass of 3 kg? (The acceleration due to gravity on Earth is 9.8 m/s².)

Getting Started: Science, astronomy, and Being Human

A Universe Made, a Universe Discovered

A Universe of Universal Laws

The Architecture and Birth of Planetary Systems

Home Base: Earth and Moon

Sibling Worlds: Mercury, Venus, and Mars

Gas, ice, and Stone: the Outer Planets

Life and the Search for Habitable Worlds

The Sun As a Star

Measuring the Stars: the Main Sequence and Its Meaning

Nursery of the Stars: the Interstellar Medium and Star Formation

To the Graveyard of Stars: the End Points of Stellar Evolution

Down the Rabbit Hole: Relativity and Black Holes

Our City of Stars: the Milky Way

A Universe of Galaxies

The Cosmic Web: the Large-Scale Structure of the Universe

Cosmology

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Exam 3: A Universe of Universal Laws

Two balls are dropped from rest in a vacuum chamber on Earth.They have identical sizes,but the red ball is twice as massive as the blue ball.What happens?

Which of the following observations provided the most direct challenge to the geocentric model of solar system orbits?

Pluto has a perihelion of about 50 AU and an aphelion of 30 AU.What is the ratio of the gravitational force at aphelion to the gravitational force at perihelion?

Suppose the Sun suddenly quadrupled its mass,while Earth remained at the same distance from it.What is the ratio of Earth's orbital period after the change to that before it?

Kepler's laws of planetary motion were formulated using data recorded by:

Why did Galileo's discovery of the moons of Jupiter support the heliocentric model?

Suppose two planets outside of Earth's orbit both show retrograde motion.Planet A's retrograde loop fills a larger angle on the sky than Planet B's does.How are Planet A and B related to each other?

The scientist who explained orbits as an effect of gravity was:

Two asteroids,A and B,orbit the Sun.Asteroid A follows a circular orbit with a radius of 6 AU. Asteroid B follows an elliptical orbit with a perihelion distance of 4 AU and an aphelion distance of 8 AU. How do their orbital periods compare to each other?

Why did Tycho Brahe's observations challenge the prevailing astronomical paradigm?

The Copernican explanation for retrograde motion requires that:

An asteroid follows a circular orbit around the Sun with a radius of 5 AU.Which of the following is closest to its orbital period?

Newton's laws are often referred to as "universal." Why?

A monkey throws a pineapple to its playmate.The pineapple,with a mass of 0.5 kg,is accelerated to the left at a rate of 6 m/s².The monkey has a mass of 2 kg.What is its acceleration?

Consider an object on a circular orbit around the Sun.Which of the following quantities remains unchanged throughout the orbit?

Suppose Galileo had observed the phases of Mars instead of the phases of Venus.Could he have used them to disprove the heliocentric model? Why or why not?

The astronomer who first introduced the model shown below was:

Which of the following was NOT a reason the geocentric worldview was so popular in Europe in 1400 CE?

Galileo was put on trial by the Catholic Church for:

A ball with a mass of 1 kg is launched upward from a baseball field.Assuming that it begins with an upward velocity of 15 m/s,what is its velocity after two seconds have elapsed? What would the answer be if the ball had a mass of 3 kg? (The acceleration due to gravity on Earth is 9.8 m/s².)

Getting Started: Science, astronomy, and Being Human

A Universe Made, a Universe Discovered

A Universe of Universal Laws

The Architecture and Birth of Planetary Systems

Home Base: Earth and Moon

Sibling Worlds: Mercury, Venus, and Mars

Gas, ice, and Stone: the Outer Planets

Life and the Search for Habitable Worlds

The Sun As a Star

Measuring the Stars: the Main Sequence and Its Meaning

Nursery of the Stars: the Interstellar Medium and Star Formation

To the Graveyard of Stars: the End Points of Stellar Evolution

Down the Rabbit Hole: Relativity and Black Holes

Our City of Stars: the Milky Way

A Universe of Galaxies

The Cosmic Web: the Large-Scale Structure of the Universe

Cosmology

Filters