Exam 2: The Science of Life in the Universe

The astronomical object in our sky which plays the most fundamental role in our lives is the

In its elliptical orbit, a planet is furthest the Sun at

Copernicus

The general pattern of thought that is accepted by the majority of scientists at a particular point in time is referred to as a

In science, conceptual representations of observed phenomena are referred to as

Which Greek school of thought believed that both the heavens and the Earth were made of an infinite number of indivisible units made of the elements fire, water, earth, and air?

Which Greek school of thought believed that the Earth was made of the elements fire, water, earth, and air while the heavens were made of a fifth element called the aether or quintessance?

Two comets are found at the same distance from the Sun. However, one comet is three times as massive as the other. According to Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation the force of gravity exerted by the Sun on the more massive comet is

Galileo Galilei

Scientists are currently studying black holes to try to reconcile the differences between

The origins of early Greek science can be traced to the work of the philosopher

The dwarf planet Eris has an orbital period about the Sun, P of 557 years. Given this, what is the semimajor axis, a of its orbit?

The discovery of a supernova by Tycho Brahe in 1572 contradicted the commonly held belief that the universe was

The astronomical unit (AU) is defined to be equal to the

The possibility of extraterrestrial life was first considered

A person claims to have been abducted by aliens and subjected to painful medical procedures that left scarring. However, he refuses to allow interested scientists to study his scars. This is an example of

How are Newton's and Einstein's theories of gravity related?

Which of the following would need to be true for Kepler's 3rd Law to apply to an extrasolar planetary system?

Occam's Razor states that if we have two models that agree equally well with observations, we choose the one that

What is the relationship between Newton's three laws and Kepler's three laws?