Question 1

If you travel at a velocity of 60 mph for a 5-hour trip, how far did you travel?

Accepted Answer

A)  300 miles 
B)  120 miles 
C)  12 miles 
D)  0.4 miles 
E)  240 mph 
A)  300 miles 
B)  120 miles 
C)  12 miles 
D)  0.4 miles 
E)  240 mph

Question 2

If you start from rest and accelerate at 15 mph/s for 5 seconds, how fast will you be traveling at the end?

Accepted Answer

A)  75 mph 
B)  45 mph 
C)  3 mph 
D)  12 mph 
E)  20 mph 
A)  75 mph 
B)  45 mph 
C)  3 mph 
D)  12 mph 
E)  20 mph

Question 3

If a 100-kg asteroid collides with Earth, causing the asteroid to decelerate in one second from 1,000 m/s to 0 m/s, what acceleration will Earth experience according to Newton's third law? (For reference, Earth has a mass of approximately 6 * 1024 kg.)

Accepted Answer

According to Newton's third law, the for

Question 4

If a superior planet is observed from Earth to have a synodic period of 1.2 years, what is its sidereal period?

Accepted Answer

A)  0.54 years 
B)  1.8 years 
C)  2.3 years 
D)  4.0 years 
E)  6.0 years 
A)  0.54 years 
B)  1.8 years 
C)  2.3 years 
D)  4.0 years 
E)  6.0 years

Question 5

How did Ptolemy "fix" the geocentric system?

Accepted Answer

A)  He introduced retrograde motion. 
B)  He introduced prograde motion. 
C)  He moved the Sun to the center. 
D)  He introduced epicycles. 
E)  He introduced Earth's motion. 
A)  He introduced retrograde motion. 
B)  He introduced prograde motion. 
C)  He moved the Sun to the center. 
D)  He introduced epicycles. 
E)  He introduced Earth's motion.

Question 6

Kepler's third law says that a comet with a period of 160 years will have a semimajor axis of:

Accepted Answer

A)  30 AU 
B)  50 AU 
C)  90 AU 
D)  140 AU 
E)  210 AU 
A)  30 AU 
B)  50 AU 
C)  90 AU 
D)  140 AU 
E)  210 AU

Question 7

A superior planet is one that is:

Accepted Answer

A)  smaller than Earth 
B)  larger than Earth 
C)  closer to the Sun than Earth 
D)  farther from the Sun than Earth 
E)  made of heavier materials than Earth 
A)  smaller than Earth 
B)  larger than Earth 
C)  closer to the Sun than Earth 
D)  farther from the Sun than Earth 
E)  made of heavier materials than Earth

Question 8

As we move farther from the Sun, the circumferences of planetary orbits are larger, and the speeds at which planets travel increase.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

If the synodic period of Mars is observed from Earth to be 2.1 years, what is Mars's sidereal period?

Accepted Answer

A)  5.3 years 
B)  0.47 years 
C)  1.9 years 
D)  3.4 years 
E)  0.69 years 
A)  5.3 years 
B)  0.47 years 
C)  1.9 years 
D)  3.4 years 
E)  0.69 years

Question 10

The average distance between a planet and the Sun is given by the _________ of its elliptical orbit.

Accepted Answer

A)  radius 
B)  semiminor axis 
C)  eccentricity 
D)  semimajor axis 
E)  distance between the foci 
A)  radius 
B)  semiminor axis 
C)  eccentricity 
D)  semimajor axis 
E)  distance between the foci

Question 11

Which equation represents the relationship of the planet's period to its semimajor axis in data shown in the figure below?

Accepted Answer

A)  P = A 
B)  P2 = A2 
C)  P3 = A2 
D)  P2 = A3 
E)  P= A3 
A)  P = A 
B)  P2 = A2 
C)  P3 = A2 
D)  P2 = A3 
E)  P= A3

Question 12

_________ was the first person to introduce a mathematical heliocentric model of the Solar System from which accurate predictions could be made of planets' positions.

Accepted Answer

A)  Nicolaus Copernicus 
B)  Tycho Brahe 
C)  Johannes Kepler 
D)  Galileo Galilei 
E)  Isaac Newton 
A)  Nicolaus Copernicus 
B)  Tycho Brahe 
C)  Johannes Kepler 
D)  Galileo Galilei 
E)  Isaac Newton

Question 13

Retrograde motion is seen when ____________ due to the Earth's motion.

Accepted Answer

A)  stars change their position in the sky with respect to background stars 
B)  stars rise in the west and set in the east 
C)  planets rise in the west and set in the east 
D)  planets change the direction in which they wander across the night sky 
E)  planets orbit the Sun in the opposite direction 
A)  stars change their position in the sky with respect to background stars 
B)  stars rise in the west and set in the east 
C)  planets rise in the west and set in the east 
D)  planets change the direction in which they wander across the night sky 
E)  planets orbit the Sun in the opposite direction

Question 14

If you travel 20 miles from home to school in 30 minutes, what is your average velocity?

Accepted Answer

A)  20 mph 
B)  40 mph 
C)  0.7 mph 
D)  5 mph 
E)  600 mph 
A)  20 mph 
B)  40 mph 
C)  0.7 mph 
D)  5 mph 
E)  600 mph

Question 15

Kepler's third law for our Solar System can be expressed mathematically as:

Accepted Answer

A)  P = A 
B)  P2 = A2 
C)  P2 = A3 
D)  P3= A2 
E)  P = A2 
A)  P = A 
B)  P2 = A2 
C)  P2 = A3 
D)  P3= A2 
E)  P = A2

Question 16

An inferior planet is one that is:

Accepted Answer

A)  smaller than Earth 
B)  larger than Earth 
C)  closer to the Sun than Earth 
D)  farther from the Sun than Earth 
E)  made of lighter materials than Earth 
A)  smaller than Earth 
B)  larger than Earth 
C)  closer to the Sun than Earth 
D)  farther from the Sun than Earth 
E)  made of lighter materials than Earth

Question 17

Planets orbit the Sun on circular orbits.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

Which laws are based entirely on observational data without having any theoretical framework behind them?

Accepted Answer

A)  physical laws 
B)  Galileo's laws of planetary motion 
C)  Newton's laws of motion 
D)  deductive laws 
E)  empirical laws 
A)  physical laws 
B)  Galileo's laws of planetary motion 
C)  Newton's laws of motion 
D)  deductive laws 
E)  empirical laws

Question 19

If Mercury has an orbital period of about 88 days, what is its average distance from the Sun?

Accepted Answer

A)  0.2 AU 
B)  0.01 AU 
C)  0.05 AU 
D)  0.4 AU 
E)  0.7 AU 
A)  0.2 AU 
B)  0.01 AU 
C)  0.05 AU 
D)  0.4 AU 
E)  0.7 AU

Question 20

Figure 1
-Based on Figure 1, a superior planet at opposition:

Accepted Answer

A)  would rise at noon and set at midnight 
B)  would rise at midnight and set at noon 
C)  would rise at sunset and set at sunrise 
D)  would rise at sunrise and set at sunrise 
E)  would rise at 8 and set at 8 
A)  would rise at noon and set at midnight 
B)  would rise at midnight and set at noon 
C)  would rise at sunset and set at sunrise 
D)  would rise at sunrise and set at sunrise 
E)  would rise at 8 and set at 8

Exam 3: Motion of Astronomical Bodies

If you travel at a velocity of 60 mph for a 5-hour trip, how far did you travel?

If you start from rest and accelerate at 15 mph/s for 5 seconds, how fast will you be traveling at the end?

If a 100-kg asteroid collides with Earth, causing the asteroid to decelerate in one second from 1,000 m/s to 0 m/s, what acceleration will Earth experience according to Newton's third law? (For reference, Earth has a mass of approximately 6 * 1024 kg.)

If a superior planet is observed from Earth to have a synodic period of 1.2 years, what is its sidereal period?

How did Ptolemy "fix" the geocentric system?

Kepler's third law says that a comet with a period of 160 years will have a semimajor axis of:

A superior planet is one that is:

As we move farther from the Sun, the circumferences of planetary orbits are larger, and the speeds at which planets travel increase.

If the synodic period of Mars is observed from Earth to be 2.1 years, what is Mars's sidereal period?

The average distance between a planet and the Sun is given by the _________ of its elliptical orbit.

Which equation represents the relationship of the planet's period to its semimajor axis in data shown in the figure below?

_________ was the first person to introduce a mathematical heliocentric model of the Solar System from which accurate predictions could be made of planets' positions.

Retrograde motion is seen when ____________ due to the Earth's motion.

If you travel 20 miles from home to school in 30 minutes, what is your average velocity?

Kepler's third law for our Solar System can be expressed mathematically as:

An inferior planet is one that is:

Planets orbit the Sun on circular orbits.

Which laws are based entirely on observational data without having any theoretical framework behind them?

If Mercury has an orbital period of about 88 days, what is its average distance from the Sun?

Figure 1 -Based on Figure 1, a superior planet at opposition:

Why Learn Astronomy

Patterns in the Skymotions of Earth

Gravity and Orbits

Light

The Tools of the Astronomer

The Birth and Evolution of Planetary Systems

The Terrestrial Planets and Earths Moon

Atmospheres of the Terrestrial Planets

Worlds of Gas and Liquid the Giant Planets

Planetary Adornmentsmoons and Rings

Dwarf Planets and Small Solar System Bodies

Taking the Measure of Stars

Our Starthe Sun

Star Formation and the Interstellar Medium

Evolution of Low-Mass Stars

Evolution of High-Mass Stars

Relativity and Black Holes

The Expanding Universe

Galaxies

The Milky Waya Normal Spiral Galaxy

Modern Cosmology

Large-Scale Structure in the Universe

Life

Filters

If a 100-kg asteroid collides with Earth, causing the asteroid to decelerate in one second from 1,000 m/s to 0 m/s, what acceleration will Earth experience according to Newton's third law? (For reference, Earth has a mass of approximately 6 * 10²⁴ kg.)