Question 1

Name the two ways in which an object's motion (meaning its velocity)can experience a nonzero acceleration.

Accepted Answer

The object can have a nonzero

Question 2

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 3

A planet travels fastest in its orbit when it is closest to the Sun.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

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 5

What is your acceleration if you go from 0 to 60 mph in 4 seconds?

Accepted Answer

A) 60 mph/s 
B) 30 mph/s 
C) 15 mph/s 
D) 8.5 mph/s 
E) 240 mph/s 
A) 60 mph/s 
B) 30 mph/s 
C) 15 mph/s 
D) 8.5 mph/s 
E) 240 mph/s

Question 6

You apply a force of 10 N to a grocery cart in order to get an acceleration of 0.5 m/s2.If you apply a force of 20 N to the same grocery cart,its acceleration will be:

Accepted Answer

A) 10 m/s2 
B) 1 m/s2 
C) 0.5 m/s2 
D) 0.25m/s2 
E) 20 m/s2 
A) 10 m/s2 
B) 1 m/s2 
C) 0.5 m/s2 
D) 0.25m/s2 
E) 20 m/s2

Question 7

_________ 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 8

Observations of what astronomical events allowed astronomers to definitively determine that the heliocentric model of the solar system was correct?

Accepted Answer

A) total eclipses of the Sun 
B) the precise motions of planets across the celestial sphere 
C) motion of bright stars on the celestial sphere 
D) the timing of the equinoxes 
E) the timing of the solstices 
A) total eclipses of the Sun 
B) the precise motions of planets across the celestial sphere 
C) motion of bright stars on the celestial sphere 
D) the timing of the equinoxes 
E) the timing of the solstices

Question 9

Assume that at sunset today,Jupiter appears to be 20 degrees away from the Sun.If the sidereal period of Jupiter is 12 years,when will it next appear exactly in this same position relative to the Sun?

Accepted Answer

Jupiter will be the same distance away f

Question 10

Based on his observations of the planets,Copernicus calculated the relative distance of the planets from the Sun using the heliocentric model,and these distances were:

Accepted Answer

A) 10 times too large 
B) exactly correct 
C) close to the correct values,with errors less than 0.5 AU 
D) accurate,but not as accurate as Ptolemy's values 
E) two times too small 
A) 10 times too large 
B) exactly correct 
C) close to the correct values,with errors less than 0.5 AU 
D) accurate,but not as accurate as Ptolemy's values 
E) two times too small

Question 11

Astronomers argued that the heliocentric model of the Solar System was simpler than the geocentric model,based on:

Accepted Answer

A) the observation that the planets do not move relative to the background stars 
B) the fact that the Moon orbits the Earth 
C) the fact that the Sun is more massive than the Earth 
D) the observed retrograde motions of the planets e the observed timing of lunar and solar eclipses 
A) the observation that the planets do not move relative to the background stars 
B) the fact that the Moon orbits the Earth 
C) the fact that the Sun is more massive than the Earth 
D) the observed retrograde motions of the planets e the observed timing of lunar and solar eclipses

Question 12

Which of the following is TRUE about a comet that is on an elliptical orbit around the Sun?

Accepted Answer

A) The comet's speed is greatest when it is farthest from the Sun. 
B) The comet's speed is greatest when it is nearest the Sun. 
C) This comet's speed is zero. 
D) The comet's speed is constant because its mass and the Sun's mass stay approximately the same. 
E) The eccentricity is very low. 
A) The comet's speed is greatest when it is farthest from the Sun. 
B) The comet's speed is greatest when it is nearest the Sun. 
C) This comet's speed is zero. 
D) The comet's speed is constant because its mass and the Sun's mass stay approximately the same. 
E) The eccentricity is very low.

Question 13

Planets orbit the Sun on circular orbits.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

Galileo's telescopic observations of _________ led him to conclude that the heliocentric model of the Solar System was correct.

Accepted Answer

A) motion of Jupiter and Saturn 
B) motion of Venus 
C) moons of Jupiter and phases of Venus 
D) phases of the Moon 
E) epicycles of Mars 
A) motion of Jupiter and Saturn 
B) motion of Venus 
C) moons of Jupiter and phases of Venus 
D) phases of the Moon 
E) epicycles of Mars

Question 15

The time it takes for a planet to come back to the same position relative to the Sun is called its _________ period.

Accepted Answer

A) synodic 
B) sidereal 
C) heliocentric 
D) geocentric 
E) prograde 
A) synodic 
B) sidereal 
C) heliocentric 
D) geocentric 
E) prograde

Question 16

Who of the following was NOT a proponent of the heliocentric model of the solar system?

Accepted Answer

A) Galileo 
B) Copernicus 
C) Newton 
D) Ptolemy 
E) Aristarchus 
A) Galileo 
B) Copernicus 
C) Newton 
D) Ptolemy 
E) Aristarchus

Question 17

In the heliocentric model of the Solar System,does retrograde motion occur for superior or inferior planets? (It might help you to draw some illustrations to answer this question. )

Accepted Answer

Retrograde motion occurs for both superi

Question 18

How was retrograde motion explained in the geocentric system?

Accepted Answer

Ptolemy postulated that instea

Exam 3: Motion of Astronomical Bodies

Name the two ways in which an object's motion (meaning its velocity)can experience a nonzero acceleration.

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

A planet travels fastest in its orbit when it is closest to the Sun.

An inferior planet is one that is:

What is your acceleration if you go from 0 to 60 mph in 4 seconds?

You apply a force of 10 N to a grocery cart in order to get an acceleration of 0.5 m/s2.If you apply a force of 20 N to the same grocery cart,its acceleration will be:

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

Observations of what astronomical events allowed astronomers to definitively determine that the heliocentric model of the solar system was correct?

Assume that at sunset today,Jupiter appears to be 20 degrees away from the Sun.If the sidereal period of Jupiter is 12 years,when will it next appear exactly in this same position relative to the Sun?

Based on his observations of the planets,Copernicus calculated the relative distance of the planets from the Sun using the heliocentric model,and these distances were:

Astronomers argued that the heliocentric model of the Solar System was simpler than the geocentric model,based on:

Which of the following is TRUE about a comet that is on an elliptical orbit around the Sun?

Planets orbit the Sun on circular orbits.

Galileo's telescopic observations of _________ led him to conclude that the heliocentric model of the Solar System was correct.

The time it takes for a planet to come back to the same position relative to the Sun is called its _________ period.

Who of the following was NOT a proponent of the heliocentric model of the solar system?

In the heliocentric model of the Solar System,does retrograde motion occur for superior or inferior planets? (It might help you to draw some illustrations to answer this question. )

How was retrograde motion explained in the geocentric system?

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 Adornments Moons 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

You apply a force of 10 N to a grocery cart in order to get an acceleration of 0.5 m/s².If you apply a force of 20 N to the same grocery cart,its acceleration will be: