Phys1130: Practice Problems These problems should help you prepare.

The exam questions will be different

1. a) b) c) d)

Put these objects in the correct order, from nearest to farthest from Earth: The Moon, Mars, the Sun, the nearest stars, Pluto The Moon, Mars, the Sun, Pluto, the nearest stars The Moon, the Sun, Mars, Pluto, the nearest stars Mars, the Moon, the Sun, the nearest stars, Pluto

2. Put these objects in the correct order, from nearest to farthest from Earth:

a) b) c) d)

The Sun, the Milky Way, Alpha Centauri, Pluto, the Andromeda galaxy The Sun, Alpha Centauri, Pluto, the Andromeda galaxy, the Milky Way The Sun, Pluto, Alpha Centauri, the Milky Way, the Andromeda galaxy Pluto, the Sun, Alpha Centauri, the Milky Way, the Andromeda galaxy

3. At the speed of light, how long would it take to go from Earth to the Sun?

a) b) c) d) e)

about a second about a minute about 8 minutes about a day about a year

4. At the speed of light, how long would it take to reach the nearest star, Alpha Centauri? a) about a month b) about a year c) about 4 years d) about 1,000 years e) about 1,000,000 years

5. The sky is divided into 88 zones called A. B. C. D. degrees. tropics. constellations. signs.

6. A map of the entire sky is called A. B. C. D. a meridian. a sky finder. the celestial sphere. the celestial directory.

7. Objects are located on the celestial sphere in units of A. miles. B. kilometers. C. light years. D. parsecs. E. degrees. 8. The angular size of your fist, held at arms length, is about A. 1 degree. B. 10 degrees. C. 5 inches. D. 10 inches.

9. When an astronomer describes the altitude of something in the local sky, he or she means
A. B. C. how high something is in the sky, in units of miles or kilometers. how high something is in the sky, in units of degrees. the direction toward something north, south, east, or west.

10. Directly above Earths north pole on the celestial sphere is A. B. C. D. E. the Big Dipper. the Zenith. the brightest star in the sky. a star called Polaris. C and D

11. As seen from North America, stars near Polaris in the sky A. B. C. D. E. are in the Big Dipper. are seen only in winter. are seen only in summer. never set. A and D

12. What makes Polaris a special star? A. B. C. D. E. It is the brightest star in the sky. It is always directly overhead, no matter where you are. It is near the axis about which the sky turns. Its azimuth (direction) is always due north. C and D

13. Why are different stars seen in different seasons? A. B. C. D. because of Earths axis tilt because stars move during the year because as Earth orbits the Sun, we see the Sun in front of different constellations because of precession

14. During the year, the Sun appears in front of different groups of stars. What are these called? A. B. C. D. E. circumpolar stars circumsolar stars the constellations of the zodiac the tropical constellations solstice stars

15. Why are the Moon and planets seen only in the constellations of the zodiac? A. B. C. D. the planets all revolve in the same direction around the Sun the planets all orbit in nearly the same plane, and the zodiacal constellations are in that plane the constellations in the zodiac are the oldest, and the planets have been known from ancient times none of the above

16. When it is summer in the United States, in Australia it is A. B. C. D. winter. summer. spring. fall.

17. In summer, in the northern hemisphere, what is the Suns daily motion? A. rises in the east, sets in the west B. rises north of east, sets south of west C. rises north of east, sets north of west 18. What causes the seasons? A. B. C. D. E. In summer, the entire Earth is closer to the Sun. In summer, the tilt of Earths axis means that one part of Earth is closer to the Sun. In summer, the Sun is up for more hours. In summer, the Sun climbs higher in the sky so its rays hit the ground more directly. C and D

19. If the tilt of Earths axis to its orbital plane was 40 degrees, instead of 23 , but its distance from the Sun remained the same, what would happen to the seasons? A. B. C. D. E. They wouldnt change much. They would become less extremewinter and summer would be more alike. They would become more extremewinter colder and summer warmer. All of Earth would get colder. All of Earth would get warmer.

20. The full moon rises at approximately A. midnight. B. sunset. C. sunrise. D. 9 p.m. E. It rises at different times during the year. 21. If you were on the Moon, Earth would A. show no phases. B. show phases the same as the Moon (when it is full Moon it is full Earth, etc.). C. show phases opposite to the Moon (when it is full Moon it is new Earth, etc.). Make a sketch to decide! 22. Why have more people seen an eclipse of the Moon than an eclipse of the Sun?

A. B. C. D. E.

Eclipses of the Sun are much rarer than eclipses of the Moon. The shadow of the Moon is smaller than the shadow of Earth. Anyone on the night side of Earth can see a total eclipse of the Moon. Anyone on the day side of Earth can see a total solar eclipse. B and C

23. The observation of retrograde motion A. B. C. proved that the heliocentric (sun-centered) model is correct. proved that the geocentric model is correct. could be explained by either the geocentric or heliocentric model.

24. What makes the North Star special? A. B. C. D. E. It was the first star to be cataloged by ancient astronomers. It lies close to the north celestial pole and is therefore very useful for navigation. It is the brightest star in the entire sky. It is the brightest star in the northern sky. It is visible from both the northern and southern hemispheres.

25. If you had a very fast spaceship, you could travel to the celestial sphere in about a month. A. B. C. D. E. Yes, and the Voyager spacecraft has already done so. Yes, but once such a spacecraft crosses the celestial sphere it can never return. No, the celestial sphere is so far away that, even moving at close to the speed of light, it would take tens of thousands of years to reach. No, the celestial sphere moves away from us at the speed of light so we can never catch up with it. This statement doesnt make sense because the celestial sphere is not a physical object.

26. Last night I saw Mars move westward through the sky in its apparent retrograde motion. A. B. C. D. E. Yes, this occurs during certain times of the year when Earth overtakes Mars in its orbit. Yes, this is a well studied phenomenon and its explanation proved a challenge to ancient astronomers. All planets (and stars) move westward because of Earths rotation, so this is not unusual. No, apparent retrograde motion is only noticeable over many nights, not a single night. No, because Mars lies further from the Sun than Earth, it does not undergo retrograde motion.

27. If Earths orbit were a perfect circle, we would not have seasons. A. B. C. D. E. True, because Earth would be at the same distance from the Sun throughout its orbit, there would be no summer or winter. True, it is the deviations from a circular orbit that create the seasons. False, the seasons are due to the tilt of Earths axis, not its distance from the Sun. False, the poles would still be cooler than the equator and seasonal variations would therefore still exist. False, whether circular or not, the seasons depend on the precession of Earths axis as it orbits the Sun.

28. Because of precession, someday it will be summer everywhere on Earth at the same time. A. B. C. D. E. Yes, precession will naturally circularize Earths orbit. Yes, precession will eventually reduce Earths axis tilt. Yes, precession will make summers occur at the same time, but in what is now the northern spring and southern fall. Yes, but it would take tens of thousands of years, longer than current human history, for this to occur. No, precession only changes the direction in which the North Pole points, and has nothing to do with the seasons.

29. In what ways do most people employ scientific thinking in everyday life? A. B. C. D. E. They observe the world and notice patterns. They use trial and errorexperiments to test ideas. They predict things before they happen. all of the above A and B

30. What characterizes a scientific explanation? A. B. C. D. E. It is based on the ideas of the smartest people. The more ancient the wisdom, the better the explanation. It is based on observations. It is tested through prediction and experiments. C and D

31. What method or processes do scientists use when they are doing science? A. observing the world; looking for patterns that can be clues to underlying laws B. sorting, classifying, or measuring C. suggesting a hypothesis, which explains what has been seen already and predicts something not yet seen D. doing an experiment or collecting data to test the hypothesis E. all of the above 32. What is special about scientific knowledge, compared to other ways of knowing? A. It is based on data. B. It has gone through a process of prediction and testing. C. Scientists not involved with the original discovery test it after a new scientific discovery has been published. D. Explanations are based on natural causes. E. all of the above

33. Whose suggestion that the Sun is the center of the solar system was first taken seriously by many people? A. Copernicus B. Tycho C. Kepler D. Galileo 34. What did Tycho do that advanced astronomy significantly? A. He realized that orbits didnt have to be circles, they could be ellipses. B. He made more accurate observations than anyone before him. C. He thought of the idea of circles moving on circles (epicycles) to explain planetary motion. 35. Why do many scientists consider Galileo the originator of modern science? A. B. C. He invented the telescope. He proved that Copernicus was right. He emphasized how important it is to test ideas through experiment.

36. Could you distinguish between Earth and Sun-centered solar system models by observing Venus with a telescope? A. yes, it would show phases B. no, either model shows phases C. yes, in one model apparent size is correlated with phases D. no, both make similar predictions 37. Which of the following give units for velocity? A. B. C. D. E. feet / sec meters / sec inches / year meters / sec / sec A, B, or C

38. Whats the difference between velocity and speed? A. B. C. They have different units. Velocity includes speed and direction. Nothing, they are different words for the same thing.

39. Which of the following is true? A. Astronauts in space can be weightless. B. Astronauts in space can be massless. C. Astronauts are far enough from Earth they dont feel their weight. D. Without air, there can be no weight. E. all of the above 40. Newtons second law, F = ma, (force = mass x acceleration), means that with no force, A. B. C. D. objects remain at rest. an objects speed doesnt change. an objects velocity doesnt change. B and C

41. If a planet travels in a circular orbit without speeding up or slowing down, is it accelerating? A. yes B. no 42. If a planet travels in a circular orbit without speeding up or slowing down, does it have a force on it? A. Yes B. No 43. Newtons law of gravity is F = G m1 m2 / d2 Can this be used to find the force between the Sun and a planet? If so, what is d? A. B. C. D. no yes, d is the diameter of the Sun yes, d is the diameter of the planet yes, d is the distance from the Sun to the planet

44. Newtons law of gravity is F = G m1 m2 / d2 Can this be used to find the force between Earth and you? If so, what is d? A. B. C. D. No Yes, d is the diameter of Earth Yes, d is the distance from you to the ground Yes, d is the distance from you to the center of Earth

45. What is the common name for the force of gravity between Earth and you? A. B. C. D. terrestrial gravity your gravitational force your weight your mass

46. Temperature is a measure of A. B. C. D. how much heat an object contains. how fast atoms are moving. how hot you feel when you touch something. energy.

47. What causes the tides? A. gravity from Earths core B. gravity from the Moon pulling on the oceans C. gravity from the Moon pulling harder on one side of Earth than the other D. gravity from the Moon or the Sun pulling harder on one side of Earth than the other 48. At any given time, how many high tides are there on Earth? A. B. C. D. one two none or one, depending on what time of day none, one, or two depending on the time of day

49. How does the gravitational force between two objects change if the distance between them triples? A. the force increases by a factor of three B. the force increases by a factor of nine C. the force remains the same D. the force decreases by a factor of three E. the force decreases by a factor of nine 50. When light approaches matter, it can A. B. C. D. E. be absorbed by the atoms in the matter. be transmitted through the matter. bounce off the matter, and be reflected. any of the above Only B or C

51. What is light? A. a wave, like sound only much faster B. a particle (each one is a photon) C. the absence of dark. D. a kind of energy we model with some of the properties of waves and some properties of particles E. the sensation you feel when hit by energy, visible or invisible 52. What is the electromagnetic spectrum?

A. B. C.
D.

light of all different wavelengths light of all different energies radiation, some of which is dangerous, and some of which is harmless all of the above

53. Compared to red light, blue light has A. shorter wavelengths. B. longer wavelengths. C. higher energy photons. D. A and C E. none of the above 54. Which of the following lists the different kinds of light in order from shortest to longest wavelength? A. visible light, ultraviolet, infrared, radio, microwaves, X rays, gamma rays B. gamma rays, X rays, ultraviolet, visible, infrared, radio C. x rays, ultraviolet, visible, infrared, radio, gamma rays D. ultraviolet, visible light, infrared, gamma rays, X rays 55. We cant see infrared, but we can perceive it as A. heat. B. sound. C. static. 56. Which travels fastest? A. X rays B. ultraviolet light C. visible light D. radio waves E. They all travel at the same speed.

57. Which carries the most energy? A. gamma rays B. X rays C. ultraviolet light D. visible light E. radio waves 58. Which is likely to originate from the hottest (most energetic) object? A. B. C. D. E. gamma rays X rays ultraviolet light visible light radio waves

59. What happens to thermal radiation (a continuous spectrum) if you make the source hotter? A. B. C. D. E. It produces more energy at all wavelengths. The peak of the spectrum shifts redward. The peak of the spectrum shifts blueward. A and B A and C

60. What happens to thermal radiation (a continuous spectrum) if you make the source twice as hot? (Hint: thermal radiation means brightness. Think about Stefan Boltzmanns Law) A. B. C. D. twice as much energy is emitted 4 times as much energy is emitted 8 times as much energy is emitted 16 times as much energy is emitted

61. What is found in the nucleus of atoms? A. protons with a + charge B. neutrons with no charge C. electrons with a charge D. all of the above E. A and B

62. How is the isotope 14C different from 12C? A. B. C. D. E. It has more protons. It has more neutrons. It has more electrons. all of the above none of the above

63. When an electron in an atom jumps from a high-energy orbital to a lower-energy one, what happens? A. a photon of light is emitted B. a photon of light is absorbed C. the atoms temperature changes D. the atom changes color E. none of the above 64. What can cause an electron to jump from a low-energy orbital to a higherenergy one? A. a photon of light is emitted B. a photon of light is absorbed C. the atoms temperature changes D. the atom changes color E. none of the above 65. Whats the difference in what you see when visible light of different energies enters your eye? A. You see a range of brightnesses. B. You see different colors. C. Your eye feels different temperatures. D. More energetic light makes you blink. E. none of the above 66. What kind of spectrum does hot gas produce? A. emission line B. absorption line C. continuous D. infrared E. ultraviolet

67. What kind of spectrum does a hot solid produce?

A. B. C. D. E.

emission line absorption line continuous infrared ultraviolet

68. If all the colors (a continuous spectrum) pass through a gas, what kind of spectrum do you get? A. B. C. D. E. emission line absorption line continuous infrared ultraviolet

69. The visible spectrum of the Sun is a(n) A. emission line spectrum. B. absorption line spectrum. C. continuous spectrum. D. Doppler shifted spectrum. E. none of the above 70. Since each element has a different number of protons and electrons and a different pattern of orbitals, A. B. C. D. E. gasses made of different elements have different patterns of emission and absorption lines. each elements spectrum is unique. we can tell what a gas is made of from by looking at its spectrum. all of the above A and B

71. In a continuous spectrum, what controls how much energy comes out in different colors (more red or more blue light)? A. B. C. D. what the object is made of how hot the object is A and B none of the above

72. What determines a stars color? A. what the star is made of B. how hot the star is C. A and B D. none of the above 73. The hottest star is one that appears A. B. C. D. E. orange. red. yellow. white or bluish-white. They are all the same temperature; they just look different colors.

74. The spectrum of a hot solid does not tell you anything about what it is made of. A. true B. false 75. By looking at the light of a hot, solid object, you can tell A. B. C. D. its temperature. what it is made of. both A and B none of the above

76. If a source of light is moving away from you, its spectrum will be A. shifted to shorter wavelengths (blueshifted). B. shifted to longer wavelengths (redshifted). C. unaffected. 77. Does the Doppler shift affect sound? A. yes B. no 78. A lens forms an image in A. a reflecting telescope. B. a refracting telescope. C. your eye. D. A and C E. B and C

79. A mirror forms an image in A. B. C. D. E. A. B. C. D. a reflecting telescope. a refracting telescope. your eye. A and C B and C making things look larger seeing smaller details collecting more light to make faint objects look brighter none of the above

80. What is the primary reason for making telescopes larger?

81. What does better angular resolution mean? A. things look larger B. things look smaller C. you can see smaller details D. you can see fainter objects E. none of the above 82. What advantages come from putting a telescope in space? A. all wavelengths can be seen, even those that dont penetrate Earths atmosphere B. images may be sharper, without moving air to blur them C. you are closer to the stars, for a better view D. all of the above E. A and B 83. The largest optical telescopes are designed to have A. B. C. D. E. high magnification, large collecting area, and high angular resolution. high magnification, large collecting area, and low angular resolution. low magnification, large collecting area, and low angular resolution. large collecting area and high angular resolution - the magnification is of secondary importance. large collecting area and low angular resolution - the magnification is of secondary importance.

84. New technologies will soon allow astronomers to use X-ray telescopes on Earths surface. A. Yes, from the highest mountain tops such as Mauna Kea, Hawaii. B. Yes, but the resolution will be lower than from space. C. No, X-rays cannot be focused because of the blurring effect of the atmosphere. D. No, X-rays are absorbed by the atmosphere and dont reach Earths surface. E. No, no such technology exists.

85. Where is a planet when it is moving most rapidly in its orbit?

A) At aphelion , B) At perihelion, C) At greatest elongation , D)At the focus of its orbit

86. The average distance from the Earth to the Sun, 149,600,000 km, can be written in scientific notation as A) 1.496 x 108 km B) 1.496 x 109 km C) 1.496 x 106 km D) 1.496 x 105 km 87. A planet whose distance from the Sun is 3 A.U. would have an orbital period of how many Earth-years? A) (27) B) (3) C) 9 D) 81 E) 3

Answers: 1. b 2. c 3. c 4. c 5. c 6. c 7. e 8. b 9. b 10. d 11. d 12. e 13. c 14. c 15. b 16. a 17. c 18. e 19. c 20. b 21. c 22. e 23. c 24. b 25. e 26. d 27. c 28. e 29. e 30. e

31. e 32. e 33. a 34. b 35. c 36. c 37. e 38. b 39. a 40. d 41. a 42. a 43. d 44. d 45. c 46. b 47. d 48. b 49. e 50. d 51. d 52. d 53. d 54. b 55. a 56. e 57. a 58. a 59. e 60. d

61. e 62. b 63. a 64. b 65. b 66. a 67. c 68. b 69. b 70. d 71. b 72. b 73. d 74. a 75. a 76. b 77. a 78. e 79. a 80. c 81. c 82. e 83. d 84. d 85. b 86. a 87. a