ASTRONOMY
COURSE 1010
TEST
1
NOTE:
Use only a Number 2 pencil. If you make a mistake, be sure you erase
completely. Also, if you choose "E" on any of the questions,
think about it one more time.
The
scientific method
- is
based on observations, which are often called the "facts" of
science
- uses
theories to explain the observations
- is
at its best when making risky predictions
- all
of the above
- is
no longer useful because everything has been discovered
"Falsification"
refers to the possibility that a scientific theory
is
based on false assumptions
might
use false logic to deduce erroneous conclusions
might
have faulty equipment used in the experiment
can
be proven false by its predictions failing
can
be used falsely to sell toothpaste
The
speed of light is 3 x 108
m/sec. That is a shorthand notation for
3,000,000.00
m/sec
300,000,000
m/sec
3.00000000
m/sec
38
m/sec
The
speed of light has never been measured.
"Centi"
is a prefix meaning
1/100th
1/1000th
100
1000
Italian
for "tiny money," as in "I don'ti have a centi."
The
projection of the earth's axis of rotation onto the sky is the
celestial
equator
zenith
ecliptic
celestial
pole
The
earth is not rotating.
The
point directly overhead at any time is
celestial
equator
zenith
ecliptic
celestial
pole
How
could I know? I have never looked up.
The
projection of the plane of the sun's apparent path on the sky is
celestial
equator
zenith
ecliptic
celestial
pole
The
sun never appears to move in the sky.
The
North Star is always in the north because
it
is near the North celestial pole
it
always rises due North
it
always sets due North
it
attracts the compass needle
Polaris
missiles are pointed North.
When
the sun crosses the celestial equator on or about March 21, it is the
spring
solstice
equinox
Stonehenge
zodiac
Egg
Balancing Fiesta in Vernal, Utah
The
constellations are
figures
in the stars which have no practical use today.
figures
in the stars originated by the ancient Greeks about 300 B.C.
figures
in the stars originating over 1,000 years before the ancient Greeks.
figures
in the stars originating over 2,000 years before the ancient Greeks.
stupid
pictures drawn by stupid shepherds.
The
two Big Dipper pointer stars can be used to
tell
time
find
the North Star
approximate
5° of angular separation
all
of the above
prove
that the ancients had no idea what a bear looks like
We
add a leap day to February every 4 years to
keep
the spring equinox about March 20-21
approximate
the solar year of 365.24 days
reinforce
an old superstition about April Fool's Day
a
and b
none
of the above; calendars are not astronomical
The
Hebrew lunisolar calendar
uses
the sun to measure years and the moon for months
uses
only the sun
inserts
both extra leap days and leap months
a
and c
could
never be useful because it sometimes has 13 months
The
"Old Style" calendar used in England before 1751 was unusual
because it began the year
on
March 25.
on
Dec. 25.
at
the summer solstice, dating back to Stonehenge times.
at
the winter equinox, dating back to Roman times.
it
began the year with the Yule Time Eggnog Happy Hour.
The
summer is warmer than the winter because
the
earth is nearer the sun in the summer
the
rays of the sun are more nearly vertical in the summer
the
days are longer in the summer
both
b and c
both
a and c
Soltice
refers to the time when the sun
seems
to "stand still" in its annual trek along the horizon
enters
the northern sky on the first day of spring
appears
to be directly overhead
sets
due west
delayed
going down on the Long Day of Joshua
Seasons
are caused by
the
eccentricity of the solar orbit
the
earth getting nearer and farther away from the sun
the
23.5° tilt of the earth's axis
the
precession of the equinoxes
presidential
decree
The
line that separates the sea from the sky is called the
zodiac
horizon
celestial
equator
ecliptic
deep
sea fishing line
The
set of 12 constellations around the ecliptic in which the planets are
found is called
zodiac
horizon
ecliptic
equator
house
of the rising sun
If
the moon completely covers the sun, it is a ___________ eclipse.
total
lunar
total
solar
either
lunar or solar
annual
solar
the
moon is way too small to ever appear to cover the sun.
Even
though solar eclipses occur more often than lunar eclipses, why is it
more likely that you will see a lunar eclipse?
it
is easier to see eclipses at night
a
lunar eclipse is visible for only a small region of earth
a
solar eclipse is visible for only a small region of the earth
lunar
eclipses only occur at a new moon
lunatics
can only see lunar eclipses
A
circle is divided into ____ equal parts, with each part being one
degree.
24
60
360
365
degrees
measure temperature, not circles
Dispersion
refers to the fact that light
bends
as it goes through matter
bends
more going through matter for blue than for red
bends
going around corners
bends
the same for light particles as matter particles
spreads
out to the four winds
The
planets motion against the starry background is such that
it
is normally from west to east
it
is normally from east to west
it
sometimes reverses the apparent direction of motion
a
and c
there's
no telling which was a "wanderer" might go
Retrograde
motion of planets refers to the fact that
Mercury
and Venus sometimes appear to reverse phases
the
outer planets seem to loop backwards as the earth passes them in
orbit
the
inner planets appear to stand still at heliacal rising
the
outer planets as passed by the asteroid
the
planets reverse course when necessary to avoid collisions
Aristotle
and after him Ptolemy held that the center of the universe is the
Sun
Milky
Way galaxy
Earth
Venus
Heart
of Darkness, known today as a "Black Hole"
The
approximate size and shape of the earth was known as early as
before
the time of Christ
three
centuries after the birth of Christ
since
the time of Charlemagne
only
after the 16th century
the
size of the earth is still virtually unknown
Seen
from the northern latitudes, the star Polaris
is
never above the horizon during the daylight hours
always
sets directly in the West
is
always above the northern horizon
is
never visible in winter
is
known in Alaska as the Polar Bear's Claw
The
celestial equator
passes
equally through all the zodiac constellations
is
90 degrees away from the north celestial pole
coincides
with the ecliptic
passes
through the zenith at the equinoxes
is
known as the Hula Hoop of the Heavens
An
observer on the earth's equator would find
Polaris
directly overhead
Polaris
40 degrees above the northern horizon
the
celestial equator running around the horizon
the
celestial equator passing overhead
that
it is impossible to ever see the sky because of rain
Navigators
can find their latitude by observing the angle between
the
North celestial pole and the horizon
the
celestial equator and the North celestial pole
the
celestial poles
the
zenith and the horizon
the
stars are of no use to find latitude at sea because of wave motion
A
Greek who tried to measure stellar parallax to
Aristotle
Eusebius
Eratosthenes
Pythagoras
Dukakis
Who
is famous for the scheme in which the earth is the center of the
universe and the planets, moon, and sun are moving on circles
(epicycles) whose centers are moving on circles?
Copernicus
Aristotle
Philolaus
Ptolemy
Hartmann
The
shift in the apparent position of a star due to the earth's motion is
termed the star's
terminator
parallax
deferent
phase
shiftiness
Precession
was discovered by
- Hipparchus
- Eratosthenes
- Thales
of Miletus
- Aristotle
- accident
Bode's
Rule is that the planets
appear
to be spaced randomly
appear
to be spaced according to a mathematical rule
all
appear to orbit the sun in the same direction
all
appear to orbit the sun in nearly circular orbits
all
appear to be the abode of the rulers of the sky
The
equinoxes precess at a rate of
1°
every year
1°
every 12 years
1°
every 24 years
1°
every 72 years
a
top slowing down
Eratosthenes
is best known for
showing
the moon was round
showing
the moon was smaller than the earth
calculating
the size of the earth
explaining
precession
having
the hardest name to pronounce
All things
fall at the same rate
as
we witness everyday
in
a vacuum where air resistance doesn't interfere
due
to Galileo's law of gravity
as
long as one of them isn't a feather
if
synchronized with the stock market
Match
a description with the astronomer: Tycho Brahe
was
the first astronomer to use a telescope to observe the phases of
Venus
was
famous for his accurate observations of positions of planets; did not
use a telescope
was
the first to discover that the orbits of the planets were ellipses.
was
the first to successfully find physical laws that explain both
terrestrial and celestial motion.
made
the first accurate measurements of the earth's size using a well near
Syene and measurements near Alexandria.
Match
a description with the astronomer: Johannes Kepler
was
the first astronomer to use a telescope to observe the phases of
Venus
was
famous for his accurate observations of positions of planets; did not
use a telescope
was
the first to discover that the orbits of the planets were ellipses.
was
the first to successfully find physical laws that explain both
terrestrial and celestial motion.
made
the first accurate measurements of the earth's size using a well near
Syene and measurements near Alexandria.
Match
a description with the astronomer: Isaac Newton
was
the first astronomer to use a telescope to observe the phases of
Venus
was
famous for his accurate observations of positions of planets; did not
use a telescope
was
the first to discover that the orbits of the planets were ellipses.
was
the first to successfully find physical laws that explain motion.
made
the first accurate measurements of the earth's size.
Kepler's
2nd law says, essentially,
force
equals mass time acceleration
the
square of the period is proportional to the cube of the semi-major
axis
the
orbits of the planets are ellipses with the sun at one focus
the
line from the planet to the sun sweeps out equal area in equal time
cake
are square, pie are round
The
AU (astronomical unit) is
the
radius of the Moon's orbit in the epicycle model
an
average distance from the earth to the sun
a
measure of the gravitational attraction between two planets
the
most recently discovered moon of Jupiter
the
Asteroid Unknown, the holy grail of comet seekers
Newton's
1st law states, essentially, that
force
equals mass times acceleration
the
line from the planet to the sun sweeps out equal area in equal time
orbits
are ellipses with the sun at one focus
in
the absence of an outside force a body at rest remains at rest
area
equals one half the base times the height
"The
best theory is the simplest theory" is a brief statement of
Copernicus'
theory
Kepler's
3rd law
Kepler's
4th law
Occam's
razor
a
pretty silly way to do science
Kepler's
first law states, essentially, that
bodies
stay in uniform motion unless acted upon by an outside force
gravitational
attraction is inversely proportional to the distance squared
the
orbits of planets are ellipses
force
is proportional to mass time acceleration
the
Golden Rule: He who has the gold makes the rules.
What
is the period of a comet with a semimajor axis of 4 a.u.?
4
years
8
years
16
years
32
years
Comet's
friends are Cupid, Donner and Blitzen
If
r is the distance between two bodies, the gravitational force between
them is
directly
proportional to r
directly
proportional to r
inversely
proportional to r
inversely
proportional to r
independent
of r
A
simple indication that the moon is closer to the earth than the sun
is that
it
always faces us
it
has crescent phases
it
is "full" once a month
lunar
eclipses occasionally occur
the
green smell is easy to detect
A
simple indication that the earth is round is that
the
earth's shadow is round as seen in a lunar eclipse
the
earth's shadow is round as seen in the moon's phases
the
angle from the earth to the sun implies spherical trig is necessary
the
sun rises at different locations on the eastern horizon
members
of the Flat Earth Society know that this is all hokum
Sometimes
it is easy to detect that the moon is drawn incorrectly in artwork
because
it
is shown as full at midnight
it
is shown as a crescent in the evening near the horizon
it
is shown at night with the crescent's bright side facing up
it
is shown as being round
it
looks like God's fingernail
The
weight of a body is
same
as the mass
the
gravitational force by which the earth pulls a body
the
same on all planets
a
measure of the amount of matter it contains
always
increasing, even when it is on a diet
Mass
is a property of matter that
determines
a body's acceleration when a force is applied
is
in Newton's equation F = ma
is
in Newton's equation for it's gravitational attraction
all
of the above
put
the "mas" into Christmas
When
a planet is farthest from the sun, it travels
fastest
slowest
the
same speed as throughout the orbit
at
a rate proportional to its temperature
it
stops for gas
"Wavelength"
refers to
the
distance of the wave from top to bottom
the
distance between wave crests
the
length of time between vibrations
the
lengh of time before the wave dies down
the
length of time for the entire stadium can continue doing the "wave"
The
"frequency" of a wave refers to
the
distance between vibrations
the
speed of the wave's crests
how
often the wave is emitted
the
number of vibrations per second
waves
are never frequent
All
of the following are examples of electomagnetic radiation (light),
except for
gamma
rays and X-rays
alpha
rays and beta rays
microwaves
ultraviolet
and infrared light
AM
and FM radio
The
relationship of speed, wavelength and frequency is that
speed
= wavelength x frequency
wavelength
= speed x frequency
frequency
= wavelength x speed
frequency
= wavelength x speed
they
are not related because the theory of relativity hadn't been
invented yet
The
speed of light
is
about one foot per nanosecond
was
first measured by timing the eclipses of Jupiter's moons
is
so fast that light goes 7 times the circumference of the earth per
second
all
of the above
is
slower than the speed of dark
Which
is not a color of the rainbow?
Orange
Green
Brown
Blue
Red
Gamma
rays have greater ___________ than radio waves
wavelength
speed
density
energy
Greekness
The
dark lines in a spectrum are known as ______ lines.
absorption
continuous
missing
hot
fishing
The
Doppler effect means that
an
object travelling away from you has blue-shifted light
an
object travelling away from you has red-shifted light
an
object travelling away from you has green-shifted light
an
object travelling away from you has no shift in the wavelength
an
object travelling away from you cannot emit light
Wien's
law states:
the
cooler an object, the bluer the radiation it emits
the
hotter an object, the bluer the radiation it emits
the
hotter the object, the redder the radiation it emits
temperature
is proportional to the emitted energy
the
wiener will fall out of the bun if possible
The
eye can detect electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength band
between
400
to 700 nm
40,000
to 70,000 nm
400
to 7,000 nm
4
to 7 nm
the
eye can only see light, not electromagnetic radiation
Infrared
astronomy can sometimes be done from mountain tops because infrared
sources
are very bright
photons
are very energetic
radiation
is absorbed at lower altitudes in the earth's atmosphere
telescopes
are heavy
has
to be drawn with an invisible crayon
A
cloud of gas located directly between a light source and the observer
will produce
a
continuous spectrum
an
absorption spectrum
an
atomic emission spectrum
a
molecular emission spectrum
a
spectacular, speculative spectrum
The
bending of light as it passes an edge is called
reflection
frequency
diffraction
wavelength
light
never bends around corners
Suppose
you lived on the moon and could see the earth. It would set below
your horizon
once
in 24 hours
every
27 1/2 days
every
29 1/2 days
never
the
earth could never be visible from the moon
Because
of the gravitational attraction of the moon on the earth,
the
ocean has tides
the
moon's crater's are crumbling
the
earth's rotation is slowing due to frictional losses from tides
a
and c
lunatics
are mostly on welfare
What
does a refractor telescope use as its principal light-gatherer?
a
lens
a
mirror
a
long tube
a
high powered eyepiece
a
flashlight
The
measure of a telescope's ability to distinguish the angular
separation of two objects is its
resolution
revolution
refraction
dispersion
discrimination,
but that is now illegal
Most
large telescopes are reflectors because
mirrors
don't have have chromatic aberration
the
principal objective can be supported more easily
they
are less expensive
all
of the above
most
large telescopes are refractors
A
good pair of binoculars is often better to own that a small telescope
because
They
have just as much light gathering power
Most
objects in the sky are dim, not small
They
don't invert the image
All
of the above
They
aren't better because they make things look too close