BROCK UNIVERSITY
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Test 2: November 2013
Course: ASTR 1P01, Section 2
Examination date: 15 November 2013
Time of Examination: 18:30 – 19:20
Number of pages: 10
Number of students: 495
Time limit: 50 min
Instructor: S. D’Agostino
Answer all questions on the scantron sheet provided. No aids permitted except for a non-programmable calculator. Each question is worth 1 mark. Total
number of marks: 50.
1. The prevailing medieval view was that the heavens were perfect and that celestial
objects were eternal and unchanging. Observation of features on the Moon in the early
1600s by
suggested that the Moon is a hunk of rock, not a perfect ethereal
celestial object, and so helped humans to advance their simplistic views of the heavens.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Brahe
Kepler
Galileo
Copernicus
2. The prevailing medieval view was that the planets were mounted on crystalline spheres.
in 1577 of a comet that crossed the orbits of
However, an observation by
the planets (and therefore would have had to pierce the crystalline spheres), and was
not inside Earth’s atmosphere, as previously thought, helped humans to advance their
simplistic views of the heavens.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
3.
Brahe
Kepler
Galileo
Copernicus
revived the ancient idea of
solar system.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
that the Sun is the centre of the
Copernicus, Aristarchus
Brahe, Hipparchus
Copernicus, Hipparchus
Brahe, Aristarchus
4. One of Copernicus’s great advances was to
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
determine the relative distances of each planet from the Sun.
measure the relative size of each planet.
precisely measure the relative brightness of each planet.
determine the composition of the atmosphere of each planet.
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5. An advantage of the Renaissance heliocentric model of the solar system (over the
geocentric model) is that
(a) stellar parallax is easier to explain.
(b) the apparent motion of the Sun through the zodiac is easier to explain.
(c) the times of eclipses can be predicted more accurately.
(d) the apparent retrograde motions of planets is easier to explain.
6. An advantage of the Renaissance heliocentric model of the solar system (over the
geocentric model) is that
(a) it predicts the positions of the planets much more accurately.
(b) it predicts the speeds of the planets much more accurately.
(c) it is much simpler to work with, and therefore more compelling.
(d) it is much easier to predict the phases of the Moon.
7. A powerful counter-argument against the Renaissance heliocentric model of the solar
system was that
(a) it makes no sense that the Sun moves.
(b) planetary orbits are circular because the circle is the most perfect geometrical
figure.
(c) stellar parallaxes were not observed at that time.
(d) the stars are themselves suns, with perhaps their own planets.
8. The pre-Kepler heliocentric model of the solar system was no better than the geocentric
model in predicting the locations of planets because
(a) of the interference of the Catholic Church.
(b) the model still assumed planetary orbits are circular.
(c) of disagreements with Aristotle’s great works.
(d) the model failed to account for retrograde motion.
9. Kepler’s first law of planetary motion is a statement about
(a) the variation in the speed of a planet as it orbits the Sun.
(b) the relation between the distance of a planet from the Sun and the shape of its
orbit.
(c) the relation between the distance of a planet from the Sun and its period.
(d) the shape of planetary orbits.
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10. As described by Kepler’s third law of planetary motion,
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
planets closer to the Sun have shorter periods.
planets closer to the Sun have longer periods.
the period of a planet does not depend on its distance from the Sun.
the period of a planet is related to its distance from the Sun, but not in a way
described here.
11. If an asteroid’s average distance from the Sun is about 4 AU then its orbital period is
about
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
8 years.
4 years.
16 years.
2 years.
discovered that the orbits of planets around the Sun are ellipses.
12.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Kepler
Brahe
Galileo
Copernicus
13. Each of the following statements is true. Which statement follows directly from Kepler’s third law?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Venus
Venus
Venus
Venus
is more massive than Mercury.
orbits the Sun at a slower average speed than Mercury.
is farther from the Sun than Mercury.
has a thicker atmosphere than Mercury.
14. The first person to write about observing sunspots through a telescope was
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Kepler.
Galileo.
Copernicus.
Brahe.
15. Which of the following observations was the strongest evidence for a heliocentric model
of the solar system?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
The moons of Jupiter.
Stellar parallax.
Sunspots.
The gibbous and quarter phases of Venus.
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16. Who determined that gravity is responsible for keeping the Moon in its orbit around
the Earth?
(a) Copernicus.
(b) Galileo.
(c) Newton.
(d) Kepler.
17. The prevailing medieval view was that all objects in the solar system orbit the Earth.
suggested that objects
Observation of moons of Jupiter in the early 1600s by
in the solar system could orbit other objects, not just Earth, and so helped humans to
advance their simplistic views of the heavens.
(a) Copernicus
(b) Galileo
(c) Newton
(d) Kepler
18. Which of the following was a valid argument against the heliocentric model proposed
by some ancient Greek astronomers?
(a) The Earth would lose its Moon if it were revolving around the Sun.
(b) The heliocentric model contradicted the ideas of Aristotle.
(c) Things would fall off the Earth if it were moving.
(d) Stellar parallax was not observed.
19. The Earth was first recognized to be round by
(a) ancient Greek astronomers.
(b) medieval central European monks.
(c) Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler.
(d) the explorer Columbus.
20. An early estimate for the circumference of the Earth was made by the Greek astronomer
(a) Eratosthenes.
(b) Alexandria.
(c) Syene.
(d) Aristotle.
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21. The ancient Greek thinker named
argued that the Earth must be spherical, because the shadow that the Earth casts on the Moon during a lunar eclipse is
always part of a circle, no matter the position of the Moon in the sky.
(a) Aristotle
(b) Anaximander
(c) Aristarchus
(d) Archimedes
argued that the Earth cannot be flat,
22. The ancient Greek thinker named
because a traveller moving south sees stars that were previously hidden below the
previous horizon.
(a) Aristotle
(b) Anaximander
(c) Aristarchus
(d) Archimedes
23. The heliocentric model of the solar system probably arose because of
(a) the estimate that the Sun is larger than the Earth made by Aristarchus.
(b) the fact that the Sun is the king of the solar system in Greek mythology.
(c) the thought that the Sun is made of fire, and fires were always placed at the
centres of camps.
(d) observations by the ancient Greeks that the Earth moves but the Sun does not
move.
24. Stellar parallax was not observed by ancient Greek astronomers because
(a) they didn’t know it existed, and so didn’t think to look for it.
(b) they knew it existed, but looked in the wrong parts of the sky.
(c) stellar parallax is only observable from outside the Earth’s atmosphere.
(d) their technology was not advanced enough to detect the minute parallax angles.
25. Epicycles were introduced into the ancient geocentric model of the solar system in an
attempt to
(a) account for anomalies in the motion of the Sun.
(b) better describe planetary motions.
(c) better predict eclipses.
(d) explain why the planets have different rotational periods.
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26. The angular size of the Sun
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the angular size of the Moon.
(a) is much smaller than
(b) is about the same as
(c) is much larger than
(d) can’t be compared to
27. The Moon looks larger when it is near the horizon than when it is high in the sky
because
(a) of moisture in the Earth’s atmosphere.
(b) of refraction of light in the Earth’s atmosphere.
(c) this is an optical illusion.
(d) of a temperature inversion in the Earth’s atmosphere.
28. Ancient people noticed the difference between planets and stars by observing that
(a) planets reflect the Sun’s light, whereas stars create their own light.
(b) planets are much closer to us than stars.
(c) planets orbit the Sun whereas stars do not orbit the Sun.
(d) planets are not fixed relative to the other stars.
29. The word “planet” originates from
(a) an ancient Roman word that means “child of the Sun.”
(b) an ancient Indian word that means “having no fixed position.”
(c) an ancient Druid word that means “moving in a circle.”
(d) an ancient Greek word that means “wanderer.”
30. Retrograde motions of planets
(a) is difficult to explain if the Sun were the centre of the solar system.
(b) is difficult to explain if the Earth were the centre of the solar system.
(c) provides good evidence for the epicycle model of the solar system.
(d) shows that the epicycle model of the solar system is false.
31. The planet Venus is named after the mythological
(a) king of the gods.
(b) messenger god.
(c) god of war.
(d) goddess of love and beauty.
(e) father of the king of the gods.
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32. The planet Saturn is named after the mythological
(a) god of war.
(b) father of the king of the gods.
(c) messenger god.
(d) king of the gods.
(e) goddess of love and beauty.
33. According to Newton’s laws of motion, an object moving in a circle at a constant speed
is subject to a force pointing
(a) along its trajectory (that is, tangent to its path).
(b) away from the centre of the circle.
(c) toward the centre of the circle.
(d) [There is no force on the object because the speed is constant.]
34. It is possible to determine the mass of a planet from the orbital data (the period and
the orbital radius) of one of its satellites.
(a) True.
(b) False.
35. According to Newton’s laws of motion the acceleration of a body
(a) is proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass.
(b) is proportional to its mass and inversely proportional to the net force acting on
it.
(c) is independent of its mass.
(d) is inversely proportional to the square of the net force acting on it.
36. Inertia is
(a) the tendency of a body to remain at rest or moving in a straight line at constant
speed.
(b) the tendency of a body not to move.
(c) the tendency of gases such as neon and argon not to enter into chemical reactions.
(d) the tendency of a body to remain moving in a circle at a constant speed.
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37. Newton’s laws of motion state that if a body is NOT moving in a straight line at a
constant speed, then the net force acting on the object
(a) is not zero.
(b) is zero.
(c) acts along the path of motion.
(d) might or might not be zero, depending on the path of motion.
38. The motion of the Moon around the Earth is approximately circular, because
(a) of the gravitational force that the Sun exerts on the Moon.
(b) of the gravitational force that the solar system exerts on the Moon.
(c) of the gravitational force that the Earth exerts on the Moon.
(d) circular motion is the natural state of celestial objects found in the solar system,
according to Newton’s first law of motion.
39. The first scientist to propose that there must exist some force that holds the planets
in their orbits (and in fact he incorrectly proposed that it is a magnetic force) was
(a) Galileo.
(b) Kepler.
(c) Newton.
(d) Copernicus.
40. The first scientist to propose that gravity is responsible for celestial motions, and that
gravity is an inverse-square force was
(a) Newton.
(b) Galileo.
(c) Huygens.
(d) Hooke.
41. The first scientist to propose a theory of gravity that was mathematical and to prove
that an inverse-square force of gravity is consistent with celestial observations was
(a) Hooke.
(b) Galileo.
(c) Newton.
(d) Huygens.
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42. If the net force acting on an object doubles in magnitude, but acts in the same direction,
then
(a) the acceleration of the object doubles.
(b) the speed of the object doubles.
(c) the velocity of the object doubles.
(d) the distance travelled by the object doubles.
43. Newton’s third law of motion states that when two objects interact,
(a) the acceleration of object A is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to
the acceleration of object B.
(b) the velocity of object A is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the
velocity of object B.
(c) the acceleration of object A is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to
the acceleration of object B, and the velocity of object A is equal in magnitude
and opposite in direction to the velocity of object B.
(d) [None of the above.]
44. The magnitude of the gravitational force that the Earth exerts on the Moon is equal to
the magnitude of the gravitational force that the Moon exerts on the Earth. Therefore,
(a) the resulting acceleration of the Earth is much less than the resulting acceleration
of the Moon, because the Earth is much more massive than the Moon.
(b) the resulting acceleration of the Earth is much less than the resulting acceleration
of the Moon, because the Earth is much less massive than the Moon.
(c) the resulting acceleration of the Earth is much greater than the resulting acceleration of the Moon, because the Earth is much more massive than the Moon.
(d) the resulting acceleration of the Earth is much greater than the resulting acceleration of the Moon, because the Earth is much less massive than the Moon.
45. Your mass is
(a) the same on Earth as it is on the Moon.
(b) greater on Earth than it is on the Moon.
(c) less on Earth than it is on the Moon.
(d) [It depends on your state of motion in each location.]
46. Your weight is
(a) the same on Earth as it is on the Moon.
(b) greater on Earth than it is on the Moon.
(c) less on Earth than it is on the Moon.
(d) [It depends on your state of motion in each location.]
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47. If the distance between two bodies is increased by a factor of 2, the force of gravity
they exert on each other is
(a) decreased by a factor of 2.
(b) increased by a factor of 2.
(c) decreased by a factor of 4.
(d) increased by a factor of 4.
48. If the distance between two bodies is decreased by a factor of 3, the force of gravity
they exert on each other is
(a) decreased by a factor of 3.
(b) increased by a factor of 3.
(c) decreased by a factor of 9.
(d) increased by a factor of 9.
49. The planet Mars is named after the mythological
(a) messenger god.
(b) god of war.
(c) goddess of love and beauty.
(d) king of the gods.
(e) father of the king of the gods.
50. Ockham’s razor
(a) suggests that for scientific theories with equal predictive power, the simpler theory
is better.
(b) was the forerunner of the modern “twin-blade” razors.
(c) is misused by economists to give “hair cuts” to countries struggling with debt.
(d) was cited in a medieval barber’s manual known as the Almagest.