Exam Instructions and Multiple Choice Questions about Planets and Astronomy - Prof. Grace , Exams of Astronomy

Download Exam Instructions and Multiple Choice Questions about Planets and Astronomy - Prof. Grace and more Exams Astronomy in PDF only on Docsity! NAME STUDENT ID# SECTION ASTRONOMY 101 - DEMING SPRING 2005 Exam I (100 pts.) READ THIS COVER SHEET NOW !!!! 1. You should have a blank answer scan sheet. USE PENCIL ONLY. 2. Write your name in the appropriate section of the scan sheet. Blacken the corresponding spaces carefully. 3. Write your section number in the BIRTHDATE section. 4. Write the color of your exam WHITE in the special codes section. 5. DO NOT OPEN YOUR EXAM UNTIL TOLD TO DO SO. 6. This exam contains 9 pages and 30 questions. 7. Turn in scan sheet and questions at end of exam. 8. No calculators or cell phones are permitted. TURN OFF PHONES NOW. 9. Please remain seated. There will be leave times at 11:45 and 12:00. Dismissal time is 12:15 and all papers will be collected then. I pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized assistance on this examination. JSignature MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS (50 points) Choose the best answer to each of the following questions using what you have learned in 101. Mark your answers in pencil on the scantron sheet. (2 pts. each) 1. In ancient times, people distinguished the planets from stars because the A. planets always appeared brighter than any star. B. planets moved relative to the fixed positions of stars in the constellations. C. planets differ in color from the stars. D. features on the planet's surface could be seen, but no stellar surface is visible from Earth. E. planets could be seen during the daytime. 2. Aristotle supported the geocentric theory largely because A. he had heard of Ptolemy's epicycle theory. B. he was aware of precession and needed an explanation. C. he couldn't detect any stellar parallax. D. only this theory accounted for the seasons. E. he observed retrograde motion. 3. From College Park, which of the following objects can NEVER be seen at midnight? A. Mercury B.Mars C. Jupiter D. a waxing gibbous moon E. a waning gibbous moon 4. Which of Galileo's telescopic observations was most damaging to the Greek geocentric model? A. sunspots B. lunar features C. Saturn's rings D. Jupiter's moons E. phases of Venus 5. You know the gravity law, F = G mi mi / d2 . On the Earth, Mrs. Deming's cat, Skyler, weighs 12 Ibs. What would Skyler weigh on a planet the same mass as Earth, but whose radius is 2 times larger than Earth's radius? A. 3 Ib. B. 6 Ibs. C. 12 Ibs. D. 24 Ibs. E. 48 Ibs. 6. The 5,200-year-old burial chamber in the Tomb at Newgrange in Ireland is aligned A. with a perfect north south orientation. B. with Polaris, the North star. C. so that on the Summer Solstice the rising Sun's light touches the heelstone. D. so that the stars in Orion's belt shine through the ceiling. E. so that the rising Winter Solstice Sun illuminates its hallway. 1 19. On the Earth's surface, a ball and feather are dropped together in a long tube that has been hooked up to a working vacuum pump. You observe that A. the ball hits the bottom of the tube first. B. the feather hits Ihe bottom of the tube first. C. the feather flies upward while the ball drops. D. ball and feather hit the bottom of the tube at the same time. E. both feather and ball move upward as they become weightless in the vacuum. 20. The slow shifts of Earth's crust described as "continental drift" occur A. as the gravitational force of the Moon pulls on the crust. B. as the gravitational force of the Sun pulls on the crust. C. due to the combined gravity of the Sun and the Moon. D. as heat from the interior causes currents in the mantle to push on the crustal plates. E. as the Earth's magnetic field draws iron in crustal rocks toward the core. 21. If a star is 10 light years away, then A. the distance to this star is 10 astronomical units (AU). B. the light we see today left this star 10 years ago. C. this star must have formed at least 10 billion years ago. D. this star must be very young. E. this star must be at least as old as the Sun. 22. How is the greenhouse effect produced on Venus? A. Heat is released from the core and drifts upward and out through the surface. B. Clouds in the atmosphere reflect away r/76% of incident sunlight. C. Infrared radiation is kept in by the ozone layer. D. Visible sunlight absorbed by the ground is re-emitted as infrared radiation and atmospheric carbon dioxide hinders its escape. E. Plants on the surface of Venus produce an excessive amount of carbon dioxide and this process elevates the planetary temperature. 23. What is meant by the altitude of a celestial object? A. its distance above the ground measured in miles B. its angular distance from the north celestial pole C. its angular distance above the horizon D. its angular distance from the meridian E. its distance from the Sun 24. It is easier to launch a rocket off the Moon than off Earth because A. there is no gravity on the Moon. B. there is less gravity on the Moon. C. there is less inertia on the Moon. D. there is more air resistance on the Moon. E. a rocket is weightless on the Moon. 25. The average density of Earth compared to that of surface rocks implies that the Earth A. has a core containing dense metals, like iron. B. has a liquid core. C. has a core containing low density elements. D. contains large amounts of trapped gases. E. contains large amounts of trapped water. SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS (50 pts.) Answer each of the following questions as completely as you can using what you have learned in ASTR 101. After you have written an answer, please go back and reread the question to make sure you have answered what was asked. 26. a)How does Aristotle's geocentric theory explain the retrograde motion of Mars? (4 pts.) b) Kepler used Tycho's data to revise the Copernican heliocentric theory. Describe Tycho's data. (4 pts.) c) What major revision to the Copernican theory did Kepler make? (2 pts.) 27. a) It is June. Winter is occurring in the Southern Hemisphere. Draw a clearly labeled sketch showing the orbit of the Earth around the Sun and with the Earth shown as it would appear in June carefully showing its orientation. Label the N and S poles on Earth. (4 pts.) b) Give two reasons why winter days are colder than summer days at a latitude of 40° S for the Earth's position shown above in your sketch. (4 pts.) EXTRA CREDIT (2 pts. maximum) What is a "transit?" Describe what one looks like.