Question 1

All the following statements are true.Which one follows directly from Kepler's third law (p² = a³) ?

Accepted Answer

A)  Venus orbits the Sun at a slower average speed than Mercury.
B)  Venus is more massive than Mercury.
C)  Venus takes longer to rotate than it does to orbit the Sun.
D)  Venus has a thicker atmosphere than Mercury.E) B) and D)
F) A) and B)

Question 2

Which of the following is not part of a good scientific theory?

Accepted Answer

A)  A scientific theory cannot be accepted until it has been proven true beyond all doubt.
B)  A scientific theory must make testable predictions that,if found to be incorrect,could lead to its own modification or demise.
C)  A scientific theory must explain a wide variety of phenomena observed in the natural world.
D)  A scientific theory should be based on natural processes and should not invoke the supernatural or divine.E) B) and D)
F) All of the above

Question 3

Historians trace the origins of a 24-hour day to

Accepted Answer

A)  the druids of Stonehenge.
B)  the ancient Egyptians.
C)  the Mayans.
D)  the Aztecs.
E)  the Babylonian astronomer,Meton.F) B) and E)
G) B) and D)

Question 4

What do we mean by a geocentric model of the universe?

Accepted Answer

A)  It is a model designed to explain what we see in the sky while having the Earth located in the center of the universe.
B)  It is a model designed to explain what we see in the sky while having the Earth orbit the Sun.
C)  It is the name given to sphere-shaped models that show all the constellations as they appear in our sky on the celestial sphere.
D)  It is a model of the Milky Way Galaxy that has our solar system located at its center.E) C) and D)
F) All of the above

Question 5

A scientific model must make a testable prediction.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

One of the "nails in the coffin" for Earth-centered universe was

Accepted Answer

A)  the retrograde motion of the planets.
B)  the phases of the Moon.
C)  eclipses of the Sun.
D)  Galileo's observation of stars in the Milky Way.
E)  Galileo's observations of the moons of Jupiter.F) A) and E)
G) A) and D)

Question 7

What do the structures of Stonehenge,the Templo Mayor,and the Sun Dagger all have in common?

Accepted Answer

A)  They were all places used for religious sacrifice.
B)  They were all built on the orders of ancient Mediterranean kings.
C)  They all can be used as lunar calendars.
D)  They were all used by ancient peoples for astronomical observations.
E)  all of the aboveF) C) and D)
G) None of the above

Question 8

People of central Africa predicted the weather by

Accepted Answer

A)  recording the seasonal changes in average temperature.
B)  observing the path of the planets across the sky.
C)  observing the length of the lunar cycle.
D)  observing the orientation of the crescent Moon relative to the horizon.
E)  observing the location of the Moon relative to the Sun in the sky.F) B) and C)
G) A) and C)

Question 9

The astrology practiced by those who cast predictive horoscopes can be tested by

Accepted Answer

A)  asking astrologers if it works.
B)  asking astronomers if it works.
C)  counting how many times the predictions come true.
D)  comparing how often the predictions come true to what would be expected by pure chance.
E)  polling people to find out what percentage believe their horoscopes to be accurate.F) B) and E)
G) None of the above

Question 10

Suppose a comet orbits the Sun on a highly eccentric orbit with an average (semimajor axis) distance of 1 AU.How long does it take to complete each orbit,and how do we know?

Accepted Answer

A)  One year,which we know from Kepler's third law.
B)  It depends on the eccentricity of the orbit,as described by Kepler's second law.
C)  It depends on the eccentricity of the orbit,as described by Kepler's first law.
D)  Each orbit should take about 2 years,because the eccentricity is so large.E) None of the above
F) B) and C)

Question 11

When did Ptolemy live?

Accepted Answer

A)  about 5000 years ago
B)  about 2000 years ago
C)  about 1000 years ago
D)  about 500 years ago
E)  about 100 years agoF) A) and D)
G) B) and E)

Question 12

Which of the following is not one of,nor follows directly from,Kepler's laws?

Accepted Answer

A)  The orbit of each planet about the Sun is an ellipse with the Sun at one focus.
B)  As a planet moves around its orbit,it sweeps out equal areas in equal times.
C)  The force of attraction between any two objects decreases with the square of the distance between their centers.
D)  A planet travels faster when it is nearer to the Sun and slower when it is farther from the Sun.
E)  More distant planets move at slower speeds.F) A) and B)
G) A) and C)

Question 13

All the following statements are true.Which one follows directly from Kepler's third law?

Accepted Answer

A)  Venus is more massive than Mercury.
B)  Venus orbits the Sun at a slower average speed than Mercury.
C)  Venus is larger than Mercury.
D)  Venus has a thicker atmosphere than Mercury.E) All of the above
F) A) and B)

Question 14

The Jewish calendar is kept roughly synchronized with a solar calendar by

Accepted Answer

A)  adding a thirteenth lunar month to 7 out of every 19 years.
B)  having a thirteenth month with 5 days each year.
C)  skipping a month every 7 out of 19 years.
D)  having the first lunar month begin on the spring equinox.
E)  having the first lunar month begin on the summer solstice.F) C) and E)
G) All of the above

Question 15

Describe the Ptolemaic model of the solar system.How did Ptolemy account for the apparent retrograde motion of the planets?

Accepted Answer

Although Ptolemy's model was an Earth-ce...

Question 16

The names of the seven days of the week are derived from the names of the bodies of the solar system that are visible to the naked eye.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

What do scientists mean by verifiable observations?

Accepted Answer

A)  statements that a person can,in principle,verify for himself or herself
B)  statements that anyone would agree are obvious
C)  observations that can be interpreted in only one way
D)  observations that a model does not have to predict
E)  observations that support a scientific theoryF) A) and C)
G) None of the above

Question 18

In the Ptolemaic system,Venus should not show phases.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

Galileo observed all of the following.Which observation offered direct proof of a planet orbiting the Sun?

Accepted Answer

A)  phases of Venus
B)  four moons of Jupiter
C)  patterns of shadow and sunlight near the dividing line between the light and dark portions of the Moon's face
D)  The Milky Way is composed of many individual stars.E) A) and C)
F) B) and C)

Question 20

Nonscientific practices that make no claims about how the natural world works do not conflict with science.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 3: The Science of Astronomy

In the Ptolemaic system,Venus should not show phases.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following is not one of,nor follows directly from,Kepler's laws?

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The names of the seven days of the week are derived from the names of the bodies of the solar system that are visible to the naked eye.

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The Jewish calendar is kept roughly synchronized with a solar calendar by

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What do scientists mean by verifiable observations?

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The astrology practiced by those who cast predictive horoscopes can be tested by

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A scientific model must make a testable prediction.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Historians trace the origins of a 24-hour day to

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Which of the following is not part of a good scientific theory?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What do the structures of Stonehenge,the Templo Mayor,and the Sun Dagger all have in common?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Galileo observed all of the following.Which observation offered direct proof of a planet orbiting the Sun?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Nonscientific practices that make no claims about how the natural world works do not conflict with science.

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Describe the Ptolemaic model of the solar system.How did Ptolemy account for the apparent retrograde motion of the planets?

Correct AnswerverifiedAlthough Ptolemy's model was an Earth-ce...View AnswerShow Answer

When did Ptolemy live?

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One of the "nails in the coffin" for Earth-centered universe was

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Suppose a comet orbits the Sun on a highly eccentric orbit with an average (semimajor axis) distance of 1 AU.How long does it take to complete each orbit,and how do we know?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

All the following statements are true.Which one follows directly from Kepler's third law?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

All the following statements are true.Which one follows directly from Kepler's third law (p² = a³) ?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

People of central Africa predicted the weather by

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What do we mean by a geocentric model of the universe?

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Although Ptolemy's model was an Earth-ce...
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