Astronomy 100 Exam 1

Prof. Wang
Exam Version c
INSTRUCTIONS: Please write only your name and ID number on BOTH this sheet and the computer grading form.
Use a #2 Pencil on the computer grading form. Be careful to match up your question number with the number on the
computer form, and thoroughly erase all changed answers and stray marks on the form.
Be sure you have all 58 questions in the exam!
OPTIONAL PYRAMID GRADING: You may take this exam sheet and an extra computer grading form home
with you, rework the problems, and bring them back to turn in during the next class period. If you choose this
option, the in-class version will count for 75% of your exam grade, and the take-home version will count for 25% of
your exam grade. If you do not choose this option, the in-class version will count for 100%.
Make sure to circle each multiple choice answer on this sheet you think is right, so when you get home youll know how
you answered in class.
Reference Section
M

= M
Sun
= 2 10
30
kg M

= M
Earth
= 6 10
24
kg 1

= 60 arcminutes
1 mm = 10
3
m 1 km = 10
3
m 1 kg = 2.2 pounds on Earths surface
1nm = 10
9
m 1m = 10
6
m 1 AU = 1.5 10
11
m 1 ly = 9.5 10
15
m
c = 3.0 10
8
ms
1
G = 6.7 10
11
m
3
kg
1
s
2
P
2
yr
= a
3
AU
F = ma F =
GMm
d
2
= c E = h
peak
(mm) = 2.93/T(K)
L = 4T
4
R
2
L = f 4d
2
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS: Identify the choice that best complete the statement or answers the question.
1. BE SURE TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION This test is VERSION C. What version of the test do you have?
A. VERSION c. B. wrong! C. wrong! D. wrong! E. wrong!
2. 2.9 x 10
7
is the same as
A. 2.9 thousand B. 29 thousand C. 290 thousand D. 2.9 million E. 29 million
3. The angular sizes of the Moon and Sun as seen from Earth are both about 0.5 degrees. The Sun is about 400 times
farther away than the Moon. From this we can conclude that the Moons diameter is - the Suns diameter.
A. nearly the same as C. about 2 times smaller than E. about 400 times smaller than
B. about 2 times larger than D. about 400 times larger than
4. A light-year can be dened as
A. the distance that light travels during the time that Earth revolves around Sun once.
B. the distance between Sun and the nearest star.
C. the distance that Earth travels in one year as it orbits Sun once.
D. the time required for light to travel between Earth and Sun.
E. the time required for light to travel between Sun and the nearest star.
5. When does the new moon set?
A. at sunset B. at noon. C. it never rises. D. at midnight. E. at sunrise.
6. Why does the scientic community prefer to use the metric system over the system (e.g., feet and miles) we normally
use in our everyday lives?
A. The metric system is more accurate.
B. The metric system can deal with larger numbers than the other system, and astronomy always deals with
large numbers.
C. The metric system allows for much easier calculations.
D. None of the above. The scientic community does not prefer to use the metric system because everything in
science is based upon inches, feet and miles.
E. Other countries have always used metric system.
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7. If the Sun were a grapefruit in this room, the nearest star (Proxima Centauri) would be
A. more-or-less another grapefruit on the West Coast.
B. a poppyseed about 15 m away.
C. a peppercorn about 100 m away.
D. more-or-less another grapefruit on the other side of campus.
E. a creampu at Barts.
8. The dierence between radiation and sound is that
A. radiation has wavelength and frequency, whereas sound does not.
B. sound needs a physical medium through which to travel, whereas radiation does not.
C. radiation travels much slower than sound.
D. radiation travels at dierent speed, depending on wavelength, whereas sound always travels at the same
speed.
E. radiation can show Doppler eects, whereas sound cannot.
9. The principle use of dividing the sky up into constellations today is to
A. identify regions and/or designate positions for objects in the sky.
B. allow historians to recall and/or identify the ancient gods and goddesses.
C. establish the basis for the retelling of mythological stories of the stars.
D. allow astrologers to predict the future.
E. prohibit stars from crossing the borders.
10. For mapping purposes, the Earth is divided into two equal halves by an imaginary line called the equator. Likewise,
the sky is divided into two equal halves by an imaginary line called the
A. celestial equator. B. ecliptic. C. line of nodes. D. zodiac.
E. none of the above. Neither are divided equally.
11. Absolute zero is
A. zero degrees Celsius.
B. the temperature at which water freezes.
C. the temperature at which atoms have no remaining energy from which we can extract heat.
D. both a and b
E. none of the above
12. In the hydrogen atom, the electron and proton are bound together by
A. gravitational force. C. electromagnetic force. E. none of the above.
B. nuclear force. D. chemical force.
13. Each day, from a point on Earth just south of the equator, most stars appear to
A. remain stationary overhead. D. rise in the east and set in the west.
B. move to the north. E. rise in the west and set in the east.
C. move to the south.
14. A hydrogen atom making a direct transition from an upper energy level to the ground (lowest) energy level
A. emits a photon which has an energy which depends on the temperature of the atom.
B. emits a photon with an energy exactly equal to the dierence in energy between the two states.
C. experiences a Doppler shift.
D. absorbs a photon which has an energy which depends on the temperature of the atom.
E. emits a continuous spectrum.
15. Blackbody radiation is
A. due to the thermal motion of electrons, which emit photons
B. continuous (lineless) in its energy spectrum
C. invisible to the naked eye
D. conned to a few specic wavelengths, depending on the material
E. a and b
16. Which of the following statements about radiation is TRUE?
A. Ice cubes at a temperature below the freezing point do not emit black body radiation.
B. Solid objects emit radiation. Objects composed of gases do not.
C. The maximum intensity of radiation emitted by a human body is at infrared wavelengths.
D. Hot objects emit less short wavelength radiation than do cooler objects.
E. Hot objects emit less amount of radiation than do cooler objects.
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17. If the Earth suddenly reveresed its direction of spin, without changing its orbital direction around the Sun,
A. the Sun would rise in the West and set in the East.
B. the stars would move across the sky counterclockwise around Polaris.
C. over the year the Sun would travel in reverse through the signs of the Zodiac compared to now.
D. summer would come six months later.
E. All of the Above.
18. What causes seasons here on planet Earth?
A. The tilt of the Earths axis.
B. periodic changes in the heat retention of the Earths atmosphere.
C. The elliptical orbit of the Moon.
D. because of the alignment of the solar and lunar cycles.
E. the Earths elliptical orbit brings it closer and farther from the Sun.
19. Newton concluded that some force had to act on the Moon because
A. a force is needed to keep the Moon in motion.
B. a force is needed to pull the Moon outward.
C. the Moon moved at a constant velocity.
D. a force is needed to pull the Moon away from straight-line motion.
E. all of the above
20. From smallest to largest, what is the correct order of the following distances? (ly stands for light year)
A. 1 cm, 1 km, 1 ly, 1 AU C. 1 km, 1 AU, 1 cm, 1 ly E. 1 km, 1 cm, 1 ly, 1 AU
B. 1 AU, 1 ly, 1 cm, 1 km D. 1 cm, 1 km, 1 AU, 1 ly
21. All planetary orbits are
A. circles with the Sun at the center. D. circles with the Sun at one focus.
B. ellipses with the Sun at the center. E. ellipses with the Sun at one focus.
C. ovals with the Sun at the center.
22. The sun is
A. a star D. all of the above
B. 1 AU from Earth. E. none of the above.
C. more than 100 times the diameter of Earth.
23. A red ball is red because
A. it only emits frequencies corresponding to red
B. it only reects frequencies corresponding to red
C. it only transmits frequencies corresponding to red
D. it only absorbs frequencies corresponding to red
E. none of the above.
24. What phase would the Earth appear to be in if you were standing on the Moon at Full Moon?
A. New C. Crescent E. Only the Moon can show phases
B. Waxing gibbous D. Full
25. From smallest to largest, the correct order of the following objects is
A. Earths orbit, Jupiter, Milky Way Galaxy, Solar System
B. Jupiter, Earths orbit, Solar System, Milky Way Galaxy
C. Earths orbit, Milky Way Galaxy, Solar System, Jupiter
D. Solar System, Earths orbit, Milky Way Galaxy, Jupiter
E. Milky Way Galaxy, Jupiter, Earths orbit, Solar System
26. The principle dierence between radio waves and visible light is
A. radio waves travel at the speed of sound.
B. radio waves carry substantially more energy per photon.
C. only visible light can travel through the vacuum of space.
D. blackbodies cannot produce radio waves.
E. radio waves have a longer wavelength than visible light.
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27. An astronaut has a mass of 60 kilograms before she takes o in her ship. When she reaches Earth orbit, her mass
is , when she lands on the Moon, her mass is .
A. zero; smaller than on Earth
B. much smaller than on Earth, smaller than on Earth
C. zero; the same as on Earth
D. the same as on Earth; the same as on Earth
E. much smaller than on Earch, zero
28. The circular shape of the Earths shadow on the Moon led early astronomers to conclude that
A. the Earth is a sphere. D. the Moon must orbit the Sun.
B. the Earth is at the center of the Solar system. E. the Moon is a sphere.
C. the Earth must be at rest.
29. If light takes 8 minutes to reach the earth from the sun and 5 hours to reach Pluto, what is the distance from the
sun to Pluto?
A. 5 AU B. 37.5 AU C. 37.5 ly D. 5 ly E. 0.6 ly
30. The sun is on the celestial equator at the times of
A. the vernal equinox and the summer solstice.
B. the autumnal equinox and the vernal equinox.
C. the summer solstice and the winter solstice.
D. the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice.
E. the sun is on the ecliptic and is never on the celestial equator.
31. If the Moon were two times closer to the Earth, the gravitational force between them would be .
A. 0 B. 1/4 as strong C. half as strong D. twice as strong E. 4 times as strong
32. The of a gas is a measure of the average speed of the particles in the gas.
A. heat B. composition C. temperature D. blue shift E. binding energy
33. Which of the following radiation has wavelengths that are longer than visible light?
A. Gamma-rays C. Infrared radiation E. a, b and d above
B. Ultraviolet light D. X-rays
34. As a black body is cooled the wavelength of maximum intensity will
A. decrease. D. stay the same, but the frequency will decrease.
B. increase. E. none of the above are true.
C. stay the same, but the frequency will increase.
35. The terms speed and velocity are popularly used interchangeably, but Newton made an important distinction. How
does speed dier from velocity?
A. Speed is in miles per hour, while velocity is in kilometers per hour.
B. Speed involves a direction of motion, while velocity involves only the size of the change in position per unit
time.
C. Velocity adds a directional component to the speed.
D. a and b above.
E. Velocity describes the acceleration of an object, whereas speed does not.
36. An atom can be excited
A. if it emits a photon. D. a and b above
B. if it collides with another atom or electron. E. b and c above
C. if it absorbs a photon.
37. If the Earth were tipped 35

instead of 23.5

, seasons on Earth would be

A. hotter in the northern hemisphere, colder in the southern
B. much shorter
C. much less severe
D. much more severe
E. b and d
38. You can view a total lunar eclipse if the Moon is in
A. the Moons penumbra C. the Earths penumbra E. the Earths umbra
B. the Moons umbra D. the Earths umbrella
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39. The Sun appears in front of a dierent constellation each month due to the
A. the Earths rotation on its axis.
B. the Earths orbital motion around the Sun.
C. the Suns motion around the center of the Milky Way Galaxy.
D. precession of the rotation axis of the Earth.
E. Moons orbit around the Earth.
40. High (spring) tide during the New Moon occurs at
A. Midnight C. Midnight and Noon E. 6 am and 6 pm
B. 6 pm D. Noon
41. The Copernican model of the universe was important because it
A. was a heliocentric model.
B. contained epicycles.
C. included elliptical orbits.
D. made very accurate predictions for the positions of the planets.
E. all of the above
42. As Moon revolves around Earth once, it rotates
A. once. B. about 29 times. C. 24 times. D. 365 times.
E. none of the above. Moon does not rotate.
43. Each day, the Moon rises about
A. the same time. C. It depends on the year E. It depends on the season.
B. an hour later. D. an hour earlier.
44. Ocean tides are caused primarily by
A. seismic pressure waves beneath the surface. D. sunlight reecting o waves.
B. the Moons gravitational pull. E. All of the above.
C. tectonic motion of the spreading ocean oor.
45. If an atom absorbs a photon,
A. other photons summing to the same total energy may later be emitted.
B. the photon must have the right energy for the atoms energy levels.
C. the atom will gain energy.
D. the atom will move into a higher energy level.
E. All of the above.
46. A beam of light from a laser has a wavelength of 600 nm, what is the frequency of this light?
A. 5 x 10
14
Hz B. 6000 Hz C. 3 x 10
8
m/s D. 2 x 10
15
Hz E. 1.8 x 10
12
Hz
47. A lunar eclipse could never occur
A. at high tide. D. within a couple of weeks of a solar eclipse.
B. at Spring tide. E. at Harvest Moon.
C. at Neap tide.
48. According to Keplers laws, a planet moves fastest in its orbit when
A. it is closest to Earth. D. it rst rises at night.
B. it is closest to the Sun. E. the nights are shortest.
C. it is undergoing a retrograde loop.
49. An object moving around in a perfect circle at a constant speed
A. is experiencing a force. C. also has a constant velocity. E. All of the Above
B. is not accelerating. D. must also be rotating.
50. Which of the following properties causes an object to experience a gravitational force?
A. being in a magnetic eld
B. undergoing rotation
C. experiencing pressure from an atmosphere (or other gases)
D. having mass
E. All of the Above
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51. A rocket blasts propellant out of its thrusters and lifts o, heading into space. What provided the force to lift
the rocket?
A. The propellant pushing against air molecules in the atmosphere.
B. The propellant heating and expanding the air beneath the rocket, and so pushing the rocket up
C. The action of the propellant accelerating down, giving a reaction force to the rocket
D. The propellant reversing direction as it strikes the ground below the rocket, then bouncing back and pushing
the rocket up
E. The propellant producing a vacum in front the rocket
52. If you apply the same force to two carts, the rst with a mass of 100 kg, the second 50 kg, the acceleration of the
100 kg cart will be the acceleration of the 50 kg cart.
A. the same as C. 2 times smaller than E. 50 times smaller than
B. 2 times larger than D. 50 times larger than
53. A spring tide occurs whenever
A. the Earth is closest to the Sun in its orbit.
B. the Moon is in the springtime constellations of the Zodiac.
C. the Moon is full or new.
D. the Sun crosses the celestial equator.
E. Only when all of the above conditions are met.
54. If the net force on an object doubles, then its also doubles.
A. acceleration B. speed C. mass D. velocity E. All of the Above
55. An object emitting a black body spectrum emits over a broad range of wavelengths, but with a peak which
depends on its
A. absorption lines. C. mass. E. temperature.
B. color. D. radius.
56. When a photon interacts with an atom, what changes occur in the atom?
A. The photon becomes trapped in orbit. D. The mass of the nucleus increases.
B. An electron changes its orbital. E. The nucleus begins to glow.
C. The atomic number increases.
57. Object A has a temperature of 200 degrees Kelvin, whereas object B has that of 600 degrees.
A. Object B emits 3 times more radiation than object A.
B. Object B emits 9 times more radiation than object A.
C. Object B emits 27 times more radiation than object A.
D. Object B emits 81 times more radiation than object A.
E. Object B emits the same amount of radiation as object A.
58. Several times on Star Trek, Mr. Spock red his phaser at a rock to heat it when he was trapped on a cold planet.
Suppose Mr. Spock increased the temperature of a rock to 3 times its initial value. The rocks blackbody luminosity
would increase...
A. 3 times B. 6 times C. 9 times D. 27 times E. 81 times
Please answer the following survey questions:
59. This test was I expected.
A. much harder than C. about as hard as E. a lot easier than
B. a little harder than D. a little easier than
60. The course has been I expected based on my impression after attending the rst week.
A. much harder than C. as dicult as E. much easier than
B. harder than D. easier than
61. I would get more out of this course if the level were it has been so far.
A. much harder than C. about the same as E. much easier than
B. harder than D. easier than
Write two things you dont particularly like about the class. Rate each on a scale of 1-5 with 1=I dont care for this
and 5=this really bites.
Finally, please comment on what Prof. Wang may do to help you gain a better experience from the class.
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Key for exam1c
1. A
2. E
3. E
4. A
5. A
6. C
7. A
8. B
9. A
10. A
11. C
12. C
13. D
14. B
15. E
16. C
17. A
18. A
19. D
20. D
21. E
22. D
23. B
24. A
25. B
26. E
27. D
28. A
29. B
30. B
31. E
32. C
33. C
34. B
35. C
36. E
37. D
38. E
39. B
40. C
41. A
42. A
43. B
44. B
45. E
46. A
47. C
48. B
49. A
50. D
51. C
52. C
53. C
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54. A
55. E
56. B
57. D
58. E