Astronomy Test 3

Front 1

The work of Francis Bacon that described an ideal society based
on organized and applied science and which had a part in the formation
of what was to become the Royal Society was the

Back 1

AA S 1 (1) New Atlantis
(2) Principles of Philosophy
(3) Novum Organum
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 2

The philosophical system of Rene Descartes was based on critical
doubt and the

Back 2

AA S 1 (1) deductive method
(2) inductive method
(3) a combination of inductive and deductive methods
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 3

QQ 3 Historically, the first scientific society was the

Back 3

AA S 1 (1) Accademia dei Lincei in Italy
(2) Academie des Sciences in France
(3) Royal Society of London
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 4

QQ 4 The large satellite of Saturn, Titan, was discovered by

Back 4

AA S 1 (1) Christiaan Huygens
(2) G. D. Cassini (Cassini I)
(3) Johannes Hevelius
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 5

QQ 5 According to Newton's first law of motion, an object that is not acted
on by any external forces

Back 5

AA S 1 (1) moves with constant velocity
(2) moves with constant speed but not necessarily constant velocity
(3) comes to rest or remains at rest
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 6

QQ 6 Uniform circular motion is caused by the operation of a

Back 6

AA S 1 (1) centripetal force
(2) centrifugal "force"
(3) gravitational force
(4) tidal force
(5) NVA

Front 7

QQ 7 Newton's universal gravitation

Back 7

AA S 1 (1) acts throughout the Universe and is of infinite range
(2) acts only out to the orbit of the Moon
(3) acts everywhere in the Universe but is of limited range
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 8

QQ 8 According to Newton, an object fired from the Earth with more than the
escape velocity will follow a trajectory that is part of a/an

Back 8

AA S 1 (1) hyperbolic orbit
(2) elliptical orbit
(3) parabolic orbit
(4) circular orbit
(5) NVA

Front 9

QQ 9 Newton's version of Kepler's Third Law (the Harmonic Law) is
extremely important because it

Back 9

AA S 1 (1) allows us to estimate the masses of astronomical bodies (planets,
stars, and galaxies)
(2) allows us to calculate the orbital periods of binary stars from the
semimajor axes of their orbits
(3) shows the intrinsic harmony of the Universe of which we are a part
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 10

QQ 10 The Earth's oblateness is caused by

Back 10

AA S 1 (1) its rotation and the resulting centrifugal "force"
(2) the tidal forces of the Moon and, to a lesser degree, the Sun
(3) the way it originally formed
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 11

QQ 11 The tidal force caused by the Moon at the place on Earth opposite
the Moon is directed

Back 11

AA S 1 (1) away from the Moon
(2) towards the Moon
(3) in the direction of Earth's rotation
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 12

QQ 12 If the Earth were perfectly spherical instead of oblate,

Back 12

AA S 1 (1) there would be no precession
(2) precession would be much slower than now but still happening
(3) there would still be precession at the same rate as now but with a much
greater tilt (obliquity)
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 13

QQ 13 Which of the following did Halley not do in connection with
Newton's Principia?

Back 13

AA S 1 (1) write a portion of it
(2) pay for publication
(3) encourage Newton to write it
(4) mediate a dispute over priority between Newton and Hooke
(5) NVA

Front 14

QQ 14 The most accurate star positions measured without using a telescope
were those of

Back 14

AA S 1 (1) Hevelius
(2) Tycho Brahe
(3) Flamsteed
(4) Hipparchus
(5) NVA

Front 15

QQ 15 Ole Roemer introduced the practice of measuring one of the equatorial
coordinates by recording the sidereal time at which a star transits the
celestial meridian. Which coordinate was it?

Back 15

AA S 1 (1) right ascension
(2) declination
(3) celestial longitude
(4) celestial latitude
(5) NVA

Front 16

QQ 16 To measure the shape of the Earth, one measures the length of a
degree of latitude at different latitudes. If the Earth is prolate,
a degree of latitude is

Back 16

AA S 1 (1) longer at the Equator than at the poles
(2) longer at the poles than at the Equator
(3) longest midway between the Equator and the poles (latitude 45 degrees)
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 17

QQ 17 The first expedition to bring back data to show that the Earth is
in fact oblate was that headed by

Back 17

AA S 1 (1) Maupertuis
(2) Bouguer and La Condamine
(3) Halley
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 18

QQ 18 The straight-line (collinear) solution for the gravitational
three-body problem was put forward by

Back 18

AA S 1 (1) Euler
(2) Lagrange
(3) Laplace
(4) Clairaut
(5) NVA

Front 19

QQ 19 The branch of astronomy that deals with orbital motions of
astronomical bodies is

Back 19

AA S 1 (1) celestial mechanics
(2) astrometry
(3) spectroscopy
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 20

QQ 20 The "Great Inequality" involves slight orbital irregularities
associated with a resonance between the planets

Back 20

AA S 1 (1) Jupiter and Saturn
(2) Uranus and Neptune
(3) Mars and Jupiter
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 21

QQ 21 The planet Uranus was discovered by

Back 21

AA S 1 (1) W. Herschel
(2) Galle and d'Arrest
(3) Adams and LeVerrier
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 22

QQ 22 The planet Neptune was discovered by

Back 22

AA S 1 (1) Galle and d'Arrest
(2) Adams and LeVerrier
(3) W. Herschel
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 23

QQ 23 A numerical calculation of the orbit of Halley's Comet that
accurately predicted the comet's return in 1759 was carried out by

Back 23

AA S 1 (1) Clairaut and Madame Lepaute
(2) Euler
(3) Newton
(4) Lagrange
(5) NVA

Front 24

QQ 24 The fact that the "fixed" stars actually shift their positions
on the celestial sphere very slowly because of their individual motions
through space (the shifts we call {\it proper motions}) was discovered by

Back 24

AA S 1 (1) Halley
(2) Bradley
(3) Roemer
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 25

QQ 25 The first proof that the Earth goes around the Sun was the
aberration of starlight discovered by

Back 25

AA S 1 (1) Bradley
(2) Halley
(3) Flamsteed
(4) Hevelius
(5) NVA

Front 26

QQ 26 Longitude on the Earth is determined by

Back 26

AA S 1 (1) comparing local time with time at the Prime Meridian
(2) measuring the altitude of one of the celestial poles
(3) comparing sidereal time with solar time
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 27

QQ 27 Mayer's tables of the Moon's motion were

Back 27

AA S 1 (1) calculated using Euler's lunar theory but with parameters
determined from observation (semi-empirical)
(2) calculated using Mayer's lunar theory
(3) based on periodicities observed in the Moon's motion only (empirical)
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 28

QQ 28 Observations of the transits of Venus in 1761 and 1769 were made
for the purpose of finding out

Back 28

AA S 1 (1) the length of the astronomical unit (AU)
(2) the true size of Venus, which is covered with clouds
(3) the shape of the Earth
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 29

QQ 29 The type of reflecting telescope having a paraboloidal primary
mirror with a hole in the center and a convex secondary mirror is the

Back 29

AA S 1 (1) Cassegrain reflector
(2) Newtonian reflector
(3) prime-focus reflector
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 30

QQ 30 The instrument used to discover the aberration of starlight and
nutation was the

Back 30

AA S (1) zenith sector
(2) ordinary transit telescope
(3) mural quadrant
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 31

QQ 31 The solution to the problem of chromatic aberration (though only
partial) was the achromatic refractor patented by

Back 31

AA S 1 (1) Dollond
(2) Christiaan Huygens
(3) Bradley
(4) Hall
(5) NVA

Front 32

QQ 32 The approximate date of the Principia is

Back 32

AA S 1 (1) 1690
(2) 1620
(3) 1800
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 33

QQ 33 Saturn's peculiar appearance and the disappearance of its
"companions" were first explained in terms of rings by

Back 33

AA S 1 (1) Christiaan Huygens
(2) G. D. Cassini
(3) Picard
(4) Flamsteed
(5) NVA

Front 34

QQ 34 Newton's theory of gravitation was finally shown to be incomplete
or incorrect when which of the following was explained?

Back 34

AA S 1 (1) advance of Mercury's perihelion
(2) irregularities in Neptune's motion
(3) irregularities in Uranus's motion
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 35

QQ 35 Toward the end of Newton's life he precipitated the great
controversy over priority in inventing the branch of mathematics
now known as calculus; his antagonist was

Back 35

AA S 1 (1) Leibniz
(2) D. Bernoulli
(3) Euler
(4) Voltaire
NVA

Front 36

QQ 1 The concept of impetus introduced by Buridan and Oresme to correct
Aristotle's theory of forced motion could be used to invalidate

Back 36

AA S 1 (1) the argument of fall
(2) the argument of (heliocentric) parallax
(3) the argument of perihelion
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 37

QQ 2 The medieval astronomy text dealing with the celestial sphere and much
of the other material covered in the first part of the course was

Back 37

AA S 1 (1) Tractatus de sphaera (Treatise on the Sphere) by
Sacrobosco (John of Holywood)
(2) Ephemerides by Regiomontanus
(3) Epitome astronomiae Copernicanae (Survey of Copernican Astronomy)
by Kepler
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 38

Q 3 The first extensive series of fairly accurate observations in Europe
were those made by

Back 38

AA S 1 (1) Bernhard Walther
(2) Tycho Brahe
(3) Landgrave Wilhelm IV of Hesse
(4) Johannes Kepler
(5) NVA

Front 39

QQ 4 The Copernican theory presented in De revolutionibus was of
major importance because

Back 39

AA S 1 (1) it removed the Earth from the center of the Universe
(2) it was mathematically speaking a much simpler theory than that of Ptolemy,
with many fewer epicycles
(3) the Ptolemaic theory had completely broken down and urgently needed
replacement
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 40

QQ 5 We usually speak of the Copernican theory as heliocentric, yet is this
strictly true of the theory in De revolutionibus?

Back 40

AA S 1 (1) No, the center of the Earth's orbit -- the "mean Sun" -- is
the true center
(2) Yes, the real Sun is at the center of every planet's orbit
(3) No, the Sun is the true center of the Universe
(4) NVA
NVA

Front 41

QQ 6 The unsigned preface to De revolutionibus (On the revolutions)
was written by

Back 41

AA S 1 (1) Osiander
(2) Rheticus
(3) Copernicus himself
(4) Martin Luther
(5) NVA

Front 42

QQ 7 The first planetary tables based on the Copernican theory were the

Back 42

AA S 1 (1) Prutenic Tables
(2) Alfonsine Tables
(3) Rudolphine Tables
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 43

QQ 8 Tycho Brahe's observations of the \lq\lq new star" of 1572 were
very important in showing that

Back 43

AA S 1 (1) contrary to Aristotle's view, change is possible in the
superlunary (celestial) region
(2) the star was so far away that Copernicus's theory could be correct
(3) the instruments at his observatory, Uraniborg, were in good working
order
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 44

QQ 9 Tycho Brahe's refraction tables for the Sun differed from those for
the stars because

Back 44

AA S 1 (1) he used Ptolemy's value for the Sun's geocentric parallax, which
was badly off
(2) he had difficulty measuring the Sun's position in the sky
(3) the temperature difference between day and night made a large difference
(4) NVA
NVA

Front 45

QQ 10 Kepler's first two laws of planetary motion were first presented (for
the case of Mars) in

Back 45

AA S 1 (1) Astronomia nova (New Astronomy)
(2) Mysterium cosmographicum (Cosmographic Mystery)
(3) Epitome astronomi\ae Copernican\ae (Survey of Copernican
Astronomy)
(4) NVA
NVA

Front 46

QQ 11 Kepler's First Law says that the orbits of planets are

Back 46

AA S 1 (1) ellipses with the Sun at one focus
(2) ellipses with the Sun at the center
(3) eccentrics with the Sun offset from the center
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 47

QQ 12 The collision of the Copernican theory with the Roman Catholic Church
was caused by Galileo's

Back 47

AA S 1 (1) Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina
(2) Dialogues on the Two Great World Systems (Ptolemaic and
Copernican)
(3) Discourses on Two New Sciences (Mechanics and Local Motion)
(4) Starry Messenger
(5) NVA

Front 48

QQ 13 Galileo's discovery that Venus has the same phases as the Moon

Back 48

AA S 1 (1) proved the Ptolemaic theory was wrong
(2) proved the Copernican theory was correct
(3) proved that Aristotle was wrong about changes in the superlunary
(celestial) region
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 49

QQ 14 Which of the following was probably not a contributing cause
of Pope Urban VIII's anger at Galileo over the Dialogues?

Back 49

AA S 1 (1) the book's unmistakable attack on Church doctrine
(2) the Vatican memo making it appear that Galileo had tricked Urban
into approving publication against instructions from 1616
(3) Urban's argument concerning God's omnipotence being spoken by the
character Simplicio
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 50

QQ 15 Learning about nature by extracting general principles from
specific observations and/or experiments was advocated by

Back 50

AA S 1 (1) Francis Bacon
(2) Rene Descartes
(3) Regiomontanus
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 51

QQ 16 The first known scientific society was the

Back 51

AA S 1 (1) Accademia dei Lincei in Italy
(2) Royal Society of London
(3) Academie des Sciences in France
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 52

QQ 17 Four small satellites of Saturn were discovered by

Back 52

AA S 1 (1) G. D. Cassini = Cassini I
(2) Christiaan Huygens
(3) Hevelius
(4) Flamsteed
(5) NVA

Front 53

QQ 18 The first accurate pendulum clock was invented by

Back 53

AA S 1 (1) Christiaan Huygens
(2) Galileo Galilei
(3) Isaac Newton
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 54

QQ 19 The most accurate positional measurements made with the naked eye

Back 54

(i. e., without using a telescope) were those of
AA S 1 (1) Hevelius
(2) Tycho Brahe
(3) Flamsteed
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 55

QQ 20 Newton's method used in the Principia was

Back 55

AA S 1 (1) a combination of the inductive and deductive methods
(2) the inductive method
(3) the deductive method
(4) NVA
NVA

Front 56

QQ 21 According to Newton, in addition to the elliptical orbits found
by Kepler, two bodies could also move around each other in

Back 56

AA S 1 (1) parabolic and hyperbolic orbits
(2) hyperbolic and figure-eight orbits (hippopede)
(3) helical orbits
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 57

QQ 22 According to Newton, precession is caused by

Back 57

AA S 1 (1) the Sun and Moon trying to pull the Earth's equatorial bulge
into the ecliptic plane, which is prevented by Earth's rotation
(2) water sloshing around in the Earth's oceans
(3) the Sun and Moon trying to pull the Earth's rotation axis into
the ecliptic plane
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 58

QQ 23 Ole Roemer showed how the transit telescope could be used to
measure which of the following accurately?

Back 58

AA S 1 (1) right ascension and declination
(2) celestial latitude and longitude
(3) terrestrial latitude and longitude
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 59

QQ 24 The person who played the most important part in publishing
the Principia after Newton, who wrote it, was

Back 59

AA S 1 (1) Edmond Halley
(2) Robert Hooke
(3) Christopher Wren
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 60

QQ 25 If the length of a degree of latitude decreases as one goes
from the Earth's equator to its poles, it means that the Earth's
shape is

Back 60

AA S 1 (1) prolate, as the French originally thought
(2) oblate, as Newton and Huygens thought
(3) spherical
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 61

QQ 26 The naked-eye instrument that was used for telling latitude from the
Pole Star and for telling time of night was the

Back 61

AA S 1 (1) nocturnal

Front 62

QQ 27 The type of telescope having a convex objective lens and a concave
eyepiece lens is the

Back 62

AA S 1 (1) Galilean refractor

Front 63

QQ 28 The aberration in which different colors have different focal
lengths is

Back 63

AA S 1 (1) chromatic aberration

Front 64

QQ 29 The main disadvantage of the early reflectors was

Back 64

AA S 1 (1) the necessity of having to polish the metal mirror quite often
because it tarnished

Front 65

QQ 32 The proper motions of stars were discovered by

Back 65

AA S 1 (1) Halley
(2) Bradley
(3) Flamsteed
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 66

QQ 33 According to Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation, the
gravitational force is proportional to

Back 66

AA S 1 (1) the inverse square of the distance
(2) the inverse of the distance
(3) the square of the distance
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 67

QQ 34 The approximate date of Newton was

Back 67

AA S 1 (1) 1690 (2) 1620 (3) 1540 (4) NVA (5) NVA

Front 68

1
QQ Which of the following was the main
result of Kepler's book Cosmographic
Mystery?

Back 68

AA S 1 (1) the planets' distances from the
Sun could be explained geometrically
(2) the planets' orbits are ellipses
with the Sun at one focus
(3) the planets' orbits are ellipses with
the Sun at the center
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 69

2
QQ Kepler's Second Law states that

Back 69

AA S 1 (1) an imaginary line from the Sun
to a given planet sweeps out equal areas
in equal time intervals
(2) a given planets' orbital speed is
always inversely proportional to its
distance from the Sun
(3) an imaginary line from the Sun to a
given planet sweeps out equal angles in
equal time intervals
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 70

3
QQ The first planetary tables to be based
on a correct description of the planets'
motions were the

Back 70

AA S 1 (1) Rudolphine Tables
(2) Alfonsine Tables
(3) Prutenic Tables
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 71

4
QQ How did Galileo's discovery of Jupiter's
four large moons support the Copernican
theory?

Back 71

AA S 1 (1) they showed the Earth wouldn't
leave the Moon behind if it revolved
around the Sun
(2) Copernicus had predicted that Jupiter
has moons
(3) the discovery didn't support the
Copernican theory
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 72

5
QQ Which of the following points was not
used by Galileo to argue that sunspots really
are on the Sun's surface and not passing in
front of it?

Back 72

AA S 1 (1) the spots appear to move across
the Sun's disk at a constant rate
(2) the spots appear to move faster at the
center of the Sun's disk than at the edge or
limb
(3) the spots appear thin or foreshortened
when at the edge or limb
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 73

6
QQ The Copernican theory was officially
declared to be heretical by the Church and
Copernicus's book banned (not just amended) at
the time of

Back 73

AA S 1 (1) Galileo's trial in 1633
(2) Galileo's meeting with Cardinal Bellarmino
in 1616 at which he was given instructions
not to hold or defend the theory
(3) one of Galileo's meetings with the new
Pope Urban VIII in 1623
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 74

7
QQ The concept of inertia was first put
forward (in a slightly incorrect form)
by

Back 74

AA S 1 (1) Galileo Galilei
(2) Kepler
(3) Newton
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 75

8
QQ The experimental philosophy advocated
by Francis Bacon involved

Back 75

AA S 1 (1) deriving general principles from
specific experiments and/or observations
(2) deriving specific consequences from
general principles
(3) rejecting everything that could possibly
be subject to doubt
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 76

8
QQ The experimental philosophy advocated
by Francis Bacon involved

Back 76

AA S 1 (1) deriving general principles from
specific experiments and/or observations
(2) deriving specific consequences from
general principles
(3) rejecting everything that could possibly
be subject to doubt
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 77

9
QQ Journal des Savants was the
research journal of which scientific society?

Back 77

AA S 1 (1) Academie des Sciences
(2) Royal Society of London
(3) Accademia dei Lincei
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 78

11
QQ Who of the following published
Selenographia, a map of the Moon?

Back 78

AA S 1 (1) Hevelius
(2) G. D. Cassini = Cassini I
(3) Roemer
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 79

12
QQ The first person to measure the speed
of light was

Back 79

AA S 1 (1) Roemer
(2) Galileo
(3) Christiaan Huygens
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 80

13
QQ The largest gap in the ring system of
Saturn was discovered by

Back 80

AA S 1 (1) G. D. Cassini = Cassini I
(2) Christiaan Huygens
(3) Hevelius
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 81

14
QQ Who persuaded Newton to write the Principia,
mediated disputes between Newton and another
person, and oversaw its being published?

Back 81

AA S 1 (1) Halley
(2) Hooke
(3) Pepys
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 82

15
QQ In this course acceleration refers
to

Back 82

AA S 1 (1) rate of change of velocity
(2) rate of change of speed only
(3) rate of increase of speed only
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 83

16
QQ According to Newton's Laws of Motion, the
force acting on a body is equal to

Back 83

AA S 1 (1) its mass times its acceleration
(2) its mass times its velocity
(3) its acceleration divided by its mass
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 84

17
QQ The weight of an object at a planet's
surface depends on the object's mass and

Back 84

AA S 1 (1) the planet's mass and radius
(2) the planet's mass only
(3) the planet's radius only
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 85

18
QQ Which of the following is not a
possible orbit in the gravitational
two-body problem?

Back 85

AA S 1 (1) figure-eight
(2) ellipse
(3) circle
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 86

18
QQ Which of the following is not a
possible orbit in the gravitational
two-body problem?

Back 86

AA S 1 (1) figure-eight
(2) ellipse
(3) circle
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 87

19
QQ Newton's version of Kepler's Third
(Harmonic) Law in principle allows one to
determine (by itself, without further
information)

Back 87

AA S 1 (1) the sum of the masses of the
two bodies
(2) the product of the masses of the two
bodies
(3) the mass of each body
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 88

20
QQ The tidal force due to the Moon at a
point halfway around the Earth from the
point closest to the Moon is directed

Back 88

AA S 1 (1) inward
(2) outward
(3) parallel to Earth's surface at that
point and towards the Moon
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 89

22
QQ The Earth's precession (of the
equinoxes) is caused by

Back 89

AA S 1 (1) tidal forces of the Sun and
Moon trying to pull its equatorial bulge
into alignment with the ecliptic plane
(2) tidal forces of the Sun trying to pull
the Moon's orbital plane into the ecliptic
plane
(3) tidal forces of the Sun trying to
pull Earth's orbital plane (the ecliptic)
into the Sun's equatorial plane
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 90

23
QQ The expedition to Peru (now Ecuador)
led by Bouguer and La Condamine made
masurements which

Back 90

AA S 1 (1) for the first time gave an
accurate estimate of the Earth's
oblateness
(2) for the first time confirmed Newton's
claim that the Earth is oblate
(3) confirmed that the Earth is prolate,
as shown by earlier results from France
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 91

24
QQ With a (hypothetical) oblate planet
the length of a degree of latitude
increases

Back 91

AA S 1 (1) as one goes from the equator to
the pole
(2) as one goes from the pole to the equator
(3) NVA
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 92

26
QQ The refracting telescope having a
convex objective lens and a concave
eyepiece lens is the design known as

Back 92

AA S 1 (1) Galilean
(2) Keplerian or astronomical
(3) Huygenian
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 93

27
QQ The reflecting telescope having a concave
primary mirror and a flat secondary mirror
is the

Back 93

AA S 1 (1) Newtonian
(2) Gregorian
(3) Cassegrain
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 94

28
QQ The disadvantage of the reflector as
compared to the refractor in Newton's
time was that

Back 94

AA S 1 (1) the metal mirror would tarnish
fairly quickly and have to be polished
(2) the spherical aberration was so bad
that the images were of low quality
(3) the chromatic aberration was more
pronounced
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 95

29
QQ The aberration with the refracting telescope
which involves different colors having different
focal lengths (and was explained by Newton) is

Back 95

AA S 1 (1) chromatic aberration
(2) spherical aberration
(3) coma
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 96

30
QQ The invention of accurate pendulum clocks made
it possible for the transit telescope to be used
to precisely measure a star's

Back 96

AA S 1 (1) right ascension
(2) declination
(3) celestial longitude
(4) NVA

Front 97

32
QQ The vortex theory as a possible explanation
of the planets' motions around the Sun was
essentially disproved by

Back 97

AA S 1 (1) Newton in his Principia
(2) Halley
(3) Kepler
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 98

33
QQ The approximate date of Kepler is

Back 98

AA S 1 (1) 1620
(2) 1690
(3) 1760
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 99

9
QQ Philosophical Transactions was the
research journal of which scientific society?

Back 99

AA S 1 (1) Royal Society of London
(2) Accademia dei Lincei
(3) Academie des Sciences
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 100

23
QQ The expedition to Lapland led by
Maupertuis made measurements which

Back 100

AA S 1 (1) for the first time indicated that
the Earth is oblate, as Newton predicted
(2) indicated that the Earth is prolate,
confirming earlier results from France
(3) confirmed that the Earth is spherical,
as the Greeks had supposed
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 101

27
QQ The reflecting telescope having a concave
primary mirror and a concave secondary mirror
is the

Back 101

AA S 1 (1) Gregorian
(2) Newtonian
(3) Cassegrain
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 102

1
QQ Which of the following of Galileo's
discoveries with the telescope disproved
the Ptolemaic system?

Back 102

AA S 1 (1) Venus goes through the same
phases as the Moon does
(2) Jupiter has four moons
(3) Saturn is in triple form (which
turned out later to be its rings)
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 103

2
QQ Galileo was tried for heresy because
of the publication of his

Back 103

AA S 1 (1) Dialogue on the Two
Great World Systems
(2) Discourses on Two New Sciences
(3) Letter to the Grand Duchess
Christina
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 104

4
QQ The deductive method advocated by Rene
Descartes involves

Back 104

AA S 1 (1) deriving specific consequences from
general principles
(2) deriving general principles from specific
experiments and/or observations
(3) establishing a society based on
organized scientific research
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 105

6
QQ The "aerial" telescope was invented by

Back 105

AA S 1 (1) Christiaan Huygens
(2) G. D. Cassini = Cassini I
(3) Galileo
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 106

11
QQ The methodology of Newton's Principia
was

Back 106

AA S 1 (1) a combination of the inductive and
deductive methods
(2) exclusively inductive
(3) exclusively deductive
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 107

14
QQ The weight of an object at the Earth's
surface is defined as

Back 107

AA S 1 (1) the Earth's gravitational force
acting on it
(2) its acceleration resulting from the
Earth's gravitational force
(3) its mass
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 108

15
QQ Which of the following is not a
closed orbit in the gravitational
two-body problem?

Back 108

AA S 1 (1) parabola
(2) ellipse
(3) circle
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 109

16
QQ The tidal force on the far side of the
Earth away from the Moon is directed

Back 109

AA S 1 (1) outward
(2) inward
(3) parallel to Earth's surface at that
point
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 110

18
QQ The regression of the Moon's nodes is
caused by

Back 110

AA S 1 tidal forces of the Sun trying to
pull its orbital plane into the ecliptic
plane
(2) tidal forces of the Sun trying to
pull its orbital plane into the Sun's
equatorial plane
(3) tidal forces of the Earth trying to
pull its orbital plane into the Earth's
equatorial plane
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 111

20
QQ With a (hypothetical) prolate Earth
the length of a degree of latitude
increases

Back 111

AA S 1 (1) as one goes from the pole
to the equator
(2) as one goes from the equator to the
pole
(3) NVA
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 112

27
QQ The first Astronomer Royal was

Back 112

AA S 1 (1) Flamsteed
(2) Halley
(3) Newton
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 113

29
QQ Vortices were a feature of whose philosophy?

Back 113

AA S 1 (1) Descartes
(2) Aristotle
(3) Bacn
(4) NVA

Front 114

1
QQ Copernicus was dissatisfied with the Ptolemaic system
primarily because

Back 114

AA S 1 (1) the equant violated the principle of uniform
circular motion
(2) he thought the heliocentric theory would be simpler,
as in fact his system was
(3) it was seriously inaccurate by Copernicus's time
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 115

2
QQ Copernicus used observations (his own and a few of
Walther's) to determine

Back 115

AA S 1 (1) the distances of the planets from the Sun
in astronomical units (i.e., relative to Earth's
distance)
(2) the distances of the planets from the Sun in
actual length units (like kilometers)
(3) the sizes of the planets (besides the Earth)
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 116

3
QQ The preface that had the disclaimer about
Copernicus's On the Revolutions being
hypothetical and the title change were the
work of

Back 116

AA S 1 (1) Osiander
(2) Rheticus
(3) Copernicus himself
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 117

5
QQ Which of the following was not one
of the innovations introduced into
observational astronomy by Tycho?

Back 117

AA S 1 (1) the first accurate pendulum clock
(2) transversals on the mural quadrant to
measure angles more precisely
(3) reversing the viewing direction of the
sextant so that it could be used by two
observers instead of one
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 118

6
QQ In the Tychonic theory, Mars orbited

Back 118

AA S 1 (1) the Sun
(2) the Earth
(3) Jupiter
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 119

7
QQ Kepler's First Law of Planetary Motion
(the first as we count today) states that

Back 119

AA S 1 (1) a planet's orbit is an ellipse
with the Sun at one focus
(2) a planet's orbit is an ellipse with
the Sun at the center
(3) an imaginary line from the Sun to a
planet sweeps out equal areas in equal
time intervals
(4) NVA

Front 120

8
QQ The shape of an elliptical orbit is given
by its

Back 120

AA S 1 (1) eccentricity
(2) semimajor axis
(3) inclination
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 121

9
QQ Which of the following of Kepler's
works contains the so-called Harmonic
Law, the Third Law of Planetary Motion?

Back 121

AA S 1 (1) Harmony of the World
(2) Cosmographic Myster
(3) New Astronomy
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 122

10
QQ Which of the following of Galileo's
discoveries with the telescope was
written up in his Starry Messenger?

Back 122

AA S 1 (1) Jupiter has four moons
(2) Venus goes through the same phases
as the Moon does
(3) Saturn is in triple form (which
turned out later to be its rings)
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 123

12
QQ The inductive method advocated by Francis
Bacon involves

Back 123

AA S 1 (1) deriving general principles from
specific experiments and/or observations
(2) deriving specific consequences from
general principles
(3) establishing a society based on
organized scientific research
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 124

17
QQ Which of the following was involved
in determining the geocentric parallax
of Mars at opposition and thus the length
of the astronomical unit?

Back 124

AA S 1 (1) G. D. Cassini = Cassini I
(2) Roemer
(3) Hevelius
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 125

22
QQ The Earth's precession is caused by

Back 125

AA S 1 (1) tidal forces of the Sun and Moon
trying to pull its equatorial bulge into
the ecliptic plane
(2) tidal forces of the Sun trying to
pull its equatorial bulge into the
ecliptic plane
(3) tidal forces of the Moon trying to
pull its equatorial bulge into the
ecliptic plane
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 126

2
QQ Which of the following statements about
Copernicus's work is not correct?

Back 126

AA S 1 (1) His models were much simpler than
the Ptolemaic ones
(2) He used epicycles just as Ptolemy had but
with the Sun near the center instead of the
Earth
(3) He was unable to prove that the Earth
rotates around an axis or that it revolves around
the Sun
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 127

4
QQ The Prutenic Tables based on Copernicus's
models were the work of

Back 127

AA S 1 (1) Reinhold
(2) Kepler
(3) Copernicus
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 128

6
QQ The Tychonic model of the universe put
forward by Brahe had

Back 128

AA S 1 (1) the Sun and Moon orbiting the Earth
and the other planets orbiting the Sun
(2) Mercury and Venus orbiting the Sun and all
the other planets orbiting the Earth
(3) Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn orbiting the
Sun and the Sun, the Moon, and the other
planets orbiting the Earth
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 129

7
QQ An innovation which Tycho introduced in
connection with the sextant was

Back 129

AA S 1 (1) reversing the sighting direction so
that two observers could sight simultaneously in
two directions rather than have one observer trying
to do it
(2) the use of {\bf transversals}, a zigzag
pattern of dots to measure angles more precisely
(3) the use of a telescope as the sighting
instrument
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 130

11
QQ The superiority of Kepler's {\it Rudolphine Tables}
to the Alfonsine Tables and the Prutenic
Tables was primarily because

Back 130

AA S 1 (1) they used a basically correct form (the
ellipse) for the planetary orbits and the correct
equation for their motion
(2) they were newer and used more modern parameter
values
(3) Kepler was a much better mathematician than
the others
(4) NVA
(5)NVA

Front 131

13
QQ Galileo wrote his Letter to the Grand
Duchess Christina and travelled to Rome in 1616
because

Back 131

AA S 1 (1) as a devout Catholic he hoped to get the
Church to accept Copernicanism
(2) he was openly defying the Church's position
that Copernicanism was heresy
(3) he was tired of being attacked by the Jesuits
and wanted to go on the offensive
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 132

18
QQ The use of telescopic sights in instruments
that are used for measuring star positions was
vigorously advocated by

Back 132

AA S 1 (1) Hooke
(2) Hevelius
(3) Halley
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 133

21
QQ The use of the transit telescope together
with the pendulum clock to measure right
ascensions and declinations was pioneered by

Back 133

AA S 1 (1) Roemer
(2) Galileo
(3) Christiaan Huygens
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 134

24
QQ According to Newton's Laws of Motion, an object
moving in a circle at constant speed

Back 134

AA S 1 (1) is acted on by a force always directed
exactly towards the center of the circle
(2) is in a natural state of motion and is
not being acted on by any external force
(3) is acted on by a constant force having the
same direction as the velocity
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 135

27
QQ The tides that occur when the Moon is at first and
third or last quarter are

Back 135

AA S 1 (1) the weakest during the month
(2) the strongest during the month
(3) the same as when the Moon is new or full
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 136

27
QQ The tides that occur when the Moon is at first and
third or last quarter are

Back 136

AA S 1 (1) the weakest during the month
(2) the strongest during the month
(3) the same as when the Moon is new or full
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 137

29
QQ If the Earth is prolate the length of a degree of
latitude will

Back 137

AA S 1 (1) decrease when going from the Equator
to the Pole
(2) increase when going from the Equator to the
Pole
(3) stay the same from the Equator to the Pole
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 138

32
QQ The Keplerian or astronomical refractor has

Back 138

AA S 1 (1) a convex objective lens and a convex
eyepiece lens
(2) a convex objective lens and a concave
eyepiece lens
(3) a concave objective lens and a concave
eyepiece lens
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 139

35
QQ The approximate date of Copernicus is

Back 139

AA 1 (1) 1540 (2) 1690 (3) 1620 (4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 140

QQ The first set of planetary tables based on the
Copernican system was the

Back 140

AA S 1 (1) Prutenic Tables of Reinhold
(2) Rudolphine Tables of Kepler
(3) Pauline Tables of Copernicus
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 141

7
QQ An innovation which Tycho introduced in
connection with the mural quadrant was

Back 141

AA S 1 (1) the use of transversals,
a zigzag pattern of dots to measure angles
more precisely
(2) reversing the sighting direction so that
two observers could sight simultaneously in two
directions rather than have one observer trying
to do it
(3) the use of a telescope as the sighting
instrument
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 142

10
QQ According to what is today known as Kepler's Second
Law of planetary motion (actually his first), a given
planet moves fastest in its orbit around the Sun at

Back 142

AA S 1 (1) perihelion
(2) aphelion
(3) apogee
(4) perigee
(5) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 143

12
QQ Which of the following was not one of
the discoveries described by Galileo in
Sidereus nuncius (The Starry Messenger)?

Back 143

AA S 1 (1) Venus shows the same phases as the Moon
(2) Jupiter has four moons
(3) the Moon's surface is rough, with mountains
and craters
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 144

14
QQ Galileo's last book, which by introducing the
concept of inertia (in slightly imperfect form)
and showing that mathematics is the language of
physics replaced Aristotle's physics, was

Back 144

AA S (1) Discourses on Two New Sciences
(2) Dialogue on the Two Great World Systems
(3) The Assayer
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 145

16
QQ Critical doubt, the radical rejection
of all assumptions except those which appear
beyond any question, was a key element of the
philosophical system of

Back 145

AA 1 (1) Descartes (2) Bacon (3) Plato
(4) NVA (5) NVA

Front 146

20
QQ The founder and first director of the Paris
Observatory, and the first of a four-generation
dynasty in that position, was
AA S 1 (1) G. D. Cassini = Cassini I
(2) Magini
(3) Jean Picard
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Back 146

AA S 1 (1) G. D. Cassini = Cassini I
(2) Magini
(3) Jean Picard
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 147

21
QQ The use of the transit telescope together
with the pendulum clock to measure right
ascensions and declinations was pioneered by

Back 147

AA S 1 (1) Roemer
(2) Galileo
(3) Christiaan Huygens
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 148

22
QQ The formula for centrifugal (and centripetal)
force was first published by

Back 148

AA S 1 (1) Christiaan Huygens
(2) Newton
(3) Descartes
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 149

24
QQ According to Newton's Laws of Motion, an object
moving in a circle at constant speed

Back 149

AA S 1 (1) is acted on by a centripetal force
which changes its velocity
(2) is in a natural state of motion and is
not being acted on by any external force
(3) is acted on by a constant force
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 150

27
QQ The tides that occur when the Moon is new and full
are

Back 150

AA S 1 (1) the strongest during the month
(2) the weakest during the month
(3) the same as when the Moon is at the quarters
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 151

2
QQ The true significance of Copernicus's work is
that it

Back 151

AA S 1 (1) paved the way for a correct understanding
of the Solar System and the planets' orbits by
putting the Sun at the center (sort of)
(2) presented a greatly simplified model for the
planetary system which convinced everyone by its
beauty
(3) proved that the Earth rotates around an axis
and revolves around the Sun
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 152

5
QQ Tycho Brahe's measurements of the "new star"
of 1572 showed that

Back 152

AA S 1 (1) its geocentric parallax was smaller than
the Moon's making it farther away, contrary to
Aristotle
(2) its geocentric parallax was the same as the
Moon's, meaning that it shared the Moon's orbit,
contrary to Aristotle
(3) its geocentric parallax was smaller than the
Moon's making it closer, in agreement with
Aristotle
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 153

QQ The accuracy of the positional measurements
made by Tycho and his assistants at Uraniborg and
Stjerneborg was

Back 153

AA S 1 (1) considerably better than Walther's
and far better than those of the later Greeks
(2) only slightly better than Walther's and
somewhat better than those of the later Greeks
(3) the best of any naked-eye observations,
including those of Hevelius
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 154

7
QQ The innovation which Tycho introduced in
connection with the sextant (not the nautical
instrument) was to

Back 154

AA S 1 (1) reverse the sighting direction so that
two observers could sight simultaneously in two
directions rather than have one observer trying
to do it
(2) change the design so that it used a curved
angular scale instead of a straight one
(3) add a mirror so that a single observer could
sight in two directions simultaneously
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 155

8
QQ The work in which Kepler first tried
(unsuccessfully) to figure out the physics
behind the planetary motions was his

Back 155

AA S 1 (1) Astronomia nova or New Astronomy
(2) Mysterium cosmographicum or Cosmographic
Mystery
(3) Harmonices mundi or Harmony of the World
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 156

9
QQ The size of a planet's orbit is given by the
AA S 1 (1) semimajor axis a, usually in
astronomical units

Back 156

AA S 1 (1) semimajor axis a, usually in
astronomical units
(2) eccentricity e, a pure number with no units
(3) eccentricity e, usually in astronomical units
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 157

10
QQ According to what is today known as Kepler's Second
Law of planetary motion (actually his first), a given
planet moves slowest in its orbit around the Sun at

Back 157

AA S 1 (1) aphelion
(2) perihelion
(3) apogee
(4) perigee
(5) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 158

12
QQ Which of the following was one of the discoveries
described by Galileo in Sidereus nuncius (The
Starry Messenger)?

Back 158

AA S 1 (1) Jupiter has four moons
(2) Venus shows the same phases as the Moon
(3) Saturn is surrounded by a ring
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 159

11
QQ The planetary tables whose accuracy, far exceeding
that of the Alfonsine Tables because they used a
basically correct form (the ellipse) for planetary orbits,
did much to persuade scholars that the Copernican theory
was correct were the

Back 159

AA S 1 (1) Rudolphine Tables
(2) Prutenic Tables
(3) Alexandrine Tables
(4) NVA
(5)NVA

Front 160

14
QQ The lasting significance of Galileo's last two
books, the Dialogues and the Discourses,
as a part of the Copernican Revolution is that they

Back 160

AA S (1) finished off Aristotelian physics as an
obstacle to acceptance of Copernicus
(2) proved that Copernicus was correct about the
Earth's rotation and revolution
(3) set back acceptance of Copernicus by drawing
the opposition of the Roman Catholic Church
(4) NVA

Front 161

17
QQ Which of the following was formed last?

Back 161

AA S 1 (1) Academie des Sciences (Academy of Sciences)
in France
(2) Accademia dei Lincei (Academy of the
Lynx-Eyed) in Italy
(3) Royal Society of London
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 162

18
QQ The first research journal was

Back 162

AA S 1 (1) Journal des Savants in France
(2) Philosophical Transactions in England
(3) Acta eruditorum in Berlin
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 163

22
QQ The pendulum clock first became a precision
instrument that could be used in astronomy, for
example in measuring right ascension, because of
the design of

Back 163

AA S 1 (1) Christiaan Huygens
(2) Galileo Galilei and his son Vincenzo
(3) Ole Roemer
(4) NVA

Front 164

25
QQ Which of the following is the form for an orbit
in the gravitational two-body problem that is periodic?

Back 164

AA S 1 (1) ellipse
(2) parabola
(3) hyperbola
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 165

27
QQ The tidal force(s) due to the Moon at the Earth's
surface is/are directed outwards at

Back 165

AA S 1 (1) the two points lying on the line that passes
through the centers of the Earth and the Moon
(2) a circle that is perpendicular to the line that
passes through the centers of the Earth and the Moon
(3) the point directly underneath the Moon only
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 166

1
QQ Tycho Brahe was by birth a

Back 166

AA S 1 (1) Danish nobleman
(2) German peasant
(3) Polish bourgeois
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 167

2
QQ In his little book On the New Star about the star
of 1572, Tycho showed that

Back 167

AA S 1 (1) its geocentric parallax was too small to measure;
therefore it was at least as far away as the Moon, thus
contradicting Aristotle
(2) its geocentric parallax was the same as the Moon's, thus
contradicting Aristotle
(3) its geocentric parallax was so small that it was as far
away as the stars, making it a supernova
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 168

3
QQ Transversals, the zig-zag patterns of dots such as those
on his mural quadrant, were used by Tycho to

Back 168

AA S 1 (1) increase the precision of angular measurement
(2) make the angular divisions stand out in the darkness of
his observatory
(3) decorate the instrument, as he was very fond of such
aesthetic touches
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 169

4
QQ In Tycho's theory of the Solar System,

Back 169

AA S 1 (1) the Sun and Moon orbit the Earth, while the
remaining planets orbit the Sun
(2) the Sun, Moon, and outer planets (Mars, Jupiter, and
Saturn) orbit the Earth while Mercury and Venus orbit the
Sun
(3) the Sun orbits the Earth, while everything else except
the stars orbits the Sun
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 170

6
QQ According to Kepler's First Law of Planetary Motion, the
orbits of the planets are

Back 170

AA S 1 (1) ellipses with the Sun at one focus and nothing at the
other
(2) ellipses with the Sun at one focus and the Moon at the other
(3) ellipses with the Sun at the center
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 171

9
QQ There were two occasions when Kepler corresponded with his
great contemporary Galileo, in a very one-sided correspondence.
One was when Galileo's book Sidereus nuncius (Starry Messenger)
was being criticized. The other was

Back 171

AA S 1 (1) after Kepler sent Galileo a copy of his book
Mysterium cosmographicum (Cosmographic Mystery)
(2) when Galileo was being tried by the Inquisition
(3) after publication of Galileo's Letters on Sunspots
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 172

10
QQ The outcome of Galileo's trip to Rome in 1616, after publication
of his Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina, to sell the
Roman Catholic Church on the Copernican theory was that

Back 172

AA S 1 (1) the theory was condemned by the Church as
"philosophically absurd and erroneous," and Galileo was instructed
not to hold or to defend it, confirmed in writing by Cardinal
Bellarmino
(2) the theory was officially condemned by the Church as heretical,
and Galileo was explicitly instructed by Cardinal Bellarmino to
have absolutely nothing more to do with it
(3) Galileo was put on trial by the Inquisition and forced to
recant, on pain of death
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 173

1
QQ Tycho Brahe was by birth a

Back 173

AA S 1 (1) Danish nobleman
(2) German peasant
(3) Polish bourgeois
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 174

2
QQ In his little book On the New Star about the star
of 1572, Tycho showed that

Back 174

AA S 1 (1) its geocentric parallax was too small to measure;
therefore it was at least as far away as the Moon, thus
contradicting Aristotle
(2) its geocentric parallax was the same as the Moon's, thus
contradicting Aristotle
(3) its geocentric parallax was so small that it was as far
away as the stars, making it a supernova
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 175

3
QQ Transversals, the zig-zag patterns of dots such as those
on his mural quadrant, were used by Tycho to

Back 175

AA S 1 (1) increase the precision of angular measurement
(2) make the angular divisions stand out in the darkness of
his observatory
(3) decorate the instrument, as he was very fond of such
aesthetic touches
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 176

4
QQ In Tycho's theory of the Solar System,

Back 176

AA S 1 (1) the Sun and Moon orbit the Earth, while the
remaining planets orbit the Sun
(2) the Sun, Moon, and outer planets (Mars, Jupiter, and
Saturn) orbit the Earth while Mercury and Venus orbit the
Sun
(3) the Sun orbits the Earth, while everything else except
the stars orbits the Sun
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 177

6
QQ According to Kepler's First Law of Planetary Motion, the
orbits of the planets are

Back 177

AA S 1 (1) ellipses with the Sun at one focus and nothing at the
other
(2) ellipses with the Sun at one focus and the Moon at the other
(3) ellipses with the Sun at the center
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 178

9
QQ There were two occasions when Kepler corresponded with his
great contemporary Galileo, in a very one-sided correspondence.
One was when Galileo's book Sidereus nuncius (Starry Messenger)
was being criticized. The other was

Back 178

AA S 1 (1) after Kepler sent Galileo a copy of his book
Mysterium cosmographicum (Cosmographic Mystery)
(2) when Galileo was being tried by the Inquisition
(3) after publication of Galileo's Letters on Sunspots
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 179

10
QQ The outcome of Galileo's trip to Rome in 1616, after publication
of his Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina, to sell the
Roman Catholic Church on the Copernican theory was that

Back 179

AA S 1 (1) the theory was condemned by the Church as
"philosophically absurd and erroneous," and Galileo was instructed
not to hold or to defend it, confirmed in writing by Cardinal
Bellarmino
(2) the theory was officially condemned by the Church as heretical,
and Galileo was explicitly instructed by Cardinal Bellarmino to
have absolutely nothing more to do with it
(3) Galileo was put on trial by the Inquisition and forced to
recant, on pain of death
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 180

11
QQ Galileo's Dialogue on the Two Great World Systems was
actually a discussion and comparison of the "systems" of

Back 180

AA S 1 (1) Aristotle and Copernicus
(2) Ptolemy and Copernicus
(3) Ptolemy and Kepler
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 181

14
QQ The "aerial" telescope designed by Christiaan Huygens consisted
of

Back 181

AA S 1 (1) an objective lens and eyepiece lens connected by a
rope with no tube
(2) an objective lens and eyepiece lens mounted on a long rod
that was suspended from a very tall pole by ropes
(3) an objective lens mounted on a balloon connected by a
long rope to an eyepiece lens on the ground
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 182

16
QQ The pendulum clock was made into a precision instrument that
could be used in astronomy by

Back 182

AA S 1 (1) Huygens
(2) Galileo
(3) Tycho Brahe
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 183

18
QQ Roemer introduced the transit telescope to the measurement
of a star's equatorial coordinates. The right ascension is
measured

Back 183

AA S 1 (1) as the time on a sidereal clock (based on the
sidereal day, not ordinary day) at the instant the star
crosses the celestial meridian
(2) from the star's altitude when it crosses the celestial
meridian, corrected for the observer's latitude and refraction
(3) from the star's azimuth when it rises and when it sets
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 184

20
QQ Galileo made the serious tactical error of placing Pope
Urban VIII's pet argument against the Copernican theory in
the mouth of the Aristotelian in his Dialogue on the
Two Great World Systems, a character named

Back 184

AA S 1 (1) Simplicio, after the commentator on Aristotle
(2) Salviati, named for a friend from Florence, a judge of
the arguments
(3) Sagredo, named for a friend of his from Venice and a
Copernican
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 185

24
QQ According to the Law of Universal Gravitation, the
gravitational force between two bodies is proportional to

Back 185

AA S 1 (1) the product of their masses m_A times m_B
(2) the sum of their masses $m_A plus m_B
(3) the ratio of their masses m_A/m_B
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 186

25
QQ What we call "surface gravity" is actually

Back 186

AA S 1 (1) the acceleration of gravity at the Earth's
surface, caused by the Earth's gravitational force
(2) the Earth's actual gravitational force on a given
object at its surface
(3) the Earth's gravitational force, which only acts
near its surface
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 187

27
QQ Kepler's Law of Areas (Second Law) is a geometric
statement of which physical law which applies?

Back 187

AA S 1 (1) conservation of angular momentum
(2) conservation of energy
(3) conservation of linear momentum
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 188

29
QQ The Earth's oblateness, namely its being broader
across the Equator than from pole to pole, was
predicted by Newton because

Back 188

AA S 1 (1) it is rotating, and the centrifugal "force"
opposing earth's gravity is greatest at the Equator
(2) the Moon's tidal forces flatten it
(3) of the way it was formed in the beginning
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 189

31
QQ The main advantage of the Galilean refractor over
the Keplerian or astronomical refractor is

Back 189

AA S 1 (1) it gives an upright image instead of an
inverted (upside-down) one
(2) it has a larger field of view, assuming lens
sizes and everything else are the same
(3) it can focus on a crosshair inside the telescope
and the image of a distant object at the same time
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 190

35
QQ The repeated return of Halley's Comet disproved
whose theory of comets?

Back 190

AA S 1 (1) Descartes
(2) Aristotle
(3) Newton's
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 191

QQ 1 Which of the following discoveries with the telescope was not
announced in Galileo's Starry Messenger?

Back 191

AA S 1 (1) Saturn is in triple form (looked weird)
(2) Jupiter has four moons
(3) the Moon's surface is rough, with mountains and craters
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 192

QQ 4 Which of the following statements is correct?

Back 192

AA S 1 (1) Galileo showed that sunspots are on the Sun's surface
and that it rotates
(2) Galileo was the person who discovered sunspots
(3) Galileo showed that sunspots are actually the silhouettes
of objects passing between the Earth and the Sun
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 193

QQ 6 In Descartes's system, comets are bodies which

Back 193

AA S 1 (1) only pass through the Solar System one time
(2) pass through the Solar System many times
(3) are ejected from the Sun and leave the Solar System
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 194

QQ 14 Roemer measured which equatorial coordinate using
a sidereal pendulum clock?

Back 194

AA S 1 (1) right ascension
(2) declination
(3) celestial longitude
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 195

QQ 15 By demonstrating that white light is dispersed
by a glass prism into the colors of the rainbow,
Newton provided an explanation of

Back 195

AA S 1 (1) chromatic aberration
(2) spherical aberration
(3) coma
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 196

QQ 16 The Newtonian reflector has a

Back 196

AA S 1 (1) solid primary mirror and a flat secondary
mirror that reflects light to a focus out to the side
(2) primary mirror with a hole in the center and a
convex secondary mirror that reflects light through
the hole to the back
(3) primary mirror with a hole in the center and a
concave secondary mirror that reflects light through
the hole to the back
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 197

Q 17 The person who was responsible for the publication
of Principia (though he could never have written
it himself) was

Back 197

AA S 1 (1) Halley
(2) Hooke
(3) Wren
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 198

QQ 21 According to Newton's Second Law of Motion,
if two bodies having different masses are acted on
by the same amount of force,

Back 198

AA S 1 (1) the less massive will have the greater
acceleration
(2) the more massive will have the greater
acceleration
(3) the two will have the same acceleration
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 199

QQ 23 In the gravitational two-body problem, which
of the following is not a form for a bound orbit?

Back 199

AA S 1 (1) hyperbola
(2) ellipse
(3) circle
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 200

QQ 25 The surface gravity of a planet is greater when

Back 200

AA S 1 (1) the planet's radius is smaller
(2) the planet's mass is smaller
(3) the planet's radius is greater
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 201

QQ 26 The tidal force due to the Moon at the point
on the Earth directly beneath the Moon is in the
direction

Back 201

AAS 1 (1) towards the Moon
(2) away from the Moon
(3) towards the center of the Earth
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 202

QQ 27 The tides that occur at the times of the
quarter Moon are called

Back 202

AA S 1 (1) neap tides
(2) spring tides
(3) fall tides
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 203

QQ 33 Which of the following is not an
advantage of the Keplerian or astronomical
refractor over the Galilean refractor?

Back 203

AA S 1 (1) an erect (upright) image
(2) a relatively large field of view
(3) a real image, which means that crosshairs
can be viewed through the eyepiece
(4) NVA

Front 204

QQ 1 Which of the following discoveries made by Galileo with the telescope
was not reported in his Sidereus Nuncius (Starry Messenger)?

Back 204

QQ S 1 (1) Saturn has a triple form (turned out to be rings)
(2) Jupiter has four moons
(3) the Moon's surface is rough, with craters and mountains
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 205

QQ 4 Galileo's real opponent in his Dialogue on the Two Great
World Systems was

Back 205

AA S 1 (1) Aristotle and his dynamics
(2) Ptolemy and his planetary system
(3) the Roman Catholic Church
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 206

QQ 18 The fact that the gravitational force depends on the inverse
square of the distance between two bodies implies that its range is

Back 206

AA S 1 (1) infinite
(2) limited
(3) a function of the sizes of the two bodies
(4) NVA

Front 207

QQ 19 If two bodies have the same mass but one is half as large
(in radius) as the other, the surface gravity will be

Back 207

AAS 1 (1) greater on the smaller body
(2) greater on the larger body
(3) the same on both bodies
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 208

QQ 22 Newton showed that Kepler's Second Law (Law of Areas) is a
geometric expression of the physical principle of conservation of

Back 208

AAS 1 (1) angular momentum
(2) energy
(3) mass
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 209

QQ 23 The critical speed for a body to escape another body's
gravity is termed the

Back 209

AA S 1 (1) parabolic or escape velocity
(2) circular or orbital velocity
(3) hypervelocity
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 210

QQ 30 The reflector made by Newton had

Back 210

AA S 1 (1) a concave primary mirror and a smaller flat mirror at
the front which reflects light to a focus on the side
(2) a concave primary mirror with a hole in the center and a
convex secondary mirror that reflected light through the hole
to a focus in back
(3) a concave objective lens at the fron and a concave mirror
in back
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

Front 211

QQ 32 With the transit telescope as developed by Roemer, a star's
right ascension is measured

Back 211

AA S 1 (1) on an accurate clock that keeps sidereal time when the
star transits the celestial meridian
(2) using the star's altitude when it transits the celestial
meridian and correcting for the latitude and for refraction
(3) from how far it is from the celestial meridian at a certain
time
(4) NVA
(5) NVA