Ph109 Test 1

Front 1

The stars in a constellation

Back 1

Only appear to be related

Front 2

The significance of the constellations is

Back 2

They were inherited from antiquity but have limited meaning

Front 3

How many degrees does the Sun reach above the Earth's equator during Summer Solstice?

Back 3

23.5 degrees

Front 4

Why don't we get eclispes during each full and new moon?

Back 4

The moon's orbit plane is tipped to the equator

Front 5

Who were the first to know the Earth was round?

Back 5

The Greeks

Front 6

Scientific truth is...

Back 6

An undeniable conclusion of the scientific method

Front 7

The point directly over an observer's head is that observer's _____.

Back 7

Zenith

Front 8

Polaris, the North Star, does not appear to move in the sky because ____.

Back 8

It lies approximately over the northern axis of the Earth

Front 9

Viewed looking down upon the North Pole, the Earth would be seen rotating ___.

Back 9

Counter-clockwise

Front 10

If the Earth were inclined more on its axis than it currently is, what would be the consequences?

Back 10

More drastic seasons

Front 11

Why are there seven days of the week on our current calendars?

Back 11

That was how many celestial objects in the sky moved with respect to other objects

Front 12

Aliens abduct me but then set me down at a different place on Earth (I think). I observe the diurnal motion of the star and note that they rise straight up in the east go overhead and set straight in the west. Where am I?

Back 12

Equator

Front 13

The apparent path of the sun around the celestial sphere against the background of the stars during the year is ____.

Back 13

Ecliptic

Front 14

The angular distance of an object from the horizon is its ____.

Back 14

Altitude

Front 15

What time of day does the first quarter moon rise?

Back 15

Noon

Front 16

What is the approximate azimuth (az) and elevation (el) of Mars just as it rises?

Back 16

az= 90° el= 10°

Front 17

You can identify the Northern Star because _____.

Back 17

It is near the North Celestial Pole

Front 18

Local noon corresponds to the time when the Sun is at the ______.

Back 18

Meridian

Front 19

A shift in the direction of an object caused by a change in the position of an observer is called _____.

Back 19

Parrallex

Front 20

Why are there twelve months in a year on our current calendar?

Back 20

There are 12 lunar cycles in a year

Front 21

Retrograde motion is when _____.

Back 21

The apparent loop a planet makes in the sky when overtaken by another planet

Front 22

In order to account for retrograde motion, the geocentric model had to _____.

Back 22

Add another circle to a planet's orbit

Front 23

Galileo's observations of Venus showed _____.

Back 23

Phases like the moon

Front 24

What was special about Galileo's observation of Venus?

Back 24

It proves Venus must orbit around the Sun

Front 25

Which one of Kepler's laws explain what happens when a twirling ice skater brings their arms towards their center?

Back 25

Equal areas in equal times

Front 26

What did Galileo's observations of the Moon reveal?

Back 26

The Moon had mountains, valleys and craters

Front 27

What was significant about Galileo's observations of the planet Jupiter?

Back 27

He saw moons in orbit which proved everything did not orbit around Earth

Front 28

The fact that the Heliocentric model was simpler than the Geocentric model is an example of _______.

Back 28

Occam's razor

Front 29

The Geocentric model endorsed by Aristotle

Back 29

Used perfect circles

Front 30

Galileo's observation of the sun showed _____.

Back 30

That it rotated

Front 31

This person invented calculus

Back 31

Newton

Front 32

Kepler's first law states ______.

Back 32

Planets revolve around the sun in elliptical orbits

Front 33

Kepler's second law correctly predicts

Back 33

Planets are fastest when closest to the sun

Front 34

Newton's first law says objects continue their current motion unless ______.

Back 34

Forces act on them

Front 35

According to Newton's 2nd law, what happens when forces are applied to an object?

Back 35

It undergoes acceleration

Front 36

What will happen to the strength of the force of gravity between two bodies if their distances are increased by a factor of three?

Back 36

It will decrease by a factor of 9

Front 37

Newton finally solved the problem of planetary motions by ____.

Back 37

Inventing calculus

Front 38

Because of Newton's 3rd law _____.

Back 38

We know the Earth applies an equal but opposite force to the Sun

Front 39

Which applies the greatest force, the moon on the Earth or the Earth on the moon?

Back 39

They are the same

Front 40

How do we determine the masses of planets around other stars?

Back 40

Kepler's third law

Front 41

Mike brags that he can touch a glowing light bulb without burning his fingers. What is probably true?

Back 41

The bulb type is fluorescent

Front 42

When an electron in an atom moves from a higher energy orbit to a lower energy orbit, what happens?

Back 42

Light is emitted

Front 43

When a source is moving towards an observer, emits a beams of light, how is it perceived by an observer?

Back 43

The light is bluer

Front 44

Star A appears bluish-white in color, while star B appears reddish in color. This tells you that _____.

Back 44

Star A is hotter than star B

Front 45

All wave phenomena are characterized by a wavelength, a frequency, and a velocity. They are related by the equation C= l x n In where "C" is the velocity of the wave, "l" is the wavelength, and "n" is the frequency. If I double the frequency of a wave, what happens to the wavelength?

Back 45

It decreases by a factor of 2

Front 46

A police officer tells me that my blue shift velocity exceeded posted limits. What does he mean?

Back 46

You were speeding toward him

Front 47

A device that breaks light up into its various colors is called?

Back 47

Spectrometer

Front 48

In the absence of excitation, electrons in an atom tend to be ______.

Back 48

In the lowest allowed orbit

Front 49

The frequency at which a star emits the most light depends upon the star's _____.

Back 49

Temperature

Front 50

Our bodies ordinarily emit _____.

Back 50

Infrared light

Front 51

Interferometry is used to increase ____.

Back 51

Resolving power

Front 52

Large telescopes are reflecting rather than refracting because ____.

Back 52

Mirrors are easier to support than lenses

Front 53

Seeing refers to ______.

Back 53

The smearing of an image caused by atmospheric motions

Front 54

Spectral lines are sometimes referred to as the stars' "fingerprints" because ______.

Back 54

Both are unique and characteristic of that which has produced them

Front 55

The radio part of the spectrum is most sensitive to which component of the universe?

Back 55

Gas

Front 56

This kind of large telescope is cheaper to make: ______.

Back 56

Reflector

Front 57

If I combine several telescopes together to synthesize a larger telescope I have created a(n) _____.

Back 57

Interferometer

Front 58

The ability of a telescope to image faint objects depends on the area of its lens. If I double the size of a circular telescope, what happens to its ability to image faint objects?

Back 58

Increases by 4

Front 59

One advantage of a refracting telescope is ______.

Back 59

Better resolution

Front 60

Why do astronomers want to observe in different parts of the spectrum?

Back 60

Because they observe different physics