Download Astro 10B Study Questions for Each Chapter

Astro 10B Study Questions for Each Chapter
(WARNING USE AT YOUR OWN RISK)
Prologue
What are the particles that atoms are made of?
What is the overall objective of science?
What particle determines the element of an atom?
What is wrong with the old "Scientific Method"?
What particle determines the isotopes of the atom?
What is the scientific definition of a theory?
Where is most of the mass of an atom ?
What is the difference between a fact, phenomenon and a theory?
When an atom has lost one or more electrons it is:
What is the role of experimentation in science?
What is the Doppler effect?
What do each of these terms from the gas law mean: P. V, n, T
Does the Doppler effect affect sound waves?
Which term from the gas law was most difficult to define (ie. least obvious)?
Does the Doppler effect affect light waves?
If you heat a gas which is sealed in a flexible balloon what will change?
If something is coming toward/away from you is it red shifted or blue?
If you heat a gas in a sealed rigid scuba tank what will change?
Chapter 1. (skip most of this)
Chapter 2 – Newton & Kepler’s Laws
Kepler's first law (K1) says orbits are shaped as what?
K1 the Sun is where?
What is the eccentricity of an ellipse?
What is the (approximate) eccentricity of Earth’s orbit? (other planets, too)
Kepler's second law (K2), AKA the equal area law, says what about the
speed of planets as they go around the Sun?
What does K2 says happens when planets are closest to the Sun?
Kepler's second law is equivalent to conservation of ______________
Kepler’s third law (K3) compares the orbits of the planets, by the equation:
K3 says if s the orbital size gets a little bigger, what happens to the period?
If Saturn's orbit were 9AU, it's orbital period would be about __
Which Kepler’s law helps find the mass of stars and planets?
If the Earth moves more quickly in its orbit in January than in June, which
month are we closest to the Sun?
What is the definition of velocity? How many parts does a velocity have?
What is the definition of acceleration? How many parts does it have?
The definition of force is____, how does it relate to acceleration & mass?
What are Newton’s three laws of motion?
What is our beloved instructor's version of Newton's third law?
Which of Newton's laws refers to objects at rest?
Which of Newton's laws define a force?
Which of Newton's laws govern the motion of your car?
Does an object at rest have a constant velocity?
If an object moves in a circular path at a uniform speed is there a force?
A canon's recoil is an example of which of Newton's laws?
What is the difference between constant speed and constant velocity?
What is Newton's law of gravity?
When the distance doubles how strong is the force of gravity?
When the mass doubles how does the force of gravity change?
How is the Moon's orbit similar to an apple falling to the ground?
Which falls faster a heavier object or a lighter one?
Chapter 3 - Earth, Moon and Sky
How long does it take for the Earth to rotate 360 degrees? How about 361?
Is 24 hours a solar day or sidereal day? - what is the difference?
What causes tides?
If the Moon were closer to the Earth what would happen to the tides?
Chapter 4 – Light, Radiation and Spectra
What are the two equations for wavelength, frequency & energy?
[Use these: Radio, IR, Visible, UV, X-ray, Gamma-Ray]
Which wavelength of light the highest energy?
Which wavelength of light has the longest wavelength?
Which wavelength of light has the highest speed?
How do Astronomers learn about the composition of stars?
We measure temperature from a _______spectrum:
Which spectrum does the Sun have?
Which spectrum does a neon sign have?
Which spectrum does a human have?
What type of objects produce continuum spectra?
What type of objects produce emission line spectra?
What type of objects produce absorption line spectra?
if it moves at a right angle (like along a cross street) how is it shifted?
Chapter 6 The Sun – Earth Connection
Over 90% of the universe is made of this phase of matter
The hottest part of the Sun is the
The coolest part of the Sun is the
The densest part of the Sun is the
The least dense part of the Sun is
The phase of matter which composes most of the Sun reacts in a special
way with ____ fields
Astronomers measure solar magnetism using _____ effect
What is a sunspot?
What is a flare?
What is a CME (Coronal Mass Ejection)?
What is a prominence?
What causes Auroras on Earth?
Which solar phenomenon causes blackouts on Earth
Which solar phenomenon can interfere with satellites?
Which solar phenomenon was described as an “X-ray machine more
powerful than 100 Hydrogen bombs”?
The part of the Sun you usually see is the
The part(s) of the Sun you can see during an eclipse
Solar activity always involves
What solar phenomena are examples of solar activity?
The period of low solar activity, called the Maunder Minimum corresponded
to which changes on Earth?
In the early 1600's there were very few Sunspots or other signs of solar
activity. This corresponded to
How long is a solar cycle?
Chapter 7 The Sun – Nuclear Energy
The Sun turns how many tons of matter into Energy per second?
The Sun turns how many tons of Hydrogen into Helium per second?
What are the three steps of the P-P chain?
Which particle produced in the P-P chain is “anti-matter”?
The CNO cycle involves which elements?
What is the first step of the CNO cycle?
What is the first step of the CNO cycle?
What is the second step of the CNO cycle?
What is the third step of the CNO cycle?
What is the fourth step of the CNO cycle?
What is the fifth step of the CNO cycle?
What is the sixth step of the CNO cycle?
How long does it take for energy to move through the radiative zone?
How long does it take for energy to move through the convective zone
How long does it take for energy to move from the Sun to the Earth?
What is the correct term for the study of the Sun using sound waves?
List discoveries of the solar interior from Helioseismology
What is the approximate period of solar oscillations?
As a result of using sound waves to probe the interior of the Sun we have
discovered that differential rotation is linked to which solar phenomenon?
Astro 10B Study Questions for Each Chapter
Chapter 8.Spectrsocopy of Stars
What does ‘luminosity’ mean?
What is the equation relating apparent brightness to luminosity?
Which tells us more about a star? Its luminosity or its brightness?
Can you determine a star’s luminosity just from its brightness alone?
What is photometry?
Which color of star is hottest, which is coolest?
Which spectral type of star is hottest, which is coolest?
Which spectral type of stars is most ionized?
Which spectral type of stars has the most molecules?
If all stars contain Hydrogen why don’t we see H lines in ‘O’ type stars?
The spectral types (OBAFGKMLT) are in what order?
Which spectral type has the strongest Hydrogen spectrum?
What are two ways to determine a star’s surface temperature?
Why can’t you use these techniques to determine a star’s core temperature?
How do you measure the rotation rate of stars?
How do you measure the magnetic fields of stars?
What is ‘radial velocity’ and how do you measure it?
What is proper motion, and how do you measure it?
Chapter 9. Measurements of Stars (and H-R Diagram)
Which are more common: low- or high- mass stars?
Which are more common: low- or high- temperature stars?
Which are more common: low- or high- luminosity stars?
How do we measure the mass of stars? (we need two things)
What is the range of stellar masses possible?
What is the mass-luminosity equation? (approximate)
How do we measure the diameters of stars? (two ways)
What is the H-R Diagram (And why do we abbreviate it)?
What are the two axes of the H-R diagram?
Which side of the H-R diagram is hottest?
Which side of the H-R diagram is bluest?
Which side of the H-R diagram is most luminous?
Which corner of the H-R diagram has stars w/ the largest diameter?
Which corner of the H-R diagram has lowest mass main sequence stars?
Where on the H-R diagram do we find: White Dwarves, Red Giants, Highmass Main Sequence Stars and Low-Mass M.S. Stars?
What is the main sequence?
Which equation accompanies the H-R diagram? (Note: not in book)
Ninety percent of all stars fall where on the H-R diagram?
What are ‘binary stars’?
What are ‘spectroscopic binaries’?
What is the difference between a Star and a Brown Dwarf?
What spectral types are Brown Dwarves?
If a star has a high luminosity and a low temperature what is its size?
Which stars are more massive ‘upper main sequence’ or ‘lower’?
Chapter 10: Celestial Distances
How do we know the size of the Earth (Hint: Eratosthenes)?
How do we know the Sun-Earth distance?
What is the Astronomical Unit?
How did we first measure the AU?
What is parallax?
Why is the parallax of stars so hard to measure?
What is a parsec and how is it defined?
What is a ‘standard candle’?
What is a Cepheid variable and why are they useful?
What is the period-luminosity relationship?
How can the H-R diagram help us measure the distance to a cluster of stars?
How do we measure the largest distances in space?
Chapter 11: The Interstellar Medium
What is the “interstellar medium”?
What is an HI region and how do we detect it?
What is an HII region and how do we detect it?
What is a Molecular Cloud and how do we detect it?
What is the Ultra Hot Gas and how do we detect it?
What is the temperature and density of a HI region?
What is the temperature and density of a HII region?
What is the temperature and density of a Molecular. Cloud?
What is the temperature and density of the Ultra Hot Gas?
How are Molecules and Dust inter-related?
What is ‘interstellar extinction’?
What is ‘reddening’?
Why does dust block visible light better than radio waves?
Chapter 12: Star Formation
Where do stars form?
Why is it so difficult to observe star formation?
Which stage of star formation occurs first?
What are the stages of star formation?
What is a ‘proto-star’?
What is the main difference between a proto-star and a main sequence star?
What is stellar wind, and when does it begin?
What determines the rate of star formation (and stellar evolution)?
Planets form from what part?
Why is observing planet formation so difficult?
Why is detecting extra-solar planets so difficult?
Why is detecting low-mass extra-solar planets especially difficult?
Why is detecting large orbit extra-solar planets especially difficult?
Chapter 13: Stellar Evolution
Why do stars spend most of the time on the main sequence (M.S.)?
Which spectral type of star spend the most time on the M.S.
What is the equation for mass vs. life expectancy of stars? (approx.)
What is a Red Giant?
What causes stars to turn into Red Giants?
Where are Red Giants on the H-R diagram?
What happens to a star’s core when it runs low on Hydrogen?
Then what happens to the shell of Hydrogen around the core?
What does the inner core start ‘burning’ at 100 million K?
What happens if the star has very low mass?
After the inner core runs low on Helium what happens to it?
What happens to the shell of fresh Helium around it?
What happens to the Carbon core of low-mass stars ( < 7Mo)
What’s the difference between the He flash and the He conflagration?
Which types of stars experience the Helium flash?
Stars over what mass can convert Carbon into heavier elements?
What’s the heaviest element whose production gives off energy?
What happens when a Star’s core is made out of that element?
What are the stages of evolution for a low-mass star?
What are the stages of evolution for a high-mass star?
Which stages of evolution will the Sun go through?
How can the H-R diagram tell you the age of a cluster of stars?
Why are there sometimes 2 ‘branches’ on the H-R diagram for star clusters?
What is the upper branch called?
Chapter 14 White Dwarf & Neutron Stars
What type of stellar corpse will the Sun leave behind?
What type of stellar corpse would a 20M~ star leave behind?
What is the upper limit for the mass of a White Dwarf?
What is a typical size of a White Dwarf?
What is the typical density of a White Dwarf?
What is the upper limit for the mass of a Neutron Star?
What is a typical size of a Neutron Star?
What is the typical density of a Neutron Star?
What is electron degeneracy?
What is neutron degeneracy?
How much mass does a star lose by time it becomes a White Dwarf?
What is a supernova?
What causes the supernova?
How much energy does a supernova give off?
What fraction of supernova energy is light, neutrinos, other?
Why is Iron the heaviest element made by stars (aside from supernovas)?
How are elements heavier than Iron produced?
What is a Pulsar?
Astro 10B Study Questions for Each Chapter
What is the lighthouse model of Pulsars?
Why can’t we see all Pulsars (even if they are close by)?
Who discovered Pulsars but was betrayed by her advisor?
How big of asshole was he?
What is a recurring Nova?
How can binary star systems produce a special type of supernova?
Chapter 15 Black Holes & General Relativity (G.R.)
What does “relativity” mean?
What is classical (or Galilean) relativity?
What is special relativity?
What observation is it based on?
What are some tests of special relativity?
What test of G.R. involved the ground floor and top floor of a building?
What is general relativity?
What is the equivalence principle?
What is gravity according to general relativity?
What causes spacetime to curve/warp?
How do you make it curve/warp more?
What travels in straight lines in spacetime?
Why does the equivalence principle imply warping of spacetime?
What is a black hole in the classical sense? (hint: escape velocity)
What is a black hole according to general relativity?
What is the event horizon?
What is the Schwarzschild radius?
What would happen if the Sun were replaced by a 1M~ black hole?
How big would a 1 M~ black hole be?
How does the Schwarzschild radius vary with a black hole’s mass?
How do we detected black holes if we cannot see them?
Why would jumping into a black hole be suicide?
Why aren’t black holes ‘cosmic vacuum cleaners’?
Why is light from a Black Hole red-shifted?
Is the light from the Sun red-shifted for the same reason?
Chapter 16 The Milky Way Galaxy
What are the three main parts of the Milky Way?
What are the dimensions and mass of the disk? (both parts)
What are the dimensions and mass of the nuclear bulge?
What are the dimensions and mass of the Halo? (both parts)
What part of the Milky Way has the highest % young stars?
What part of the Milky Way has the lowest % young stars?
What part of the Milky Way has the most metal-rich stars?
What part of the Milky Way has the fewest metal-rich stars?
What part of the Milky Way has the most dark matter?
Where is the Sun located within the Milky Way?
How long does the Sun take to orbit the Milky Way?
How do we determine the mass of the Milky Way? (two ways)
How do we observe the far side of the Milky Way?
How do we observe the Halo of the Milky Way?
How do we determine the rate stars orbit the Milky Way?
How did we discover that there was dark matter in the Milky Way?
How did we measure the amount of dark matter in the Milky Way?
What fraction of the Milky Way is dark matter & where is it?
What explanations have been offered to explain the dark matter?
What is wrong with those explanation?
Where is the 3,000,000 M~ Black Hole?
Chapter 17 Types of Galaxies
Which type of galaxy is the Milky Way?
Which type of galaxy has the fewest supernovas?
Which type(s) of galaxy has gas and dust; which don’t?
What color are the different types of galaxies?
What is the mass-to-light ratio for each type of galaxy?
Why do the colors and mass-to-light rations differ?
The smallest galaxies are which type?
The largest galaxies are which type?
What causes spiral arms?
Why are some galaxies irregular?
How do we measure distances to galaxies?
Do spiral galaxies and elliptical galaxies evolve into each other?
What is the Hubble Law equation?
If a galaxy moves away twice as fast – how far away is it?
What observation about distant galaxies lead to the Hubble Law?
The Hubble constant is equal to 1/________?
If the Hubble constant is 20 km/s/Mly , what’s the age of the Universe?
Does the Hubble law say we're at the center of the Universe?
Would other galaxies observe the Hubble law, too?
Is spacetime expanding or is the matter just flying apart?
Chapter 18 AGN’s, Quasars
What do Astronomers call Quasars?
Why are Quasars called “quasi Stellar objects” (QSO)?
If a QSO is a AGN, what are TLA's?
What is the typical luminosity of a quasar?
Why do we think quasars are compact objects?
What’s the suspected energy source for a quasar?
Most quasars appeared when the universe how old?
How do we explain this?
Are Quasars are a type of Active Galactic Nuclei?
Does the Milky Way have a quasar at its center?
Are quasars are among the most distant objects we can detect?
Are quasars the most red shifted objects we can detect?
Does this mean Quasars are among the oldest objects we can see, why?
What is a Seyfert galaxy?
What is an active radio galaxy?
What are the jets which come out of active radio galaxies and quasars?
Chapter 19 Galaxies, Clusters and Large Scale Structure
What is the ‘cosmological principle’?
What does ‘isotropically’ mean?
How do we think giant elliptical galaxies form?
What are the ‘great voids’?
Which is larger: the Local Group or the Local Cluster?
How are galaxies, groups and clusters distributed through space?
Which type of clusters contain the most giant elliptical galaxies?
Where would you find a galaxy which is the result of several mergers?
What happens when galaxies collide?
How would you explain a galaxy having multiple nuclei?
Why do distant spiral galaxies have more blue stars than nearby ones?
According to bottom-up formation, which structures formed first?
Where have astronomers found evidence for dark matter?
Why do we look ‘back in time’ when we look at distant galaxies?
What are MACHO’s?
What are WIMP’s?
How has star formation changed compared with 8 Byrs ago?
Chapter 20. The Big Bang and Early Universe
Einstein's cosmological constant was:
The cosmological constant is equivalent to what discovery?
What is the explanation for the expansion of the universe?
Which observables does the traditional big bang theory explain?
Where did the Big Bang occur?
What observation could the original Big Bang theory not explain?
Which period of the Big Bang occurred earliest?
Which is expanding: the distance between galaxies or spacetime?
At which temperature do all the rules break down?
At which temperature did protons form?
At which temperature did electrons form?
Why aren't new protons and electrons forming today (by the same process
as they did during the big bang)?
Which took longer: the formation of protons and electrons, or the formation of
galaxies from protons and electrons?
At what temperature did the universe become transparent?
Who discovered the Cosmic Background radiation (CBR)?
The Cosmic Background Radiation is observed in which band?
Astro 10B Study Questions for Each Chapter
When we look at the CBR, we see remains from
The CBR spectrum corresponds to which temperature?
Which temperature was it when it was emitted?
The small variations in the CBR match what distribution?
Grand unified theories are about
Which forces unify at the lowest temperature?
Which forces were unified a hundred years ago (or scientists realized two
forces were one and the same at that time)?
Explain the inflationary universe model
How could the universe inflate faster than the speed of light?
What does quantum mechanics have to do with the distribution of matter in
the universe?
How does inflation explain the matter-anti-matter imbalance?
How does inflation explain the density of the universe?
Explain GUTs
What is the last enduring problem with GUTs?
Which observations can GUTs and inflation explain?
About what fraction of the universe is dark matter?
About what fraction of the universe is normal matter?
About what fraction of the universe is dark energy?
Dark energy is responsible for
Dark energy is opposite to which force?
Dark energy is similar to which constant?
Dark energy tells us that the universe will collapse, when?
Dark matter was detected by looking at