Download Phys 100 – Astronomy (Dr. Ilias Fernini) Review Questions for

Phys 100 – Astronomy (Dr. Ilias Fernini)
Review Questions for Chapter 1
MULTIPLE CHOICE (Right answers are reported in red)
1.. A solar system contains
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
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primarily planets.
large amounts of gas and dust but very few stars.
large amounts of gas, dust, and stars.
a single star and planets.
thousands of super clusters.
A galaxy contains
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
primarily planets.
large amounts of gas and dust but very few stars.
large amounts of gas, dust, and stars.
a single star and planets.
thousands of super clusters.
3. How many centimeters are there in one kilometer?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
100
1000
10,000
100,000
1106
4. Scientific notation is used in science because
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
it makes it easy to write large or small numbers.
all astronomical distances are expressed in metric units.
it makes conversions between units easy.
all of the above.
none of the above.
5. The average distance from Earth to the sun is
a. 1 ly
b. 1 million km
c. 1 million miles
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d. 1 billion km
e. 1 AU
6. If light takes 8 minutes to reach Earth from the sun and 5.3 hours to reach Pluto, what is the
approximate distance from the sun to Pluto?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
5.3 AU
40 AU
40 ly
5.3 ly
0.6 ly
7. The sun is
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
a star.
1 AU from Earth.
more than 100 times the diameter of Earth.
all of the above.
none of the above.
8. If the nearest star is 4.2 light-years away, then
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
the star is 4.2 million AU away.
the light we see left the star 4.2 years ago.
the star must have formed 4.2 billion years ago.
the star must be very young.
the star must be very old.
9. The Milky Way Galaxy
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
contains about 100 stars.
is the largest known object in the universe.
is about 75,000 light-years in diameter.
is located about 2.2 million light years from the sun.
Only a. and c. are correct.
10. Which of the following is the largest?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
the diameter of Earth
the diameter of the moon
the diameter of the sun
the diameter of Jupiter
the distance from Earth to the sun
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11. Which arrangement is in order of increasing size, left to right?
a.
b.
c.
d.
planet, galaxy, star, solar system
planet, star, galaxy, solar system
planet, star, solar system, galaxy
solar system, galaxy, star, planet
12. The Milky Way Galaxy
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
contains about 100 billion stars.
is about 100 light-years in diameter.
is the largest known object in the universe.
a, b, and c are correct.
Only a and c are correct.
13. In science fiction movies, it is common to use a space craft to travel across the Milky Way Galaxy or
to assert that we have been visited by alien space craft from the other side of the Milky Way Galaxy.
If one has a space craft that can travel at the speed of light, to an observer on the earth, how long
will it take to go from one edge of the Milky Way Galaxy to the other and return?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
4.6 years
9.2 years
1000 years
15,000 years
150,000 years
14. What does the size of the image of a star in a photograph tell us about the star?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
the diameter of the star
the brightness of the star
the mass of the star
the temperature of the star
the distance to the star
15. Earth has a radius of about 6400 km, the sun has a radius of about 7.0105 km, and a rubber ball has
a radius of 6.4 cm. If you were to construct a scale model of the solar system using the rubber ball
to represent the earth, what is the radius of a ball needed to represent the sun in your model?
a. 7.0105 cm
b. 7.0 cm
c. 700 cm
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d. 70 cm
e. 7000 cm
16. Which sequence is correct when ordered by increasing size?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Earth, Solar System, Milky Way, galaxy clusters
Solar System, Earth, galaxy clusters, Milky Way
Earth, Milky Way, Solar System, galaxy clusters
Galaxy clusters, Solar System, Milky Way, Earth
17. How is a planet different than a star?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Planets are larger than stars.
Planets reflect light while stars produce their own light.
Stars move faster in the sky than planets.
Planets are brighter than stars.
18. If we say that an object is 1,000 light-years away we see it
a.
b.
c.
d.
as it looked 1,000 years ago.
as it would appear to our ancestors 1,000 years ago.
as it looked 1,000 light-years ago.
as it is right now, but it appears 1,000 times dimmer.
TRUE/FALSE
1. The average distance from Earth to the sun is 1 AU. (True)
2. The nearest star is 1 ly from the solar system. (False)
3. A light-year is the distance light travels in one year. (True)
4. A kilometer contains 1 million meters. (False)
5. The metric system is a decimal system. (True)
.
6. The sun is a star in the Milky Way Galaxy. (True)
7. The Local Group contains the sun and only about two dozen other stars. (False)
8. A super cluster refers to a large group of stars within the Milky Way. (False)
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9. A kilometer is a longer measure of distance than a mile. (False)
10. Mars is farther from the Sun than the Earth. (True)
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