Download PHYS103 Hour Exam No. 1 Page: 1 1 Which of the following

PHYS103
Hour Exam No. 1
Page: 1
1 Which of the following statements is an observation of the natural world?
a. There are no prime numbers that have zero for a last digit.
b. Galileo was the greatest scientist.
c. The U.S. Naval Observatory says that the Moon rose at 6:52pm yesterday.
d. I saw the Moon rise at 6:52pm yesterday.
2 Just before sunrise, you might …nd
a. A waning crescent Moon rising in the west.
b. A waning crescent Moon rising in the east.
c. A waning crescent Moon setting in the east.
d. A waxing crescent Moon setting in the north.
e. A waning crescent Moon setting in the west.
3 Gary the ghostbuster takes his crew, with a truckload of cameras and electronic instruments, to a house that
is supposed to be haunted. Sure enough, the ghost shows up and does an on-camera interview while the
instruments record all sorts of odd readings. After Gary’s press conference and TV show, a skeptical scientist
takes the same sort of equipment to the same house on a similar evening and records nothing but cricket noises
and dogs barking. Gary’s evidence is ignored by the scienti…c community because
a. Gary does not belong to the scientist club.
b. Gary’s observations were not convincing.
c. Scientists would not believe in ghosts no matter what the evidence.
d. Gary’s observations were not reproduced.
4 A constellation is a collection of stars that
a. form a pattern in our sky.
b. are all of the same type.
c. are all near each other in space.
d. all move through space with the same velocity.
5 You see the Moon almost directly in the south at 3am. What phase is it?
a. Waxing gibbous.
b. Full.
c. Waning quarter
d. Waning gibbous.
e. Waxing quarter.
6 The Greek theory of Gravity as a force pulling everything toward the center of the universe implied that the
Earth should be …xed at the center of the universe. Which of the following models of the Solar System was in
accord with that theory?
a. the Copernican System.
b. the model of Aristarchus that the Earth goes around the Sun.
c. the …nal version of the Ptolemaic System.
d. none of these models.
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Hour Exam No. 1
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7 Einstein’s Theory of Gravity has passed every well-understood observational test for over 100 years. However
there are some observations, which are not well-understood. For example, the Pioneer space probe is showing
tiny deviations from its predicted course as it leaves the neighborhood of our solar system. A new theory, called
"Modi…ed Newtonian Dynamics," actually does not do as well as Einstein’s Theory at predicting most things,
but it does predict those tiny deviations and also accounts for several other, apparently unrelated, anomalous
observations as well. From what we have said about the way scientists think, which of the following receptions
would you expect this new theory to get?
a. There is great disinterest because the new theory does not account for as many observational tests as
Einstein’s Theory does.
b. There is great interest because the new theory suggests that Einstein’s Theory might be wrong.
c. There is great hostility because the new theory challenges the established theory.
d. There is great disinterest because there is no need to replace a theory that has passed every well-understood
observational test.
8 The time that it takes for the Earth to rotate once relative to the distant stars is called a
a. stellar standard day.
b. solar day.
c. sidereal day.
d. galilean day.
e. zodiacal day.
9 As seen from North America, the constellation Ursa Major
a. sets in the west.
b. sets in the south.
c. sets in the north.
d. sets in the east.
e. never sets.
10 At which of these times of day would you expect to …nd the Sun in the West?
a. 1:00am.
b. 7:00am
c. 7:00pm.
d. 1:00pm.
11 By measuring the angle between the Sun and the Moon when the Moon was in its …rst or third quarter, the
ancient Greeks were able to calculate
a. the Size of the Sun.
b. the Size of the Earth.
c. the distance from the Earth to the Sun.
d. the distance from the Earth to the Moon.
e. the size of the Moon.
12 The astronomers of Copernicus’s time rejected his model of the Solar System mostly because
a. they failed to understand it.
b. it did not account for observations any better than the Ptolemaic System
c. the Ptolemaic System was supported by the Church.
PHYS103
Hour Exam No. 1
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13 Which of the following objects is the most likely to be considered a scienti…c model?
a. An oil painting of a person.
b. A computer program.
c. A blackboard.
d. A test-tube.
e. An accurate map of Richmond.
14 Tycho Brahe’s main contribution to the understanding of planetary motion was to
a. disprove Ptolemy’s theory.
b. make extensive observations.
c. con…rm Copernicus’theory.
d. explain the observations.
e. propose a new theory.
15 The brightest star in the constellation Centaurus might be named
a. Alpha Cepheus.
b. Alpha Centauri.
c. Delta Cepheus
d. Delta Centauri.
16 The stars, as seen from the Earth, appear to be attached to
a. the North Celestial Pole.
b. the Heliopause, an o¤-center surface surrounding the Sun.
c. the Celestial Net, a mesh of wires surrounding the Earth.
d. the top of the Earth’s atmosphere.
e. the Celestial Sphere, a sphere that surrounds the Earth.
17 Which of the following statements is the most likely to be a reproducible observation:
a. I saw the Sun set at 4:55pm on December 22 in Richmond VA.
b. I saw the Sun set at 4:55pm.
c. I saw the Sun set twelve hours after it rose.
d. I saw the Sun set at 4:55pm in Richmond, VA.
18 The idea of a scienti…c fact presents di¢ culties for the falsi…cationist philosophy that we have been discussing
because that philosophy insists that every scienti…c statement is
a. just a guess.
b. subject to change.
c. infallible.
19 For Copernicus, a critical inconsistency in the …nal version of the Ptolemaic System was that it
a. had the Sun moving around the Earth.
b. had the Earth …xed in place at the center of the universe.
c. did not really have anything …xed in place at the center of the universe.
d. had the Earth moving around the Sun.
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20 The ecliptic is
a. halfway between the North and South Celestial Poles.
b. an image of the Earth’s equator.
c. the set of points with zero right ascension.
d. the path of the Sun on the Celestial Sphere.
e. the path of the Moon on the Celestial Sphere.
21 Kepler found that the orbit of Mars is best described as
a. a circle with the Sun o¤-center, combined with epicycles.
b. a circle with the Sun at the center.
c. a complicated fourth-order polynomial curve.
d. an ellipse.
22 At 8pm, you see that the pointer stars of the Big dipper and the star Polaris are arranged in a vertical line. How
long, give or take a few minutes, would you need to wait to see them arranged in a horizontal line?
a. 6 hours.
b. 12 hours.
c. It will never happen.
d. 3 hours.
e. 24 hours.
23 You read in an Astronomy book that the temperature at the center of the Sun is 30,000,000 degrees Kelvin.
How do you suppose this number was determined?
a. By picking a number more or less at random since nobody could ever check it.
b. By using a special telescope that can see inside the Sun.
c. By using a model of the Sun that is elegant but not tested against actual measurements.
d. By sending a well-shielded space probe into the center of the Sun.
e. By using a model of the Sun that correctly accounts for everything that has been measured so far.
24 Just after sunset, you might …nd
a. A waning crescent Moon setting in the north.
b. A waxing crescent Moon setting in the west.
c. A waxing crescent Moon setting in the east.
d. A waxing crescent Moon rising in the west.
e. A waxing crescent Moon rising in the east.
25 Planets move mostly eastward relative to the distant stars but, once during each trip around the Celestial
Sphere, they loop back westward for a while. This motion is called
a. retrograde motion.
b. planetary reversal.
c. overtaking behavior.
d. paradoxical motion.
e. epicyclic motion.
26 The idea that a worthwhile model of a situation must predict what is actually observed seems to have started
a. with the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians.
b. only in modern times, since the Renaissance in Europe.
c. with the ancient Greek philosophers.
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Hour Exam No. 1
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27 Which of the following time periods is closest to the time from a New Moon to the next Waning Quarter Moon?
a. 7.5 days.
b. 22.5 days.
c. 273.9 days
d. 91.3 days.
e. 18 hours.
28 In the picture that we used in class, with the Sun above the top of the picture and the Earth shown with its
North Pole facing you, the part of the Earth that is to the left of the North pole in the picture is experiencing
a. noon.
b. midnight.
c. sunset.
d. sunrise.
29 Suppose that someone who works at the U.S. Naval Observatory says that he saw the Moon rise at 6:45pm on
April 25, 2008. This statement is most likely
a. an actual observation of the natural world.
b. a proven mathematical theorem.
c. the result of a calculation.
d. an unsupported opinion.
30 You see a waxing quarter Moon high in the southern night sky. What time is it?
a. 6:00pm
b. 10:00am.
c. 10:00pm.
d. 5:00am
e. Midnight.
31 Aristotle pointed out that a spherical Earth would explain why
a. the force of gravity is weaker in the tropics.
b. the constellations visible from Egypt are somewhat di¤erent than the constellations visible from Greece.
c. the Sun sets at the same time all over the Earth.
d. the constellations visible from Egypt are just the same as the constellations visible from Greece.
32 The Ptolemaic System continued to be accepted long after such people as Aristarchus and Copernicus had
proposed alternatives. All of the following reasons why it lasted so long are at least partly true. Which reason is
the one that would be stressed by the philosophy of science that we have been discussing?
a. It was easier to understand and people do not like to learn new things.
b. It correctly predicted what was observed and thus did not need to be replaced.
c. Church authorities supported it and did not want it replaced.
33 Tycho Brahe’s careful observations of the planets agreed, to within observational error, with
a. the Tychonic System.
b. None of these systems.
c. the Copernican System.
d. the Ptolemaic System.
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34 As the two foci of an ellipse are moved apart, the shape of the ellipse becomes
a. more like a sphere around the foci.
b. more like a line between the foci.
c. more like a triangle drawn around the foci.
d. more like a circle around the foci.
35 A sidereal day is the time it takes for
a. the Sun to come back to the same position in the sky.
b. the stars to come back to the same positions in the sky.
c. the Moon to come back to the same positions in the sky.
36 Aristotle pointed out that assuming that gravity pulls everything toward a common center
a. explains why the Earth is ‡at.
b. explains why the Earth is spherical.
c. is impossible since things far from that center would be pulled sideways.
d. implies that a spherical Earth would be unstable.
37 If you are looking down over the south pole of the Earth, you will see the Earth rotate
a. clockwise.
b. counterclockwise.
c. upward.
d. downward.
38 The length of a sidereal month is 27 days. The time from one full Moon to the next is closest to
a. 27 days.
b. 29.5 days.
c. 24.5 days
d. 32 days.
39 Which of the following statements is falsi…able?
a. Some people own green cell phones.
b. Green cell phones are really ugly.
c. Everybody owns a green cell phone.
40 Aristarchus measured the angle between the Sun and the Moon when exactly half of the Moon was illuminated.
He found this angle to be
a. less than 90 degrees by an amount too small for him to measure.
b. greater than 90 degrees.
c. less than 90 degrees by an amount that was easy for him to measure.
d. exactly 90 degrees.
41 The …rst telescope was (possibly) built by
a. Newton.
b. Someone in the Netherlands.
c. Galileo.
d. Tycho Brahe.
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42 Eratosthenes of Cyrene is generally credited with using the angle of the noon Sun at Alexandria and Syene to
determine the
a. distance from the Earth to the Sun.
b. size of the Earth.
c. size of the Sun.
d. time of the summer solstice.
e. length of a solar year.
43 According to Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion, as planets orbit the sun, they
a. speed up when closest to the Sun.
b. speed up when farthest from the Sun.
c. speed up when in retrograde motion.
d. move at constant speed.
44 In the Ptolemaic model of the Solar System,
a. the Earth was …xed, the Sun moved around the Earth, and the planets moved on epicycles which, in turn,
went around the Sun.
b. the Sun was …xed and the Earth and all of the planets moved on elliptical orbits around the Sun.
c. the Sun was …xed and the Earth and all of the planets moved on epicycles which, in turn, went around the
Sun.
d. the Earth was …xed and the planets and the Sun moved on epicycles which, in turn, went around the
Earth.
45 The ancient Greeks argued that the Earth cannot be moving because such a motion would cause apparent shifts
in the positions of stars. This argument was wrong because
a. the stars are so far away that the shifts due to the Earth’s motion are extremely small.
b. each star is moving in a circle exactly in step with the Earth’s motion around the Sun.
c. all of the stars are at the same distance from the Earth.
d. no such shifts are actually possible.
46 The closest star to the North Celestial Pole that is visible to the naked eye is
a. Alcor.
b. Sirius.
c. Polaris.
d. Mizar.
e. Altair.
47 One reason that temperatures are lower in the winter than in the summer is that
a. the sun is lower in the sky in the winter.
b. the sun is farther from our hemisphere in the winter.
c. the sun is higher in the sky in the winter.
d. the sun is closer to our hemisphere in the winter.
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48 In one day, the position of the Sun on the Celestial Sphere
a. moves eastward along the ecliptic by 1 .
b. Moves eastward along the ecliptic by 15 .
c. moves westward along the ecliptic by 1 .
d. does not change at all.
e. moves westward along the ecliptic by 15 .
49 Aristarchus measured the angle between the Sun and the Moon when exactly half of the Moon was illuminated.
If he had measured the angle when 3/4 of the Moon was illuminated, he would have found that angle to be
a. greater than 90 degrees.
b. less than 90 degrees by an amount that was easy for him to measure.
c. less than 90 degrees by an amount too small for him to measure.
d. exactly 90 degrees.
50 Sarah reports that she saw a green star close to the star Betelgeuse. Actually she did not even look there. The
most likely outcome of her fraud is that:
a. Nobody bothers to check her observation and nobody believes her either.
b. Other people look near Betelgeuse. They do not see the green star, and attack her report as a mistake or
a fraud.
c. Nobody bothers to check her observation and she becomes famous as the discoverer of the …rst green star.
d. Other people look near Betelgeuse. They see the star and con…rm her report. She becomes famous as the
discoverer of the …rst green star.
PHYS103
Hour Exam No. 1
Answer Key:
Page: 9
Spring 2017 HX1D
1 Choice d.
(I saw the Moon rise at 6:52pm yesterday.)
2 Choice b.
(A waning crescent Moon rising in the east.)
3 Choice d.
(Gary’s observations were not reproduced.)
4 Choice a.
(form a pattern in our sky.)
5 Choice d.
(Waning gibbous.)
6 Choice d.
(none of these models.)
7 Choice d.
(There is great disinterest because there is no need to replace a theory that has passed every
well-understood observational test.)
8 Choice c.
(sidereal day.)
9 Choice e.
(never sets.)
10 Choice c.
(7:00pm.)
11 Choice c.
(the distance from the Earth to the Sun.)
12 Choice b.
(it did not account for observations any better than the Ptolemaic System)
13 Choice e.
(An accurate map of Richmond.)
14 Choice b.
(make extensive observations.)
15 Choice b.
(Alpha Centauri.)
16 Choice e.
(the Celestial Sphere, a sphere that surrounds the Earth.)
17 Choice a.
(I saw the Sun set at 4:55pm on December 22 in Richmond VA.)
18 Choice b.
(subject to change.)
19 Choice c.
(did not really have anything …xed in place at the center of the universe.)
20 Choice d.
(the path of the Sun on the Celestial Sphere.)
21 Choice d.
(an ellipse.)
22 Choice a.
(6 hours.)
23 Choice e.
far.)
(By using a model of the Sun that correctly accounts for everything that has been measured so
24 Choice b.
(A waxing crescent Moon setting in the west.)
25 Choice a.
(retrograde motion.)
26 Choice c.
(with the ancient Greek philosophers.)
27 Choice b.
(22.5 days.)
28 Choice c.
(sunset.)
29 Choice a.
(an actual observation of the natural world.)
30 Choice a.
(6:00pm)
31 Choice b.
Greece.)
(the constellations visible from Egypt are somewhat di¤erent than the constellations visible from
32 Choice b.
(It correctly predicted what was observed and thus did not need to be replaced.)
33 Choice b.
(None of these systems.)
34 Choice b.
(more like a line between the foci.)
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Hour Exam No. 1
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35 Choice b.
(the stars to come back to the same positions in the sky.)
36 Choice b.
(explains why the Earth is spherical.)
37 Choice a.
(clockwise.)
38 Choice b.
(29.5 days.)
39 Choice c.
(Everybody owns a green cell phone.)
40 Choice a.
(less than 90 degrees by an amount too small for him to measure.)
41 Choice b.
(Someone in the Netherlands.)
42 Choice b.
(size of the Earth.)
43 Choice a.
(speed up when closest to the Sun.)
44 Choice d.
the Earth.)
(the Earth was …xed and the planets and the Sun moved on epicycles which, in turn, went around
45 Choice a.
(the stars are so far away that the shifts due to the Earth’s motion are extremely small.)
46 Choice c.
(Polaris.)
47 Choice a.
(the sun is lower in the sky in the winter.)
48 Choice a.
(moves eastward along the ecliptic by 1 .)
49 Choice a.
(greater than 90 degrees.)
50 Choice b.
(Other people look near Betelgeuse. They do not see the green star, and attack her report as a
mistake or a fraud.)
PHYS103
Hour Exam No. 1
Where to find these questions in the notes
1 Module 001.103 The Sky: As Certain as the Sunrise. Observation
2 *Module 007.504-g01 Science Model Building Phases of the Moon (38%)
3 Module 001.201 The Sky: As Certain as the Sunrise. Honesty. Reproducible
4 Module 003.201 The Sky: Celestial Sphere. Constellations
5 Module 007.508-g01 Science Model Building Phases of the Moon (41%)
6 **Module 004.402 The Sky: Wandering Planets Copernicus doubts (30%)
7 Module 006.302-g01 Science Scienti…c Statements The Search for Error
8 Module 003.402-g01 The Sky: Celestial Sphere Apparent Motion of the Sun
9 Module 003.301 The Sky: Celestial Sphere Star Motions
10 Module 001.102-g02 The Sky: As Certain as the Sunrise. Where?
11 Module 007.302-g01 Science Model Building Earth-Moon System
12 Module 004.604 The Sky: Wandering Planets Why Copernicus Lost
13 Module 007.102-g01 Science Model Building Scienti…c Models
14 Module 005.201 The Sky: Power of Observation Tycho’s observations
15 Module 003.210 The Sky: Celestial Sphere Star Names
16 Module 003.102 The Sky: Celestial Sphere. Map
17 Module 001.302 The Sky: As Certain as the Sunrise. Detail.
18 Module 006.401 Science Scienti…c Statements The Scienti…c Fact Problem
19 **Module 004.401 The Sky: Wandering Planets Copernicus doubts (31%)
20 Module 003.501 The Sky: Celestial Sphere. The Path of the Sun
21 Module 005.401 The Sky: Power of Observation Kepler’s War with Mars
22 Module 003.306 The Sky: Celestial Sphere Star Motions
23 Module 002.502 The Sky: Spherical Earth. Radius
24 Module 007.504 Science Model Building Phases of the Moon
25 Module 004.101-g01 The Sky: Wandering Planets Retrograde motion
26 Module 001.502 The Sky: As Certain as the Sunrise. Save the appearances.
27 Module 007.501-g01 Science Model Building Phases of the Moon
28 Module 007.403-g01 Science Model Building Time and Compass Heading
29 *Module 001.103-g02 The Sky: As Certain as the Sunrise. Observation
30 Module 007.505-g01 Science Model Building Phases of the Moon
31 Module 002.301 The Sky: Spherical Earth. Evidence
32 Module 006.303 Science Scienti…c Statements The Search for Error
33 **Module 005.302 The Sky: Power of Observation Putting Copernicus to the Test (32%)
34 Module 005.504 The Sky: Power of Observation Kepler’s First Law
35 Module 003.103 The Sky: Celestial Sphere. Map (42%)
36 Module 002.202 The Sky: Spherical Earth. Self-consistency
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PHYS103
Hour Exam No. 1
37 Module 007.401-g01 Science Model Building Time and Compass Heading
38 Module 007.510-g01 Science Model Building Phases of the Moon
39 EModule 006.104-g01 Science Scienti…c Statements How to test a statement
40 Module 007.303 Science Model Building the Sun
41 Module 007.604 Science Model Building Phases of Venus
42 Module 002.401 The Sky: Spherical Earth. Circumference
43 Module 005.601 The Sky: Power of Observation Kepler’s 2nd and 3rd Laws
44 Module 004.201 The Sky: Wandering Planets Ptolemaic model
45 Module 004.304 The Sky: Celestial Sphere Aristarchus
46 Module 003.206 The Sky: Celestial Sphere Pointer Stars
47 Module 003.604 The Sky: Celestial Sphere. The Seasons
48 *Module 003.504 The Sky: Celestial Sphere. The Path of the Sun (39%)
49 **Module 007.304-g01 Science Model Building the Sun (33%)
50 Module 001.203 The Sky: As Certain as the Sunrise. Honesty.
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