Test
Astronomy Exam 2
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Preguntas del test (63)
1The standard model of solar system formation offers what explanation
for the different compositions of the terrestrial and Jovian planets?- Aa) During condensation, the heavier elements tended to sink nearer
the Sun and, being rare, only provided enough material to build the
relatively small terrestrial planets. - Bb) During the collapse of the gaseous nebula, most of the material
tended to collect far from the Sun because of the large centrifugal
forces, which provided the necessary material to build the large Jovian
planets. - Cc) The large gravitational forces of Jupiter tended to prevent planet
formation in the inner solar system and eventually attracted most of
the material into the region of the Jovian planets. - Dd) The terrestrial planets were formed near the Sun where, because of
the high temperatures, only heavier elements were able to condense.
- Aa) During condensation, the heavier elements tended to sink nearer
2Astronomers have discovered massive gas giant planets
like Jupiter orbiting companion stars at closer than 0.7 AU
(about the distance of Venus’s orbit). Why don’t
astronomers believe that these gas giant planets
originally formed at these locations?- Aa) The planets’ gravity would have been too large to form
that close to the star. - Bb) The temperature in the early solar nebula was too high
at these distances. - Cc) Their orbital periods are too long for them to be
located that close to their companion stars. - Dd) A young star’s solar wind would have blown the
planets farther away.
- Aa) The planets’ gravity would have been too large to form
3When a fire engine approaches you, the
- AA) speed of its sound increases.
- BB) frequency of sound increases.
- CC) wavelength of its sound increases.
- DD) All increase.
4The Doppler effect occurs for
- AA) sound.
- BB) light.
- CC) Both A and B.
- DD) Neither A nor B.
5How much material in an accretion disk goes into forming the planets, moons, and smaller objects?
- Aa small amount of it
- Bnone; these objects were not formed in the accretion disk
- Croughly half of it
- Dmost of it
6The difference in composition between the giant planets and the terrestrial planets is most likely caused by the fact that:
- Athat giant planets are much larger
- Bonly small differences in chemical composition existed in the solar nebula
- Cthe giant planets are made mostly of carbon
- Dthe terrestrial planets are closer to the Sun
- Eonly the terrestrial planets have iron cores
7The moon probably formed
- Awhen the Earth's gravity captured a planetesimal
- Bout of a collision between the Earth and a Mars-sized object
- Cwhen a piece of Earth broke off and entered orbit
- Dwhen the accretion disk around the Earth fragmented
- Ewhen massive planetesimals collided to form a more massive object
8When you push your palms together and rub them back and forth you are demonstrating one way of converting _______energy into ______ energy
- Akinetic into thermal
- Bpotential into thermal
- Cpotential into total
- Dkinetic into potential
- Ethermal into kinetic
9Approximately how much mass was there in the protoplanetary disk out of which the planets were formed, compared to the mass of the sun
- A25 percent
- B10 percent
- C50 percent
- D< 1 percent
- E5 percent
10What is the age of our Solar System?
- A13.7 billion years old
- B4.6 billion years old
- C4.6 million years old
- D13.7 trillion years old
- E13.7 million years old
11Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of the early Solar System, based on current observations?
- Athe material from which the planets formed was swirling about the Sun in the same average rotational direction
- Bthe initial composition of the solar nebula varied between its inner and outer regions
- Cthe first objects to form started out small and grew in size
- Dthe early solar nebula must have been flattened
- Etemperatures decreased with increasing distance from the Sun
12Why do the terrestrial planets have a much higher fraction of their mass in heavy chemical elements (as opposed to lighter chemical elements) than the giant planets?
- Athe giant planets were more massive than the terrestrial planets, and the giant planets preferentially pulled the lighter elements from the inner to the outer Solar System
- BTerrestrial planets are low in mass and high in temperature, thus their lighter chemical elements eventually escaped to the outer reaches of the Solar System
- CTerrestrial planets are colder and thus more massive chemical elements condensed on them than the giant planets
- Dterrestrial planets formed much earlier then giant planets before the hydrogen and helium had a chance to cool and condense onto them
- Ethe heavier elements in the forming of the Solar nebula sunk to the center of the Solar System thus the inner terrestrial planets formed mostly from heavy chemical elements
13Why have astronomers using the radial velocity method found more Jupiter sized planets at a distance of 1 AU around other stars than Earth-size planets ?
- AA Jupiter sized planet shines brighter than an Earth-sized planet
- BEarth-sized planets are much rarer than Jupiter-sized planets
- CA Jupiter-sized planet exerts a larger gravitational force on the star than an Earth-sized planet, and the Doppler shift of the star is larger
- DActually the planets found at these distances have all been earth sized
- EA Jupiter sized planet occults a larger area than an Earth sized planet
14What happens to the kinetic energy of gas as it falls toward and eventually hits the accretion disk surrounding a protostar?
- Ait is converted into thermal energy, heating the disk
- Bit is immediately converted into photons, giving off a flash of light upon impact
- Cit becomes the kinetic energy of the orbit of the gas in the accretion disk around the protostar
- Dit disappears into interstellar space
- Eit is converted into potential energy as the gas plows through the disk and comes out the other side
15the solid form of a volatile material is generally referred to as:
- Aice
- Brefractory material
- Cmetal
- Dsilicate
- Erock
16Which of the following is NOT considered evidence of cataclysmic impacts in the history of our Solar System?
- AMercury has crust that has buckled on the opposite side of an impact crater
- BMercury, Earth's moon and many other small bodies are covered with many impact craters
- CValles Marineris on Mars is a huge scar, many times deeper than the grand Canyon which spans one-fourth the circumference of the planet
- DMimas has a crater whose diameter is roughly one-third of the moons size
- EUranus is "tipped over" so that it revolves on its side
17According to the conservation of angular momentum, if an ice skater stars spinning with her arms out wide, then slowly pulls them closer to her body, this will cause her to:
- Aspin slower
- Bmaintain a constant rate of spin
- Cfall down
- Dspin faster
18The sun has a mass of:
- A2 x 10>10 kg
- B2 x 10>25 kg
- C2 x 10>30 kg
- D2 x 10>35 kg
- E2 x 10>45 kg
19Hydrostatic equilibrium is a balance between:
- Aheat and centrifugal force
- Bcore temperature and surface temperature
- Cpressure and gravity
- Dradiation and heat
- Ecentrifugal force and gravity
20The balance of energy in the solar interior means that:
- Aenergy production rate in the core equals the rate of radiation escaping the sun's surface
- Bthe source of energy in the core is stable and will sustain the sun for millions of years
- Cthe outer layer of the sun absorb and re-emit the radiation from the core at increasingly longer wavelengths
- Dradiation pressure balances the weight of the overlaying solar layers
- Ethe core of the sun has higher pressure than the outer layers
21Which force is responsible for holding the protons and neutrons int he nucleus of an atom together?
- Agravity
- Bstrong nuclear force
- Celectric force
- Dmagnetic force
- Eelectrons push them together
22the majority of the sun;s energy comes from
- Agravitational contraction
- Bnuclear fission of uranium
- Chydrogen fusion
- Dhelium burning
- Eburning material as in a fire
23If the core of the sun were hotter than it is now, how would the sun's energy production change?
- Ait would produce less energy per second than it does now
- Bit would produce more energy per second than it does now
- Cits energy production would vary more than it does now
- Dits energy production would be more stable than it is now
- Ethe sun's energy production would not change
24The net effect of the proton proton chain is that four hydrogen nuclei are converted to one helium nucleus and ______ are released
- Avisible wavelength photons
- Bgamma ray photons, positrons and neutrinos
- Cultraviolet photons and neutrinos
- Dx-ray photons, electrons, and neutrinos
- Einfrared photons and positrons
25If you were to hold on to one end of a metal spoon while placing the other end in a pot of boiling water, you will burn your hand. This is an example of energy being transferred by:
- Aradiation
- Bconvection
- Cconduction
- Dconvection and radiation
- Eradiation and conduction
26the interior zones of the sun are distinguished by
- Ajumps in density between zones
- Btheir temperature profiles
- Cpressure differences inside each zone
- Dtheir modes of energy transport
- Eall of the above
27Approximately how long does it take the photons released in the nuclear reactions in the core of the sun to exit the photosphere
- A8 minutes
- B16 hours
- C1,000 years
- D100,000 years
- E4.6 billion years
28Which of these can travel directly from the center of the sun to the earth in about 8 minutes
- Aphotons
- Belectrons
- Cprotons
- Dneutrons
- Eneutrinos
29The solar neutrino problem was solved by
- Aadjusting the rate of hydrogen burning in solar models
- Bimproving detector efficiency so more neutrinos were observed
- Cpostulating that neutrinos had mass and oscillated between three different types
- DLowering the percentage of helium in models of solar composition
- Ecorrectly measuring the density of the sun's interior
30By studying how the surface of the sun vibrates like a struck bell we can determine its
- Aage
- Binterior density
- Ctotal mass
- Dsize
- Etemperature
31Which of the layers of the sun is located the furthest from the center of the sun
- Achromosphere
- Bphotoshpere
- Cradiative zone
- Dconvective zone
- Ecorona
32Which of the following is NOT a result of an increase in solar activity
- Athe altitudes of orbiting satellites decrease
- Bairplanes have trouble navigating
- Cstronger auroras are seen
- Dpower grids can be damaged
- Eall of the above can be caused by increased solar activity
33Sunspots appear dark because they have _____________ than the surrounding gas
- Ahigher densities
- Blower densities
- Chigher pressures
- Dlower temperatures
- Ehigher temperatures
34the darkest part of the sunspot is called the
- Apenumbra
- Bumbra
- Cgranule
- Dphotosphere
- Emagnetic field
35the magnetic field of the sun is continuously produced by
- Aits differential rotation
- Bthe solar wind
- Cchanges in the rate of nuclear fusion in the core
- Da liquid conducting layer in the interior
- Ethis is a trick question. the solar magnetic filed is primordial
36Flows of material surrounding Martian craters suggest
- Athe presence of ice
- Bthe presence of water in surface rocks
- Ca very thin crust
- Dactive plate tectonics at the time of impact
- Evolcanism in it interior
37Suppose an earthquake occurs on an imaginary planet. Scientists on the other side of the planet detect primary waves but not secondary waves after the quake occurs. this suggests that
- Athe planets interior consists entirely of rocky materials
- Ball of the planets interior is solid
- Cpart of the planets interior is liquid
- Dthe planet has an iron core
- Ethe planets mantle is liquid
38Based on the number of impact craters observed per square meter on their surface, place these terrestrial planets in order of youngest to oldest surface
- Aearth, mercury, venus
- Bvenus, mercury, earth
- Cmercury, venus, earth
- Dvenus, earth, mercury
- Eearth, venus, mercury
39the largest volcanic mountains in the solar system are found on
- Amars
- Bthe moon
- Cvenus
- Dearth
- Emercury
40the lithosphere of a planet is
- Athe molten layer under the crust
- Bthe upper layer of its atmosphere
- Cthe layer of the atmosphere in which clouds form
- Dits frozen surface
- Eits solid surface
41Plate tectonics is NOT responsible for
- Acontinental drifts
- Bcanyons
- Cmountain ranges
- Docean trenches
- Evolcanoes
42Which is NOT a reason that we suspect that the extinction of the dinosaurs was caused by a large impact by a large object?
- Asoot is found in the material in K-T boundary, which probably came from the fires caused by the impact
- Ban impact crater has been found near Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula
- Cthe material in the K-T boundary is rich in iridium
- DMany dinosaur fossils are found below the K-T boundary by none above
- Ethe remaining meteorite has been identified on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico
43earth's innermost core is solid, not liquid, because
- Aall the liquid has moved up into the mantle via convection
- Bthe core temperature is too low to melt iron
- Cthe pressure is too high for the material to be in a liquid state
- Ddifferentiation caused all of the heavy, solid material to sink to the bottom while earth was forming
- Eiron does not melt
44Based on the assumption that a liquid, conducting core and rapid rotation are both required for a magnetic dynamo to operate, which terrestrial planets would you expect to have magnetic fields?
- Aonly earth and mercury
- Bearth, venus, mars, and mercury
- Conly earth, venus, and mars
- Donly earth
- Eonly earth and mars
45of the following methods, the age of the solar system can be determined most accurately by
- Ameasuring the number of craters per square meter on mercury
- Bmeasurements of the magnetic field variations in rocks under the earth's oceans
- Cradioactive dating of rocks retrieved from the moon
- Dmeasuring the rate of energy production in the sun
- Ecarbon dating of rocks from mountains on the earth
46We have direct evidence fro the current existence of water on the surface of which terrestrial object?
- Amercury
- Bcallisto
- Cvenus
- Dganymede
- Emars
47the fact that earth's interior is differentiated suggests that
- Aonly the crust is solid; the rest of earth's interior is liquid
- Bit formed first from lighter material, then afterward accreted heavier material
- Cit has both a liquid and solid core
- Dit formed first from denser material and then afterward accreted lighter material
- Eit was entirely liquid at some point in the past
48Studies of the amount of cratering at different locations on the moon indicate that
- Acratering is not linger occurring in the solar system
- Bthe younger lunar surfaces are hundreds of billions of years younger that the oldest surfaces
- Cmost of the heavy cratering in the solar system occurred before the earth formed
- Dthe rate of cratering in the solar system has changed over time
- Ethe moon has never been geologically active at any point in its history
49Which of the following is NOT a requirement for a planetary magnetic dynamo
- Asolid iron core
- Bliquid interior
- Ccharged particles in the interior
- Dconvective motions
- Erapid rotation
50What is the main reason that the earth's interior is liquid today?
- Atidal force of the moon on the earth
- Bseismic waves that travel through earth's interior
- Cpressure on the core from earth's layers
- Ddecay of radioactive elements
- Econvective motions in the mantle
51Mars, Venus, and Earth are much less heavily cratered than Mercury and the Moon. this is explained by the fact that
- AMars, Venus, and earth are much larger in size than Mercury and the moon
- Bthe rate of cratering in the early solar system was strongly dependent on location
- CMars, Venus, and Earth were geologically active for a longer period of time than Mercury and the Moon
- DMars, Venus, and the Earth have thicker atmospheres
- EEarth and Venus were shielded from impacts by the moon and Mars was protected by the asteroid belt
52If a star has a Jupiter sized planet, and we use
the transit method to search for planets
around that star, we will:- ADefinitely find the planet
- BDepends on the brightness of the planet
- CDepends on the orientation of the planet
orbit - DDefinitely not find the planet
53The image at right shows a picture of the
Sun. The dark spots located on this
image are sunspots. How does the size
of Earth compare to the size of the
sunspot that is identified on the right
side of the image of Sun?- A) Earth and the sunspot are about the
same size. - BThe sunspot is much, much larger than
Earth. - CThe sunspot is much, much smaller
than Earth.
- A) Earth and the sunspot are about the
54If you were constructing a scale model of the solar
system that used a Sun that was the size of a
basketball (approximately 12 inches in diameter),
which of the following lengths would most closely
approximate the scaled distance between Earth
and the Sun?- A3 feet (length of an outstretched arm)
- B10 feet (height of a basketball goal)
- C100 feet (height of an 10 story building)
- D300 feet (length of a football field)
55The Sun's luminosity comes primarily from
- Achemical burning.
- Bthe mechanical energy of turbulence.
- Cnuclear fusion.
- Dgravitational contraction.
- Eall of the above are comparable in importance.
56The photosphere (the visible surface) of the Sun is like
- Athe surface of the Earth; you could stand on it, if you could
survive the heat. - Bthe surface of the ocean; you couldn't stand on it, but you
would clearly be able to detect differences above and
below it. - Can apparent surface; you would notice very little change as
you go through it, as when you fly through a cloud. - Dthe surface of a trampoline; you could land on it, but the
intense pressure would push you away again.
- Athe surface of the Earth; you could stand on it, if you could
57The temperature in and around the Sun
- Adrops continuously as you move outward.
- Brises continuously as you move outward.
- Cdrops as you move from the center to the
photosphere, then rises above the photosphere. - Drises as you move from the center to the
photosphere, then drops above the photosphere.
58Sunspots appear dark because they are
- Aholes in the photosphere through which you can
see deeply into the stellar interior - Ba bit cooler and thus dimmer than the rest of the
photosphere - Clarge opaque structures that block light from the
glowing solar surface. - Dcausing retinal damage
- Aholes in the photosphere through which you can
59The 11 year solar cycle is NOT followed by
the:- ANumber of sunspots on the Sun
- BTypical latitude of sunspots on the Sun
- CRate of Solar Flares
- DIncidence of strong aurora on the Earth
- ENone of the above
60Earthquakes are an important tool for scientists because their
vibrations- Ainfluence the Earth's orbit about the Sun.
- Ballow the study of the Earth's internal structure.
- Cinform us of the mass of the Earth.
- Dare used to predict the future of plate tectonics.
61The reason that the Earth's surface has so few meteor craters
compared to other nearby bodies in the Solar System is
that- Athe Moon blocked almost all of the meteors that otherwise
would have hit the Earth. - Bthe atmosphere causes all objects entering from space to
burn up before they hit the ground. - Cthe Earth's surface has been modified by various forces
which cover or remove traces of the craters. - Dall meteorite impacts break the crust and release lava from
the mantle to fill in the hole.
- Athe Moon blocked almost all of the meteors that otherwise
62The change in position of the continents over time is
primarily caused by- Acontinental plates floating on the ocean
- Bmantle material circulating inside Earth.
- CEarth’s slowly shrinking as it cools.
- Dglobal wind patterns and sustained ocean
currents.
63Which of the following is evidence that the Earth's interior is not rigid?
I. Plate tectonics
II. The liquid oceans
III. The greenhouse effect
IV. The magnetic field- AI, II.
- BI, IV.
- CII, III.
- DII, IV.
- EIII, IV.
Información
- Descripción
- Test sobre Astronomy Exam 2, creado por Lizzy Compton el 04/11/2015.
- Autor
- Lizzy Compton
- Idioma
- English
- Visitas
- 36
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