CAPA SET #3

25 July 2022
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question
Which of the following claims can be tested by scientific means? A) people born when the Sun is in the constellation of Leo are more financially successful than other people. B) God exists. C) Mozart is the best composer of all times. D) green is the best color for walls. E) the final thoughts of Abraham Lincoln were about the fate of his country.
answer
a, people born when the sun is in the constellation of leo are more financially successful than other people
question
Scientific thinking is _______ A) completely different from any other type of thinking B) a difficult process that only a handful of people can do well. C) based on everyday ideas of observation and trial-and-error experiments, which follow logical rules D) an ancient mode of thinking first invented in Egypt.
answer
c, based on everyday ideas of observation and trial-and-error experiments, which follow logical rules
question
Scientific models are used to _______. A) make specific predictions that can be tested through observations or experiments. B) prove that past paradigms no longer hold true. C) present the scale of the solar system to the general public. D) make miniature representations of the Universe.
answer
a, make specific predictions that can be tested through observations or experiments
question
Which of the following is NOT part of a good scientific theory? A) A scientific theory cannot be accepted until it has been proven true beyond all doubt. B) A scientific theory must make testable predictions that, if found to be incorrect, could lead to its own modification or demise. C) A scientific theory should be based on natural processes and should not invoke the supernatural or divine. D) A scientific theory must explain a wide variety of phenomena observed in the natural world.
answer
a, a scientific theory cannot be accepted until it has been proven beyond all doubt
question
The names of the seven days of the week are based on _______. A) the names of the seven celestial objects that show retrograde motions. B) the seven most prominent constellations in the summer sky. C) the names of prophets in the Bible. D) the names of the seven planets closest to the Sun. E) the seven naked-eye objects that appear to move among the constellations.
answer
e, the seven naked-eye objects that appear to move among the constellations
question
How does a 12-month lunar calendar differ from our 12-month solar calendar? A) Its new year always occurs in February instead of on January 1. B) It does not have seasons. C) It uses a 23-hour rather than a 24-hour day. D) It has about 11 fewer days.
answer
d, it has about 11 fewer days
question
What practical value did astronomy offer to ancient civilizations? A) It helped them understand our cosmic origins. B) It help them find uses for ancient structures like Stonehenge. C) It helped them keep track of time and seasons, and it was used by some cultures for navigation. D) It allowed them to discover fire and invent the wheel. E) It allowed them to predict eclipses with great accuracy.
answer
c, it helped them keep track of time and seasons, and it was used by some cultures for navigation
question
Ptolemy was important in the history of astronomy because he _______. A) was the first to create a model of the solar system that placed the Sun rather than Earth at the center. B) developed a model of the solar system that made sufficiently accurate predictions of planetary positions to remain in use for many centuries. C) He invented the scientic method. D) developed the first scientific model of the Universe. E) was the first to believe that all orbits are perfect circles.
answer
b, developed a model of the solar system that made sufficiently accurate predictions of planetary positions to remain in use for many centuries
question
The ancient Greeks get a lot of attention for their contributions to science because _______. A) they were the first people known to try to explain nature with models based on reason and mathematics, without resort to the supernatural. B) they were the only ancient culture that kept written records of their astronomical observations. C) they ingraved their findings in rocks, which we can still read today. D) they were the first people to realize that Earth is a planet orbiting the Sun. E) the books of every other culture were lost in the destruction of the library of Alexandria.
answer
a, they were the first people known to try to explain nature with models based on reason and mathematics, without resort to the supernatural
question
Match each Greek with the discovery attributed to them. 1) Diameter of the Earth A. Hipparchus 2) Relative sizes of the Earth, Moon, and Sun B. Pythagoras 3) Brightness scale C. Plato 4) Earth's precession D. Eratosthenes 5) The Earth is round E. Aristarchus
answer
diameter of the earth/eratosthenes, relative sizes of the earth, moon, and sun/aristarchus, brightness scale/hipparchus, earth's precession/hipparchus, the earth is round/pythagoras
question
The following discoveries that helped to show that the heliocentric model was correct. A) Galileo's discovery of satellites orbiting Jupiter. B) Kepler's discovery that the planets orbits are ellipses. C) Aristotle did not observe stellar parallax. D) Ptolemy's use of epicycles to explain retrograde motion. E) Discovery that the Earth is round. F) Galileo observed a full set of phases for Venus.
answer
a, galileo's discovery of satellites orbiting jupiter, b, kepler's discovery that planets orbit in ellipses, f, galileo discovered a full set of phases for venus
question
Match each discovery, model, or Law with the person we credit with discovering them. (Select T-Tycho Brahe, K-Kepler, G-Galileo, A-Aristotle, P-Ptolemy, N-Newton If the first is T and the rest K, enter TKKKKK). A) Discovered moons orbiting Jupiter. B) Devised the earliest geocentric solar system models. C) Planets do not move at constant speeds in thier orbits. D) Described the meaning of force by three laws. E) Devised the best Earth-centered (geocentric) model of the solar system using epicycles. F) Made careful measurements of the location of the planets good to 1 arcmin.
answer
galileo discovered moons orbiting jupiter, aristotle devised the earliest geocentric solar system models, kepler discovered that planets do not move at constant speeds in their orbits, newton described the meaning of force by three laws, ptolemy devised the best geocentric model of the solar system using epicycles, tycho brahe made careful measurements of the location of the planets good to 1 archmin.
question
What do we mean by a "geocentric" model of the Universe? A) It is the name given to sphere-shaped models that show all the constellations as they appear in our sky on the celestial sphere. B) A model of the Milky Way Galaxy that has our solar system located at its center. C) A model designed to explain what we see in the sky while having the Earth located in the center of the Universe. D) A model designed to explain what we see in the sky while having the Earth orbit the Sun.
answer
c, a model designed to explain what we see in the sky while having earth located in center of universe
question
Which of the following was NOT observed by Galileo? A) Four moons orbiting Jupiter. B) Sunspots. C) Phases of Venus. D) Mountains and valleys on the Moon. E) Stellar parallax.
answer
e, stellar parallax
question
Which of the following best describes how modern astronomers view astrology? A) Astrology is new age mumbo-jumbo that was a waste of time when it was invented thousands of years ago and remains so today. B) Astrology is a synonym for astronomy. C) Astrology played an important part in the development of astronomy in ancient times, but is it not a science by modern standards. D) Astrology was a great idea until it was disproved by the work of Copernicus, Tycho, Kepler, and Galileo.
answer
c, astrology played an important part in the development of astronomy in ancient times, but it is not a science by modern standards
question
How did the Ptolemaic model explain the apparent retrograde motion of the planets? A) The model showed that apparent retrograde motion occurs as Earch passes by another planet in its orbits. B) The planets sometimes stopped moving and then reversed to move backward along their circular orbits. C) The planets resided on giant spheres that sometimes turned clockwise and sometimes turned counterclockwise. D) The planets moved along small circles that moved on larger circles around the Earth.
answer
d, the planets moved along small circles that moved on larger circles around earth
question
When Copernicus first created his model of the Universe, it did not lead to substantially better predictions of planetary positions than the Ptolemaic model. Why not? A) Copernicus placed the Sun at the center, but did not realize that the Moon orbits the Earth. B) Copernicus places the planets in the wrong order going outward from the Sun. C) Copernicus used perfect circles for the orbits of the planets. D) Copernicus misjudged the distance between the planets.
answer
c, copernicus used perfect circles for the orbits of the planets
question
Galileo challenged the idea that objects in the heavens were perfect by _______. A) observing sunspots on the Sun and mountains on the Moon. B) showing that heavy objects fall at the same rate as lighter objects. C) proving Kepler's laws were correct. D) inventing the telescope.
answer
a, observing sunspots on the sun and mountains on the moon
question
Galileo observed all of the following. Which observation offered direct proof of a planet orbiting the Sun? A) Four moons of Jupiter. B) Phases of Venus. C) Patterns of shadow and sunlight near the dividing line between the light and dark portions of the Moon's face. D) The Milky Way is composed of many individual stars.
answer
b, phases of venus
question
Which of the following statements about an ellipse is NOT true? A) A circle is considered to be a special type of ellipse. B) The focus of an ellipse is always located precisely at the center of the ellipse. C) The semimajor axis of an ellipse is half the length of the longest line that you can draw accross an ellipse. D) An ellipse with a large eccentricity looks much more elongated (stretch out) than an ellipse with a small eccentricity.
answer
b, the focus of an ellipse is always located precisely at the center of the ellipse
question
Which of the following is NOT one of, nor a direct consequence of, Kepler's Laws? A) The force of attraction between any two objects decreases with the square of the distance between their centers. B) The orbit of each planet about the Sun is an ellipse with the Sun at one focus. C) A planet or comet in a non-circular orbit travels faster when it is nearer to the Sun and slower when it is farther from the Sun. D) More distant planets orbit the Sun at slower speeds. E) As a planet moves around its orbit, it sweeps out equal areas in equal times.
answer
a, the force of attraction between any two objects decreases with the square of the distance between their centers
question
According to Kepler's third law, how does a planet's mass affect its orbit around the Sun? A) More massive planets must have a more circular orbits. B) A more massive planet must have a larger semimajor axis. C) More massive planets orbit the Sun at higher average speed. D) A planet's mass has no effect on its orbit around the Sun.
answer
d, a planet's mass has no effect on it's orbit around the sun
question
Suppose a comet orbits the Sun on a highly eccentric orbit with an average (semi-major axis) distance of 1 AU. How long does it take to complete each orbit, and how do we know? A) It depends on the eccentricity of the orbit, as described by Kepler's second law.. B) Each orbit should take about 2 years, because the eccentricity is so large. C) 1 year, which we know from Kepler's third law. D) It depends on the eccentricity of the orbit, as directed by Kepler's first law.
answer
c, which we know from kepler's third law
question
Which of the following statements describe a characteristic of the solar system that is explained by Kepler's third law? Select ALL that apply. A) All the planets orbit the Sun in nearly the same plane. B) Inner planets orbit the Sun at higher speed than outer planets. C) Earth is slightly closer to the Sun on one side of its orbit than on the other side. D) Pluto moves faster when it is closer to the Sun than when it is farther from the Sun. E) Venus orbits the Sun faster than Earth orbits the Sun. F) The Sun is located slightly off-center from the middle of each planet's orbit.
answer
b, inner planets orbit the sun at higher speed than outer planets, e, venus orbits the sun faster than earth orbits the sun
question
According to Kepler's second law, Pluto will be traveling fastest around the Sun when at [blank].
answer
perihelion
question
Earth is located at one [blank] of the moon's orbit
answer
focus
question
The mathematical form of Kepler's third law measures the period in year, and the [blank] in AUs
answer
semi-major axis
question
According to Kepler's second law, Jupiter will be traveling most slowly around the Sun when at [blank].
answer
aphelion
question
The extent to which Mars' orbit differs from a perfect circle is called its [blank].
answer
eccentricity
question
Earth orbits in the shape of a/an [blank] around the Sun.
answer
ellipse
question
If a planet has a period of 8 years, what is its average distance from the Sun, in astronomical units? Assume that the mass of the planet is small compared to the Sun and that the average distance from the Sun is the same as the semimajor axis. Make sure you express your answer with at least one digit after the decimal point.
answer
4.00