Question 1

What are the appropriate units for the Sun's luminosity?

Accepted Answer

A)  watts
B)  joules
C)  meters
D)  Newtons
E)  kilogramsF) B) and D)
G) A) and B)

Question 2

Satellites in low-Earth orbits are more likely to crash to Earth when the sunspot cycle is near solar maximum because

Accepted Answer

A)  it is too dangerous to send the Space Shuttle to service satellites during solar maximum.
B)  Earth's upper atmosphere tends to expand during solar maximum,exerting drag on satellites in low orbits.
C)  of increased magnetic interference.
D)  they are more likely to have their electronics "fried" by a solar flare during solar maximum.E) B) and C)
F) C) and D)

Question 3

How do human-built nuclear power plants on Earth generate energy?

Accepted Answer

A)  chemical reactions
B)  nuclear fusion
C)  nuclear fission
D)  converting kinetic energy into electricity
E)  converting gravitational potential energy into electricityF) None of the above
G) C) and D)

Question 4

What do sunspots,solar prominences,and solar flares all have in common?

Accepted Answer

A)  They all have about the same temperature.
B)  They are all shaped by the solar wind.
C)  They are all strongly influenced by magnetic fields on the Sun.
D)  They all occur only in the Sun's photosphere.E) B) and D)
F) None of the above

Question 5

The core of the Sun is at a temperature of about 20,000 K.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

The first step in the proton-proton chain produces an antielectron,or positron.What happens to the positron?

Accepted Answer

A)  It slowly works its way to the Sun's surface,where it escapes into space.
B)  It rapidly escapes from the Sun,traveling into space at nearly the speed of light.
C)  It is rapidly converted to energy when it meets an ordinary electron,resulting in matter-antimatter annihilation.
D)  It quickly meets an ordinary electron,forming an electron-positron pair that remains stable.
E)  It joins with a nearby neutron to form a proton.F) A) and B)
G) B) and D)

Question 7

What is the Sun made of?

Accepted Answer

A)  100 percent hydrogen and helium
B)  50 percent hydrogen,25 percent helium,25 percent other elements
C)  70 percent helium,28 percent hydrogen,2 percent other elements
D)  70 percent hydrogen,28 percent helium,2 percent other elements
E)  98 percent hydrogen,2 percent helium and other elementsF) A) and C)
G) A) and E)

Question 8

If the Sun suddenly stopped emitting neutrinos,what might we infer (after checking that our neutrino detectors were still operational) ?

Accepted Answer

A)  Fusion reactions in the Sun ceased a few hundred thousand years ago.
B)  Fission reactions in the Sun have ceased.
C)  Fusion reactions in the Sun have ceased.
D)  The Sun has exhausted its supply of neutrinos.E) A) and C)
F) None of the above

Question 9

List at least two ways the sunspot cycle affects us on Earth.

Accepted Answer

When the Sun is near solar maximum,it un...

Question 10

What happens to energy in the Sun's convection zone?

Accepted Answer

A)  Energy is produced in the convection zone by thermal radiation.
B)  Energy is transported outward by the rising of hot plasma and sinking of cooler plasma.
C)  Energy slowly leaks outward through the radiative diffusion of photons that repeatedly bounce off ions and electrons.
D)  Energy is produced in the convection zone by nuclear fusion.E) All of the above
F) A) and B)

Question 11

The phase of matter in the Sun is

Accepted Answer

A)  gas.
B)  plasma.
C)  liquid.
D)  solid.
E)  a mixture of all of the aboveF) A) and B)
G) All of the above

Question 12

The fundamental nuclear reaction occurring in the core of the Sun is

Accepted Answer

A)  nuclear fission.
B)  radioactive decay.
C)  nuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium.
D)  nuclear fusion of helium to carbon.E) C) and D)
F) A) and B)

Question 13

The light radiated from the Sun's surface reaches Earth in about 8 minutes,but the energy of that light was released by fusion in the solar core about

Accepted Answer

A)  a hundred years ago.
B)  a thousand years ago.
C)  tens of thousands of years ago.
D)  hundreds of thousands of years ago.
E)  a million years ago.F) C) and D)
G) B) and C)

Question 14

Nuclear power plants on Earth create energy in the same way as the Sun.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

Which of the following best describes why the Sun emits most of its energy in the form of visible light?

Accepted Answer

A)  Nuclear fusion in the Sun's core produces visible light photons.
B)  The visible light comes from energy level transitions as electrons in the Sun's hydrogen atoms jump between level 1 and level 2.
C)  Like all objects,the Sun emits thermal radiation with a spectrum that depends on its temperature,and the Sun's surface temperature is just right for emitting mostly visible light.
D)  The Sun's gas is on fire like flames from wood or coal,and these flames emit visible light.E) B) and C)
F) A) and D)

Exam 14: Our Star

If the Sun suddenly stopped emitting neutrinos,what might we infer (after checking that our neutrino detectors were still operational) ?

Correct Answer
verified

Which of the following best describes why the Sun emits most of its energy in the form of visible light?

Correct Answer
verified

How do human-built nuclear power plants on Earth generate energy?

Correct Answer
verified

The first step in the proton-proton chain produces an antielectron,or positron.What happens to the positron?

Correct Answer
verified

What is the Sun made of?

Correct Answer
verified

Nuclear power plants on Earth create energy in the same way as the Sun.

Correct Answer
verified

Satellites in low-Earth orbits are more likely to crash to Earth when the sunspot cycle is near solar maximum because

Correct Answer
verified

The phase of matter in the Sun is

Correct Answer
verified

The core of the Sun is at a temperature of about 20,000 K.

Correct Answer
verified

What are the appropriate units for the Sun's luminosity?

Correct Answer
verified

What do sunspots,solar prominences,and solar flares all have in common?

Correct Answer
verified

The light radiated from the Sun's surface reaches Earth in about 8 minutes,but the energy of that light was released by fusion in the solar core about

Correct Answer
verified

List at least two ways the sunspot cycle affects us on Earth.

Correct Answer
verified
When the Sun is near solar maximum,it un...
View Answer

What happens to energy in the Sun's convection zone?

Correct Answer
verified

The fundamental nuclear reaction occurring in the core of the Sun is

Correct Answer
verified

Exam 14: Our Star

If the Sun suddenly stopped emitting neutrinos,what might we infer (after checking that our neutrino detectors were still operational) ?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following best describes why the Sun emits most of its energy in the form of visible light?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

How do human-built nuclear power plants on Earth generate energy?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The first step in the proton-proton chain produces an antielectron,or positron.What happens to the positron?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What is the Sun made of?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Nuclear power plants on Earth create energy in the same way as the Sun.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Satellites in low-Earth orbits are more likely to crash to Earth when the sunspot cycle is near solar maximum because

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The phase of matter in the Sun is

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The core of the Sun is at a temperature of about 20,000 K.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What are the appropriate units for the Sun's luminosity?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What do sunspots,solar prominences,and solar flares all have in common?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The light radiated from the Sun's surface reaches Earth in about 8 minutes,but the energy of that light was released by fusion in the solar core about

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

List at least two ways the sunspot cycle affects us on Earth.

Correct AnswerverifiedWhen the Sun is near solar maximum,it un...View AnswerShow Answer

What happens to energy in the Sun's convection zone?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The fundamental nuclear reaction occurring in the core of the Sun is

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Correct Answer
verified

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verified

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verified

Correct Answer
verified
When the Sun is near solar maximum,it un...
View Answer

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified