Question 1

Explain how Copernicus would account for the retrograde loops of superior planets.

Accepted Answer

The Earth moves faster than th...

Question 2

What does Kepler's third law imply about planetary motion?

Accepted Answer

A)   All planets orbit the Sun at the same speed.
B)   Planets closer to the Sun orbit at a slower speed than planets further from the Sun.
C)   Planets further from the Sun orbit at a slower speed than planets closer to the Sun.
D)   Planets further from the Sun orbit at a faster speed than planets closer to the Sun.
E)   This law implies nothing about a planet's motion.F) C) and D)
G) B) and E)

Question 3

The Law of Universal Gravitation was developed by:

Accepted Answer

A)   Kepler.
B)   Galileo.
C)   Newton.
D)   Copernicus.
E)   Einstein.F) A) and D)
G) None of the above

Question 4

Which of the statements below is part of both the Ptolemaic and Copernican models?

Accepted Answer

A)   The Earth orbits the Sun once a year.
B)   The Sun lies in the center of the Cosmos.
C)   The Moon orbits the Earth once a month.
D)   Epicycles are needed to explain retrograde motion of the planets.
E)   Venus' epicycle must always lie between us and the Sun.F) C) and D)
G) B) and C)

Question 5

According to Copernicus,retrograde motion for Venus must occur around:

Accepted Answer

A)   inferior conjunction, when it passes between us and the Sun.
B)   quadrature, when the planet is 90 degrees away from the Sun.
C)   greatest elongation, when the planet is farthest from the Sun.
D)   superior conjunction, when the planet is on the far side of the Sun.
E)   opposition, when the planet lies opposite the Sun in the sky.F) A) and B)
G) C) and E)

Question 6

Transits of Venus were critical in early determinations of the A.U.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

A fatal flaw with Ptolemy's model is its inability to predict the observed phases of:

Accepted Answer

A)   the Sun during an eclipse.
B)   the Moon in its monthly cycle.
C)   Mercury and Venus.
D)   Mars and Jupiter.
E)   Jupiter and Saturn.F) B) and E)
G) A) and B)

Question 8

When a planet retrogrades,it appears to move westward for weeks at a time.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Newton's Laws completely replaced the incorrect work of Kepler.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

The Ptolemaic model of the universe:

Accepted Answer

A)   explained and predicted the motions of the planets with deferents and epicycles.
B)   is the basis of our modern cosmology.
C)   could not account for the stellar parallax observed by Hipparchus.
D)   describes the orbits of the planets as being ellipses, not circles.
E)   always kept Mars and Mercury between the Earth and Sun.F) C) and E)
G) A) and B)

Question 11

Like the Sun and the Moon,the stars appear to move from west to east from one day to the next.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

A planet (or comet)will speed up as it approaches the Sun.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

A planet whose distance from the Sun is 3 A.U.would have an orbital period of how many Earth-years?

Accepted Answer

A)   3
B)    27 \sqrt{27} 27c-2.7,0,-7.17,-2.7,-13.5,-8c-5.8,-5.3,-9.5,-10,-9.5,-14c0,-2,0.3,-3.3,1,-4c1.3,-2.7,23.83,-20.7,67.5,-54c44.2,-33.3,65.8,-50.3,66.5,-51c1.3,-1.3,3,-2,5,-2c4.7,0,8.7,3.3,12,10s173,378,173,378c0.7,0,35.3,-71,104,-213c68.7,-142,137.5,-285,206.5,-429c69,-144,104.5,-217.7,106.5,-221l0 -0c5.3,-9.3,12,-14,20,-14H400000v40H845.2724s-225.272,467,-225.272,467s-235,486,-235,486c-2.7,4.7,-9,7,-19,7c-6,0,-10,-1,-12,-3s-194,-422,-194,-422s-65,47,-65,47zM834 80h400000v40h-400000z'/>​ 
C)    3 \sqrt{3} 3c-2.7,0,-7.17,-2.7,-13.5,-8c-5.8,-5.3,-9.5,-10,-9.5,-14c0,-2,0.3,-3.3,1,-4c1.3,-2.7,23.83,-20.7,67.5,-54c44.2,-33.3,65.8,-50.3,66.5,-51c1.3,-1.3,3,-2,5,-2c4.7,0,8.7,3.3,12,10s173,378,173,378c0.7,0,35.3,-71,104,-213c68.7,-142,137.5,-285,206.5,-429c69,-144,104.5,-217.7,106.5,-221l0 -0c5.3,-9.3,12,-14,20,-14H400000v40H845.2724s-225.272,467,-225.272,467s-235,486,-235,486c-2.7,4.7,-9,7,-19,7c-6,0,-10,-1,-12,-3s-194,-422,-194,-422s-65,47,-65,47zM834 80h400000v40h-400000z'/>​ 
D)   9
E)   81 F) A) and D)
G) None of the above

Question 14

Newton's Law of Gravity would explain why Saturn,so far from the Sun,moves so slowly across the sky.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

Compared to orbital velocity,escape velocity is about:

Accepted Answer

A)   the same.
B)   70% less.
C)   40% more.
D)   twice as large.
E)   four times greater.F) A) and B)
G) B) and C)

Question 16

The greatest contribution of the Greeks to modern thought was:

Accepted Answer

A)   the idea that all the planets orbited the Sun.
B)   that their mythology was the basis for the naming of the constellations.
C)   that their observation of stellar parallax proved the Earth orbited the Sun.
D)   the development of scientific inquiry and model building.
E)   the invention of the telescope.F) B) and D)
G) C) and E)

Question 17

Scientists today do not accept the Ptolemaic model because:

Accepted Answer

A)   it is ancient history.
B)   it was too complicated, compared to Copernicus' heliocentric model.
C)   it has been shown that Ptolemy faked his data.
D)   it had no explanation for retrograde motion.
E)   the work of Tycho and Kepler showed the heliocentric model was more accurate.F) A) and B)
G) B) and D)

Question 18

On which of these assumptions do Ptolemy and Copernicus agree?

Accepted Answer

A)   The Earth must be the center of all motion in the Cosmos.
B)   All orbits must be perfect circles.
C)   The Sun was bigger than the Earth.
D)   Venus must always stay between us and the Sun.
E)   The Sun must orbit us, but the planets do orbit the Sun.F) A) and E)
G) D) and E)

Question 19

Which of the following was NOT a contribution of Galileo to astronomy?

Accepted Answer

A)   Sunspots showed the Sun was rotating on its axis, like the Earth does.
B)   The four moons of Jupiter are a model for the solar system motions in general.
C)   The phases of Venus prove it orbits completely around the Sun.
D)   The changing appearance of Saturn's rings corresponds to our seasons.
E)   The craters and mare of the Moon prove it a world in its own right.F) A) and D)
G) D) and E)

Question 20

According to Kepler's third law,the square of the planet's period in years is:

Accepted Answer

A)   equal to its perihelion distance from the Sun in A.U.
B)   inversely proportional to its mass in kilograms.
C)   equal to the fourth power of its average temperature in degrees Kelvin.
D)   proportional to the cube of its semimajor axis in A.U.
E)   equal to the square of its aphelion distance in A.U.F) A) and B)
G) A) and C)

Exam 2: The Copernican Revolution: The Birth of Modern Science

Explain how Copernicus would account for the retrograde loops of superior planets.

Correct AnswerverifiedThe Earth moves faster than th...View AnswerShow Answer

The Ptolemaic model of the universe:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A planet whose distance from the Sun is 3 A.U.would have an orbital period of how many Earth-years?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the statements below is part of both the Ptolemaic and Copernican models?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The greatest contribution of the Greeks to modern thought was:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Newton's Law of Gravity would explain why Saturn,so far from the Sun,moves so slowly across the sky.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Transits of Venus were critical in early determinations of the A.U.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Compared to orbital velocity,escape velocity is about:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following was NOT a contribution of Galileo to astronomy?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

When a planet retrogrades,it appears to move westward for weeks at a time.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Like the Sun and the Moon,the stars appear to move from west to east from one day to the next.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Scientists today do not accept the Ptolemaic model because:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Newton's Laws completely replaced the incorrect work of Kepler.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What does Kepler's third law imply about planetary motion?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

According to Copernicus,retrograde motion for Venus must occur around:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A planet (or comet)will speed up as it approaches the Sun.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

According to Kepler's third law,the square of the planet's period in years is:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The Law of Universal Gravitation was developed by:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A fatal flaw with Ptolemy's model is its inability to predict the observed phases of:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

On which of these assumptions do Ptolemy and Copernicus agree?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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The Earth moves faster than th...
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