the night sky is relatively dark because
A the Earth's atmosphere obscures most of the light
B the universe is mostly empty
C the universe is expanding
D the universe is very large and old
the space between "objects" in the universe, compared to the objects themselves, is
A densely filled with matter
B bright with light from all the objects
C loosely occupied with matter and light
D totally empty
a basic observation of the nature of the universe is that
A matter is uniformly distributed through space
B matter and antimatter exist in equal amounts
C matter is distributed in clumps with large empty space between clumps
D light is more important than matter in describing the state of the universe
matter in the universe, whether considering astronomical objects or individual atoms, is
A very tightly packed
B mostly empty space
C filled to capacity
D totally empty
the universe, and all the objects in it, is
A very tightly packed with matter
B mostly empty space
C permeated with an unknown substance for light to travel in
D held together by the nuclear force
a single phrase which best describes the universe is
A brightly illuminated by stars
B mostly empty space with scattered clumps of matter
C filled with so many different kinds of objects as to be beyond our comprehension
D filled with randomly moving stars with no apparent pattern
from an overall point of view the universe is
A uniformly filled with various objects
B rather clumpy with large empty regions between major objects
C unsuited to serious scientific study because of its disorder
D densely filled with little empty space
the space between clumps in the universe is
A densely filled with individual atoms
B mostly empty space with vast distances between clumps compared to the size of the clumps
C mostly empty space but with the clumps fairly close together compared to t he size of the clumps
D totally empty space
the observed universe is
A very tightly filled with stars and galaxies
B filled with relatively dense gas in which the stars and galaxies are embedded
C random stars positioned throughout the volume, not grouped together
D mostly empty space
which of the following observations of the nature of the universe can be made without using any scientific equipment
A most galaxies are moving away from us
B half of the universe is anti-matter and half is ordinary matter
C luminous matter in the universe is not evenly distributed, but occurs in clumps
D a background radiation is left from the flash at the big bang
the universe can be considered to be
A densely packed with matter
B mostly empty space
C composed of only a few objects
D a mirror image of the solar system
which of the following statements best describes our universe
A it is uniformly filled with matter
B it is densely filled with matter
C it is mostly empty space
D none of the above
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Clumps of Matter
an object is defined to be any collection of things in which the individual pieces are
A close together compared to their sizes
B held together be external forces
C small compared to other objects
D close together compared to the distances to other objects
one brief description of a star is
A a small point of light seen only at night
B a radiant body at least 3 million times as massive as the Earth
C a bright object with a five-pointed shape
D a body which shines from its own internal source of energy
the number of galaxies in the observable universe is
A greater than the number of stars in our galaxy
B millions
C thousands
D a few hundred
a galaxy is
A any physical group of stars
B any physical group of stars with more than 1 million members
C an independent group of stars, widely separated from its neighbors
D a group of stars with at least a billion members
in the hierarchy of clumps, the first to begin to form are
A galaxies
B stars
C clusters of galaxies
D clusters of stars
clusters of stars are frequently broken up by
A violent explosions within the cluster
B random motion of a cloud of gas
C evaporation as stars randomly leave the group
D the formation of galaxies
the condensations which form in the expanding universe are held together by
A pressure
B gravity
C density
D light
a star is
A any glowing body
B any large, gaseous body
C an object which shines from a stable source of energy
D any bright point of light in the sky
about how many stars make up the milky way galaxy?
A between 50 and 100.
B between 500 and 1000.
C between 1,000,000 and 100,000,000.
D about a billion.
E a few hundred billion.
why are clouds of gas not considered astronomical clumps
A they do not emit their own light
B they are not held together by their own force of gravity
C they are too large
D they are too young
a galaxy is
A a large cloud of gas
B an exploding star
C the object from which all other objects in the universe were formed
D a collection of a large number of stars
the largest identifiable "structure" in the universe is a
A galaxy
B star
C quasar
D cluster of galaxies
an average size for a galaxy is
A one light year
B one astronomical unit
C 100,000 light years
D one billion light years
a cluster of galaxies is a clump because
A nothing is larger
B it is widely separated from other clumps
C it is very compact
D it is very bright
object formation in the universe begins
A with the smallest objects first
B in large clouds of gas
C as gas collecting around a dense object
D with a violent explosion
a typical galaxy will
A be mostly composed of clouds of gas
B contain a million stars
C be mostly empty space
D turn into a quasar
the number of star clusters in a typical galaxy is about
A a few thousand
B a few million
C a few billion
compared to their sizes, which type of object is closest together on the average
A stars
B planets
C galaxies
D impossible to tell
an isolated group of billions of stars is a
A cluster of stars
B cluster of galaxies
C galaxy
D black hole
an independent group of a few billion stars is a
A solar system
B star cluster
C supercluster of galaxies
D galaxy
the largest clumps of matter in the universe are
A galaxies
B atoms
C stars
D planets
most celestial objects visible to the naked eye in the night time sky are
A clouds of gas
B galaxies
C planets
D stars just like our sun
a typical galaxy contains roughly
A one thousand stars
B one hundred thousand stars
C 100 billion stars
D no stars at all
which of the following objects is the most common throughout the universe
A galaxies
B clusters of galaxies
C stars
D supernovae
a planet is an object which
A occurs only in our solar system
B is too faint to see
C orbits a star
D does not generate its own energy from nuclear reactions
a star is
A any bright point of light in the sky
B any celestial object that glows
C any celestial object composed of gases
D an object which produces energy from a stable source
a planet is defined as
A a small (in comparison to the sun) rocky object
B any object which moves in the sky
C an object which does not produce its own light
D any object within a billion miles of the sun
a group of a few million stars, widely separated from other objects, is a
A cluster of stars
B galaxy
C solar system
D cluster of galaxies
the solar system contains
A everything in the universe
B the sun and everything whose motion is controlled by the sun
C all the stars in our galaxy
D the sun and several neighboring stars
which of the following is the largest?
A the sun
B a galaxy
C the largest star
D the solar system
E the Earth-moon system
a star is any object which
A shines with its own stable energy source
B appears as a point in a telescope
C is visible in the night sky
D has nuclear reactions
galaxies are
A groups of billions of stars.
B invisible with any telescopes we now have.
C dust clouds in space.
D typically 10 to 100 times larger than the solar system.
E more than one of the above.
a planet is defined to be
A any solid object in space
B an object that does not shine
C any object that directly orbits a star
D one of the nine objects in our solar system that orbits the sun
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General Definitions
when viewing celestial events, past events are always seen because
A data analysis is time consuming
B we must wait for the Earth to get to the proper place in its orbit
C the speed of light is finite
D the universe is very old
the sun is one of about how many stars in the milky ways galaxy?
A 100 million
B one billion
C 100 billion
D one trillion
past celestial events can be studied
A when observing distant objects
B only through geologic records on the Earth
C only if the hypothetical time-machine is discovered
D not at all
a light year is
A the characteristic size of light
B the distance the Earth travels around the sun in one year
C the distance light travels in one year
D the time it takes light to travel once around the Earth's orbit
constellations are
A apparent patterns or designs of stars in the sky
B realistic physical arrangements of stars in the sky
C specific arrangements of stars used to map the sky
D two of the above
a very distant object is viewed
A as it exists today
B as it existed many years ago
C as a distorted image of its appearance long ago
D as it existed at the beginning of the universe
a light year is
A the distance traveled by light in one year
B the distance the Earth moves in one year
C the time it takes light to go once around the Earth's orbit
D the time it takes light to travel one year
a light year is
A the distance between the Earth and the sun
B the length of time it takes light to reach the Earth from the sun
C the distance light travels in one year
D the size of the universe
if we observe an explosion in a galaxy which is one million light years from us, the explosion
A is occurring now
B will occur in one million years
C occurred one million years ago
D occurred at some time in the past which depends on how fast the galaxy is moving
the astronomical unit is defined as
A the time between astronomical observations
B the mean distance between the Earth and the sun
C a unit for measuring the amount of work astronomers do
D no choice
past events can be studied
A only through geologic records
B by observing distant celestial objects
C only as recalled by the people
D not at all
a light year is
A a unit of time
B a unit of length
C a unit of brightness
D an angular unit
a light year is
A the length of time it would take the Earth to go around the sun at the speed of light
B the distance light travels in one year
C the distance around the Earth's orbit
D the distance across our galaxy
the light year is
A the length of time it takes light to travel to the nearest star
B the distance a beam of light travels in a year
C the number of seconds in a year
D the size of a typical galaxy
the light year is
A a unit of time
B a unit of length
C related to the way in which the Earth orbits
D a unit used to distinguish different colors
a light year is
A the distance light travels in one year
B the time it takes the Earth to go around its orbit once
C the distance from the sun to the Earth
D the distance to the nearest star
if the nearest star is 4.2 light-years away then
A the light we see left the star 4.2 years ago.
B the star is 4.2 million au away.
C the star must have formed 4.2 billion years ago.
D all of these.
the speed of light is about
A 600 miles per hour
B 186,000 miles per second
C 240,000 miles per second
D 93,000,000 miles per second
a light year is equal to
A 6*10**12 miles
B 6*10**-9 inches
C 3*10**7 seconds
D 1.86*10**5 miles/sec.
a galaxy at 1 million light years is seen to explode. we may definitely say that
A the galaxy has just exploded
B the galaxy exploded one million years ago
C the galaxy will explode in one million years
D nothing happened except that the photons were modified while traveling to us
the sun is an example of a
A planet.
B star.
C protostar.
D asteroid.
the milky way consists of
A one star, nine major planets, and at least 35 moons
B about 400 billion stars (and their planets if they have any)
C about twenty nearby galaxies including our own
D a tiny fraction of all the stars whose distances can be measured using the parallax effect
a light year is
A one solar year
B one daytime year
C the amount of light generated by the sun in a year
D the distance light travels in a year
an explosion is observed on a star which is twenty light years away. if the explosion is observed in 1989, it occurred in
A 1989
B 2009
C 1969
D can't tell without additional information
a light year is a measure of
A distance
B arc length along an orbit
C expansion rate of the universe
D time
the solar system
A consists of one star, nine major planets, and at least 35 moons
B contains about 400 billions stars and is so wide that light takes many thousands of years to cross it
C includes all the objects we can see in space
D contains all objects to which we can measure distances using radar
1 light year is
A the distance between Earth and sun
B the time taken for Earth to orbit the sun once
C a time interval, using the speed of light as a reference
D the distance that light travels in 1 year
the average distance from the Earth to the sun is
A 1 au.
B 1 ly.
C 1 million km.
D none of these.
one astronomical unit is
A the distance across the solar system.
B the time required for light to travel all the way around the Earth's orbit.
C the average distance from Earth to sun.
D 93 million seconds.
E the distance Earth travels around the sun in one year.
a light year is equal to
A 186,000 miles/sec
B 3*10**7 seconds
C 6*10**12 miles
D 4*10**-9 inches
in scientific notation, the number 400 million is written as
A 4*10**6
B 4*10**8
C 4**10
D 4*10**-8
the number 30 million can be written as
A 3*10**6
B 3**6
C 30**6
D 3*10**7
in scientific notation the number 6 billion is written as
A 6*10**6
B 6*10**9
C 6**10
D 6*10**-8
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Scale of Universe
in ordinary solid matter, the atoms are
A very widely separated
B not moving at all
C densely packed
D held together by the force of gravity
a typical distance between star systems in the disk of the milky way is
A a few light years
B a trillion miles
C a billion miles
D a million miles
in a model of an atom in which the nucleus is a softball, the atom would occupy an area roughly equal to
A a typical desk
B the WSU campus
C Wichita
D the United States
in a scale model of the solar system in which the sun is the size of a softball, the solar system would be about
A 1000 miles across
B one mile across
C fifty feet across
D one foot across
a scale model of the solar system in which the sun is the size of a softball shows that
A the Earth is very close to the sun compared to its size
B the solar system is mostly empty space
C the solar system is very irregular
D the nearest star is just barely outside the solar system
in a scale model of the universe in which the sun is a softball, the solar system would occupy
A the entire united states
B the WSU campus
C this classroom
D the top of an average desk
approximately 1 light year from the sun
A is totally empty space
B lie the trojan comets
C lie the lagrangian points
D lies the Oort cloud
in a scale model in which the sun is the size of a softball, how far away would the nearest star be
A 100 yards
B 10 miles
C 2,000 miles
D at the sun itself
in a scale model in which the sun is the size of a softball, the solar system would occupy an area equal to
A this classroom
B the WSU campus
C the state of Kansas
D the north American continent
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Forces
the electric force does not dominate the everyday world because
A it is too weak
B it acts only over short distances
C positive charges cancel the effects of negative charges
D it is a fictional force
the fundamental force with the shortest range is
A gravity
B magnetic
C electrical
D nuclear
of the four physical forces at work in the universe, gravitation, electromagnetic, strong nuclear and weak nuclear forces, which two of the are very short-ranged
A strong and weak nuclear forces
B strong nuclear and electromagnetic forces
C gravitation and electromagnetic forces
D electromagnetic and weak nuclear forces
electricity does not dominate our motion the way gravity does because
A it is too weak to be significant
B it only acts over short distances
C it only acts over huge distances
D the effects of positive and negative charges cancel each other
gravity is
A sometimes a repulsive force and sometimes an attractive force
B always a repulsive force
C always an attractive force
D none of these
the electric force is not important over large distances in the universe because
A it is a short-range force and dies out quickly
B it is responsible for binding atoms together into chemical elements
C there are two kinds of electrical charge--positive and negative
D the electrical force is the weakest of the three known forces of nature
of the four forces in nature, the one that is inherently the weakest is
A strong nuclear
B weak nuclear
C electromagnetic
D gravitational
the force which holds us on the surface of the Earth is
A nuclear
B electrical
C centrifugal
D gravity
for the fundamental forces it can be said that the longer the range of the force, the
A stronger the force
B the weaker the force
C faster acting the force
D longer acting the force.
as a general rule, the weaker the force the
A shorter the range
B longer the range
C strength is not related to the range
D the range of all fundamental forces is the same
the strongest of the fundamental forces is
A gravitation
B electric
C magnetic
D nuclear
since the "weak" force is weaker than the nuclear force, its range is
A larger
B smaller
C the same
D unknown
the physical force which controls the structure of the nucleus and binds together protons and neutrons is the
A gravitational force
B strong nuclear force
C weak nuclear force
D electromagnetic force
which of the following is not a "fundamental" force of nature
A the force of gravity holding you to the Earth
B the nuclear force acting to hold the particles in a nucleus together
C the repulsive force of electricity acting between two electrons
D the pull of centrifugal force which tries to pull you out of the car as you turn a corner
gravity is an attractive force which affects
A only things with mass, such as protons and electrons
B only things with electric charge, such as protons and electrons
C everything in the universe except photons and neutrinos
D everything, period
the weakest fundamental force is the
A weak nuclear
B electric
C gravitational
D strong nuclear
the only fundamental force that is significant for distances on the order of the size of the universe is
A gravity
B magnetism
C nuclear
D weak
the force that holds a molecule together is
A nuclear
B electrical
C centrifugal
D gravitational
in an equilibrium situation
A nothing is happening
B two counteracting processes cancel out
C any small change will immediately destroy the equilibrium
D no change is ever possible
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Philosophy
Olbers' paradox assumes that the universe
A is completely filled with light
B has always been the way it is now
C is infinitely old and infinitely large
D is finite in at least one aspect
which of the following could help to explain Olbers' paradox
A the leaky photon theory
B expansion of the universe
C finite age of the universe
D all of these
if the light of a star was visible in every single direction, then
A Olbers' paradox would be wrong
B the sky would by exceedingly bright
C the age of the universe would be finite
D stars would have to be very close to each other
Olbers' paradox is
A correct as stated
B confirmed by observation
C inconsistent with a dark night sky
D correct only in the early universe
Olbers' paradox assumes
A a finite universe with an infinite amount of matter
B an infinite universe with an infinite amount on matter
C an infinite universe with a finite amount of matter
D a finite universe with a finite amount of matter
Olbers' paradox assumes that
A the universe is infinite
B the universe is finite
C the universe is very old
D the universe is static
which of these are important aspects of a scientific model?
A it is testable by observations.
B it is aesthetically pleasing by the standards of the time.
C it uses physical ideas to explain phenomena.
D it contains geometrical elements.
E all of the above.
an object in the universe is said to be real only when
A its properties can be predicted
B phenomena associated with it, such as light waves, can be detected
C it can be explained
D it can be directly experienced by man
which of the following is not a criterion for a good scientific theory?
A a theory should be aesthetically pleasing.
B a theory should be agreed upon by all knowledgeable scientists.
C it should be possible to prove the theory wrong.
D a theory should fit present data.
E none of the above is correct. all are criteria for a good theory.
which of the following is not generally considered a step in the "scientific method"?
A gathering of observations
B construction of a theory to explain the observations
C testing of the theory by further experiment
D publishing of the results in a reputable scientific journal
a basic assumption of all astronomy is that
A all objects in the universe are detectable
B Einstein's theory of relativity is correct
C Hubble's law applies to all objects
D all laws of nature apply uniformly throughout the universe
in order for a prediction to lend weight to a theory it must first be observed to be correct
A after the prediction has been made
B before the prediction is made
C by the same person who made the prediction
D at non-relativistic speeds
a basic assumption of all science is that
A all laws of nature are relative
B the laws of nature are unique because of the location of the Earth
C the idea of a law of nature has no meaning
D all laws of nature as discovered on the Earth apply throughout the universe
the assumptions of a new theory must be
A derivable from previous theories
B expressible in a mathematical formula
C consistent with previous observations
D predictions for future observations
in what ways can observations affect scientific models?
A they can confirm or refute predictions of models.
B they can directly observe elements of the model.
C they have very little effect on models today.
D they have no connection with the development of models.
which of the following is not a part of the modern science of astronomy?
A the study of the evolution of stars.
B the study of the effects of stars and planets on the lives of people.
C the study of the characteristics of planets.
D the study of the evolution of the universe.
a basic assumption underlying all astronomy is
A the uniformity of nature
B that the universe is ageless
C only stars can emit light
D quasars obey Hubble's law
in scientific circles, the word theory is understood to mean
A an opinion held by a scientist who is famous
B an elaborate piece of speculation
C a guess which seems reasonable to many scientists
D a satisfying explanation that exposes connections between seemingly unconnected facts
before a model is accepted one must
A prove its assumptions
B derive it from existing laws of nature
C confirm its predictions
D have it approved by leading scientists
most astronomical observations
A can be tested by direct experimentation
B can be analyzed only by analogy to events observed in the laboratory
C can only rarely be understood in terms of events observed in the laboratory
D are beyond our ability to understand regardless of how much we study events in the
laboratory
scientific models are
A approximate explanations of events
B exact laws of nature
C only very rarely accurate enough to be useful, even for simple events
D usually only loosely related to events in the real world
a scientific model is
A a collection of well documented facts
B a proposed explanation of an observed quantity or effect
C an absolutely true natural law
D a prediction of future events not based on past observations
science is a model building subject because
A scientists must build models to convince congress to fund their work
B models give us something to decorate our labs
C most of the things we study cannot be directly observed
D natural events are too complicated and erratic to understand directly
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