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1 | |
In the picture below, if you watch a star from 10 PM until 4 AM, it will
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| | A) | move in a clockwise circle about Polaris. |
| | B) | move in a counterclockwise circle about Polaris. |
| | C) | move in a clockwise ellipse about Polaris. |
| | D) | move in a counterclockwise ellipse about Polaris. |
| | E) | not move. |
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2 | |
In order to account for the looping paths that planets appear to have in the night sky, Ptolemy said that planets must move in small circles about a point that travels |
| | A) | in a large circle about the earth. |
| | B) | in a large circle about the sun. |
| | C) | in a large ellipse about the earth. |
| | D) | in a large ellipse about the sun. |
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3 | |
Occam’s Razor says that if two theories predict the same physical phenomenon, |
| | A) | the most complicated one almost always turns out to be the correct one. |
| | B) | the simplest one almost always turns out to be the correct one. |
| | C) | any theory is as good as any other. |
| | D) | more theories are needed. |
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4 | |
The planet Venus is sometimes called the Morning Star or the Evening Star. This is because it only appears in the sky at sunrise or at sunset. Why is this? |
| | A) | The sun only illuminates Venus in the morning and the evening. |
| | B) | Venus is fairly dim because it is far away from the earth and we only notice it at these times. |
| | C) | Venus orbits closer to the sun than we do so that, when we look at it, we always have to look toward the sun. |
| | D) | None of these. |
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5 | |
Below is a sketch (not to scale, of course) of the sun and a planet. The planet’s elliptical orbit has been exaggerated. At which point does the planet travel fastest in its orbit?
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| | A) | A |
| | B) | B |
| | C) | C |
| | D) | D |
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6 | |
Below is a sketch of a planet with two artificial satellites in orbit around it. Which satellite has a shorter orbital period?
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| | A) | A has a shorter period. |
| | B) | B has a shorter period. |
| | C) | A and B both have the same period. |
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7 | |
If the earth’s orbit was farther from the sun than it is now, |
| | A) | our year would be longer. |
| | B) | our year would be shorter. |
| | C) | our day would be longer. |
| | D) | our day would be shorter. |
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8 | |
How is a spinning water balloon like the earth? |
| | A) | Both show the effects of tides. |
| | B) | Both tend to flatten down on the top and bottom, and bulge out along the sides due to the rotation. |
| | C) | Both have comparable densities. |
| | D) | All of the above. |
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9 | |
In the picture below, which point or points on the earth are at low tide?
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| | A) | 1 only |
| | B) | 3 only |
| | C) | 1 and 3 |
| | D) | 2 and 4 |
| | E) | 1, 2, 3 and 4 |
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10 | |
The reason the moon does not crash into the earth is that the |
| | A) | earth’s gravitational field is weak at the moon. |
| | B) | gravitational pull of other planets keeps the moon up. |
| | C) | moon’s velocity is just right to keep it in orbit. |
| | D) | the natural state of motion of an object is to travel in a circle. |
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