Science Questions

The spectra of most galaxies show redshifts. This means that their spectral lines _________.A. have wavelengths that are shorter than normalB. always are in the red part of the visible spectrumC. have wavelengths that are longer than normalD. have a higher intensity in the red part of the spectrum

When we say that jovian planets contain significant amounts of hydrogen compounds, we mean all the following chemicals except ______.A. waterB. carbon dioxideC. methaneD. ammonia

What do we mean when we talk about the Milky Way in our sky?A. The bright stars of the constellations that lie along the ecliptic in our sky.B. The spiral-shaped galaxy in which we live.C. The patchy band of light that outlines the plane of the Milky Way Galaxy as seen from Earth.D. The whitish patch of light we see when we look toward the center of the Milky Way Galaxy.

An atom that has fewer electrons than protons is called a/an _________.A. plasmaB. moleculeC. ionD. solid

Thermal radiation is defined as _________.A. radiation with a spectrum whose shape depends only on the temperature of the emitting objectB. radiation that is felt as heatC. radiation in the form of emission lines from an objectD. radiation produced by an extremely hot object

Suppose you look at a spectrum of visible light by looking through a prism or diffraction grating. How can you decide whether it is an emission line spectrum or an absorption line spectrum?A. The only way to decide is to make a graph of the intensity of the light at every wavelength, and then analyze the graph carefully.B. An emission line spectrum consists of bright lines on a dark background, while an absorption line spectrum consists of dark lines on a rainbow background.C. The emission line spectrum is produced by electrons jumping up in energy level, while the absorption line spectrum is produced by electrons jumping down in energy level.D. An emission line spectrum consists of a long bright line, while an absorption line spectrum consists of a long dark line.

Which of the following most clearly distinguishes asteroids and comets from planets?A. Unlike planets, asteroids and comets do not orbit the Sun.B. Asteroids and comets are only found at much greater distances from the Sun than planets.C. Asteroids and comets are much smaller than planets.D. Asteroids and comets are made of different materials than any planets.

Which of the following transitions within an atom is not possible?A. An electron begins in the ground state and then gains enough energy to become ionized.B. An electron begins in the ground state and then gains enough energy to jump to an excited state.C. An electron begins in an excited state and then gains enough energy to become ionized.D. An electron begins in an excited state and then gains enough energy to jump to the ground state.

You observe a distant galaxy. You find that a spectral line of hydrogen that is shifted from its normal location in the visible part of the spectrum into the infrared part of the spectrum. What can you conclude?A. The galaxy is moving towards you.B. The galaxy has very weak gravity.C. The galaxy is made purely of hydrogen.D. The galaxy is moving away from you.

Suppose you want to know the chemical composition of a distant star. Which piece of information is most useful to you?A. the peak energy of the star's thermal radiationB. the wavelengths of spectral lines in the star's spectrumC. whether the star's spectrum has more emission lines or more absorption linesD. the Doppler shift of the star's spectrum

The jovian planets in our solar system are:A. Mercury, Venus, Earth, and MarsB. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.C. Pluto and Eris.D. Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.

Which of the following statements does not use the term angular size or angular distance correctly?A. The angular distance between those two houses in the distance is 30 degrees.B. The angular size of the Sun is about the same as that of the Moon.C. You can use your outstretched hand against the sky to estimate angular sizes and angular distances.D.The angular distance between those two bright stars in the sky is about 2 meters.

Which of the following correctly describes the meridian in your local sky?A. A half-circle extending from your horizon due east, through the north celestial pole, to your horizon due westB. A half-circle extending from your horizon due north, through your zenith, to your horizon due southC. A half-circle extending from your horizon due east, through your zenith, to your horizon due westD. The point directly over your head

Consider an atom of carbon in which the nucleus contains 6 protons and 7 neutrons. What is its atomic number and atomic mass number?A. atomic number = 6; atomic mass number = 13B. atomic number = 13; atomic mass number = 6C. atomic number = 6; atomic mass number = 7D. atomic number = 7; atomic mass number = 13

Suppose you view the solar system from high above Earth's North Pole. Which of the following statements about planetary orbits will be true?A. The inner planets orbit the Sun clockwise while the outer planets orbit the Sun counterclockwise.B. The inner planets orbit the Sun counterclockwise while the outer planets orbit the Sun clockwise.C. All the planets orbit counterclockwise around the Sun.D. All the planets except Uranus orbit the Sun counterclockwise; Uranus orbits in the opposite direction.

Which forms of light are lower in energy and frequency than the light that our eyes can see?A. visible lightB. infrared and radioC. infrared and ultravioletD. ultraviolet and X rays

According to the laws of thermal radiation, hotter objects emit photons with _________.A. a lower average energyB. a higher average speedC. a shorter average wavelengthD. a lower average frequency

When considering light as made up of individual "pieces," each characterized by a particular amount of energy, the pieces are called _________.A. photonsB. gamma raysC. frequenciesD. wavicles

From shortest to longest wavelength, which of the following correctly orders the different categories of electromagnetic radiation?A. infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X rays, gamma rays, radioB. gamma rays, X rays, ultraviolet, visible light, infrared, radioC. gamma rays, X rays, visible light, ultraviolet, infrared, radioD. radio, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X rays, gamma rays

The terrestrial planets in our solar system are:A. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.B. Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.C. Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.D. Pluto and Eris.