Science Questions

What do we mean by the orbital energy of an orbiting object (such as a planet, moon, or satellite)?A. Orbital energy is a measure of the object's speed as it moves through its orbit.B. Orbital energy is the amount of energy required for the object to leave orbit and escape into space.C. Orbital energy is the sum of the object's kinetic energy and its gravitational potential energy as it moves through its orbit.D. Orbital energy is the object's kinetic energy as it moves through its orbit.

Radiative energy is _________.A. heat energyB. energy of motionC. energy from nuclear power plantsD. energy carried by light

Which of the following best describes how modern astronomers view astrology?A. Astrology is a synonym for astronomy.B. Astrology was a great idea until it was disprove by the work of Copernicus, Tycho, Kepler, and Galileo.C. Astrology is new age mumbo-jumbo that was a waste of time when it was invented thousands of years ago and remains a waste of time today.D. Astrology played an important part in the development of astronomy in ancient times, but it is not a science by modern standards.

What is the difference between energy and power?A. Power is measured in joules and energy is measured in watts.B. There's no difference: Energy and power are different names for the same thing.C. Power is the rate at which energy is used, so its units are a unit of energy divided by a unit of time.D. Power is used to describe energy of light, while the term energy has a broader meaning.

Scientific models are used to _________.A. make miniature representations of the universeB. prove that past paradigms no longer hold trueC. make specific predictions that can be tested through observations or experimentsD. present the scale of the solar system to the general public

According to the universal law of gravitation, if you triple the distance between two objects, then the gravitational force between them _________.A. increases by a factor of 9B. decreases by a factor of 9C. decreases by a factor of 3D. increases by a factor of 3

In which of the following cases would you feel weightless?A. While falling from a roofB. While accelerating downward in an elevatorC. While walking on the MoonD. While parachuting from an airplane

Visible light from a distant star can be spread into a spectrum by using a glass prism or ______.A. a telescopeB. adaptive opticsC. a flat glass mirrorD. a diffraction grating

Each choice below describes how a few astronomical phenomena are related to time periods. Which list is entirely correct? (Careful: some lists are partially correct.)A. Earth's rotation defines a day. The cycle of the Moon's phases takes about a week. Earth's orbit defines a year. Earth's cycle of axis precession defines a month.B. Earth's rotation defines a day. The Sun's rotation defines a week. The Moon's rotation defines a month. Earth's orbit defines a year.C. Earth's rotation defines a day. The cycle of the Moon's phases takes about a month. Earth's orbit defines a year. Earth's cycle of axis precession takes 26,000 years.D. Earth's rotation defines a day. The saros cycle of eclipses defines a month. Earth's orbit defines a year. Earth's cycle of axis precession takes 26,000 years.

What is the difference between a bound orbit and an unbound orbit around the Sun?A. An object on a bound orbit follows the same path around the Sun over and over, while an object on an unbound orbit approaches the Sun just once and then never returns.B. An object on a bound orbit has a gravitational attraction to the Sun, while an object on an unbound orbit does not.C. A bound orbit is an orbit allowed by the universal law of gravitation, and an unbound orbit is not.D. A bound orbit is circular, while an unbound orbit is elliptical.

Absolute zero is _________.A. 100° CelsiusB. 0 KelvinC. 0° CelsiusD. 0° Fahrenheit

n the formula E=mc2, what does E represent?A. The electric field produced by a chargeB. The mass-energy, or potential energy stored in an object's massC. The gravitational potential energy of an object held above the groundD. The radiative energy carried by lightE. The kinetic energy of a moving object

What was the Ptolemaic model?A. An Earth-centered model of planetary motion published by PtolemyB. The Earth-centered model of the cosmos in which the Earth was surrounded by seven perfect spheres, one each for the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and SaturnC. The first scientific model to successfully predict solar and lunar eclipsesD. A Sun-centered model of planetary motion published by Ptolemy

Which of the following statements is not one of Newton's Laws of Motion?A. What goes up must come down.B. The rate of change of momentum of an object is equal to the net force applied to the object.C. In the absence of a net force acting upon it, an object moves with constant velocity.D. For any force, there always is an equal and opposite reaction force.

Suppose that two objects collide. Which of the following things is not the same both before and after the collision?A. The total temperature of the objectsB. The total momentum of the objectsC. The total angular momentum of the objectsD. The total energy of the objects

The energy attributed to an object by virtue of its motion is known as _________.A. kinetic energyB. radiative energyC. potential energyD. mass-energy

The difference between speed and velocity is that _________.A. velocity also includes a directionB. they are expressed in different unitsC. velocity is the same as acceleration but speed is differentD. velocity is calculated using a physics equation

Which of the following is not one of, nor a direct consequence of, Kepler's Laws?A. More distant planets orbit the Sun at slower speeds.B. As a planet moves around its orbit, it sweeps out equal areas in equal times.C. The force of attraction between any two objects decreases with the square of the distance between their centers.D. The orbit of each planet about the Sun is an ellipse with the Sun at one focus.E. A planet or comet in a noncircular orbit travels faster when it is nearer to the Sun and slower when it is farther from the Sun.

The point directly over your head is called _________.A. the North StarB. the zenithC. the north celestial poleD. the meridian

Which of the following best describes why we have seasons on Earth?A. Earth's elliptical orbit means we are closer to the Sun and therefore receive more intense sunlight at some times of year than at others.B. The varying speed of Earth in its orbit around the Sun gives us summer when we are moving fastest and winter when we are moving slowest.C. The tilt of Earth's axis causes the northern hemisphere to be closer to the Sun than the southern hemisphere in summer, and visa versa in winter.D.The tilt of Earth's axis causes different portions of the Earth to receive more or less direct sunlight at different times of year.