Astronomy uses principles from many disciplines (including math). However, the math level in AST 1002 is minimal (elementary algebra — i.e., simple equations and graphs). In addition, no more than 15% of an exam requires calculations
Most questions in this class that require math calculations need only simple arithmetic. Also these problems usually only require an estimate of the answer. Hence, you can use approximate calculations to find the answer. (Often the answer is "rounded.") In fact, calculators are not permitted on exams. So learn to do questions without calculators!
Here is an example mutliple-choice question that shows how to arrive at the answer quickly and simply.
Question The Earth-Moon distance is about 384,000 kilometers. At 110 km/hr (about 70 mph), how many hours does it take to travel this far?
(1) 4 (2) 40 (3) 400 (4) 4,000 (5) 40,000Solution
Notice that the five possible answers are very different from one another. So it's OK to approximate as follows:
| Time | = distance ÷ rate |  |
| = 384,000 km ÷ 110 km/hr | ||
| = 400,000 km ÷ 100 km/hr (approx.) | ||
| = 4,000 hours (approx.) or about 145 days! |
Answer (4)
