AST 1002
Test 1, Spring 2008
1
QQ The energy associated with an object's motion, 
which depends on its mass and speed, is termed 
AA S 1 (1) kinetic energy
(2) potential energy
(3) radiative energy
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

2
QQ With uniform circular motion, the force acting to 
change the object's velocity is in general 
termed the 
AA S 1 (1) centripetal force
(2) gravitational force
(3) centrifugal force
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

3
QQ If two bodies with different masses experience 
exactly the same acceleration, which one is being 
acted on by the stronger force?
AA S 1 (1) the more massive
(2) the less massive
(3) [same force acts on both]
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

4
QQ If two planets have identical masses but different radii, 
which one will have a greater surface gravity?
AA S 1 (1) the smaller one
(2) the larger one
(3) [they'll be the same]
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

5
QQ The shape of an elliptical orbit is given by  
the orbit's 
AA S 1 (1) eccentricity
(2) semimajor axis
(3) inclination
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

6
QQ At perihelion a planet goes 
AA S 1 (1) fastest in its orbit around the Sun 
(2) slowest in its orbit around the Sun 
(3) at its average orbital speed
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

7
QQ Which of the following orbital shapes in the 
two-body problem is associated with positive 
total energy?
AA S 1 (1) hyperbola
(2) parabola
(3) ellipse
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

8
QQ Newton's revision of Kepler's Third Law (Harmonic Law) 
is used alone, without any additional equation, to 
determine which of the following?
AA S 1 (1) the sum of the masses
(2) the mass of each body by itself
(3) orbital period
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

9
QQ The tidal force due to the Moon at the point on the 
Earth directly underneath the Moon is directed 
AA S 1 (1) outwards from the Earth's center 
(2) inwards towards the Earth's center
(3) NVA
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

10
QQ The tides that occur when the Moon is at the new or 
full phase are called 
AA S 1 (1) spring tides
(2) neap tides
(3) flood tides
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

11
QQ Tidal friction in the Earth-Moon system causes 
AA S 1 (1) Earth's rotation to slow down and the Moon's orbit to 
expand
(2) Earth's rotation to speed up and the Moon's orbit to expand
(3) Earth's rotation to slow down and the Moon's orbit to shrink
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

12
QQ 23 The frequency of electromagnetic radiation is 
AA S 1 (1) the number of waves that pass a given point in one 
unit of time 
(2) the spacing between wave crests or troughs (i.e., 
peaks in the electric or magnetic field strengths) 
at a given instant of time
(3) the energy contained in one photon 
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

13
QQ Which of the following kinds of electromagnetic radiation 
has the highest energy?
AA S 1 (1) ultraviolet radiation
(2) radio waves 
(3) infrared radiation
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

14
QQ Which of the following colors of visible light has 
the shortest wavelength? 
AA S 1 (1) green
(2) yellow
(3) red
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

15
QQ An emission-line spectrum is one in which 
AA S 1 (1) the intensity is highest at a relatively 
few wavelengths and very low everywhere else 
(2) the intensity varies gradually from one 
wavelength to the next, without any sudden jumps
(3) the intensity varies gradually from one 
wavelength to the next except at relatively few 
wavelengths where it drops sharply and rises back 
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

16
QQ An example of a continuous-spectrum source is 
AA S 1 (1) an incandescent lamp bulb 
(2) the Sun (not just the interior, the whole 
thing)
(3) a "neon" sign 
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

17
QQ Temperature is a number that measures 
AA S 1 (1) the average kinetic energy of atoms/molecules
(2) the total kinetic energy of atoms/molecules
(3) the average mass of atoms/molecules
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

18
QQ The temperature scale that we use in describing 
thermal radiation is the  
AA S 1 (1) Kelvin scale 
(2) the Celsius or Centigrade scale
(3) the Fahrenheit scale 
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

19
QQ If the temperature of a thermal source increases, the 
wavelength at which it radiates most intensely will 
AA S 1 (1) decrease
(2) increase
(3) stay the same
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

20
QQ 33 As a thermal source's temperature increases from 
a low value the color of its visible light will shift 
from 
AA S 1 (1) red to white to blue
(2) blue to white to red
(3) blue to red to white
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

21
QQ In the case of the hydrogen atom (the simplest) 
the innermost possible orbit is the one associated 
with the 
AA S 1 (1) lowest energy level
(2) highest energy level
(3) second lowest energy level
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

22
QQ When an electron is moved from a lower energy 
level to a higher level, the term for that process 
is 
AA S 1 (1) excitation
(2) ionization 
(3) recombination 
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

23
QQ An emission line is produced when a large number of 
atoms of a given element in a certain ionization stage 
AA S 1 (1) have electrons moving from a particular energy 
level to a particular lower energy level
(2) have electrons moving from a particular energy level 
to a particular higher energy level
(3) are capturing free electrons into a particular energy 
level
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

24
QQ If the emission lines in the spectrum of a source 
are shifted to longer wavelengths the source has a 
AA S 1 (1) positive radial velocity 
(2) negative radial velocity
(3) positive space velocity
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

25
QQ The type of telescope that has a concave primary 
mirror as its light-collecting element is the 
AA 1 (1) reflector   (2) refractor  (3) NVA   
(4) NVA    (5) NVA

26
QQ The theoretical (diffraction-limited) resolution 
of a telescope 
AA S 1 (1) improves as the aperture increases
(2) gets worse as the aperture increases
(3) is independent of the aperture
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

27
QQ The instrument that is used on a telescope to 
spread out the light from a star into a spectrum 
and take a picture of it is called the 
AA S 1 (1) spectrograph
(2) photometer
(3) CCD camera
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

28
QQ Adaptive optics is a system for counteracting 
the effects of 
AA S 1 (1) atmospheric "seeing"
(2) light pollution
(3) extinction ("dimming") of light by the atmosphere
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

29
QQ The highest resolution in the radio part of the 
electromagnetic spectrum is obtained with 
AA S 1 (1) the very long baseline interferometer
(2) a very large single dish, as at Arecibo in 
Puerto Rico
(3) an interferometer array such as the VLA in 
New Mexico
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

30
QQ Which of the following is a terrestrial planet?
AA S 1 (1) Mars
(2) Neptune 
(3) Pluto
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

31
QQ Compared to jovian planets, terrestrial planets 
have 
AA S1 (1) slower rotation (longer rotation periods)
(2) lower mean density 
(3) more moons/satellites
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

32
QQ Because the separation between stars is so much 
greater than the stars' sizes, the probability of a 
very close encounter between a star and the Sun to 
create planets is extremely small.  For a long time 
this fact by itself implied that 
AA S 1 (1) planetary systems around stars should be 
rare and life exceedingly rare
(2) the close encounter or binary hypothesis cannot 
be correct
(3) the nebular hypothesis cannot be correct
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

33
QQ Which of the following would be classified as 
a refractory?
AA S 1 (1) rock 
(2) water
(3) helium
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

34
QQ The temperature gradient in the nebular disk 
was 
AA S 1 (1) negative; that is, decreasing from the 
inside out
(2) positive; that is, increasing from the inside 
out
(3) flat; that is, the same at all points
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

35
QQ Because of the condensation sequence and the 
temperature gradient in the nebular disk, 
AA S 1 (1) only refractories condensed inside the 
"frost line" and both volatiles and refractories 
outside it 
(2) only refractories condensed inside the "frost 
line" and only volatiles condensed outside it 
(3) only refractories and volatiles condensed 
inside the "frost line" and hydrogen and helium 
condensed outside it along with refractories and 
volatiles
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

36
QQ The process of nebular capture is 
AA S 1 (1) the gravitational trapping of gas 
from the nebular disk by icy jovian planetesimals
(2) the trapping of gases inside terrestrial planets
during their formation 
(3) the slowing down of passing asteroids by the 
nebular disks around jovian planets, resulting in 
their becoming moons or satellites
(4) NVA