Module 2 Homework Assignment
Quiz Instructions
Answer 20 multiple-choice questions and has no timer.
Question 1
Which of the following statements about electromagnetic radiation is FALSE?
Group of answer choices
it is given off by all objects that are not at a temperature of absolute zero
it always spreads out at the speed of light
different waves of electromagnetic radiation differ in their wavelength or frequency
the radiation consists of tiny charged particles given off by the nuclei of atoms
it is typically produced when charged particles oscillate
Question 2
An astronomer discovers a new star and wants to measure its temperature. She would typically do this by:
Group of answer choices
measuring the Doppler shift of its spectral lines
making a blackbody curve and finding the wavelength of the peak (maximum)
sending a graduate student with a very long (and durable) thermometer to the star’s vicinity
measuring how much light the star reflects
measuring the intensity of radio waves the star gives off
Question 3
Why is an absorption spectrum especially useful for astronomers?
Group of answer choices
It has dark lines in it that allow astronomers to determine what elements are in the star
An absorption spectrum is not useful to astronomers at all. When they see one, it means they cannot learn anything about the stars that produced the annoying absorption.
It shows that the stars are transparent; we can see right through them
It has bright lines in it which allow astronomers to determine how bright the star is
It helped astronomers to understand the rainbows we see on Earth after storms
Question 4
In 1911 Ernest Rutherford did a famous experiment using fast-moving alpha particles as bullets and very thin gold foil as a target. The results of this experiment showed that:
Group of answer choices
that alpha particles were neutral (demonstrating the existence of neutrons)
the negative and positive charges were all spread out throughout the volume of each atom
it was far better to use cheaper materials than gold for physics experiments
that the nucleus of an atom was tiny compared to the size of the whole atom
that the absorption spectrum of gold atoms had more lines than scientists could explain
Question 5
When a star or galaxy is moving away from us, we observe the Doppler effect by seeing the lines in its spectrum
Group of answer choices
become darker and darker (like a blackbody)
you can’t fool me, the Doppler effect only applies to motions on Earth, not to the motions of the stars and galaxies
blue-shifted (shifted toward the blue or violet end of the light spectrum)
yellow-shifted (shifted so all the colors become a little bit yellower)
red-shifted (shifted toward the red end of the light spectrum)
Question 6
When a knowledgeable amateur astronomer tells you that she has a 14-inch telescope, what does the number 14 refer to?
Group of answer choices
the diameter of the primary lens or mirror
the length of the eyepiece tube
the number of times the image is magnified (how much bigger it looks)
the length of the main telescope tube
the focal length
Question 7
A new technique called adaptive optics allows astronomers to:
Group of answer choices
change the region of the electro-magnetic spectrum in which their telescope is able to detect radiation
compensate for changes in the Earth’s atmosphere and achieve better resolution
increase the aperture of their telescopes by connecting several telescopes
use the observatory shop to make better eye-glasses for their graduate students
change the eyepieces of their telescopes much more quickly than ever before
Question 8
An astronomer who is observing visible light from a glowing cloud of gas in space uses an instrument which contains a grating with thousands of grooves on its surface. What will this instrument allow our astronomer to do?
Group of answer choices
observe radio waves from the cloud at the same time as visible light
turn a reflector into a refractor
spread out the light from the cloud into a spectrum
take photos with much higher resolution
listen to rock and roll music from the 1960’s
Question 9
Our textbook discusses that radio astronomers are building more and more arrays of radio telescopes, where many “dishes” are connected together. What advantage do such arrays have?
Group of answer choices
they provide a higher resolution than individual dishes
they can be built on flat ground, while individual dishes have to built on very tall mountains
None of these answers.
they can allow us to split the radio waves into a spectrum, which individual dishes can’t
they can look through clouds in the Earth’s atmosphere, which individual dishes can’t do
Question 10
When the James Webb Space Telescope is finally launched, what will be its distinguishing characteristic (what about it will really help astronomers)?
Group of answer choices
it will observe gamma-rays from the most energetic events in the universe
it will have the largest mirror ever put into space for observing faint objects
it will be in low Earth orbit, and thus easy for astronauts to repair
it will allow us to take pictures with the same resolution as a radio dish
it will be the same size and design as the Hubble Space Telescope, which is wearing out
Question 11
All the planets (without exception)
Group of answer choices
have solid surfaces
have satellites orbiting around them
rotate on their axes in the same direction that they revolve around the Sun
have atmospheres much thicker than Earth’s
revolve around the Sun in the same direction
Question 12
In the four terrestrial planets, the densest, heaviest materials are at the center and not evenly distributed throughout the planet. Scientists interpret this observation to mean that:
Group of answer choices
the four terrestrial planets must once have been hot enough to be molten (like a liquid)
the four terrestrial planets must once have been inside the Sun
None of these answers.
the four terrestrial planets must have collided with each other many times
the four terrestrial planets must have formed where Jupiter and Saturn now are
Question 13
What is one way that astronomers have actually gotten an idea of the age of the surfaces of terrestrial planets other than the Earth?
Group of answer choices
looking at the colors different surfaces show
bringing back samples and run radioactive dating tests
measuring the thickness of the atmosphere above each surface
counting craters
looking in the instruction manual that comes with each planet
Question 14
One piece of evidence that can help astronomers sort out how the planets in our solar system formed is
Group of answer choices
counting the craters on the surface of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune
counting the number of moons around each planet in our own solar system
discovering other galaxies of stars beyond the Milky Way
finding circumstellar disks of material around nearby stars
measuring variations in the amount of snowfall in northern Canada during this century
Question 15
The inner planets are made mostly of rock and metal because:
Group of answer choices
this is an unsolved problem in astronomy
the Sun is made mostly of rock and metal and the inner planets are closest to the Sun
Jupiter’s large gravity immediately attracted all the lighter materials, and so there were few light atoms left by the time the inner planets were ready to form
lighter materials cannot orbit the Sun; they would fall in immediately
it was so hot where the inner planets formed that the lighter materials evaporated
Question 16
If no one has ever visited the core of the Earth, how do we know that it is made of metals?
Group of answer choices
you can’t fool me; there is NO evidence that the Earth’s core has metals
circulating liquid metals in the core set up a large (measurable) magnetic field
core material seeps up through volcanoes in the crust
the amount of radioactivity shows metals must be present; only metals are radioactive
spectroscopy allows us to tell what the core is made of by analyzing the light we receive
Question 17
The Van Allen belt is
Group of answer choices
a region where industrial pollution has made a smoggy layer in the atmosphere
a zone of small orbiting meteorites high above the Earth, which fall down from time to time
a piece of clothing worn by astronomers after they get their PhD’s
a region where the ultraviolet light from the Sun is blocked from getting further down
a region of trapped charged particles in the Earth’s magnetosphere
Question 18
Earthquake producing faults are much more likely to be found
Group of answer choices
where the Earth’s magnetic field touches the planet’s surface
on the boundaries of continental plates, where they meet other plates
in smooth continental desert areas
you can’t fool me, such faults are equally likely anywhere on the Earth’s crust
in the southern hemisphere of the Earth, where there is more water
Question 19
An increase in the Earth’s temperature by several degrees Celsius would result in:
Group of answer choices
the Moon coming closer to the Earth
an increase in the Earth’s magnetism, increasing the size of the VanAllen belts
a new ice age
the melting of many glaciers, a rise in sea levels, and more flooding of towns near the coasts of the continents
a huge increase in the rate of motion of the continental plates and far more earthquakes
Question 20
In 1980, scientists suggested that the great mass extinction of 65 million years ago (which ended the reign of dinosaurs) may have been caused by a large impact from space. What discovery gives a big boost to this idea?
Group of answer choices
the discovery of enormous trenches on the ocean floor
the discovery of a crater (about a mile across) near Flagstaff, Arizona
the discovery of a buried crater (about 200 km across) near Chicxulub, Mexico
the discovery of volcanoes on a moon of Jupiter’s
the discovery of some possible traces of life in a meteorite from Mars
