Astron 2b03

Astronomy / Origins 2B03 Practice Midterm Questions 1. Our solar system is located in the a) Milky Way's galactic halo b) Milky Way's central bulge c) Milky Way's galactic disk d) space between the Milky Way and its neighbouring galaxies e) none of the above 2. What happens when you shine a laser beam horizontally across a room? ) the light would be deflected upwards slightly b) the presence of the gravitational field makes the light move slightly faster c) light travels a perfectly straight path d) the path of the light is curved downward very slightly e) none of the above 3. The terrestrial planets are a) Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars b) Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune c) Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto d) Venus, Earth, and Mars e) none of the above combinations 4. From lowest energy to highest energy, which of the following correctly orders the different categories of electromagnetic radiation? a) gamma rays, X rays, visible light, ultraviolet, infrared, radio b) visible light, infrared, X rays, ultraviolet, gamma rays, radio c) radio, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X rays, gamma rays d) infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X rays, gamma rays, radio e) radio, X rays, visible light, ultraviolet, infrared, gamma rays 5. Evidence of the expansion of the universe is shown by a) the Einstein Cross b) the 4. billion year age of the Earth c) the abundances of the elements in stars d) the redshifts of distant galaxies e) time dilation 6. Suppose we look at two distant galaxies: Galaxy 1 is twice as far away as Galaxy 2. In that case, a) Galaxy 1 must be twice as big as Galaxy 2 b) we are seeing Galaxy 1 as it looked at an earlier time in the history of the universe than Galaxy 2 c) we are seeing Galaxy 1 as it looked at a later time in the his tory of the universe than Galaxy 2 d) Galaxy 2 must be twice as old as Galaxy 1. ) none of the above 7. A black hole and a normal star have the same mass. They each have an Earth-sized planet orbiting them at the same distance as the Earth is from the Sun. a) the black hole pulls harder on its planet than the normal star does b) the two planets feel identical pulls c) the normal star pulls harder on its planet than the black hole does d) the planet is sucked into the black hole e) none of the above statements are correct 8. Which of the following is not part of the official International Astronomical Union definition of a planet? A planet †¦ a) is close to round in shape b) is a satellite c) is in orbit around the Sun d) has â€Å"cleared the neighbourhood† around its orbit e) none of the above 9. We can determine the distance to a galaxy that contains Cepheid variable stars by using a) the period-colour relation b) the mass-luminosity relation c) the mass-radius relation d) the period-luminosity relation e) none of the above 10. Ann sees Bob travel by her in a very fast spaceship a) Ann observes Bob’s clock to be running slowly and Bob observes Ann’s clock to be running slowly b) Ann observes Bob’s clock to be running slowly and Bob observes Ann’s clock to be running fast c) Ann observes Bob’s clock to be running fast and Bob observes Ann’s clock to be running slowly d) Ann observes Bob’s clock to be running fast and Bob observes Ann’s clock to be running fast e) something else 11. Which space time diagram(s) violate special relativity? a) ii b) ii and iv c) iv and v d) i and iii e) iii and v