Version B

Chose the best answer.
Write your name at the top of this quiz as well as on your answer sheet, and hand them both in at the end of the quiz. WRITE YOUR VERSION ON YOUR ANSWER SHEET. Feel free to write or draw on the quiz.
Please put away all electronic devices.

CHOOSE THE BEST ANSWER FOR EACH PROBLEM.

1. Ptolemy is best-remembered for being:
a) A supporter of the heliocentric model of the Universe.
b) The author of the book `The Almagest'.
c) The first person to make a reasonably accurate estimate of the size of the Earth.
d) The first person to measure stellar parallax.
e) The first person to use a telescope for astronomical observations.

b) Writing the book `The Almagest'.

2. What is the shape of an ellipse which has an eccentricity of 1?
a) a perfect circle.
b) the long axis is twice as long as the short axis.
c) an ellipse that has been squished flat to a straight line.
d) the long axis is ten times as long as the short axis.
e) an ellipse in which the long axis is 1.10 times the short axis.

c) an ellipse that has been squished flat to a straight line.

3. Who is credited with the `modern' explanation of eclipses?
a) Newton.
b) Galileo.
c) Copernicus.
d) Anaxagoras.
e) Ptolemy.

d) Anaxagoras.

4. Which of the following is a unit of acceleration?
a) meters/second.
b) Newtons/second².
c) meters/second³.
d) feet/hour.
e) light years/century².

e) light years/century².

5. The figure on the right shows a planet's orbit around the Sun. When the planet is at position C, its speed is:
a) Faster than its speed at positions A, B, D, or E.
b) Faster than its speed at positions D and E, but slower than at A or B.
c) Faster than its speed at positions A and B, but slower than at D or E.
d) the same as at positions A, B, D, and E.
e) Slower than its speed at positions A, B, D, or E.

b) Faster than its speed at positions D and E, but slower than at A or B.

6. The asteroids named Ceres and Davida orbit the Sun at average distances of 2.77 A.U. and 3.19 A.U., respectively. Therefore:
a) Ceres' orbital period relative to the stars will be less than that of Davida.
b) Ceres' orbital period relative to the stars will be the same as that of Davida.
c) Ceres' orbital period relative to the stars will be larger than that of Davida.
d) Their orbital periods depend upon their masses, which are unknown.
e) They both have an orbital period of 1 year.

a) Ceres' orbital period relative to the stars will be less than that of Davida.

7. During which phase does Venus have its largest angular size on the sky?

a) In its crescent phase.
b) When the full disk is visible.
c) When half the face of Venus is lit up.
d) The angular size of Venus remains constant, independent of its phase.
e) Venus does not go through phases; it always looks like a full disk in the sky.

a) In its crescent phase.

8. In Kepler's equation P² = a³, what does the `a' represent?
a) The eccentricity of an ellipse.
b) The diameter of the Earth.
c) Acceleration.
d) The semi-major axis of a planetary orbit.
e) The angular size of the Sun.

d) The semi-major axis of a planetary orbit.

9. Both Hipparchus and Tycho Brahe:
a) Were supporters of the heliocentric model of the Universe.
b) Were observational astronomers.
c) Measured stellar parallax.
d) Thought that the Earth was flat.
e) Used telescopes to observe the moons of Jupiter.

b) Were observational astronomers.

10. If your weight is 150 pounds on the Earth, what would your weight be on the Moon?
a) 150 pounds.
b) 150/81 = 1.8 pounds.
c) 150/6 = 25 pounds.
d) 150 X 6 = 900 pounds.
e) 150/2 = 75 pounds.

c) 150/6 = 25 pounds.

11. Kepler is best known for:
a) Discovering the four largest moons of Jupiter.
b) Writing a book called `the Almagest'.
c) Using Tycho Brahe's data to calculate the shape and speed of the orbits of the planets.
d) Writing a book called `On the Revolution of the Celestial Sphere'.
e) Supporting a model of the Universe in which the Earth is stationary, the Sun orbits the Earth, and the other planets orbit the Sun.

c) Using Tycho Brahe's data to calculate the shape and speed of the orbits of the planets.

12. If the measured stellar parallax of a star is 10 arcseconds, what is its distance?
a) 10 light years.
b) 10 parsecs.
c) 10 A.U.
d) 0.1 light years.
e) 0.1 parsecs.

e) 0.1 parsecs.

13. If the distance between the Earth and the Sun decreases from 1 A.U. to 0.5 A.U., how would the gravitational force between them change?

a) It would stay the same.
b) It would increase by a factor of 2.
c) It would decrease by a factor of 2.
d) It would increase by a factor of 2² = 4.
e) It would decrease by a factor of 2² = 4.

d) It would increase by a factor of 2² = 4.

14. Who invented the astrolabe?
a) Newton.
b) Galileo.
c) Tycho Brahe.
d) Kepler.
e) None of the above.

e) None of the above.

15. Which of the following was NOT done by ancient Maya astronomers:

a) Calculated dates of possible solar and lunar eclipses.
b) Created tables of the motions of Venus.
c) Wrote books including lists of astronomical events.
d) Measured stellar parallax.
e) Created tables of the motions of Mars.

d) Measured stellar parallax.

16. In the British system of units, what is a slug?
a) a unit of velocity.
b) a unit of acceleration.
c) a unit of speed.
d) a unit of force.
e) a unit of mass.

e) a unit of mass.

17. Galileo is NOT credited with:

a) Being the first person to suggest a heliocentric Universe.
b) Observing sunspots.
c) Being the first person to observe the phases of Venus.
d) Discovering the moons of Jupiter.
e) Observing the Milky Way with a telescope.

a) Being the first person to suggest a heliocentric Universe.

18. Newton's Third Law of Motion can be stated as:
a) F = MA.
b) P² = a³.
c) For every force, there is an equal and opposite force.
d) The Law of Inertia.
e) An object at rest remains at rest; An object in motion remains in motion, unless acted upon by a force.

c) For every force, there is an equal and opposite force.

19. Which of the following scientists was the first known to have proposed a model of the Universe in which the Earth orbits the Sun?

a) Copernicus.
b) Galileo.
c) Aristotle.
d) Aristarchus.
e) Ptolemy.

d) Aristarchus.

20. The Earth is 81 times more massive than the Moon. How does the acceleration of the Earth due to the Moon's gravitational pull compare with the acceleration of the Moon due to the Earth's gravitational pull?
a) the acceleration of the Earth is 81 times smaller.
b) the acceleration of the Moon is 81 times smaller.
c) the acceleration of the Earth is 81² = 6561 times smaller.
d) the acceleration of the Earth is 81² = 6561 times larger.
e) the two accelerations are the same.

a) the acceleration of the Earth is 81 times smaller.