VERSION A

Write your name at the top of this quiz as well as on your answer sheet. WRITE YOUR VERSION ON YOUR ANSWER SHEET. Feel free to write or draw on the quiz.

Please put away all electronic devices. No calculators will be allowed for this quiz.

CHOOSE THE BEST ANSWER FOR EACH PROBLEM.

1. What is the correct order of the following types of light, in terms of their frequency, from SMALLEST to LARGEST?
a) Infrared, red, yellow, ultraviolet, gamma rays, X-rays.
b) Gamma rays, infrared, red, yellow, ultraviolet, X-rays.
c) Infrared, red, yellow, ultraviolet, X-rays, gamma rays.
d) X-rays, infrared, red, yellow, ultraviolet, gamma rays.
e) Infrared, red, yellow, gamma rays, X-rays, ultraviolet.

c) Infrared, red, yellow, ultraviolet, X-rays, gamma rays.

2. The distance from the Earth to the Sun is:
a) 1 parsec.
b) 1 light year.
c) 8.3 light minutes.
d) 64,000 Astronomical Units.
e) 3.26 light years.

c) 8.3 light minutes.

3. The mass of a positron is closest to that of:
a) a neutron.
b) an electron.
c) a proton.
d) a neutrino.
e) a photon.

b) an electron.

4. In the proton-proton chain sequence of nuclear reactions, during the step in which a deuterium nucleus is produced from two protons, what else is also produced?
a) a positron and a neutrino.
b) a positron and a neutron.
c) two neutrons.
d) two positrons.
e) nothing.

a) a positron and a neutrino.

5. Ionization is:
a) when an atom has lost an electron.
b) when an atom has fused with another atom.
c) when the nucleus of an atom has been split into two or more parts.
d) when an atom has gained a neutron.
e) when an electron in an atom has gained energy and jumped to a higher energy level.

a) when an atom has lost an electron.

6. The temperature 273 degrees Kelvin is equal to:
a) 0 degrees Fahrenheit.
b) 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
c) 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
d) 212 degrees Fahrenheit.
e) 273 degrees Fahrenheit.

b) 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

7. To a solar astronomer, a `granule' is:
a) a sub-atomic particle produced in the core of the Sun.
b) a unit of energy equal to 4.2 joules.
c) another name for a sunspot.
d) the top of a convective cell in the Sun.
e) the angular size of the Sun, as seen from Earth.

d) the top of a convective cell in the Sun.

8. Wien's Law states that:
a) the hotter an object, the brighter it is.
b) the faster an object is moving away from an observer, the more redshifted it is.
c) the hotter an object, the shorter the wavelength of the peak of the spectrum.
d) the more distant an object, the fainter it appears.
e) the larger a star, the more luminous the star is, for the same temperature.

c) the hotter an object, the shorter the wavelength of the peak of the spectrum.

9. The region in the Sun that lies just above the core is the:
a) convective zone.
b) radiative zone.
c) corona.
d) photosphere.
e) chromosphere.

b) radiative zone.

10. Which of the following is a unit of luminosity?
a) a joule.
b) a joule/second.
c) a calorie.
d) a meter/second.
e) a meter/second².

b) a joule/second.

11. Stellar parallax is:
a) a shift in the observed wavelength of light from a star due to the motion of the star towards or away from the observer.
b) a shift in the peak of the spectrum of an object due to an increase in temperature.
c) an increase in the luminosity of an object, due to an increase in temperature.
d) an apparent shift in the location of a nearby star relative to background stars, due to the orbit of the Earth around the Sun.
e) an increase in the frequency of the light from a star due to a decrease in wavelength.


d) an apparent shift in the location of a nearby star relative to background stars, due to the orbit of the Earth around the Sun.

12. When is a spectrum with light at MOST wavelengths, EXCEPT a few, produced? (that is, a rainbow with a few colors missing).
a) by a hot solid.
b) by a hot dense gas.
c) by a hot low density gas.
d) by a low density gas in front of a source of continuous light.
e) by the solid filament in a light bulb or a burner on a stove.

d) by a low density gas in front of a source of continuous light.

13. Star A has a photospheric temperature of 3000K, while Star B's photospheric temperature is 6,000K. The wavelength of the peak of the spectrum of Star A is therefore:
a) Two times that of Star B.
b) One half that of Star B.
c) The same as that of Star B.
d) Four times that of Star B.
e) One fourth that of Star B.

a) Two times that of Star B.

14. Using the periodic table on the wall, determine how many protons, neutrons, and electrons a neutral ¹⁸0 atom has.
a) 18 protons, 18 neutrons, 18 electrons.
b) 8 protons, 10 neutrons, 8 electrons.
c) 10 protons, 8 neutrons, 10 electron.
d) 8 protons, 8 neutrons, 10 electrons.
e) 8 protons, 8 neutrons, 8 electrons.

b) 8 protons, 10 neutrons, 8 electrons.

15. The visible spectrum of the Sun shows:
a) a continuous bright spectrum, crossed by many dark absorption lines.
b) a uniform continuous spectrum, with the same level of brightness at all wavelengths.
c) only a few bright emission lines.
d) only yellow light.
e) a perfect blackbody spectrum.

a) a continuous bright spectrum, crossed by many dark absorption lines.

16. The layer in the Sun which lies just below the photosphere is:
a) The core.
b) The convective zone.
c) The corona.
d) The chromosphere.
e) The radiative zone.

b) The convective zone.

17. Kinetic energy is:
a) energy carried by light.
b) energy produced when an electron and a positron collide.
c) energy of motion.
d) energy stored for future use.
e) all of the above.

c) energy of motion.

18. The least energetic type of photon is a:
a) radio photon.
b) UV photon.
c) gamma ray photon.
d) infrared photon.
e) visible light photon.

a) radio photon.

19. If a 100-Watt light bulb is moved from 10 meters away from an observer to 20 meters away, its luminosity:
a) increases by a factor of two.
b) decreases by a factor of four.
c) increases by a factor of 16.
d) stays the same.
e) decreases by a factor of two.

d) stays the same.

20. The strong force:
a) keeps the Earth in orbit around the Sun.
b) keeps the nuclei of atoms together.
c) keeps electrons bound to their atomic nuclei.
d) keeps the Moon in orbit around the Earth.
e) is also known as the gravitational force.

b) keeps the nuclei of atoms together.