Physics 9 The Solar System Prof. D. Tytler

First Midterm, October 19 2000

Please use your code number, NOT NAME.

Always choose the answer which best answers the question.

Please use a soft pencil on a GREEN scantron. We will not re-grade scantrons.

Do not write on the scantron until you know the answer. If you make a change which is not completely erased the machine may not get the correct one. Be careful.

No hats covering your eyes: we must be able to see where you are looking.

You must cover up all answers, including scantrons, at all times. Scantrons must be turned face down when you are not entering an answer. Allowing others to see your answers will be considered cheating.

ANSWERS MAY NOT BE EXACT. CHOOSE THE BEST ONE.

  1. Jupiter rises above the horizon at 12:06am. When is it highest in the sky?
    1. 1am
    2. 6am – in 6 hours (1/4 day) the Earth rotates 90 degrees (1/4 of 360 degrees)
    3. noon
    4. 3pm
    5. 9pm
  2. Over which horizon does it rise?
    1. S
    2. N
    3. W
    4. E – the Earth rotates to the east, bringing objects into view from that direction
    5. South Horizon in North Hemisphere, North Horizon in South Hemisphere
  3. If we find sandstone on Mars, what would that imply?
    1. There is volcanic activity on the Martian surface
    2. Mars has tectonic plates
    3. Water once existed there – sandstone is a petrified sediment
    4. Mars frequently collides with comets and meteoroids
    5. Life on Mars
  4. How do we know the moon is closer to the Earth than is the sun?
    1. We see the moon eclipse the Sun, but not the reverse – moon blocks sun, so must be between Earth and Sun
    2. The moon appears much larger in the sky – not true, both are half a degree
    3. The moon orbits the Earth every 30 days, while the Sun orbits the Earth every 365 days
    4. The distance from the Earth to the Moon is less than the diameter of the Moon, so another object could not fit in between
    5. The Sun is closer than the Moon
  5. Which of the following lists, in the correct order, an element commonly found in or comprising: Gas, Ice, Rock, Metal
    1. H, He, Li, Be
    2. Ni, Fe, O, He
    3. He, N, Si, Fe
    4. Both a) and b)
    5. None of the above
  6. Which is younger; an igneous rock from the Earth or a meteorite?
    1. Meteorite, because they formed 1-2 million years ago when the asteroid belt was formed
    2. igneous rock, because the Earth’s surface is very young compared to solar system
    3. Igneous rocks are only formed on Mercury
    4. Cannot tell because meteorites burn up in the atmosphere
    5. They are of comparable ages
  7. The vast majority of meteors we find are made out of?
    1. Iron
    2. Stone
    3. Stone-Iron
    4. Gas compounds
    5. Ice

    The next three questions are all related. Nitrogen has 7 protons, neutrons, and electrons; Oxygen has 8 protons, neutrons, and electrons; Fluorine has 9 protons, neutrons and electrons. All ions have unequal numbers of protons and electrons.

  8. If I remove a neutron from the nucleus of an Oxygen atom, what have I produced?
    1. isotope of O – you have 8 protons (makes it O), 7 neutrons (makes it a light isotope), and 8 electrons (makes it neutrally, ie not, charged)
    2. ion of O
    3. isotope of F
    4. ion of N
    5. both b) and c)
  9. If I instead add an electron, what have I produced?
    1. isotope of N
    2. ion of O – 8 protons (O), 8 neutrons (normal O), 9 electrons (charge of –1 elementary charge, so ion)
    3. ion of N
    4. both a) and b)
    5. both a) and c)
  10. If I instead add a proton, what have I produced?
    1. isotope of N
    2. ion of O
    3. isotope of F
    4. ion of F
    5. both c) and d) – 9 protons (makes it F), 8 neutrons (makes it isotope, as normal F has 9 neutrons), 8 electrons (charge of +1 elementary charge, so it’s also an ion)
  11. Why do objects with different masses fall with the same acceleration?
    1. larger masses produce larger forces – the force of gravity experienced by a body is proportional, among other things, to it’s own mass; however, the force required to accelerate a body is also proportional to it’s mass
    2. The force of gravity does not depend on the object’s mass
    3. Kepler’s Second Law
    4. they always do fall at different rates
    5. only true near the Earth’s surface
  12. Which of the following BEST describes a wavelength of light that is part of the visible spectrum?
    1. The length of an aircraft carrier (1200 feet or 400 meters)
    2. The length of a football field (100 meters)
    3. The width of a human hair (0.1 millimeter)
    4. the size of a single transistor in a computer chip (400 nanometers) – visible spectrum is approximately 350-800 nanometers
    5. the size of a typical atom (0.1 nanometers)
  13. A beam of light from a distant star is passed through a prism. What happens?
    1. The beam fans out and forms a rainbow – this is how you create spectra
    2. The beam is absorbed
    3. The beam is reflected
    4. The entire beam is bent in one direction
    5. The beam goes straight ahead unaffected
  14. Which element comprises, by NUMBER, most of the ordinary matter in the universe?
    1. H
    2. Fe (Iron)
    3. He
    4. N
    5. O
  15. How does the sun generate energy?
    1. The sun slowly contracts, releasing energy
    2. The sun does not generate energy
    3. Chemical reactions that give off energy
    4. Fusing the nuclei of atoms
    5. Releasing heat made when it formed.
  16. What is the largest single body in the solar system?
    1. Jupiter
    2. The earth
    3. The Big Dipper
    4. The zodiac
    5. The sun
  17. Stars in a constellation are:
    1. All physically close to each other
    2. All in approximately the same direction away from the observer – if they’re all in approximately the same direction from the observer, they’ll appear close to each other when projected on the sky; in case this isn’t clear, imagine you’re at bat and the pitcher throws the ball toward you; the pitcher, the ball (and the center field bleachers) are all in the same general direction away from you, and they appear close on the TV; conversely, the first, second, and third basemen aren’t in the same direction and don’t appear close to each other on TV, tho they’re all at the same distance from you
    3. similar in color
    4. all moving in the same direction
    5. all similar ages
  18. How can we tell that the orbit of Venus is always inside that of the Earth?
    1. phases of Venus – Venus appears largest when it’s darkest and smallest when it’s brightest
    2. the Sun and Venus are never in the same region of the sky
    3. both a) and b)
    4. the Sun and Venus are never in opposite directions in the sky – in fact, they’re never more than 35 degrees apart, meaning the Earth never comes in between the Sun and Venus
    5. both a) and d)
  19. What is origin of the month?
    1. Historical accident
    2. period of the Earth rotating about it’s axis
    3. period of moon’s orbit about the Earth
    4. length of seasons
    5. period of Earth’s orbit about the Sun
  20. The star around which all others appear to rotate is called?
    1. the pole star
    2. the zodiac
    3. the ecliptic
    4. the center of mass
    5. Sirius
  21. Who is credited with the modern re-introduction of the heliocentric theory?
    1. Nicholas Copernicus
    2. Sir Isaac Newton
    3. Albert Einstein
    4. Stephen Hawking
    5. Claudius Ptolemy
  22. Which of the following equations or laws would you use to answer the following question: "If Earth were 4 AU from the sun, how long would a year be?"
    1. F= ma
    2. F=Gmm/r2
    3. P2 = a3
    4. Newton’s 3rd law
    5. Cannot be worked out.
  23. Fusion in the sun converts Hydrogen into?
    1. Oxygen
    2. Carbon
    3. Hydrogen
    4. Helium
    5. Iron
  24. What is the object in Figure A?
    1. Mercury
    2. Pluto
    3. Saturn
    4. Sun
    5. The constellation of the Big Dipper (Ursa Major)
  25. What is shown in Figure B?
    1. An asteroid shower
    2. Aurora Borealis
    3. eclipse
    4. a meteor shower
    5. a comet shower
  26. Which constellation is shown in Figure C?
    1. Orion
    2. Big Dipper
    3. Ecliptic
    4. Zodiac
    5. Polaris
  27. Which lunar position corresponds to the phase shown in Figure D, which depicts what an observer on the Earth sees?
    1. A
    2. B – the illuminated portion is on the right side of the Moon, so the Sun is also towards the right; moreover, most of the Moon is dark, so you’re almost behind it, meaning the Sun is in nearly the same direction as the Moon; position B is clearly the best answer
    3. C
    4. D
    5. E