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AST 2003 EXAM 1 (ch 1-3) QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH COMPLETE SOLUTIONS
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AST 2003 EXAM 1 (ch 1-3) QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH COMPLETE SOLUTIONS
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AST 2003 EXAM 1 (ch 1-3) QUESTIONS ANDANSWERS WITH COMPLETE SOLUTIONS
What is science? - ANSWER *a continuing process that
-seeks to understand the rules and laws of nature
-uses systematic observations
-uses mathematical models
-experimentally tests ideas
*subject to independent verification
What are the components of the scientific method? - ANSWER observe,
theorize, predict, test, and modify
What are the characteristics of a planet? - ANSWER •Orbits a star
•Massive enough to pull itself into a sphere
•shines by reflected (not emitted) light: doesn't produce energy via nuclear fusion
as stars do
•large enough to have cleared the area of any other objects in/near its orbit
What another name for the moon? - ANSWER satellite
What is a moon? - ANSWER An object that orbits a planet
What is an Asteroid? - ANSWER A relatively small and rocky object that orbits a
star.
,What is a comet? - ANSWER An icy/rocky object that orbits a star
What is a Solar (Star) System - ANSWER A star and all the material that orbits
it, including planets, moons, asteroids, and comets
What scale is our solar system on? - ANSWER Our Solar System on a 1-to-10
billion (10^10) scale
What is A.U.? - ANSWER Astronomical unit
What is an Astronomical unit (A.U.)? - ANSWER The A.U. is the average
distance between the Earth and Sun = the size of the Earth's orbit (radius).
How much is 1 A.U.? - ANSWER 1 A.U. = 93 million miles
1 A.U. = 150 million km
What is a Star? And how does it create light and heat? - ANSWER A large
glowing ball of gas that generates energy (light, heat) through nuclear fusion
What is the name of our nearest star? - ANSWER Alpha Centauri
If our sun was the size of a grapefruit and was located in Washington, DC, where
would our nearest star be located? - ANSWER Alpha Centauri in San Francisco
, What is a Light-year? - ANSWER The distance light travels in one year, moving
at 300,000 km/s
How long is a light-year? - ANSWER This is about 6 trillion miles (10 trillion km)
What is a light-year a unit of? - ANSWER A light-year is a unit of distance, like
miles or km, not a unit of time!
What galaxy are we located in? - ANSWER The Milky-way Galaxy
What is a galaxy? - ANSWER A great island of stars in space, all held together
by gravity and orbiting a common center
How big is the Milky Way? - ANSWER •Have to reduce scale by another 10
billion to 1-to-1019
•1 light-year = 1 mm
•Alpha Centauri = 4.4 mm from Sun
•Milky Way is 100 m across (football field)
How many stars are in the Milky-Way Galaxy? - ANSWER > 100 billion stars
How long would it take to count all the stars, 1 star a second? - ANSWER
Would take > 3000 years to count them at 1 star/second
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