Astronomy midterm 1

Scientific thinking is __________.

• based on everyday ideas of observation and trial-and-error experiments

  
  

• completely different from any other type of thinking

  
  

• a difficult process that only a handful of people can do well

  
  

• an ancient mode of thinking first invented in Egypt

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Which of the following is not consistent with the major hallmarks of science?

• Science progresses through the creation and testing of models that explain observation as simply as possible.

  
  

• Science consists of proven theories that are understood to be true explanations of reality.

  
  

• A scientific model must make testable predictions.

  
  

• Scientific explanations should be based solely on natural causes.

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In science, a broad idea that has been repeatedly verified so as to give scientists great confidence that it represents reality is called a _____.

• Ptolemaic model

• hypothesis

• paradigm

• theory

Which of the following is not true about a scientific theory?

• A theory must explain a wide range of observations or experiments.

  
  

• A theory is essentially an educated guess.

  
  

• Even the strongest theories can never be proved true beyond all doubt.

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Which of the following is not part of a good scientific theory?

• A scientific theory must make testable predictions that, if found to be incorrect, could lead to its own modification or demise

• A scientific theory must explain a wide variety of phenomena observed in the natural world.

• A scientific theory should be based on natural processes and should not invoke the supernatural or divine.

  
  

• A scientific theory cannot be accepted until it has been proven true beyond all doubt.

Only one of the statements that follow uses the term theory in its correct, scientific sense. Which one?

• I have a new theory about the cause of earthquakes, and I plan to start testing it soon.

• Evolution is only a theory, so there's no reason to think it really happened.

• Einstein's theory of relativity has been tested and verified thousands of times.

  
  

• I wrote a theory that is 152 pages long.

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Scientific models are used to __________.

• make specific predictions that can be tested through observations or experiments

• make miniature representations of the universe

• prove that past paradigms no longer hold true

• present the scale of the solar system to the general public

An astronomical unit (AU) is __________.

• the average distance between Earth and the Sun

• the current distance between Earth and the Sun

• the average distance between any planet and the Sun

• any very large unit, such as a light-year

An object is discovered in the solar system at a distance of 6AU from the Sun. Which statement best describes the distance of the object from the Sun?

• The object is 6 times further from the Sun than the Earth is.

• The object is 5 times further from the Sun than the Earth is.

• The object is 7 times further from the Sun than the Earth is.

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A light-year is __________.

• the time it takes light to travel around the Sun

• the time it takes light to reach the nearest star

• about 10 trillion kilometers

• about 300,000 kilometers per second