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Astro 150 F 24 Trivia 1

Total questions: 18

Worksheet time: 12mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What does an Astronomical Unit (a.u.) measure?

a)

The distance light travels in a year

b)

The mean distance between Earth and Moon

c)

The mean distance between Earth and Sun

d)

About 10,000 Kilometers

2.

From smallest to largest size, which is the correct order?

a)

Solar System, Galaxy, Local Group, Universe

b)

Solar System, Local Group, Galaxy, Universe

c)

Local Group, Solar System, Galaxy, Universe

d)

Universe, Solar System, Galaxy, Local Group

3.

What is a light-year?

a)

The amount of time relative to the speed of light

b)

The distance light travels in one year

c)

The amount of time light takes to travel from the sun to the earth

d)

A popular character from the Toy Story movies

4.

Approximately how far away is the closest star to the sun, Proxima Centauri?

a)

5 light-years

b)

50 light-years

c)

500 light-years

d)

5000 light-years

5.

Approximately how far away is the nearest galaxy, Andromeda?

a)

2.5 light-years

b)

250 light-years

c)

25,000 light-years

d)

2.5 million light-years

6.

Approximately how many times larger is the Sun's diameter compared to the Earth's diameter?

a)

100 times larger

b)

10000 times larger

c)

A million times larger

d)

10 million times larger

7.

An alien 10 billion light-years away looks in a telescope pointed towards the earth. What would the alien see?

a)

Humans and cities

b)

Dinosaurs

c)

The beginning of life on earth

d)

The alien cannot see the earth yet

8.

Which of the following is FALSE?

a)

The speed of light is the fastest speed in the universe

b)

There are more stars in the universe than all the grains of sand on earth

c)

We are very close to the center of our galaxy

d)

The only stars we see at night are from our Milkyway galaxy

9.

THE SUN JUST EXPLODED! What happens on earth immediately after?

a)

The earth becomes pitch black

b)

Nothing until 8.3 minutes

c)

The sky lights up from the explosion

d)

The earth is launched out of orbit

10.

Results from a scientific experiment should be...

a)

Free of errors

b)

Reproducible

c)

Found with the latest equipment

d)

Validated by experts before publication

11.

Modern science says our understanding of the Universe is driven by...

a)

Empirical evidence

b)

Philosophical thought

c)

Mathematical rigor

d)

What answer "feels right"

12.

What do ancient and modern science most frequently have in common?

a)

Use of empirical evidence

b)

Rigorous experimentation

c)

Experiments were only done by the well-educated

d)

Investigating and theorizing about the natural world

13.

What was the Copernican Revolution?

a)

The change in finding truth through philosophical thought to empirical evidence

b)

A failed attempt by Copernicus to overthrow the Polish government

c)

The change of using a geocentric solar system model to heliocentric one

d)

A proposed change in the name of the year upon adopting a heliocentric model

14.

What is Occam's Razor?

a)

A favorite shaving implement of philosophers

b)

A statement that the most rigorously determined explanation is most likely

c)

A statement that all scientific fact must be vetted by experts

d)

A statement that the simplest explanation is the most likely

15.

What did the Ptolemaic and Copernican solar system models have in common?

a)

The Earth was at the center

b)

The Sun was at the center

c)

They both had epicycles

d)

They both had circular orbits

16.

What were epicycles and why did the Ptolemaic model have them?

a)

Occasional reverse-motion orbits; to explain retrograde loops

b)

Occasional reverse-motion orbits; to explain why eclipses happen

c)

Orbits upon other orbits; to explain retrograde loops

d)

Orbits upon other orbits; to explain why eclipses happen

17.

What are retrograde loops?

a)

Orbits going the opposite direction of the rest of the solar systems' orbits

b)

Occasional reverse-motion paths of the planets as seen on the sky

c)

When stars look like they move in a loop rather than a line

d)

An orbit superimposed on another orbit

18.

A hammer and a feather dropped at the same time from the same height on the moon hit the ground at the same time, but the hammer lands first when this experiment is repeated on Earth. Why?

a)

Gravity is stronger on Earth

b)

The feather the astronaut used on the moon was heavy enough to fall fast

c)

There's no air resistance on the moon

d)

The hammer the astronaut used on the moon was light enough to fall slowly