PHYS 1600 Final Exam UPDATED
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
All planets undergo retrograde motion as seen from Earth.
True
False - CORRECT ANSWER True
Which word, in the list below, goes in the space? The _____________ period of a planet is the time it
takes the planet to go from a position among the fixed stars back to the same position.
yearly
synodic
sidereal
monthly
daily - CORRECT ANSWER sidereal
The shape of a Mar's orbit around the Sun is best described as a(n):
ellipse
circle
hyperbola
parabola - CORRECT ANSWER ellipse
The figure is of a planetary orbit about the Sun (S). The speed of planet when at A is...
slower than anywhere else in the orbit.
faster than anywhere else in the orbit.
the same as anywhere else in the orbit.
the same as at E but different from that at B and D. - CORRECT ANSWER faster than
anywhere else in the orbit.
A planet closer to the Sun will have ...
...a longer year than a planet further from the Sun.
...a shorter year than a planet further from the Sun.
,...the same length of year as a planet further from the Sun. - CORRECT ANSWER ...a shorter
year than a planet further from the Sun.
The most serious flaw in the solar system model of Copernicus was
Earth was at the center of the system.
the orbits were circular rather than elliptical.
it failed to take precession into account.
it failed to take retrograde motion into account. - CORRECT ANSWER the orbits were circular
rather than elliptical.
The major contribution of Tycho Brahe to the development of modern astronomy was...
observe the phases of Venus.
measure planetary positions very accurately.
to use parallax to prove that the Earth moves around the Sun.
prove that planetary orbits are ellipses. - CORRECT ANSWER measure planetary positions
very accurately.
An object orbiting a star with an orbital eccentricity of e=0 has an orbit whose shape is...
a long, narrow ellipse
slightly elliptical, but almost circular
circular - CORRECT ANSWER circular
What did Galileo not observe with his new telescope?
phases of Venus
large moons of Jupiter
Uranus
sunspots - CORRECT ANSWER Uranus
If an astronaut landed on a planet of the same radius as the Earth but 4 times the mass, then the
astronaut's weight on the planet would be
the same as on Earth because weight is independent of location.
16 times her weight on the Earth.
,4 times her weight on the Earth.
twice her weight on the Earth. - CORRECT ANSWER 4 times her weight on the Earth.
The occasional westward (left to right) motion of planets across the celestial sphere is called:
retrograde rotation
retrograde revolution
retrograde motion
reverse motion - CORRECT ANSWER retrograde motion
When a planet is directly between the Earth and the Sun it is said to be in what configuration?
inferior conjunction
superior conjunction
elongation
opposition - CORRECT ANSWER inferior conjunction
The Earth, and all planets, move about the Sun in ___1____ orbits with the ___2___ at one focus and
____3___ at the other. Which choice of 1, 2, 3 below is correct?
parabolic, Sun, nothing
circular, Earth, Sun
circular, Sun, nothing
parabolic, Earth, Sun
elliptical, Sun, nothing - CORRECT ANSWER elliptical, Sun, nothing
The figure is of a planetary orbit about the Sun (S). At which point is the planet moving fastest?
A
B
C
D
E - CORRECT ANSWER A
, The planet Venus is closer to the Sun than the Earth. Which value below is the sidereal period of
Venus?
225 days
4.6 yr
1 yr - CORRECT ANSWER 225 days
What assumption made Copernicus' heliocentric cosmology no more accurate than geocentric
cosmology?
That the sidereal period is the true orbital period of any astronomical body.
That the synodic period is the time that elapses between successive identical configurations.
That Mars and Venus must be closer to the Sun than is the Earth.
That planets orbit the Sun along circular paths. - CORRECT ANSWER That planets orbit the
Sun along circular paths.
The person who compiled the large set of accurate observations of planetary positions that formed the
basis for proving that planets move in elliptical orbits around the Sun was
Ptolemy
Johannes Keppler
Nicolaus Copernicus
Tycho Brahe - CORRECT ANSWER Tycho Brahe
An object orbiting the Sun with an orbital eccentricity of 0.8 has an orbit whose shape is
a long, narrow ellipse.
circular, but with the Sun off-centre in the circle.
slightly elliptical, but almost circular. - CORRECT ANSWER a long, narrow ellipse.
Which observation of Venus through his new telescope convinced Galileo that it orbited around the
Sun and not the Earth?
He saw it move into eclipse behind the Sun during its orbital motion.
He noted that Venus always remained close to the Sun in the sky, simply moving from one side of the
Sun to the other over time.
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
All planets undergo retrograde motion as seen from Earth.
True
False - CORRECT ANSWER True
Which word, in the list below, goes in the space? The _____________ period of a planet is the time it
takes the planet to go from a position among the fixed stars back to the same position.
yearly
synodic
sidereal
monthly
daily - CORRECT ANSWER sidereal
The shape of a Mar's orbit around the Sun is best described as a(n):
ellipse
circle
hyperbola
parabola - CORRECT ANSWER ellipse
The figure is of a planetary orbit about the Sun (S). The speed of planet when at A is...
slower than anywhere else in the orbit.
faster than anywhere else in the orbit.
the same as anywhere else in the orbit.
the same as at E but different from that at B and D. - CORRECT ANSWER faster than
anywhere else in the orbit.
A planet closer to the Sun will have ...
...a longer year than a planet further from the Sun.
...a shorter year than a planet further from the Sun.
,...the same length of year as a planet further from the Sun. - CORRECT ANSWER ...a shorter
year than a planet further from the Sun.
The most serious flaw in the solar system model of Copernicus was
Earth was at the center of the system.
the orbits were circular rather than elliptical.
it failed to take precession into account.
it failed to take retrograde motion into account. - CORRECT ANSWER the orbits were circular
rather than elliptical.
The major contribution of Tycho Brahe to the development of modern astronomy was...
observe the phases of Venus.
measure planetary positions very accurately.
to use parallax to prove that the Earth moves around the Sun.
prove that planetary orbits are ellipses. - CORRECT ANSWER measure planetary positions
very accurately.
An object orbiting a star with an orbital eccentricity of e=0 has an orbit whose shape is...
a long, narrow ellipse
slightly elliptical, but almost circular
circular - CORRECT ANSWER circular
What did Galileo not observe with his new telescope?
phases of Venus
large moons of Jupiter
Uranus
sunspots - CORRECT ANSWER Uranus
If an astronaut landed on a planet of the same radius as the Earth but 4 times the mass, then the
astronaut's weight on the planet would be
the same as on Earth because weight is independent of location.
16 times her weight on the Earth.
,4 times her weight on the Earth.
twice her weight on the Earth. - CORRECT ANSWER 4 times her weight on the Earth.
The occasional westward (left to right) motion of planets across the celestial sphere is called:
retrograde rotation
retrograde revolution
retrograde motion
reverse motion - CORRECT ANSWER retrograde motion
When a planet is directly between the Earth and the Sun it is said to be in what configuration?
inferior conjunction
superior conjunction
elongation
opposition - CORRECT ANSWER inferior conjunction
The Earth, and all planets, move about the Sun in ___1____ orbits with the ___2___ at one focus and
____3___ at the other. Which choice of 1, 2, 3 below is correct?
parabolic, Sun, nothing
circular, Earth, Sun
circular, Sun, nothing
parabolic, Earth, Sun
elliptical, Sun, nothing - CORRECT ANSWER elliptical, Sun, nothing
The figure is of a planetary orbit about the Sun (S). At which point is the planet moving fastest?
A
B
C
D
E - CORRECT ANSWER A
, The planet Venus is closer to the Sun than the Earth. Which value below is the sidereal period of
Venus?
225 days
4.6 yr
1 yr - CORRECT ANSWER 225 days
What assumption made Copernicus' heliocentric cosmology no more accurate than geocentric
cosmology?
That the sidereal period is the true orbital period of any astronomical body.
That the synodic period is the time that elapses between successive identical configurations.
That Mars and Venus must be closer to the Sun than is the Earth.
That planets orbit the Sun along circular paths. - CORRECT ANSWER That planets orbit the
Sun along circular paths.
The person who compiled the large set of accurate observations of planetary positions that formed the
basis for proving that planets move in elliptical orbits around the Sun was
Ptolemy
Johannes Keppler
Nicolaus Copernicus
Tycho Brahe - CORRECT ANSWER Tycho Brahe
An object orbiting the Sun with an orbital eccentricity of 0.8 has an orbit whose shape is
a long, narrow ellipse.
circular, but with the Sun off-centre in the circle.
slightly elliptical, but almost circular. - CORRECT ANSWER a long, narrow ellipse.
Which observation of Venus through his new telescope convinced Galileo that it orbited around the
Sun and not the Earth?
He saw it move into eclipse behind the Sun during its orbital motion.
He noted that Venus always remained close to the Sun in the sky, simply moving from one side of the
Sun to the other over time.
