EAPS 105 EXAM QUESTIONS WITH
COMPLETE SOLUTIONS
How much of the solar system's mass resides in the Sun? - Answer-99.86%
What is an astronomical unit (AU)? - Answer-1 AU = the distance from the Sun to the
Earth (150 million km)
Mercury distance from Sun - Answer-0.39 AU
Venus distance from Sun - Answer-0.72 AU
Mars distance from Sun - Answer-1.5 AU
Asteroid belt distance from Sun - Answer-2-3.5 AU
Jupiter distance from Sun - Answer-5 AU
Saturn distance from Sun - Answer-10 AU
Uranus distance from Sun - Answer-19 AU
Neptune distance from Sun - Answer-30 AU
Pluto distance from Sun - Answer-30-50 AU
The five stages of the Solar Nebula Hypothesis in the correct order - Answer-dense
cloud, accretion disk, stellar system, mass log, and diffuse cloud
Where were the first helium atoms originated? - Answer-3 minutes after the Big Bang
What is the difference between hydrogen ions (H+) and molecular hydrogen (H2)? -
Answer-Hydrogen ions are hot and glow, while molecular hydrogen is cool and dark
What is the heaviest element that can be fused (created) in the core of a low-mass star
like our Sun? - Answer-Helium
What are the two forces that maintain balance within a star? - Answer-Gravity collapses
the star and fusion in the core creates outward pressure that expands the star
What are red giants? - Answer-Large dying stars that emit a lot of energy but have low
surface temperature
, What is the fate of our Sun? - Answer-The core will eventually shrink into a white dwarf
(mass of the Sun in the volume of the Earth). The rise in pressure on the outer layers
during the process causes them to vent non-explosively into space (outgassing).
What are planetary nebula? - Answer-Relatively small gas clouds of ionized hydrogen
(H+) (which is why they glow) with low mass elements like carbon and oxygen.
What is the relative lifespan of stars as a function of mass? - Answer-1 million years and
40 times the mass of the Sun
What is the heaviest element that can be fused (created) in the core of a high-mass
star? - Answer-Iron
Where do low mass stars acquire their heaviest elements? - Answer-They don't, they
inherited them from previous supernovas
What is the difference between emission and molecular nebula? - Answer-Only
emission nebulas produce light, only molecular clouds give birth to stars, emission
nebulas contain H+ ions while moleculars clouds contain H2
What is the likelihood of multiple star solar systems? - Answer-Half of all solar system
contain at least two stars
What is the principle of the conservation of angular momentum and its main
consequences? - Answer-If a rotating body contracts, it will spin faster.
What are the factors that contribute to the collapse of nebulas into spinning accretion
disks? - Answer-Collisions between gas and dust molecules serves to cancel up and
down motions relative to the spin axis
How are planetesimals form? - Answer-Coagulation of dust grains through electrostatic
attraction forms planetesimals up to 10s of km.
What are chondrules? - Answer-Little balls of minerals that cooled into little spheres in a
low gravity environment. They are the smallest building blocks of asteroids and the
planets.
Where do most meteorites originate from? - Answer-Fragments of asteroids, the ancient
building blocks of the planets
The basic characteristics of chondritic meteorites - Answer-Meteorites with chondrules
in a matrix of dust
What it means for an asteroids or a planet to be differentiated - Answer-a differentiated
asteroid contains a core of iron surrounded by a mantle of rock
COMPLETE SOLUTIONS
How much of the solar system's mass resides in the Sun? - Answer-99.86%
What is an astronomical unit (AU)? - Answer-1 AU = the distance from the Sun to the
Earth (150 million km)
Mercury distance from Sun - Answer-0.39 AU
Venus distance from Sun - Answer-0.72 AU
Mars distance from Sun - Answer-1.5 AU
Asteroid belt distance from Sun - Answer-2-3.5 AU
Jupiter distance from Sun - Answer-5 AU
Saturn distance from Sun - Answer-10 AU
Uranus distance from Sun - Answer-19 AU
Neptune distance from Sun - Answer-30 AU
Pluto distance from Sun - Answer-30-50 AU
The five stages of the Solar Nebula Hypothesis in the correct order - Answer-dense
cloud, accretion disk, stellar system, mass log, and diffuse cloud
Where were the first helium atoms originated? - Answer-3 minutes after the Big Bang
What is the difference between hydrogen ions (H+) and molecular hydrogen (H2)? -
Answer-Hydrogen ions are hot and glow, while molecular hydrogen is cool and dark
What is the heaviest element that can be fused (created) in the core of a low-mass star
like our Sun? - Answer-Helium
What are the two forces that maintain balance within a star? - Answer-Gravity collapses
the star and fusion in the core creates outward pressure that expands the star
What are red giants? - Answer-Large dying stars that emit a lot of energy but have low
surface temperature
, What is the fate of our Sun? - Answer-The core will eventually shrink into a white dwarf
(mass of the Sun in the volume of the Earth). The rise in pressure on the outer layers
during the process causes them to vent non-explosively into space (outgassing).
What are planetary nebula? - Answer-Relatively small gas clouds of ionized hydrogen
(H+) (which is why they glow) with low mass elements like carbon and oxygen.
What is the relative lifespan of stars as a function of mass? - Answer-1 million years and
40 times the mass of the Sun
What is the heaviest element that can be fused (created) in the core of a high-mass
star? - Answer-Iron
Where do low mass stars acquire their heaviest elements? - Answer-They don't, they
inherited them from previous supernovas
What is the difference between emission and molecular nebula? - Answer-Only
emission nebulas produce light, only molecular clouds give birth to stars, emission
nebulas contain H+ ions while moleculars clouds contain H2
What is the likelihood of multiple star solar systems? - Answer-Half of all solar system
contain at least two stars
What is the principle of the conservation of angular momentum and its main
consequences? - Answer-If a rotating body contracts, it will spin faster.
What are the factors that contribute to the collapse of nebulas into spinning accretion
disks? - Answer-Collisions between gas and dust molecules serves to cancel up and
down motions relative to the spin axis
How are planetesimals form? - Answer-Coagulation of dust grains through electrostatic
attraction forms planetesimals up to 10s of km.
What are chondrules? - Answer-Little balls of minerals that cooled into little spheres in a
low gravity environment. They are the smallest building blocks of asteroids and the
planets.
Where do most meteorites originate from? - Answer-Fragments of asteroids, the ancient
building blocks of the planets
The basic characteristics of chondritic meteorites - Answer-Meteorites with chondrules
in a matrix of dust
What it means for an asteroids or a planet to be differentiated - Answer-a differentiated
asteroid contains a core of iron surrounded by a mantle of rock
