ASTRO 5 Midterm Exam UPDATED
Exam Questions and CORRECT Answers
The Geocentric Model - CORRECT ANSWER - A model that had Earth at the center of
the celestial sphere, which rotated about the Earth.
The Ptolemaic model - CORRECT ANSWER - Came up with this model to explain
retrograde motion. It introduced the notion of epicycles, held sway for 1500 years.
Copernicus - CORRECT ANSWER - Revived the heliocentric model
Heliocentric model - CORRECT ANSWER - The idea that we occupy no special place or
time in the Universe, however still very inaccurate because thought the orbits were on a perfect
circular rotation
Kepler's Laws - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. Orbits of all planets are in the shape of an
ellipse, with the sun at the focus
2. speed in the orbit is such that it sweeps out equal areas in equal time
3. there is a mathematic expression relating the period of the orbit to the distance from the sun
The Nature of Modern Science - CORRECT ANSWER - observation->question-
>hypothesis->prediction->test
Modern science is driven by observations
Occams Razor - CORRECT ANSWER - The idea that the simplest explanation is the
correct one
Atoms - CORRECT ANSWER - basic building blocks of matter, they have a nucleus
containing protons and neutrons, each element is defined by its proton number, the nucleus is
orbited by a set of electrons
, Molecules - CORRECT ANSWER - collection of atoms, often involving different
elements, held together by chemical bonds
Phases - CORRECT ANSWER -
Phases - CORRECT ANSWER - materials can exist in different phases, which essentially
represent the strength of the chemical force between molecules, relative to the energy in thermal
motions
Conservation of Energy - CORRECT ANSWER - energy cannot be created out of nothing,
but it can be converted from one form into another
Kinetic energy - CORRECT ANSWER - energy of motion
potential energy (gravitational) - CORRECT ANSWER - released by falling, converted
into kinetic energy
potential energy (chemical) - CORRECT ANSWER - stores in the energy of chemical
bonds
radiative energy - CORRECT ANSWER - energy carried by light
nuclear energy - CORRECT ANSWER - potential energy stored in the energy of nuclear
bonds
Light - CORRECT ANSWER - light consists of electromagnetic waves with characteristic
wavelength and frequency
Spectroscopy - CORRECT ANSWER - a spectrum is a characteristic frequency or
wavelength distribution of light emitted by a body such as a star or planet
Exam Questions and CORRECT Answers
The Geocentric Model - CORRECT ANSWER - A model that had Earth at the center of
the celestial sphere, which rotated about the Earth.
The Ptolemaic model - CORRECT ANSWER - Came up with this model to explain
retrograde motion. It introduced the notion of epicycles, held sway for 1500 years.
Copernicus - CORRECT ANSWER - Revived the heliocentric model
Heliocentric model - CORRECT ANSWER - The idea that we occupy no special place or
time in the Universe, however still very inaccurate because thought the orbits were on a perfect
circular rotation
Kepler's Laws - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. Orbits of all planets are in the shape of an
ellipse, with the sun at the focus
2. speed in the orbit is such that it sweeps out equal areas in equal time
3. there is a mathematic expression relating the period of the orbit to the distance from the sun
The Nature of Modern Science - CORRECT ANSWER - observation->question-
>hypothesis->prediction->test
Modern science is driven by observations
Occams Razor - CORRECT ANSWER - The idea that the simplest explanation is the
correct one
Atoms - CORRECT ANSWER - basic building blocks of matter, they have a nucleus
containing protons and neutrons, each element is defined by its proton number, the nucleus is
orbited by a set of electrons
, Molecules - CORRECT ANSWER - collection of atoms, often involving different
elements, held together by chemical bonds
Phases - CORRECT ANSWER -
Phases - CORRECT ANSWER - materials can exist in different phases, which essentially
represent the strength of the chemical force between molecules, relative to the energy in thermal
motions
Conservation of Energy - CORRECT ANSWER - energy cannot be created out of nothing,
but it can be converted from one form into another
Kinetic energy - CORRECT ANSWER - energy of motion
potential energy (gravitational) - CORRECT ANSWER - released by falling, converted
into kinetic energy
potential energy (chemical) - CORRECT ANSWER - stores in the energy of chemical
bonds
radiative energy - CORRECT ANSWER - energy carried by light
nuclear energy - CORRECT ANSWER - potential energy stored in the energy of nuclear
bonds
Light - CORRECT ANSWER - light consists of electromagnetic waves with characteristic
wavelength and frequency
Spectroscopy - CORRECT ANSWER - a spectrum is a characteristic frequency or
wavelength distribution of light emitted by a body such as a star or planet
