Astronomy 1010 Exam #2 Chapter 7 Questions and Answers Fully Solved Graded A+
Comparing objects in a related group can reveal patterns among them. These patterns in turn can help
us learn more about those objects than we could by studying each individually.
With this goal in mind, watch this animation of the planets in the Solar System and select all of the
following choices that describe the patterns that you've observed. As you do so, think about the
implications of how the Solar System may have formed.
Choose one or more:
A. The size of all planets increases with distance from the Sun.
B. Planets orbit the Sun in random directions.
C. All planets orbit the Sun in a roughly flat plane.
D. The closest planets to the Sun are much smaller than the planets that are farther away.
E. The orbits of the outer planets (those most distant from the Sun) are spaced farther apart from one
another than the orbits of the inner planets.
F. The orbits of the planets are evenly distributed in distance from - AnswersC. All planets orbit the Sun
in a roughly flat plane.
D. The closest planets to the Sun are much smaller than the planets that are farther away.
E. The orbits of the outer planets (those most distant from the Sun) are spaced farther apart from one
another than the orbits of the inner planets.
G. All planets orbit the Sun in the same direction.
A new star is forming inside this glowing cloud of gas. The dark band in the middle is made of a disk of
thick dust, which obscures the light within it and hides the forming star from view.
Newly forming stars are surrounded by gas and dust. Based on this observation--and your previous
observations about the relative orbits, positions, and sizes of the planets--what is the most likely
scenario for the formation of the Solar System?
Choose one:
A. A cloud of gas and dust collapsed into a flattened disk, within which the Sun and planets formed.
B. Two stars collided and broke apart to form the Sun and the planets.
, C. A cloud of gas and dust collapsed into a spherical shape, within which the Sun and planets formed.
D. The Sun formed by itself from a collapsing cloud of gas and dust, then later gravitationally captured
the planets as they happened to pass by. - AnswersA. A cloud of gas and dust collapsed into a flattened
disk, within which the Sun and planets formed.
Based on the law of conservation of angular momentum, what would happen to a collapsing cloud of
gas and dust--isolated in space with no external forces--as its size decreases?
Choose one:
A. The cloud will gain mass.
B. The cloud will spin more slowly.
C. The cloud will lose mass.
D. The cloud will not be able to collapse at all.
E. The cloud will spin faster. - AnswersE. The cloud will spin faster.
Based on the figure in the Introduction, and the fact that an object with an increasing moment of inertia
will spin more slowly to conserve angular momentum, choose the figure that best depicts how a cloud
of gas will collapse to form a star system.
Choose one:
A. round clouds, big to little
B. horizontal clouds, big to little
C. diagonal clouds, big to little - AnswersC. diagonal clouds, big to little
Astronomers have determined that the gas giants are made mostly of hydrogen and helium. Given what
you have learned about planetesimal formation through accretion, and the types of materials that
condensed at certain distances from the Sun, which of the following is the most likely way that the gas
giants formed?
Choose one:
A. Because hydrogen and helium could not condense into a solid at the temperature of the Solar Nebula,
the gas giants must have formed elsewhere and been captured by the Sun's gravity.
Comparing objects in a related group can reveal patterns among them. These patterns in turn can help
us learn more about those objects than we could by studying each individually.
With this goal in mind, watch this animation of the planets in the Solar System and select all of the
following choices that describe the patterns that you've observed. As you do so, think about the
implications of how the Solar System may have formed.
Choose one or more:
A. The size of all planets increases with distance from the Sun.
B. Planets orbit the Sun in random directions.
C. All planets orbit the Sun in a roughly flat plane.
D. The closest planets to the Sun are much smaller than the planets that are farther away.
E. The orbits of the outer planets (those most distant from the Sun) are spaced farther apart from one
another than the orbits of the inner planets.
F. The orbits of the planets are evenly distributed in distance from - AnswersC. All planets orbit the Sun
in a roughly flat plane.
D. The closest planets to the Sun are much smaller than the planets that are farther away.
E. The orbits of the outer planets (those most distant from the Sun) are spaced farther apart from one
another than the orbits of the inner planets.
G. All planets orbit the Sun in the same direction.
A new star is forming inside this glowing cloud of gas. The dark band in the middle is made of a disk of
thick dust, which obscures the light within it and hides the forming star from view.
Newly forming stars are surrounded by gas and dust. Based on this observation--and your previous
observations about the relative orbits, positions, and sizes of the planets--what is the most likely
scenario for the formation of the Solar System?
Choose one:
A. A cloud of gas and dust collapsed into a flattened disk, within which the Sun and planets formed.
B. Two stars collided and broke apart to form the Sun and the planets.
, C. A cloud of gas and dust collapsed into a spherical shape, within which the Sun and planets formed.
D. The Sun formed by itself from a collapsing cloud of gas and dust, then later gravitationally captured
the planets as they happened to pass by. - AnswersA. A cloud of gas and dust collapsed into a flattened
disk, within which the Sun and planets formed.
Based on the law of conservation of angular momentum, what would happen to a collapsing cloud of
gas and dust--isolated in space with no external forces--as its size decreases?
Choose one:
A. The cloud will gain mass.
B. The cloud will spin more slowly.
C. The cloud will lose mass.
D. The cloud will not be able to collapse at all.
E. The cloud will spin faster. - AnswersE. The cloud will spin faster.
Based on the figure in the Introduction, and the fact that an object with an increasing moment of inertia
will spin more slowly to conserve angular momentum, choose the figure that best depicts how a cloud
of gas will collapse to form a star system.
Choose one:
A. round clouds, big to little
B. horizontal clouds, big to little
C. diagonal clouds, big to little - AnswersC. diagonal clouds, big to little
Astronomers have determined that the gas giants are made mostly of hydrogen and helium. Given what
you have learned about planetesimal formation through accretion, and the types of materials that
condensed at certain distances from the Sun, which of the following is the most likely way that the gas
giants formed?
Choose one:
A. Because hydrogen and helium could not condense into a solid at the temperature of the Solar Nebula,
the gas giants must have formed elsewhere and been captured by the Sun's gravity.
