Question 1

Earth is made mostly of metals and rocks. Where did this material come from?

Accepted Answer

A)   It was produced in the Big Bang.
B)   It was created by chemical reactions in interstellar space.
C)   It was produced by nuclear fusion in stars.
D)   It was made by our Sun.
E)   It was made by nuclear fission of uranium and other radioactive materials.F) B) and E)
G) A) and E)

Question 2

Consider the following statement, and explain whether or not it is sensible: Earth is always precisely 1 AU from the Sun.

Accepted Answer

Not sensible: One AU...

Question 3

Suppose we imagine the Sun to be about the size of a grapefruit. How far away are the nearest stars (the three stars of Alpha Centauri) ?

Accepted Answer

A)   the length of a football field
B)   2.5 miles
C)   250 miles
D)   2,500 miles
E)   25,000 milesF) B) and D)
G) A) and B)

Question 4

The term observable universe refers to ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   that portion of the universe that we have so far photographed through telescopes
B)   the portion of the universe that can be seen by the naked eye
C)   the portion of the universe that is not hidden from view by, for example, being below the horizon
D)   that portion of the universe that we can see in principle, given the current age of the universeE) A) and D)
F) B) and D)

Question 5

Which of the following statements does not use the term light-year in an appropriate way?

Accepted Answer

A)   It's about 4 light-years from here to Alpha Centauri.
B)   It will take me light-years to complete this homework assignment.
C)   A light-year is about 10 trillion kilometers.
D)   It will take the Voyager spacecraft about 20,000 years to travel just 1 light-year.
E)   The Milky Way Galaxy is about 100,000 light-years in diameter.F) A) and C)
G) A) and E)

Question 6

How long does it take our solar system to complete one orbit around the Milky Way Galaxy?

Accepted Answer

A)   10 thousand years
B)   230 thousand years
C)   1 million years
D)   100 million years
E)   230 million yearsF) C) and D)
G) B) and C)

Question 7

Place the following items in order of actual physical size, from smallest to largest.

Accepted Answer

A)   Planets and stars are about the same size, solar system, galaxy.
B)   Planet, star, solar system, galaxy
C)   Star, planet, galaxy, solar system
D)   Planet, star, galaxy, solar system
E)   Star, planet, solar system, galaxyF) A) and D)
G) None of the above

Question 8

Our solar system is located in the center of the Milky Way Galaxy.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Which statements correctly locate the formation of the Earth and the appearance of the first humans on the cosmic calendar, which compresses the 14-billion year history of the universe into one "year," where "now" is exactly midnight, Dec 31?

Accepted Answer

A)   Earth forms in early September, life begins in November, and humans appear on Dec 15.
B)   Earth forms in January, life begins in September, and humans appear in October.
C)   Earth forms in early September, life begins in late September, humans appear a few hours before midnight, Dec 31.
D)   Earth forms in January, life begins in April, and humans appear in early December.E) All of the above
F) A) and B)

Question 10

Relative to the age of the universe, how old is our solar system?

Accepted Answer

A)   It is about 1% as old as the universe.
B)   It is between about 5% and 10% as old as the universe.
C)   It is about one-third the age of the universe.
D)   It is nearly the same age as the universe.E) A) and D)
F) A) and C)

Question 11

What do astronomers mean by the Big Bang?

Accepted Answer

A)   The event that marked the beginning of the expansion of the universe
B)   A gigantic explosion that blew all the galaxies in the universe to smithereens
C)   The explosion of a massive star at the end of its life
D)   The event that marked the birth of our solar systemE) A) and B)
F) A) and C)

Question 12

Most of the mass in the Milky Way Galaxy is located

Accepted Answer

A)   in the halo (above/below the disk) .
B)   within the disk.
C)   in the stars in the spiral arms.
D)   in the gas and dust.
E)   in the central bulge of the galaxy.F) None of the above
G) A) and E)

Question 13

In a ten-billion to one scale model, the Sun and the Earth are about the size of

Accepted Answer

A)   a grape and a grain of sand.
B)   a basketball and a grape.
C)   a grapefruit and a grain of sand.
D)   a grapefruit and a grape.E) B) and C)
F) A) and B)

Question 14

Imagine that you could drive your car in space. Assume that you can drive at a constant speed of 100 kilometers per hour. Suppose you started driving from the Sun. How long would it take, in years, to reach Earth?

Accepted Answer

t = <img  loading="lazy" src="/assets/images/blured-textbook.svg" class="d-inline m-1" alt="blured image" width="139" height="30"> = 1.5 million h...

Question 15

By studying distant galaxies in the 1920s, Hubble made the following important discovery that led us to conclude that the universe is expanding.

Accepted Answer

A)   All galaxies contain billions of stars, and all galaxies have spiral shapes.
B)   All galaxies were born at the same time, and all will die at the same time.
C)   All galaxies outside the Local Group are moving away from us, and the farther away they are, the faster they're going.
D)   All galaxies outside the Local Group are orbiting the Local Group.
E)   All galaxies outside the Local Group are moving away from us, and all are moving away at nearly the same speed.F) A) and E)
G) A) and D)

Question 16

Briefly explain why an expanding universe implies a beginning (called a Big Bang).

Accepted Answer

The fact that the universe is expanding ...

Question 17

Light travels at 300,000 km/sec. About how far does light travel in 10 years?

Accepted Answer

A)   About 10 light-years
B)   About 3,000,000 kilometers
C)   About 30 million seconds
D)   About 30,000 kilometers
E)   About 10 trillion kilometersF) B) and C)
G) A) and B)

Question 18

Consider the following statement, and explain whether or not it is sensible: The universe is between 10 and 16 billion light-years old.

Accepted Answer

This statement does not make s...

Question 19

Our solar system consists of ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   the Sun and all the objects that orbit it
B)   the Sun and the planets, and nothing else
C)   a few hundred billion stars, bound together by gravity
D)   the Sun and several nearby stars, as well as the planets and other objects that orbit these starsE) A) and D)
F) None of the above

Question 20

The total number of stars in the observable universe is about ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   100 billion
B)   the same as the number of grains of sand in a school sandbox
C)   the same as the number of grains of sand on all the beaches on Earth
D)   the same as the number of atoms that make up the EarthE) All of the above
F) C) and D)

Exam 1: Our Place in the Universe

Light travels at 300,000 km/sec. About how far does light travel in 10 years?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Our solar system consists of ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

How long does it take our solar system to complete one orbit around the Milky Way Galaxy?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Briefly explain why an expanding universe implies a beginning (called a Big Bang).

Correct AnswerverifiedThe fact that the universe is expanding ...View AnswerShow Answer

In a ten-billion to one scale model, the Sun and the Earth are about the size of

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The total number of stars in the observable universe is about ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Relative to the age of the universe, how old is our solar system?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What do astronomers mean by the Big Bang?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Earth is made mostly of metals and rocks. Where did this material come from?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Place the following items in order of actual physical size, from smallest to largest.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

By studying distant galaxies in the 1920s, Hubble made the following important discovery that led us to conclude that the universe is expanding.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Consider the following statement, and explain whether or not it is sensible: The universe is between 10 and 16 billion light-years old.

Correct AnswerverifiedThis statement does not make s...View AnswerShow Answer

The term observable universe refers to ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Suppose we imagine the Sun to be about the size of a grapefruit. How far away are the nearest stars (the three stars of Alpha Centauri) ?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Our solar system is located in the center of the Milky Way Galaxy.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Imagine that you could drive your car in space. Assume that you can drive at a constant speed of 100 kilometers per hour. Suppose you started driving from the Sun. How long would it take, in years, to reach Earth?

Correct Answerverifiedt = = 1.5 million h...View AnswerShow Answer

Which of the following statements does not use the term light-year in an appropriate way?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Consider the following statement, and explain whether or not it is sensible: Earth is always precisely 1 AU from the Sun.

Correct AnswerverifiedNot sensible: One AU...View AnswerShow Answer

Which statements correctly locate the formation of the Earth and the appearance of the first humans on the cosmic calendar, which compresses the 14-billion year history of the universe into one "year," where "now" is exactly midnight, Dec 31?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Most of the mass in the Milky Way Galaxy is located

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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The fact that the universe is expanding ...
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This statement does not make s...
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t = = 1.5 million h...
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Not sensible: One AU...
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