Law of Universal Graviation
Models of the Solar System
Comparing Properties of Objects in the Solar System
Electromagnetic Spectrum
Mystery
100
Which force is responsible for causing the formation of the Solar System?
A. Magnetism
B. Friction
C. Electricity
D. Gravity
D. Gravity
100
According to a heliocentric model of the solar system, what should be located at position Q on the diagram?
The sun
100
Although Venus is almost twice as far from the sun as Mercury, its surface temperature is much higher. Why?
Venus' thick atmosphere has a strong greenhouse effect.
100
Compare gamma rays to the other components of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Gamma rays have the shortest wavelengths, highest frequencies, and greatest energies.
100
How has our ability to send remote-controlled devices to planets such as Mars best enhanced our understanding of the universe?
A. It has made it possible for astronauts to visit distant planets in person.
B. It has permitted our exploration to only planets with atmospheres similar to ours.
C. It has allowed us to visually explore distant planets without endangering anyone.
D. It has enabled us to collect soil samples from distant planets and bring them back to Earth.
C. It has allowed us to visually explore distant planets without endangering anyone.
200
A small asteroid is passing very close to a large planet with a much greater mass.
According to the law of universal gravitation, how will the asteroid be affected by the gravity of the planet?
The asteroid will be attracted to the large planet
200
Looking at the table below, which group provided answers that most accurately compared the heliocentric and geocentric models?
Group 4
200
Using the table below, compare Saturn and Earth.
Saturn takes more time to revolve around the sun than Earth.
200
The table below shows the range of frequencies, in Hertz (Hz), for part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Which type of radiation has the longest wavelength?
Infrared
200
Hypothesis: The amount of oxygen produced will increase consistently with the light intensity.
Do the results in the data below support the hypothesis?
No; levels of oxygen increased and then began to level off despite increasing light intensity.
300
All celestial objects are attracted to each other by gravity. Asteroids A and B are 5 meters apart. Asteroids C and D are also 5 meters apart. If asteroids A and B both have a mass of 5 kilograms and asteroids C and D both have a mass of 7 kilograms, between which set of asteroids is the gravitational attraction the greatest?
Between asteroids C and D, because gravitational attraction is greatest with increased mass.
300
Identify and describe the correct model of our solar system
Model 2 is correct and is the heliocentric model.
300
The surface of Mercury has many more craters than the surface of Earth has. Which of the following statements best explains why Mercury has many more craters than Earth has?
A. Mercury rotates faster than Earth does.
B. Mercury has a smaller mass than Earth has.
C. Mercury is much closer to the Sun than Earth is.
D. Mercury has a thinner atmosphere than Earth has.
D. Mercury has a thinner atmosphere than Earth has.
300
Describe the relationship between frequency and energy within the electromagnetic spectrum.
As frequency increases, energy increases
300
Which of the following tables correctly matches the layer of the atmosphere to it's function?
400
The sun has about 300,000 times more mass than Earth. What can you infer from this fact?
A. The temperature on the sun is much hotter than on Earth.
B. The sun emits electromagnetic radiation that travels to Earth.
C. The sun's gravitational force is much stronger than Earth's gravitational force.
D. The sun's gravitational force is much weaker than on Earth's gravitational force.
C. The sun's gravitational force is much stronger than Earth's gravitational force.
400
The atmosphere can affect the precision of telescopes. Scientists conducted experiments to determine the precision of different telescopes. Precision was determined by how similar the measurements were to each other at each location. The more similar the measurements were for a certain distance or altitude across the trials, the more precise the telescope was.
The first table shows the effect on telescope precision based on distance from a major city. The second table shows the effect of altitude on telescope precision.
THE EFFECT OF DISTANCE FROM A MAJOR CITY ON TELESCOPE PRECISION [TABLE 1]
THE EFFECT OF ALTITUDE ON TELESCOPE PRECISION [TABLE 2]
Based on the data in the two tables, where would be the most precise location to build a telescope?
A. A telescope built 0.8 km from a major city and 27.4 m above sea level will be the most precise.
B. A telescope built 60.5 km from a major city and 27.4 m above sea level will be the most precise.
C. A telescope built 0.8 km from a major city and 1645.9 m above sea level will be the most precise.
D. A telescope built 60.5 km from a major city and 1645.9 m above sea level will be the most precise.
D. A telescope built 60.5km from a major city and 1645.9m above sea level will be the most precise.
400
The atmosphere surrounding Earth helps to maintain the various climates found around the world and keep Earth from becoming extremely cold all over. How does the atmosphere help to keep Earth insulated and warm?
A. The atmosphere creates heat as Earth moves through space, helping to insulate Earth.
B. The atmosphere traps the heat generated by Earth's core and helps maintain Earth's climate.
C. The atmosphere helps spread the warmth from the water near the equator to other parts of the Earth's climate.
D. The atmosphere helps trap heat energy from the Sun and energy radiated from Earth to maintain the climate.
D. The atmosphere helps trap heat energy from the Sun and energy radiated from Earth to maintain the climate.
400
The energy from sunlight is transmitted as electromagnetic waves, such as ultraviolet light and visible light. Explain the difference between ultraviolet light and visible light.
Visible light has longer wavelengths than ultraviolet light.
400
Paul’s class investigated the effects of friction on the motion of a toy car. Using ramps with different surfaces, students determined the amount of time, in seconds (s), for the toy cars to reach the bottom of each ramp. All variables were controlled except the tested variable (independent variable). One group of students concluded that toy cars on a sandpaper surface are fastest.
Which of the following statements BEST evaluates the group's conclusion?
A. The results support the conclusion.
B. More data need to be added to the conclusion.
C. The conclusion is valid for the data recorded.
D. The results fail to support the conclusion.
D. The results fail to support the conclusion.
500
Crawford's teacher tells him that all objects exert gravitational forces on one another and these forces depend on the distance between the two objects. Crawford wants to know why, if this is true, he cannot slide the books on his desk toward himself without reaching out and touching them, but the Earth can move objects without making contact in this way. Which statement offers the best explanation for Crawford's question?
A. The force that Crawford exerts is more than the force of friction on that object.
B. The force of Crawford's gravity is directly related to his mass, which is much less than Earth's.
C. Earth is much closer to the objects it moves than Crawford is to the objects he is trying to move
D. Crawford's gravitational force on the books is cancelled by the book's equal and opposite gravitational force on him.
B. The force of Crawford's gravity is directly related to his mass, which is much less than Earth's.
500
As a distant star moves away from Earth, the light given off by the star has a measurably lower frequency.
What happens to the wavelength and energy of the waves of light when the frequency becomes lower?
The wavelength becomes longer, and the energy decreases.
500
The Keck Observatory is home to the largest Earth-based twin telescopes. The telescopes are located away from city lights, above the clouds where the atmosphere is clear, calm, and dry. In 1999, additional steps were taken to help the telescopes overcome any distortions caused by changes in the atmosphere by adding a laser sighting system. Now, the Keck telescopes can probe distant galaxies and capture images with more detail than even the Hubble space telescope. Scientists can now use the Keck telescopes to investigate many questions.
What is one question the Keck telescopes would NOT help scientists answer?
A. How do galaxies rotate?
B. What is the weather on Neptune?
C. What is the core of Saturn made of?
D. What other solar systems have planets?
C. What is the core of Saturn made of?