Transcript here

i>clicker quiz #1:
If I am standing at the north pole, which of the following
is at the zenith?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
The celestial equator
The moon
The nearby galaxy, M31
The north celestial pole
The Sun
Four i>clicker quizzes (#2–#5):
Santa Cruz is at about 36o north Latitude and 122o west longitude
(about 8 hrs west of Greenwich, UK).
From here, can I see an object at the:
South Celestial Pole?
A. Yes
B. No
Celestial equator?
A. Yes
B. No
Moon?
A. Yes
B. No
North Celestial Pole?
A. Yes
B. No
i>clicker quiz #6: Visibility of the
Constellations at Different Times of the Year
From the image below, what constellation is overhead
at midnight on the Northern Hemisphere vernal
equinox (March 21)?
A- Virgo
B- Pisces
C- Sagittarius
D- Gemini
i>clicker quiz #7: Siderial vs Solar Time
If the earth’s orbit around the Sun and the earth’s spin on its
own axis were in opposite senses (i.e. one clockwise
and one anticlockwise), which of the following would be
true:
A. A siderial and solar day would be of the same length
B. A siderial day would be 4 minutes longer than a solar day
C. A siderial day would be 8 minutes longer than a solar day
D. A solar day would be 4 minutes longer than a siderial day
E. A solar day would be 8 minutes longer than a siderial day
i>clicker quiz #8: Siderial vs Solar Time
If the earth’s spin rate about its own axis were to slow down to
half its present rate (while spinning in the same sense as
its orbit around the Sun), so that the length of the day
became ~48 hours, which of the following would be true:
A. A siderial and solar day would be of the same length
B. A siderial day would be 2 minutes longer than a solar day
C. A siderial day would be 8 minutes longer than a solar day
D. A solar day would be 4 minutes longer than a siderial day
E. A solar day would be 16 minutes longer than a siderial day
i>clicker quizzes #9 and #10
You observe a solar eclipse just before
sunSET, then the phase of the Moon is
observed to be:
ABCD-
Full
New
First quarter
Third quarter
You observe a solar eclipse just before
sunRISE, then the phase of the Moon is
observed to be:
ABCDE-
Full
New
First quarter
Third quarter
None of the above
i>clicker
quizzes
#9
and
#10
(answers)
As day progresses, moon moves in between earth and sun..
You observe a solar eclipse
just before sunSET, then the phase
of the moon is observed to be:
B-
New
Solar eclipse = Moon between
Earth and Sun. Must be a new
Moon. Always.
You observe a solar eclipse
just before sunRISE, then the phase
of the moon is observed to be:
E-
None of the above
You’re dreaming. Sun must be up
in the sky to get a solar eclipse.
i>clicker
quiz
#11
As day progresses, moon moves in between earth and sun..
You observe a lunar eclipse just before
sunRISE, then the phase of the Moon
must be:
ABCDE-
Full
New
First quarter
Third quarter
None of the above
i>clicker
quiz
#11
(answer)
As day progresses, moon moves in between earth and sun..
You observe a lunar eclipse just before
sunRISE, then the phase of the Moon
must be:
Full
Lunar eclipse = Earth between
Moon & Sun. Must be a full
Moon.
Always.
A-
i>clicker quiz #12
• When a photon interacts with an atom, what changes
occur in the atom?
A) The atomic number increases.
B) The nucleus begins to glow.
C) An electron changes its orbital energy.
D) The photon becomes trapped, orbiting in the atom.
i>clicker quiz #13
• If a photon A has a longer wavelength (redder) than another
photon B, then photon A has ______ than photon B
–
–
–
–
–
A- higher energy
B- lower energy
C- lower frequency
D- higher frequency
E- B and C
i>clicker quiz #14: Moon’s motion
The moon’s spin period and orbital period around the Earth are about
the same (both equal to about a month). Which of the following
statements is FALSE?
A. Only one half of the Moon’s surface is sunlit at any given time
but all parts of the Moon receive sunlight at one point in time or
another
B. One half of the Moon is never visible to a person on Earth
C. A person on the Moon would see the Earth go through various
phases (i.e. different sunlit fractions) at different times and would
see the Earth periodically rise and set
D. A person on the Moon would see the Earth go through various
phases but would not see the Earth periodically rise and set
E. The reason for the equality of the Moon’s spin and orbital
periods is because it is tidally locked to the Earth
12
i>clicker quiz #15: Tidal locking
Venus’s spin period and orbital period around the Sun are
about the same (analogous situtation to the MoonEarth system). Which of the following statements is
TRUE?
A. We always see the same half of Venus from Earth
B. The same half of Venus always faces the Sun
C. It is not possible to observe phases of Venus from
the Earth
D. It is possible to observe phases of Pluto from the
Earth
13
i>clicker quiz #16
Which of the following pictures properly depicts the
crescent moon
in the evening sky shortly
#1
after sunset?
A. Neither picture #1 nor picture
#2
B. Picture #1 does, but picture
#2 does not
C. Picture #2 does, but picture
#1 does not
D. Both picture #1 and picture #2
#2
i>clicker quiz #17
•
Say it’s midday for an astronomer on Jupiter and, at the
same instant, it is midnight for an astronomer on Earth.
The sunlit face of the Earth looks like a full circle (i.e., a
“full earth’’) to the astronomer on Jupiter. Which of the
following statements is TRUE:
A.
Jupiter, Earth, and the Sun are in a straight line in that
order
B.
Jupiter is visible to the astronomer on Earth at that instant
C.
Jupiter is not visible to the astronomer on Earth at that
instant
D.
Jupiter, the Sun, and Earth form a right angle
E.
Earth, Jupiter, and the Sun are in a straight line in that
order
i>clicker quiz #18
Which one of the following is TRUE:
A.The Sun and Solar System lie about 1,000 light years from
the center of the Milky Way galaxy
B.The carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen present in the Sun and
Earth were synthesized in nuclear fusion reactions in the
Sun’s core
C.Mature galaxies tend to look more straggly than infant
galaxies
D.The subtle ripples in the density of the early Universe from
which galaxies formed left imprints that are visible in the
afterglow from the Big Bang
i>clicker quiz #19
Which of the following statements is TRUE:
A. Einstein first postulated the constancy of the speed of
light in formulating his general theory of relativity
B. The equivalence of mass and energy is best expressed
through the formula: E = mc2
C. Gravitational redshift is a feature of the special theory
of relativity
D. The fact that gravity is equivalent to an accelerated
frame of reference is the basis of the special theory of
relativity
i>clicker quiz #20
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
A.
Black holes emit Hawking radiation that can be
characterized as black-body radiation with a temperature
that is proportional to the black hole’s mass
B.
The radius of the event horizon (Schwarzschild radius) of
a black hole, the region over which it can trap light, is
proportional to the black hole’s mass
C.
“A black hole has no hair” is a statement that describes
the loss of identity of matter when it is swallowed by a
black hole
D.
The gravitational field of a black hole extends out to an
infinite distance
18
i>clicker quiz #21
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
A.
Radio jets and lobes are lit up by synchrotron radiation
produced by charged particles moving along spiral paths in a
magnetic field
B.
The typical mass of a super-massive black hole that powers the
nucleus of a quasar is about five million times the mass of our
Sun
C.
The light-emitting region of a typical quasar is roughly
comparable in size to our Solar System
D.
Quasars and AGNs can be 100 to 1000 times more luminous
than our Milky Way galaxy
E.
Most galaxies have massive black holes at their centers
19
i>clicker quiz #22
Which of the following statements most accurately
describes what happens when I HOLD A PIECE OF
CHALK IN MY HAND ?
A.
A gravitational force and an electromagnetic force are
canceling each other
B.
Only a gravitational force is acting on the piece of
chalk
C.
Only an electromagnetic force is acting on the piece
of chalk
D.
A gravitational force and a strong nuclear force are
canceling each other
20
i>clicker quiz #23
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.
Hubble’s discovery that most distant galaxies are
receding from us tells us that we are at the center of
the Universe
B.
The Universe started with the Big Bang and will end
in the Big Crunch
C.
The expansion rate of the Universe is speeding up
because of a repulsive anti-gravity force
D.
The Andromeda galaxy is moving away from the
Milky Way galaxy as a result of the expansion of the
Universe
21
i>clicker quiz #24
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.
Black holes emit Hawking radiation which can be
characterized as black-body radiation with a temperature
that is proportional to the black hole’s mass
B.
The radius of the event horizon (Schwarzschild radius) of
a black hole, the region over which it can trap light, is
inversely proportional to the black hole’s mass
C.
“A black hole has no hair” is a statement that describes
the loss of identity of matter when it is swallowed by a
black hole
D.
The gravitational field of a black hole only extends out to
an finite distance, its Schwarzschild radius
22
i>clicker quiz #25
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
A.
The Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation is
considered to be strong evidence in favor of the Big
Bang theory
B.
The Steady State theory is founded on the Cosmological
Principle
C.
Most astronomers believe that the Universe satisfies the
Cosmological Principle but not the Perfect Cosmological
Principle
D.
The Steady State theory postulates that, as the Universe
expands, matter in the form of galaxies is created out of
the energy in the C-field (“Creation” field)
23
i>clicker quiz #26
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
A.
Most of the mass in the Milky Way galaxy is thought to
be in the form of non-luminous “dark matter” whose
exact nature is unknown
B.
Albert Einstein introduced the Cosmological constant Λ
to obtain a static solution to the field equations of
General Relativity because he believed at that time that
the Universe was not expanding
C.
Hubble’s law: v = H0d indicates that the Universe is
expanding uniformly
D.
Edwin Hubble discovered that the expansion rate of the
Universe is speeding up because of a repulsive antigravity force associated with “dark energy”
24
i>clicker quiz #27
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
A. Black holes emit Hawking radiation which can be
characterized as thermal radiation and it is related to
pair-production/annihilation from vacuum energy near
the Schwarzschild radius or event horizon
B. The event horizon or Schwarzschild radius of a black
hole, the region over which it is capable of trapping
light (radiation), is proportional to the black hole’s
mass
C. “A black hole has no hair” is a statement that
describes the loss of identity of matter when it is
swallowed by a black hole
D. The gravitational field of a black hole extends only out
to its event horizon or Schwarzschild radius
25
i>clicker quiz #28
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.
Most of the mass in the Milky Way galaxy is thought to
be in the form of ordinary luminous stars
B.
Albert Einstein introduced the Cosmological constant Λ
to obtain a static solution to the field equations of
General Relativity because he believed at that time that
the Universe was not expanding
C.
Hubble’s law: v = H0d indicates that the Universe’s
expansion is accelerating
D.
Edwin Hubble discovered that the expansion rate of the
Universe is slowing down because of gravitational forces
between galaxies
26
i>clicker quiz #29
Which of the following statements about the
EPOCH OF CONFINEMENT is TRUE?
A.
At this instant, quarks became bound in sets of three to
produce protons and neutrons, while matter and
radiation continued to interact strongly
B.
The Universe was matter dominated at this epoch
C.
Protons and electrons formed stable hydrogen atoms
for the first time at this epoch, and the matter in the
Universe became mostly transparent to radiation
D.
This epoch was immediately followed by Inflation
27
i>clicker quiz #30
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Inflation ended right at Planck time when the Universe
was 10-50 seconds old
B. Gravity was the last of the four fundamental forces of
Nature to “freeze” out (i.e. develop a unique identity)
A. Radiation dominated over matter at very early times in
the Universe’s history, but matter has dominated over
radiation ever since the Universe’s 300,000th birthday
B. Most of the elements in the periodic table that we
learn about in school/college today were synthesized
in the early Universe and this is known as Big Bang
Nucleosynthesis
28
i>clicker quiz #31
Which of the following statements about INFLATION is
FALSE?
A.
The Universe expands faster than the speed of light
during Inflation
B.
The rapid expansion during Inflation naturally
explains why spacetime appears to be “flat” in terms
of its geometric properties
C.
Inflation solves the CMBR horizon problem
D.
Inflation violates the principles of Einstein’s General
Theory of Relativity
E.
The theory of Inflation predicted that there should be
fluctuations at the level of 1 part in 105 in the CMBR
29
i>clicker quiz #32
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
A. The Michelson-Morley experiment established
that light is bent in a strong gravitational field
B. Einstein received the Nobel Prize in Physics for
explaining the photo-electric effect and the
“particle” (photon) nature of light
C. Kepler’s laws can be used to describe the motion
of planets around the Sun
D. Hubble is credited with the discovery of the
expansion of the Universe
E. Guth and Linde formulated the theory of Inflation
30
i>clicker quiz #33
Which of the following statements about the
EPOCH OF CONFINEMENT is TRUE?
A. At this instant, quarks became bound in sets of
three to produce protons and neutrons, while
matter and radiation continued to interact
strongly
B. The Universe was matter dominated at this
epoch
C. Protons and electrons formed stable hydrogen
atoms for the first time at this epoch, and the
matter in the Universe became mostly
transparent to radiation
D. This epoch was immediately followed by
Inflation
31
i>clicker quiz #34
The Moon’s spin period about its own axis is the same
as its orbital period around the Earth. Which of the
following statements can be TRUE about a Moonbased astronomer?
A. She sees the Earth rise and set once every spin
period
B. She sees the Sun rise and set once every spin
period
C. She does not experience day and night
D. She always sees the Sun
32
i>clicker quiz #35
How much bigger / smaller is a 15 Msun star main
sequence compared to an 0.5 Msun main sequence
star?
A. 50 times smaller
B. 10 times smaller
C. 10 times larger
D. Same size
33
i>clicker quiz #36
How much longer / shorter is the
lifetime of a 5 Msun star main
sequence compared to the lifetime of
a 1 Msun main sequence star?
A. 5 times longer
B. 2 times shorter
C. 50 times shorter
D. 50 times longer
E. They both have the same lifetime
34
i>clicker quiz #37
The uniform expansion of the Universe can be
characterized by which of the following?
A. Absolutely everything in the Universe is
expanding
B. The Universe expanded faster than the speed of
light in its very early phase
C. The expansion is now slowing down because of
the mutual gravitational attraction of galaxies in
the Universe
D. The effects of dark matter are dominant over the
effects of dark energy today
E. There is more anti-matter than matter in the
Universe and this is known as baryon asymmetry
35
i>clicker quiz #38
In a Hubble tuning fork diagram that describes
galaxy morphology, which of the following is
TRUE?
A. An SBc galaxy has more tightly wound spiral arms
than an Sbc galaxy
B. An Sbc galaxy has a “bar” shaped (i.e., linear)
configuration of stars near its center
C. An SBc galaxy has a smaller bulge-to-disk ratio than
an Sbc galaxy
D. An E7 galaxy is an elliptical galaxy with a perfectly
circular shape
E. An Sa galaxy has younger stars on average than an Sd
galaxy
36
i>clicker quiz #39
Which of the following statements about our
observable Universe is FALSE?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
It is shaped like a sphere
We are at its center
It has a radius of about 14 billion light years
It is infinite in size
It is uniform on large scales
i>clicker quiz #40
Which of the following is a founding principle of the
General Theory of Relativity?
A. All objects, irrespective of their mass, move in
identical fashion within a given gravitational field
B. The speed of light is the same to all observers
C. Mass and energy are equivalent to each other
and one can be converted to the other
D. A moving ruler is measured to be shorter than its
twin ruler at rest
E. A moving clock is observed to run slower than its
twin clock at rest
i>clicker quiz #41
Which of the following statements about protostars
is FALSE?
A. Their path on an H-R diagram is called a Hayashi
track
B. The luminosity of a 15 Msun protostar is nearly
constant along its Hayashi track
C. The points on the H-R diagram where proto-stars
of different masses start nuclear fusion reactions
in their core (and thereby become stars) is called
the ZAMS
D. The temperature of a 0.5 Msun protostar is nearly
constant along its Hayashi track
E. A protostar shines because of nuclear fusion
reactions in their core