Review Exercise 1

Review Exercise Solution

Chapter 1: The Foundations of Astronomy

Fill in the blanks

Chapter 1: The Foundations of Astronomy

Fill in the blanks

n The __________________ is the totality of all space, time, matter, and energy. universe

n A grouping of stars by humans into recognizable patterns is called a _______________ constellation

n An imaginary sphere surrounding Earth to which all objects were once considered attached is called the ________________________ celestial sphere

n _____________ is measured in degrees north or south of the celestial equator, just as latitude is measured north or south of the Earth's equator. Declination

n _____________ is measured in units called hours, minutes, and seconds, and it increases in the eastward direction. Right ascension

n The apparent path of the Sun on the celestial sphere over the course of a year is called the ______________. It is inclined to the celestial equator at an angle of

about 23 degrees. ecliptic

n A __________________ is the distance light travels in a year. light year

n The apparent motion of a relatively close object with respect to a more distant background as the location of the observer changes is called

____________________ parallax

n ______________________ is referred to as the Father of Science. Galileo

n An early argument against the rotation of the Earth on its axis and its travelling around the Sun, etc. was that birds would fly off into space.

Refute this argument. Why does this not happen?

n The planetarium software that we are using for the course is called ____________________ Stellarium

n Scientific theories evolve through a combination of observation, theoretical reasoning, and prediction, which in turn suggests new observations. The process can

begin at any point and continues forever. This is a description provided in the text of the ________________________. It can also be described as hypothesis,

experiment, observations, analysis, conclusions. Scientific Method

n To be effective, a __________________________, the framework of ideas ans assumptions used to explain some set of observations and make predictions about

the real world - must be continually tested. Theory

Chapter 2: The Copernican Revolution

Fill in the blanks

n Newton's first law of motion was developed by _______________________ Isaac Newton

n The ____________________ model of the universe was based on the assumption that the Sun, moon, and planets all orbit around the Earth. Geocentric

n The ____________________ model of the universe was based on the assumption that Earth and the other planets orbit the Sun. Heliocentric

n The distance from the Earth to the Sun is called the _____________________ astronomical unit

n Name the individuals described below.

Þ Born in Denmark, he used instruments of his own design to develop meticulous records of the stars, planets, and other noteworthy celestial events. He lost

part of his nose in a duel. ___________________________ Tycho Brahe

Þ One of the most influential Greek astronomers and geographers of his time, he propounded the geocentric theory in a form that prevailed for 1400 years. He

developed a complicated scheme for his model. ___________________________ Claudius Ptolemy

Þ He was the first astronomer to formulate a scientifically-based heliocentric cosmology. His book, On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres, is often

regarded as the starting point of modern astronomy. ___________________________ Nicolaus Copernicus

n One early model of the solar system had each planet moving uniformly around a small circle, called an ______________________, whose center moved uniformly

around Earth on a second, larger circle called a _____________________. epicycle, deferent

n The apparent back and forth motion of the planets was difficult for the early astronomers to explain. This motion is called _____________________ motion.

retrograde

n List any 2 of Kepler's 3 laws

Þ One Law

Þ Another Law

1. The orbital paths of the planets are elliptical with the Sun at one focus

2. An imaginary line connecting the Sun to any planet sweeps out equal areas of the

ellipse in equal intervals of time

3. The square of a planet's orbital period is proportional to the cube of its semimajor axis.

Chapter 3: Radiation

Fill in the blanks

n Visible light is a particular type of ______________________ radiation. electromagnetic

n The motion induced change in the observed frequency of a wave is called the ______________ effect. Doppler

n Stars in space that are moving toward us appear ________________ shifted (a color) blue

n Stars in space that are moving away from us appear ________________ shifted (a color) red

n We use a _________________ to split light into its components in order to gather information about the stars. prism

n Visible light is one type of electromagnetic radiation. List 2 additional types of electromagnetic radiation

Þ ___________________________

radio, infrared, ultraviolet, x rays, gamma rays

n Of the 3 (at least) temperature scales in use today, the one typically used in astronomy is the

_______________________ scale. On this scale the lowest point, 0, is that point at which all

molecular motion ceases. Kelvin

Chapter 4: Spectroscopy

Fill in the blanks

n A ______________________ is a device for splitting a bean of radiation into its component frequencies and delivering them to a screen or detector for detailed

study. These devices allow us to obtain information about stars. spectroscope

n Many hot objects emit a ______________________ spectrum of radiation, containing light of all wavelengths. continuous

n A hot gas may instead produce an ______________________ spectrum of specific frequencies, or colors. emission

n Passing a continuous beam of radiation through cool gas will produce __________________ lines at precisely the same frequencies as are present in the gas's

emission spectrum. absorption

n _____________________ laws describe the relationships among different types of spectra. Kirchoff's

n The study of the spectral lines produced by different substances is called ___________________spectroscopy

Galileo's Battle for the Heavens Movie

n The movie was based on a novel titled Galileo's Daughter. What was the occupation of his daughter Maria Celeste? Nun or Sister

n For his beliefs that contradicted church doctrine, what was the punishment administered to Galileo by the Pope. There were 2, list each below.

Had to publicly renounce his beliefs concerning the place of the Earth in the heavens he was placed under house arrest for the remainder of his life.

n Indicate whether the following statements concerning Galileo are true or false by placing a check mark (ü ) in the appropriate column.

Statement	True	False
He supported the beliefs of Copernicus concerning Earth's place in the universe	ü
He invented the telescope		ü
He discovered moons of Jupiter	ü
He observed the phases of Venus	ü
He is considered the Father of Science	ü
He invented gravity		ü

Newton: The Gravity of Genius Movie

n Indicate whether the following statements concerning Newton are true or false by placing a check mark (ü ) in the appropriate column.

Statement	True	False
He was born in Germany		ü
He was born the same year Galileo died	ü
He used a prism to study the nature of light	ü
He was a devout Christian but did not believe all of the teachings of the church	ü
He invented gravity		ü
He developed three laws of motion	ü
He was married to a relative of the Pope		ü
He, along with the Englishman Leibniz, developed calculus		ü

General

n I have listed pictures and bios on my Web site of 16 people that I consider to be major contributors to our understanding of the universe. Each will be discussed

in this course. Identify the 7 that we have covered so far by placing the appropriate letter under each

picture.

A. Newton B. Ptolemy C. Aristotle D. Brahe E. Galileo F. Kepler G. Copernicus

For example, if you think the first picture on the left is Newton, then place A under the picture.

A. Newton B. Ptolemy C. Aristotle D. Brahe E. Galileo F. Kepler G. Copernicus

n Place the above giants in the order in which they were born - born first would be first listed and born last would be last listed. For example if you think Galileo

was born first, then place the letter E in the first column below (labeled Born First).

Born 1st	Born 2nd	Born 3rd	Born 4th	Born 5th	Born 6th	Born Last
C	B	G	D	E	F	A

Extra Credit Questions

List 2 good questions from chapters 1 to 4 that are not covered above and provide the answer

Question 1

Answer to Question 1

Question 2

Answer to Question 2