Astronomy 161 Chapter 1 Homework

#366

Self- Test # 1, 2, 6, 8
Question 1: Rank the following in order of increasing size: Local Group, Milky Way, solar
system, universe, sun, earth, virgo supercluster
Answer: Earth, Sun, solar system, milky way, local group, Virgo Supercluster, universe
Question 2: A light-year is a unit of distance most comparable to the distance from Earth to the
Answer: E. Nearest galaxy
Question 6: The scientific method is a way of trying to _____, not prove ideas; thus, all scientific
knowledge is provisional.
Answer: outline an experiment or observation
Question 8: The fact that scientific revolutions take place means that
Answer: E. the universe keeps changing the rules

True/False and Multiple Choice# 13, 15, 18, 25

Question 13: A theory, in science, is a guess about what might be true
Answer: False
Question 15: Scientific disputes are solved by debate
Answer: True
Question 18: Which of the following is not made in the Big Bang?
Answer: Carbon
Question 25: When we observe a star that is 10 light-years away, we are seeing that star
Answer: D. as it was 20 years ago

Thinking about the Concepts #28, 29, 35

Question 28: If the Sun exploded, how soon after the explosion would we know about it?
Answer: We would find out in 8 minutes if it exploded.
Question 29: If a star exploded in the Andromeda Galaxy, how long would it take that
information to reach Earth?
Answer: If the Andromeda Galaxy exploded, it would take 2.5 million years for the information
to reach Earth.
Question 35: Suppose the tabloid newspaper at your local supermarket claimed that, compared to
average children, the children born under a full Moon become better students.
a) Is this theory falsifiable? No because there is no evidence to support the claim.
b) If so, how could it be tested? It could be tested by asking random people if they were
born on days that there was a full moon and giving them random test and compare their
scores to people who were not born on the days of a full moon.
Applying the Concepts# 41, 43, 44, 45
Question 41: Convert the following numbers to scientific notation
a. 7,000,000,000 = 7x10 ^ 6
b. 0.00346 = 3.46 x 10 ^ -3
c. 1,238 = 1.2 x 10^3
Question 43: If a car traveling at 35 km/h, how far does it travel in
a. One hour? 1.71 km/h
b. Half an hour? 17.5 km/h
c. One minute? .029 km/h
Question 44: The surface area of a sphere is proportional to the square of its radius. How many
times larger is the surface area if the radius is
a.
b.
c.
d.

Doubled? 2^ 2 = 4
Tripled? 3^ 2 = 9
Halved (by 2)? (1/2)^2 / 2 = 1/8
Divided by 3? (1/2) ^ 2 / 3 = 1/12

Question 45: The average distance from Earth to Moon is 384,000 km. How many days would it
take you, traveling 800 km/h- the typical speed of jet aircraft- to reach the moon?
Answer: D = s x T
384,000 = 800 km/h x T
800 km/h
800km/h

T = 480 km/h

480 km/h / 24 hr = 20 days