Chapter 1

Question 1

Arrange our cosmic address from smallest to largest.

Answer 1

earth, the sun, solar system, milky way, local group, virgo supercluster, laniakea supercluster, the universe

Question 2

What is a light-year?
A. a measure of time that is longer than a year
B. a measure of distance that is trillions of km
C. a measure of a very fast speed
D. the distance between two stars

Answer 2

B. a measure of distance that is trillions of km

Question 3

How many galaxies are in the Local Group?
A. a few
B. a few dozen
C. a few hundred
D. a few thousand

Answer 3

B. a few dozen

Question 4

what is the cosmological principle?

Answer 4

The cosmological principle assumes that matter, energy, and the laws of physics behave the same everywhere in the universe.

Question 5

what is Occam’s razor?

Answer 5

Occam’s razor states that If two hypotheses explain all observations equally well, then use the one that requires the fewest assumptions.

Question 6

A scientific theory is
A. an idea about how the world may work that has yet to be proven.
B. a well-developed explanation that agrees with known physical laws and makes testable predictions.
C. a law of the universe that cannot be proven false.
D. A systematic way of exploring the world by developing hypotheses.

Answer 6

B. a well-developed explanation that agrees with known physical laws and makes testable predictions.

Question 7

Which of the following is the highest level of scientific knowledge?
A. hypothesis
B. observation
C. theory
D. fact

Answer 7

C. theory

Question 8

The Sun is 146,900,000 kilometers from Earth. What is the distance expressed in scientific notation?
A. 146.9 million km
B. 146.9 × 10^6 km
C. 14.69 × 10^7 km
D. 1.469 × 10^8 km

Answer 8

D. 1.469 × 10^8 km

Question 9

The Sun is 146,900,000 kilometers from Earth. What is the distance of the Sun
from the Earth in meters?
A. 1469 trillion meters
B. 1.469 × 10^11 m
C. 1.469 × 10^8 m
D. 146.9 × 10^6 m

Answer 9

B. 1.469 × 10^11 m

Question 10

What 2 elements did the Big Bang produce?

Answer 10

Helium & Hydrogen

Question 11

Rank the following from smallest to largest:
A. a light-minute
B. a light-year
C. a light-hour
D. the radius of Earth
E. the distance from Earth to the Sun
F. the radius of the Solar System.

Answer 11

D. the radius of the Earth
A. a light- minute
E. the distance from Earth to the Sun (8 min 20 sec)
C. a light- hour
F. the radius of the Solar System (~ 5 light- hours)
B. a light-year

Question 12

The scientific method is a process by which scientists:
A. prove theories to be known facts
B. gain confidence in theories by failing to prove them wrong
C. turn theories into laws
D. survey what most scientists think about a theory

Answer 12

B. gain confidence in theories by failing to prove them wrong