Test 1 Short Answers Flashcards

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1
Q

Which Wavelengths can we see?

A

400nm - 700nm.

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2
Q

How is Light Made?

A

Movement of electrons - photons with more energy emitted.

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3
Q

What Colour are the Hottest Things?

A

Blue.

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4
Q

Why does Colour Change with Temperature?

A

Hotter an object is, the more luminous it is - L = AoT^4.

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5
Q

How are Planets Formed?

A

Disc of crumbling star material gradually forms planets.

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6
Q

What is Inwards of the Snow Line?

A

Refractory material.

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7
Q

How do we Study the Earth’s Interior?

A

Seismic waves bouncing off transitions between different materials, densities and temperatures.

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8
Q

What is the Structure of Earth’s Core?

A

Inner core (solid), outer core (liquid), stiff mantle.

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9
Q

Why is the Earth’s Core Solid?

A

Increased pressure = higher melting points.

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10
Q

What is the Purpose of the Magnetic Field?

A

Protects against solar wind.

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11
Q

Which 2 Factors Changed our Atmosphere?

A

Outgassing and bombardment of meteorites/comets.

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12
Q

How does the Greenhouse Effect Occur?

A

Sun’s radiation heats the surface, gases in atmosphere absorb infrared light (heat energy re-radiated as infrared radiation).

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13
Q

What are the Human Effects on the Atmosphere?

A

Greenhouse effect, destruction of the ozone layer (absorbs UV).

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14
Q

How does the Moon Rotate?

A

Rotates on its axis at the same rate as it orbits the Earth.

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15
Q

Why does Mercury have a 3:2 Resonance?

A

Differential gravity field creates asymmetry and extra mass in one direction (higher force due to gravity will act on this bulge).

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16
Q

How do we know about the Solar System’s Formation?

A

We have a record of impacts (craters).

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17
Q

What are the 3 Main Properties of Mercury?

A

It is the densest, oldest and most massive of the inner planets.

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18
Q

Why is Venus Inhospitable?

A

It has too much greenhouse effect.

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19
Q

What happened to the Water on Venus?

A

It evaporated due to runaway greenhouse effect.

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20
Q

What are the 4 Pieces of Evidence for Water on Mars?

A

Outflow channels from floods, splash craters, gullies from debris flow, central channel in valley suggests long-term flowing water.

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21
Q

What is the Structure of Jupiter?

A

Core, metallic hydrogen, molecular hydrogen.

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22
Q

What are the 4 Galilean Moons?

A

Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto.

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23
Q

Why are there Gaps in Saturn’s Rings?

A

Orbital resonances with Saturn’s moons - gravity of moons impact orbits of ring systems.

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24
Q

Why is there a Euche Gap?

A

Pan collects material from Saturn’s rings.

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25
Q

Why does Uranus have such an Extreme Tilt?

A

Something really big hit it.

26
Q

Why is there a Limit to the Closeness of Inner Moons around Planets?

A

The Roche limit.

27
Q

What are the 4 Requirements for a Dwarf Planet?

A

Orbits the Sun, sufficient mass for round shape, not cleared neighbourhood around its orbit, not a satellite of another planet.

28
Q

What are the 5 Main Dwarf Planets?

A

Ceres, Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, Eris.

29
Q

What is Differentiation in Asteroids, Comets and Meteors?

A

Dense material sinks, light material floats.

30
Q

What are the 4 Techniques for Detecting Extra Solar Planets?

A

Transits, radial velocity, micro-lensing, direct lensing.

31
Q

How do we Use Transit to Detect Extra Solar Planets?

A

Plot brightness vs time, every so often the star becomes dimmer as a planet passes in front of it.

32
Q

How do we Use Radial Velocity to Detect Extra Solar Planets?

A

Planet orbiting star shifts it ever so slightly backwards and forwards leading to absorption lines.

33
Q

How do we Use Micro-Lensing to Detect Extra Solar Planets?

A

Two stars line up exactly and the star in the foreground appears brighter (there is a bump in the data if a planet is involved).

34
Q

Which Star is the Planet Orbiting in Micro-Lensing?

A

Planets are orbiting around foreground star.

35
Q

How do we Use Direct Imaging to Detect Extra Solar Planets?

A

Block out light of the star, allowing us to photograph the planet itself.

36
Q

What Range does a Planet’s Radius have to be for it to be Habitable?

A

0.8 - 2.5K.

37
Q

Why can’t a Planet’s Radius be too Small?

A

Too small for an atmosphere.

38
Q

Why can’t a Planet’s Radius be too Large?

A

It will become a gas giant.

39
Q

Which Model did Eudoxus Propose?

A

27 spheres.

40
Q

Which Model did Aristotle Propose?

A

55 spheres in the heavens, imperfect earth at the centre.

41
Q

Which Model did Aristarcus Propose?

A

Ordered the planets, said stars were suns (ideas rejected).

42
Q

Why did the Greeks think Earth was Stationary?

A

Not part of the ‘Heavens’, little change in Heavens but much change on Earth, our senses.

43
Q

What did Galileo Achieve?

A

Changed ‘faith-based’ science to ‘observation-based’ science, found evidence for Copernicus’ model of the Universe.

44
Q

What were Galileo’s 5 Major Discoveries?

A

Galilean moons of Jupiter, rings of saturn, craters of the moon, sun spots, phases of Venus.

45
Q

What were Tycho-Brahe’s Achievements?

A

Measured planets, said sun going around Earth, but all other planets going around Sun.

46
Q

What is Important to Remember about Circular Motion?

A

It needs a force.

47
Q

How are Tides Formed?

A

Moon pulls on liquids to give high tides when moon is close. Combined with Sun gives even higher tides.

48
Q

What does Special Relativity say about the Speed of Light?

A

It is the same for all observers no matter how they’re moving.

49
Q

Why can’t we Travel Faster than the Speed of Light?

A

We get too heavy - E = mc^2.

50
Q

Why does Light Bend?

A

Light travels along the curved space taking the shortest path between 2 points - stronger gravity = greater bend in the light path.

51
Q

How do we Measure Distance to the Sun?

A

Transit of Venus.

52
Q

How do we Measure Size of the Sun?

A

Angular size and distance.

53
Q

How do we Measure Mass of the Sun?

A

Kepler’s Law and Newton.

54
Q

How do we Measure Density of the Sun?

A

Mass/volume.

55
Q

How do we Measure Surface Temperature of the Sun?

A

Measure energy arriving at Earth and use Boltzmann’s Law.

56
Q

How are Sunspots Formed?

A

Convections are suppressed.

57
Q

How are Prominences Formed?

A

Trapped gas in magnetic field lines.

58
Q

How are Flares Formed?

A

Twisted magnetic field lines snap.

59
Q

How Long is a Sunspot Cycle?

A

11 years.

60
Q

What is Important to Remember about the Sun’s Core?

A

It rotates 4x faster than the surface.

61
Q

How is Nuclear Fusion the Energy Source of the Sun?

A

Nuclei able to get close enough for strong nuclear forces to act - nuclei fuse and energy released.