THE COSMIC PERPECTIVE
, TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. A Modern View Of The Universe
2. Discovering The Universe For Yourself
3. The Science Of Astronomy
S1. Celestial Timekeeping And Navigation
4. Making Sense Of The Universe: Understanding Motion, Energy, And Gravity
5. Light And Matter: Reading Messages From The Cosmos
6. Telescopes: Portals Of Discovery
7. Our Planetary System
8. Formation Of The Solar System
9. Planetary Geology: Earth And The Other Terrestrial Worlds
10. Planetary Atmospheres: Earth And The Other Terrestrial Worlds
11. Jovian Planet Systems
12. Asteroids, Comets, And Dwarf Planets: Their Nature, Orbits, And Impacts
13. Exoplanets: The New Science Of Distant Worlds
S2. Space And Time
S3. Spacetime And Gravity
S4. Building Blocks Of The Universe
14. Our Star
15. Surveying The Stars
16. Star Birth
17. Star Stuff
18. The Bizarre Stellar Graveyard
19. Our Galaxy
20. Galaxies And The Foundation Of Modern Cosmology
21. Galaxy Evolution
22. The Birth Of The Universe
23. Dark Matter, Dark Energy, And The Fate Of The Universe
24. Life In The Universe
,The Cosmic Perspective, 10e (Bennett)
Chapter 1 A Modern View Of The Universe
1.1 Multiple-Choice Questions
1) Which Of The Following Has Your "Address" In The Correct Order?
A) You, Earth, Solar System, Local Group, Local Supercluster, Milky Way
B) You, Earth, Solar System, Milky Way, Local Supercluster, Local Group
C) You, Earth, Solar System, Local Group, Milky Way, Local Supercluster
D) You, Earth, Local Group, Local Supercluster, Solar System, Milky Way
E) You, Earth, Solar System, Milky Way, Local Group, Local Supercluster
Answer: E
2) About Where Is Our Solar System Located Within The Milky Way Galaxy?
A) At The Center Of The Galaxy
B) About 10 Percent Of The Way From The Center Of The Galaxy To The Outskirts
Of The Galactic Disk
C) About Half Way From The Center Of The Galaxy To The Outskirts Of The
Galactic Disk
D) Near The Far Outskirts Of The Galactic Disk
E) In The Halo Of The Galaxy Above The Galactic Disk
Answer: C
3) Roughly How Many Stars Are In The Milky Way Galaxy?
A) 1 Billion
B) 100 Billion
C) 10 Billion
D) 100 Million
E) 100 Trillion
Answer: B
4) Modern Telescopes Are Capable Of Seeing Bright Galaxies Up To About
A) 1 Million Light-Years Away.
B) 10 Million Light-Years Away.
C) 1 Billion Light-Years Away.
D) 10 Billion Light-Years Away.
E) 1 Trillion Light-Years Away.
Answer: D
5) Suppose We Imagine The Sun To Be About The Size Of A Grapefruit. How Big
An Area Would The Orbits Of The Eight Planets Of The Solar System Cover?
A) The Size Of A Typical Dorm Room
B) The Size Of A Typical Campus Building
C) The Size Of A Typical Campus
, D) The Size Of A Small City
E) The Size Of A Western State (E.G., Colorado)
Answer: C
6) What Do We Mean When We Say That The Universe Is Expanding?
A) Average Distances Are Increasing Between Star Systems Within Galaxies.
B) Everything In The Universe Is Gradually Growing In Size.
C) All Galaxies Are Increasingly Moving Away From One Another.
D) The Statement Is Not Meant To Be Literal; Rather, It Means That Our Knowledge
Of The Universe Is Growing.
E) Individual Galaxies Are Gradually Growing In Size.
Answer: C
7) The Age Of The Universe Is
A) Between 10 Million And 16 Million Years.
B) Between 100 Million And 160 Million Years.
C) Between 1 Billion And 1.6 Billion Years.
D) Between 10 Billion And 16 Billion Years.
E) Between 100 Billion And 160 Billion Years.
Answer: D
8) How Are Galaxies Important To Our Existence?
A) Without Galaxies, There Could Not Have Been A Big Bang.
B) Without Galaxies, The Universe Could Not Be Expanding.
C) Galaxies Prevent Planets From Leaving Their Orbits Around Stars; E.G., Our
Galaxy Prevents Earth From Leaving Its Orbit Of The Sun.
D) Galaxies Recycle Heavy Elements Produced In Stars Into Future Generations Of
Stars.
E) Galaxies Provide The Gravity That Prevents Us From Falling Off Earth.
Answer: D
9) Earth Is Made Mostly Of Metals And Rocks. Where Did This Material Come
From?
A) It Was Produced In The Big Bang.
B) It Was Created By Chemical Reactions In Interstellar Space.
C) It Was Produced By The Nuclear Fusion In Stars That Made The Heavy Elements.
D) It Was Made By Our Sun.
E) It Was Made By Nuclear Fission Of Uranium And Other Radioactive Materials.
Answer: C
10) What Is Nuclear Fusion?
A) An Explosion Caused By Putting Together Two Volatile Chemicals
B) The Process Of Splitting Nuclei To Produce Energy
C) The Process Of Turning Matter Into Pure Energy
D) The Process Of Combining Lightweight Nuclei To Make Heavier Nuclei
E) A Process That Only Occurs In Bombs
Answer: D