Planetary Motion Quiz (Chapter 6)

What happens when scientists propose a scientific model and some data shows the model to be incorrect or incomplete?

• Scientists discard the data that doesn’t fit the model.

• The data is changed to fit the model.

• Scientists stop working with the model, because it is close enough.

• Scientists continue experimenting and working to find a model that does fit the data.

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Copernicus’s model started what is called the Copernican revolution. What did his model propose?

• That the planets and sun move around Earth at constant speeds.

• That the planets orbit the sun in circular paths.

• That the planets and sun orbit Earth with little circles in their orbits.

• That the sun and moon orbit Earth and the rest of the planets orbit the sun.

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When Earth orbits closest to the sun,

• the sun orbits Earth; Earth does not orbit the sun.

• Earth orbits at the same speed as when it is farthest from the sun.

• Earth orbits at a slower speed than when it is farthest from the sun.

• Earth orbits at a faster speed than when it is farthest from the sun.

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Pluto is the next large planetary body past Neptune, the farthest planet from the sun. Based on Kepler’s 3rd law, what do you hypothesize about the length of time it takes Pluto to orbit the sun?

• It takes longer to orbit the sun than Neptune does.

• It takes less time to orbit the sun than Neptune does.

• It takes the same amount of time to orbit the sun than Neptune does.

• I need more information to make the hypothesis.

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Einstein determined that Newton’s laws are accurate except when

• speeds are close to the speed of light.

• objects are very small, such as atoms.

• there is a very strong gravitational field, such as that close to the sun.

• all of the above

The planet Mercury puzzled scientists for many years until Einstein explained its orbit with the general theory of relativity. Mercury does not orbit the sun the way Newton’s laws predict. Why is that?

• Mercury’s orbit is slower than expected.

• Mercury’s orbit is faster than expected.

• The direction of Mercury’s orbit changes by a small increment each time it orbits the sun.

• Mercury orbits the sun in the opposite direction of the other planets.

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All the planets orbit the sun in the same direction that they were spinning when they formed. Which of these laws describes why this is the case?

• For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

• An object at rest stays at rest unless acted upon by an outside force. An object in motion remains in motion unless acted upon by an outside force.

• Each planet in the solar system is a different distance from the sun. The distance is proportional to the length of time it takes a planet to orbit the sun.

• Planets moves fastest when they are closest to the sun and slowest when they are farthest from it.

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Newton’s law of gravity is better at predicting how objects move than Einstein’s theory of relativity.

• True

• False

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The planets orbit the sun because of gravity.

• True

• False

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The closer a planet is to the sun the more elliptical is its orbit.

• True

• False