Feynman's Lost Lecture

What is the starting point for constructing an ellipse in the context of Feynman's lecture?

• A square and its diagonal

• A rectangle and its diagonal

• A circle and an eccentric point

• A triangle and its centroid

Which of the following best describes Richard Feynman's public persona?

• A strict disciplinarian

• A traditional academic

• A reclusive scientist

• A nonconformist physicist

What is the main focus of Feynman's lost lecture?

• The motion of planets around the sun

• The principles of thermodynamics

• The nature of black holes

• The theory of relativity

According to the inverse square law, how does gravitational force relate to distance?

• Inversely proportional to the square of the distance

• Directly proportional to the distance

• Inversely proportional to the distance

• Directly proportional to the square of the distance

What is the defining property of an ellipse constructed with two thumbtacks and a string?

• The difference of the distances from any point on the ellipse to the two foci is constant

• The product of the distances from any point on the ellipse to the two foci is constant

• The ratio of the distances from any point on the ellipse to the two foci is constant

• The sum of the distances from any point on the ellipse to the two foci is constant

What role does the perpendicular bisector play in the geometric proof of an ellipse?

• It is the minor axis of the ellipse

• It is tangent to the ellipse

• It is the center of the ellipse

• It is the major axis of the ellipse

What does Kepler's second law state about the area swept by an orbiting object?

• It is inversely proportional to the time

• It varies with the distance from the sun

• It is constant over equal time intervals

• It is proportional to the square of the time

How does the velocity vector change as an object moves through equal angle slices of its orbit?

• The change in velocity is random

• The change in velocity decreases with distance

• The change in velocity increases with distance

• The change in velocity is constant for each slice

What shape do the velocity vectors trace out when collected at a single point?

• A square

• A triangle

• A circle

• An ellipse

What geometric trick is used to demonstrate that orbits are elliptical?

• A 360-degree rotation

• A 180-degree rotation

• A 90-degree rotation

• A 45-degree rotation