Physical Science Study Guide
Questions
Course Introduction
Physical Science explores the fundamental principles and theories that govern the non-living natural world, encompassing topics from physics and chemistry such as matter, energy, force, motion, and the structure of atoms and molecules. The course introduces scientific methods and critical thinking skills through the investigation of physical phenomena, emphasizing the practical applications of scientific concepts in everyday life and technology. Students will engage in hands-on experiments, problem-solving exercises, and collaborative learning to develop a foundational understanding of the physical universe, preparing them for further studies in science and engineering.
Recommended Textbook
Discovering the Essential Universe 6th Edition by Neil F. Comins
Available Study Resources on Quizplus
15 Chapters
4447 Verified Questions
4447 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/2080 Page 2
Chapter 1: Discovering the Night Sky
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
370 Verified Questions
370 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41413
Sample Questions
Q1) (2 × 10³)³ =
A) 6 × 10
B) 8 × 10
C) 6 × 10
D) 8 × 10
Answer: D
Q2) Which of the following years were leap years according to the calendar then in use: 1000,1492,1600,and 1776?
A) only 1600
B) 1492 and 1776
C) all except 1600
D) all of them
Answer: D
Q3) The maximum number of eclipses (both solar and lunar)that can occur in one calendar year is:
A) five.
B) one.
C) seven.
D) two.
Answer: C
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 3
Chapter 2: Gravitation and the Waltz of the Planets
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
344 Verified Questions
344 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41414
Sample Questions
Q1) The term retrograde motion for a planet refers to the:
A) temporary reversal of the planet's normal east-to-west motion past the background stars as seen from Earth.
B) apparent motion of a planet's moon in the direction opposite the motion of the planet itself during half of each orbit of the moon around the planet.
C) temporary reversal of a planet's direction of spin about its axis of rotation.
D) temporary reversal of the planet's normal west-to-east motion past the background stars as seen from Earth.
Answer: D
Q2) The intellectual foundation of science is:
A) observation, faith, and acceptance.
B) rejection of all observations that disagree with theory.
C) logical derivation entirely from fundamental principles.
D) observation, logic, and skepticism.
Answer: D
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
4
Chapter 3: Light and Telescopes
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
413 Verified Questions
413 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41415
Sample Questions
Q1) In a telescope,to what does the term aberration refer?
A) the absorption of light by the glass in the lenses
B) the magnifying power of the telescope
C) the fundamental limitation of any telescope to resolve very small details in the image
D) a defect in design that blurs or distorts the image
Answer: D
Q2) The proper motions of stars are:
A) easy to measure for most stars on photographs taken six months apart.
B) noticeable to the unaided eye as a gradual shift of the constellations westward over the course of a month or two.
C) easy to observe with the unaided eye over the course of an hour or two.
D) difficult to measure, even on photographs taken several years apart for any but the nearest stars.
Answer: D
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
5
Chapter 4: Formation of the Solar System and Other
Planetary Systems
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
115 Verified Questions
115 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41416
Sample Questions
Q1) The asteroid belt exists between the orbits of which planets?
A) Jupiter and Saturn
B) Venus and Earth
C) Mars and Jupiter
D) Earth and Mars
Q2) What is thought to be the physical mechanism that was responsible for the present mix of chemical elements in the universe?
A) All the known elements have been formed by the breakup (radioactivity) of the heavy elements formed in the initial Big Bang.
B) All the known elements were formed in the Big Bang.
C) Hydrogen and helium were formed in the Big Bang, whereas the heavier elements have been slowly forming by collisions in cold interstellar gas clouds.
D) Hydrogen and helium were formed in the Big Bang, whereas the heavier elements were made in the centers of stars.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
6
Chapter 5: Exoplanets
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
43 Verified Questions
43 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41417
Sample Questions
Q1) Comets been discovered around the star Beta Pictoris.How was this belt discovered?
A) The comets were imaged directly by the Hubble Space Telescope when they are close to the star and glowing brightly.
B) Comets travel far from the star, enough so that they can be imaged outside its glare.
C) The comets emit gas when they pass close to the star.
D) The gravitational effects of the comets cause the star to wobble slightly in its proper motion.
Q2) The oldest extrasolar planets have been found in:
A) open clusters.
B) black holes.
C) globular clusters.
D) the nucleus of our Galaxy.
Q3) What type of search technique has discovered the second largest number of exoplanets?
A) distorted protoplanetary disks
B) the transit method
C) the radial-velocity method
D) the astrometric method
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 6: The Terrestrial Planets and Their Moons
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
605 Verified Questions
605 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41418
Sample Questions
Q1) About how much has Earth's surface temperature changed since a.d.1000?
A) It has remained absolutely constant.
B) 5°C
C) 0.6°C
D) 15°C
Q2) The African and South American continents are separating at a rate of about 3 cm per year,according to the ideas of plate tectonics.If they are now 5000 km apart and have moved at a constant speed over this time,how long is it since they were in contact?
A) 1.7 million years
B) 170 million years
C) 170 thousand years
D) 1.7 billion years
Q3) The surface pressure of the atmosphere of Venus compared with the surface pressure of the atmosphere of Earth is:
A) about the same.
B) extremely small.
C) about 1/100 atmosphere.
D) about 90 atmospheres.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
8
Chapter 7: The Outer Planets and Their Moons
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
366 Verified Questions
366 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41419
Sample Questions
Q1) Jupiter's satellite Europa is believed to be made up of:
A) a metallic core and a rocky mantle covered with a liquid water ocean whose surface is frozen.
B) a small, rocky core overlaid by a very thick layer of water ice.
C) ice and rock mixed throughout in roughly equal proportions.
D) solid rock throughout, the surface of which shows ancient craters.
Q2) Earth,which is mostly rock and iron,has a density of 5515 kg/m³.Ganymede,Jupiter's largest satellite,contains much water and water ice and has a density of 1940 kg/m³.Io has a density of 3570 kg/m³.What conclusions have astronomers drawn from this?
A) Io must be composed of some new material other than rocks, iron, water, or ice.
B) Io is composed of compressed water and water ice.
C) Io is mostly rock and iron, but because of its smaller mass, it cannot compress the material as much as Earth can.
D) Since Io is smaller than Earth, it is expected to have a smaller density regardless of composition.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
9
Chapter 8: Vagabonds of the Solar System
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
196 Verified Questions
196 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41420
Sample Questions
Q1) Asteroids whose orbits carry them across the EarthEarth''s orbit are known as:
A) Kirkwood asteroids.
B) Amor asteroids.
C) Trojan asteroids.
D) Apollo asteroids.
Q2) Haumea is all of the following exceptNOT a(n):
A) a tTrans-Neptunian oObject.
B) a dwarf planet.
C) a Kuiper belt object..
D) an asteroid.
Q3) Comet tails are the result of:
A) melting and evaporation of ices from the comet core.
B) sunlight glinting on the central icy comet core.
C) interplanetary dust collected by the comet as it moves in its orbit.
D) interplanetary material streaming into the comet because of its gravity.
Q4) A meteor shower occurs when:
A) the head of a comet hits the EarthEarth''s atmosphere.
B) a meteor disintegrates in the EarthEarth''s atmosphere.
C) Earth passes through the asteroid belt.
D) Earth passes through a swarm of dust particles in space.
Page 10
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 9: The Sun: Our Extraordinary Ordinary Star
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
274 Verified Questions
274 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41421
Sample Questions
Q1) Which event is NOT a consequence of a coronal mass ejection event from the Sun that is aimed toward Earth?
A) a major health hazard for astronauts in orbit around Earth, particularly on the Moon
B) a major hurricane
C) damage to and even destruction of satellite electronics and power systems
D) disruption to radio transmission and electrical power systems on Earth
Q2) The sunspot cycle on the Sun is a(n):
A) regular movement of a relatively constant number of sunspots from the poles to the equator of the Sun over an 11-year period.
B) somewhat irregular but always present cycle of buildup and decay of sunspot numbers.
C) irregular buildup and decay in the number of sunspots averaging about 11 years, which occasionally fails for a time when no spots appear.
D) extremely regular buildup and decay in the number of sunspots, with a precise period of 11.3 years.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 10: Characterizing Stars
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
261 Verified Questions
261 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41422
Sample Questions
Q1) The luminosity of a star is a unique measure of its:
A) total energy output.
B) velocity of recession away from us.
C) temperature.
D) physical size.
Q2) In the spectral classification scheme,what designation is given to a star just a little cooler than a K5 star?
A) K4
B) K6
C) M0
D) K0
Q3) Stellar parallax is the:
A) inferred change in the distance to a star as its light is dimmed by passing through an interstellar cloud.
B) apparent shift seen in the position of a nearby star against more distant stars as Earth orbits the Sun.
C) difference between the apparent and absolute magnitudes of a star.
D) circular or elliptical motion of a star in a binary system as the two stars orbit each other.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 12
Chapter 11: The Lives of the Stars From Birth Through Middle Age
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
322 Verified Questions
322 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41423
Sample Questions
Q1) The transfer of mass from the surface of one star onto the surface of another is MOST often observed in _____ binaries.
A) detached
B) overcontact
C) contact
D) semidetached
Q2) Where are emission nebulae (H II regions)found?
A) in or near old open clusters
B) around hot stars
C) in globular star clusters
D) around low-mass stars
Q3) Which event does NOT happen in a star in the course of its evolution?
A) the buildup of heavy elements from the fusion of hydrogen
B) the loss of mass as radiation
C) the loss of mass as atoms
D) the buildup of hydrogen from the breakdown of heavier elements by fission
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 13
Chapter 12: The Deaths and Remnants of Stars
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
395 Verified Questions
395 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41424
Sample Questions
Q1) What property separates a black hole from the rest of the universe?
A) a crystalline crust
B) the surface of the ergoregion
C) a singularity
D) an event horizon
Q2) In which "frame of reference" would matter behave exactly as it would in a stationary frame of reference?
A) accelerating downward in an elevator whose cable has broken
B) moving upward against gravity in an elevator as it accelerates from rest
C) moving at a constant velocity
D) moving at a constant speed in a circular path, such as in an orbit
Q3) What is believed to be the source of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays?
A) active supernovae
B) globular clusters
C) black holes
D) quasars
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 14
Chapter 13: The Galaxies
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
465 Verified Questions
465 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41425
Sample Questions
Q1) Quasars are:
A) sources of great energy, very large in actual size, and shaped like galaxies.
B) sources of intense radio energy only, not visible at other wavelengths, and relatively large but very distant.
C) prolific sources of energy, starlike in appearance, and intrinsically small.
D) starlike sources of great energy located in the Milky Way Galaxy and intrinsically very small.
Q2) The method of stellar parallax:
A) can be used to measure the distance to stars in distant galaxies, just as it can be used for stars in the Milky Way Galaxy.
B) can be used for distant galaxies, but only when used with giant molecular clouds (which can be seen at such distances), not with stars.
C) cannot be used for distant galaxies because redshift spectra are inherently imprecise at such distances.
D) cannot be used for distant galaxies because of the difficulty of resolving the spectra individual stars.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
15
Chapter 14: Cosmology
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
205 Verified Questions
205 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41426
Sample Questions
Q1) What is the Great Attractor?
A) a supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy
B) an immense black hole thought to be at the center of the universe and a remnant of the cosmic singularity
C) a large collection of mass about 50 Mpc from Earth in the direction of the Hydra-Centaurus supercluster toward which the Local Group of galaxies is being drawn
D) an immense black hole somewhere in the universe from the accretion disk of which the cosmic 3-K background radiation is believed to be emitted
Q2) If the universe had expanded at its original rate beyond the time when the strong nuclear force became a distinct force (about 10-³ s after the Big Bang),the isotropy problem would have arisen: Parts of the universe we see in opposite directions would never have been in equilibrium with each other and should not exhibit the degree of isotropy we observe.The proposed solution to this problem is:
A) the cosmological redshift.
B) quark confinement.
C) cosmic inflation.
D) the Grand Unified Theory (GUT).
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 16
Chapter 15: Astrobiology
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
73 Verified Questions
73 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41427
Sample Questions
Q1) Which event of the past century do you think will have announced our presence on Earth MOST effectively to extraterrestrial watchers?
A) the appearance of artificial satellites orbiting Earth after 1957
B) nuclear weapon explosions producing extremely intense but brief flashes of light and electromagnetic radiation
C) the slow changes in vegetation patterns and the appearance of manmade structures such as road systems and cities on Earth
D) the slow buildup of radio transmissions after the invention of radio, with modulated signals carrying sound and visual television images
Q2) The classical laboratory experiments performed by Urey and Miller to explore the necessary conditions for the production of organic molecules (the building blocks of living things)in the solar system involved the passing of electrical discharges through what mixture of gases?
A) ammonia, methane, water vapor, and hydrogen
B) carbon dioxide, water vapor, and dust
C) hydrogen and helium
D) nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor, and carbon dioxide
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.