Question 1

Visible wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation have a range of wavelengths of

Accepted Answer

A)   400 nm to 700 nm.
B)   1 nm to 100 nm.
C)   800 nm to 1900 nm.
D)   90 nm to 130 nm.E) A) and C)
F) None of the above

Question 2

Figure 3-43 shows two examples of

Accepted Answer

A)   quadrupole oscillations.
B)   the oscillations causing Cepheid variable stars.
C)   features in the cosmic microwave background.
D)   cosmic ray showers.E) A) and B)
F) All of the above

Question 3

Who was the first person to suggest that light is an electromagnetic wave?

Accepted Answer

A)   Thomas Young
B)   Isaac Newton
C)   Albert Einstein
D)   James Clerk MaxwellE) A) and D)
F) B) and C)

Question 4

In his double-slit experiment, Thomas Young used just a single color of light. Suppose he had used a mixture of two colors. What result would he have obtained?

Accepted Answer

A)   The two waves would have canceled each other out, and he would have seen nothing. This is why he used only one color.
B)   Two patterns would have formed, one on each color, exactly on top of each other.
C)   Two similar patterns would have formed with the light of the shorter wavelength forming the more closely spaced pattern.
D)   Two similar patterns would have formed with the light of the longer wavelength forming the more closely spaced pattern.E) All of the above
F) B) and C)

Question 5

The charge-coupled device (CCD) , now used extensively for astronomical imaging, works on what principle?

Accepted Answer

A)   Light from the image modifies the plastic material on a disk, which can then be read on a standard video compact disk (C
D)   player.
B)   A single optical detector generates an electrical signal as it is scanned quickly across the astronomical image.
C)   Light generates electrical charge on a computer-readable multi-element array of detectors.
D)   Light from the image is detected by new, high-sensitivity, fine-grain, automatically processed film.E) B) and C)
F) B) and D)

Question 6

What prevented Ole Rømer from calculating an accurate value for the speed of light from his measurements of the delays in eclipse times of Jupiter's moons?

Accepted Answer

A)   The dimensions of the solar system, particularly the length of 1 au, were not known very accurately.
B)   Telescopes were not good enough at that time to show Jupiter's moons clearly, and accurate timings were not possible.
C)   The distance between Earth's orbit and Jupiter's orbit was unknown.
D)   The clocks available at that time were not sufficiently accurate.E) All of the above
F) A) and C)

Question 7

What is the important difference between modern neutrino detectors and the chlorine-argon detection system of previous decades?

Accepted Answer

A)   The new detectors are smaller and thus can be built more cheaply.
B)   The new detectors can be tuned to detect neutrinos of any energy.
C)   The new detectors are able to detect all three neutrino types, not just those originally emitted from the Sun.
D)   The new detectors are in orbit above our atmosphere, thus avoiding the loss of neutrinos absorbed in Earth's atmosphere.E) B) and C)
F) A) and D)

Question 8

The Hubble Space Telescope is NOT designed to investigate

Accepted Answer

A)   visible light.
B)   ultraviolet radiation.
C)   infrared radiation.
D)   radio radiation.E) A) and D)
F) C) and D)

Question 9

The Hubble Space Telescope, placed in orbit by the space shuttle Discovery in 1990, has a primary mirror of diameter

Accepted Answer

A)   57 m.
B)   1 m.
C)   6 m.
D)   2.4 m.E) A) and C)
F) A) and D)

Question 10

Who was one of the first astronomers to build and use a telescope to observe the night sky?

Accepted Answer

A)   Galileo
B)   Copernicus
C)   Tycho Brahe
D)   NewtonE) B) and D)
F) A) and D)

Question 11

When light in air or a vacuum enters the plane surface of a dense, transparent medium at an angle to the perpendicular to this surface, which way does the light ray bend?

Accepted Answer

A)   The light ray bends away from the perpendicular.
B)   The light ray does not bend at all because the material is transparent.
C)   The light ray bends toward the perpendicular.
D)   The light ray bends so that, whatever the incoming angle, the light travels along the perpendicular to the surface.E) A) and B)
F) None of the above

Question 12

The average distance of Pluto from the Sun is 40 au. How long does it take for light to travel across the solar system from one side of Pluto's orbit to the other?

Accepted Answer

A)   5 ½ hours
B)   8 minutes
C)   22 hours
D)   11 hoursE) None of the above
F) All of the above

Question 13

What is 3 × 108 m/s divided by 500 nm?

Accepted Answer

A)   6 × 105 meters per second
B)   6 × 1014 per second
C)   6 × 107 meters per nanometer
D)   6 × 1014 meters per secondE) A) and B)
F) None of the above

Question 14

Which of these combinations of components of a telescope will produce the worst angular resolution?

Accepted Answer

A)   smaller diameter lens or mirror or radio dish and longer wavelength electromagnetic radiation
B)   larger diameter lens or mirror or radio dish and shorter wavelength electromagnetic radiation
C)   larger diameter lens or mirror or radio dish and longer wavelength electromagnetic radiation
D)   smaller diameter lens or mirror and shorter wavelength electromagnetic radiationE) A) and B)
F) None of the above

Question 15

A lens with spherical surfaces suffers from spherical aberration because

Accepted Answer

A)   the lens sags under its own weight, distorting the image.
B)   the starlight is distorted by turbulence in Earth's atmosphere.
C)   different colors are focused at different distances from the lens.
D)   different parts of the lens focus the light at different distances from the lens.E) B) and D)
F) A) and B)

Question 16

How does angular resolution for a given diameter of a telescope depend on wavelength?

Accepted Answer

A)   Angular resolution worsens as wavelength increases.
B)   Angular resolution may improve or worsen as wavelength increases, depending on other factors such as intensity and spectral range (e.g., optical, infrared, radio) .
C)   Angular resolution improves as wavelength increases.
D)   Angular resolution depends only on the diameter of the telescope and is independent of wavelength.E) None of the above
F) A) and B)

Question 17

Which of these can travel at the speed of light in a vacuum?

Accepted Answer

A)   visible light, radio waves, X-rays, and gamma rays
B)   only visible light; all other electromagnetic waves travel slower than the speed of light.
C)   visible light, atoms, X-rays, and subatomic particles (e.g., electrons) 
D)   visible light, infrared radiation, ultraviolet radiation, and subatomic particles (e.g., electrons) E) A) and D)
F) All of the above

Question 18

An object oscillates in one of the patterns shown by Figure 3-43. It might be a particularly interesting astronomical source because these patterns are well-suited to produce

Accepted Answer

A)   supernovae.
B)   Balmer line emission.
C)   ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays.
D)   gravitational waves.E) None of the above
F) A) and B)

Question 19

The light-gathering power of a telescope depends directly on the

Accepted Answer

A)   area of the final aperture of its eyepiece.
B)   focal length of its primary mirror or lens.
C)   ratio of the focal lengths of its primary element (mirror or lens)  and its eyepiece.
D)   area of its primary mirror or lens.E) A) and B)
F) A) and D)

Question 20

The major reason astronomers seek funds to build larger telescopes is to

Accepted Answer

A)   measure a wider spectrum of light from stars.
B)   collect more light from distant objects.
C)   provide magnified images of stars.
D)   bring stars closer to Earth.E) C) and D)
F) B) and D)

Exam 3: Light and Telescopes

Who was one of the first astronomers to build and use a telescope to observe the night sky?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The light-gathering power of a telescope depends directly on the

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of these combinations of components of a telescope will produce the worst angular resolution?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

An object oscillates in one of the patterns shown by Figure 3-43. It might be a particularly interesting astronomical source because these patterns are well-suited to produce

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Who was the first person to suggest that light is an electromagnetic wave?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The average distance of Pluto from the Sun is 40 au. How long does it take for light to travel across the solar system from one side of Pluto's orbit to the other?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The Hubble Space Telescope, placed in orbit by the space shuttle Discovery in 1990, has a primary mirror of diameter

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The Hubble Space Telescope is NOT designed to investigate

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The major reason astronomers seek funds to build larger telescopes is to

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What is 3 × 108 m/s divided by 500 nm?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What prevented Ole Rømer from calculating an accurate value for the speed of light from his measurements of the delays in eclipse times of Jupiter's moons?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In his double-slit experiment, Thomas Young used just a single color of light. Suppose he had used a mixture of two colors. What result would he have obtained?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

How does angular resolution for a given diameter of a telescope depend on wavelength?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of these can travel at the speed of light in a vacuum?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What is the important difference between modern neutrino detectors and the chlorine-argon detection system of previous decades?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

When light in air or a vacuum enters the plane surface of a dense, transparent medium at an angle to the perpendicular to this surface, which way does the light ray bend?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The charge-coupled device (CCD) , now used extensively for astronomical imaging, works on what principle?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Figure 3-43 shows two examples of

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Visible wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation have a range of wavelengths of

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A lens with spherical surfaces suffers from spherical aberration because

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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What is 3 × 10⁸ m/s divided by 500 nm?

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