Fundamentals of Astronomy
This take home exam is comprised of twenty, short essay questions. Each question can be answered with a brief (approximately 75 to100 words) answer.
Please try to keep your response to each question brief but make sure you express your response clearly. It is not necessary to provide details such as dates, equations, or people who made important discoveries unless the question specifically asks for such information. Read each question carefully and refer to your notes, the lectures and the assigned readings to answer each question.
You should not need to do any additional research to complete the exam. If you choose to include information that comes from any additional research you elect to do, you must provide an inline citation and the full reference for the material you cite.
Please insert your answer to each question directly below the questionbelow "Insert answer here."
Q1. Since the dawn of civilization, humans have studied the heavens in an attempt to understand the origin of the universe and our place in it. These explanations are know as "creation stories" and come in several types. Describe a creation story and identify its type.
Q2. The field of science has its own "creation story." Identify is this theory and briefly describe how it describes the creation of the universe.
Q3. The universe is an unimaginably large place. What unit of measure is used to measure distance in the universe and how many miles are in one unit of this scale?
Q4. What is the electromagnetic spectrum and how is it used to determine what objects in the universe are comprised?
Q5. What is the "Doppler Effect" and how is it used to determine the speed and direction of objects moving in space?
Q6.The solar nebular model describes how solar systems forms. The first part of this process describes how stars are formed. Briefly describe how stars are formed.
Q7.Current scientific theory stats that the birth of a star leads to the development of a solar system and all the objects that populate the solar system. Briefly describe how science thinks solar systems form.
Q8.What role do stars play in the formation of natural elements? Your response should include a brief description of the process by which all the natural elements are formed.
Q9. What are Type I, II, and III stars and how are they different from each other?
Q10. New stars are described as being on the "Main Sequence." What does it mean when a star is on the main sequence?
Q11. What factor determines how long a star will live and how it will die? Your response should include an example of what remains after a star has died.
Q12. Stars are classified in several different ways. One way is based upon how stars are measured. Describe the major ways in which stars are measured.
Q13. Describe the major components of our solar system.
Q14. We now know that planets are common throughout the universe. How are planets detected? Describe the two ways by which planets can be detected by studying the star around which the planet orbits.
Q15. What are galaxies and what are the major types of galaxies?
Q16. Current scientific theory suggests that life should be abundant throughout the universe. What is the evidence that this is likely to be true?
Q17. Current scientific theory argues that life outside of our solar system is most likely to be found in a solar system of a specific type of star. Which type of star, type I, II, or III, is most likely to have a solar system that can support life and why?
Q18. Humans have always wondered if there is intelligent life outside of the earth. What is the equation that attempts to estimate the number of intelligent civilizations in the universe?Describe each variable of the equation.
Q19. If intelligent life common throughout the universe what are some reasons for why we have no scientific evidence of intelligent life other than us?
Q20. Current scientific theory states that the universe will go through five phases or stages. What are these five stages and what is the current stage of the universe?