Review for Exam 1

Review Exam: 50 questions, mostly multiple choice Exam conducted at Pollock Testing Center Each student schedules the time for their exam sometime between 8am and 10pm Bring pencils and student IDs; no calculators allowed For testing center details: http://testing.psu.edu/Students/ Study materials review questions slides from lectures your notes homeworks clicker questions animations at my web site

Lectures 2-3: Motions of the Earth and Sky What evidence did Aristotle cite for a spherical earth? What are the zenith, meridian, and horizon? What is the name of the point in the sky above the north pole? What is the name of the star near that point? What is diurnal motion? What causes it? How does diurnal motion of stars appear from the north pole? The equator? Some constellations can be seen at night during only part of the year. Why is that? What is the ecliptic? How are the zodiac constellations different from other constellations? What causes the seasons? What are the solstices and equinoxes? How do the number of hours of daylight and maximum height of the Sun in the sky change with seasons? with latitude? What is precession? What is its period? How does it affect our view of the sky? What causes the phases of the Moon?

Lectures 2-3: Motions of the Earth and Sky If given 2 of these 3 – time of day, Moon's phase, position in the sky – how do you determine the 3rd? How long does it take the Moon to orbit the Earth once? What are opposition and conjunction? What are solar and lunar eclipses? During which phases do they appear? Why don't they occur every month? What portion of the Earth can see each? Why are solar eclipses more rare than lunar eclipses? How often does each occur? What is parallax? Which model of the solar system was supported by its apparent absence? Why didn’t Aristotle see parallax? Which model did each of the following prefer? Aristotle, Ptolemy Copernicus, Tycho, Galileo, Kepler What is the difference between inferior and superior planets in how they appear in the sky? What is the origin of this distinction? What is retrograde motion? How did Aristotle try to explain it? What is the true cause of it?

Lectures 4-5: Galileo, Tycho, Kepler, Newton What did Galileo see with his telescope? What was Tycho’s preferred model for the solar system? What are Kepler's laws? What are Newton's Laws of Motion? What does the force of gravity depend on? What does the gravitational acceleration of an object depend on? Why do we feel weight? In what circumstances does weightlessness occur? Why doesn't the Earth fall into the Sun?

Lecture 6: Light How are wavelength, frequency, speed, & energy of light related? What are the names of the different wavelength ranges of light? What is their order in wavelength, frequency, and energy? Which wavelengths are able to penetrate the atmosphere and reach the Earth’s surface? Which are completely blocked? What is the Doppler shift? What is the inverse square law of light? Why is the sky blue? How do peak wavelength and total energy of a blackbody depend on temperature? What are the 3 kinds of spectra? What type of light source produces each one? How are emission and absorption lines produced? What kind of spectrum does the Sun produce?

Lecture 7: Telescopes How are the sizes of telescopes characterized? What is meant by a “1 meter” telescope? What are the 2 kinds of telescopes? Which one is used in modern telescopes? Why? Why are telescopes with larger lenses or mirrors more powerful? What is the size of the largest optical and infrared telescopes? Why are some telescopes put in space rather than on the Earth’s surface? What are some of the best locations on the Earth for telescopes? In what wavelength ranges do Hubble, Spitzer, and Chandra primarily operate?

Lecture 8: Solar Flares and Lunar Tides What are aurorae? What kind of spectra do they produce? What is a tidal force? How does the tidal force of the Moon affect the Earth? How has the tidal force of the Earth affected the Moon? How do the rotational and orbital periods of the Moon compare? What’s the difference between the far side and the dark side of the Moon? When are they the same? How can you determine if you experience a low tide or high tide based on the time of day and phase of the Moon? During which phases of the Moon are the tides most extreme?