The final exam for this section is in Natural Science Room 128. The test is 60 questions long, and will run from 8-10pm.
Arrange the following astronomical bodies in order of decreasing size... and the right answer is: red giant, sun, earth, neutron star, black hole.I was boggled by the answer....I thought that black holes are most massive?
The right answer is indeed surprising. Here's why it's right.
Lined up by mass, with highest mass first, the answer is
black hole, neutron star, Sun, red giant, Earth
(assuming that the red giant was the same mass as the Sun when the red giant
was on the main sequence.
The reason for the small size IS the large mass, strangely enough. When a star forms, gravity attempts to crush all of the mass into a tiny space immediately. The higher the mass, the higher the gravity, and the smaller the resulting remnant. However, the conditions of high density and high temperature as the star collapse result in fusion and the familiar "balance conditions" that keep the star stable. When the star runs out of fuel, though, gravity can no longer be stopped. The more mass there is, the more the force of gravity and the more the material is crushed together. So that's why the most massive stars form black holes, the next most massive neutron stars, and stars of one solar mass white dwarfs.
The planets have such a tiny bit of mass (compared to the stars) that gravity doesn't crush the material enough to even start fusion. When the Earth finally loses all of its primordial heat, it will only be a little smaller than it is now.
The hint is: a light-year is not a unit of velocity. The glossary of your book has a definition of a light-year you will find useful for this problem.
The last column of the table gives you a galaxy type, which is explained at the heading of the table. If it doesn't have a type, it can't be classified...which tells you something important!
Both events will be happening simultaneously. If you think you will be taking the final exam, we recommend that you attend the review session in PA Room 118, the usual classroom. If you are not taking the final exam, we recommend that you go to the Planetarium. If you have taken all three midterm exams and are satisfied with your grade, you need not take the final exam.
Note, however, that in some ways the MSU Observatory site is not the ideal location for seeing the comet, because the northwest view (the direction in which the comet will be seen) is toward the lights of the city of Lansing. You might want to head for a darker location away from city lights to get a view of the comet, particularly if you have binoculars. Right now the comet is so bright that there is no problem with its identification once evening twilight begins to descend.
The balloon deflated because the air inside the balloon was cooled off. This slowed down the particles inside, and therefore they stopped hitting the inside of the balloon and the pressure inside dropped. The balloon then shrank. Yes, the molecules inside did stop moving so much, but they were all still there
Then, when the balloon gradually heated up again, the molecules inside started moving faster, hitting the sides of the balloon much more often and harder (i.e., increased the pressure), and inflated it again.
This is the same phenomenon that requires you to check the air pressure on your car tires when they're cold, not after you've been driving and the tires are hot. Also, you can't take the lid off a pressure cooker when it's boiling as it will explode BUT you didn't add any water, just heat. The same number of water molecules have much more pressure as steam than as liquid water.
Your final grade will be the average of your home and in-class work plus the best three of your test scores. If you have taken all three midterms and are satisfied with your grade, you need not take the final. Usually, about half of the class takes advantage of this option. If you do take all four tests, we will automatically use the highest three to compute your grade.
The Final will cover all three sections.
Also, please note that the date of the second midterm has been moved from March 27th to April 1 (no joke!).
We are in the process of scanning in the maps to have them available from the Internet, but this isn't ready yet. For this first midterm, we have a number of blank sets of 12 starmaps similar to what you will be getting on the midterms and finals. If you would like one, please ask for a set of the star maps either before or after the review class on Tuesday.
By tests we mean a prediction of the Copernican theory, such as a consequence of the movement of the Earth, that could be compared with some observation to see if it really occurs. Based on ancient physics a consequence of the Earth moving would be to leave the Moon behind and clearly that does not happen. Hence, either the physics on which this prediction is based is wrong (true) or the Copernican theory is wrong.
Actually, the Copernican and Ptolemaic theories predictions of the locations of the planets were of the same accuracy. That the Copernican model needed a large number of epicycles to explain the details of planetary motion would be a argument against it on aesthetic grounds -- we prefer simple to complex theories -- but is not an argument against it on whether it agrees with observations or not (tests).
What you need to do is go over your notes (and look at the outline on the the web) to find the discussion of tests of the Copernican and Ptolemaic and Keplerian models. You may have to figure this out for yourself, rather than just finding the answer and copying it. The relevant section in the text is Chapter 2, section 2. The meaning of "tests" in this sense is not very different than everyday English, as in "I need to test this battery."
The topics we are stressing are the ones covered in homework, in-class activities, and in class. In addition, you should know the 16 brightest stars and how to locate them in the sky. (This will be on every midterm and the final.) We are not going to pull topics from your textbook which did not appear in any of these 3 media. We also will not include material only presented in the labs, as this is a separate course.
The quiz is an exercise (with credit) designed as a "warm-up" for the midterm. The format is the same as homeworks and the midterms: a mix of short answers, multiple-choice, and drawings.
Look at the bottom of the the isp205/sec-3 home page where there is a section entitles: "LINKS to ASTRONOMY RESOURCES". Under that is a link called "Life on Mars". Click on that to follow the link and you will come to the "FAS Space Policy Project" page with links to many different types of information about life on Mars and meteorites from Mars. Some items are for general public consumption, some for students and some highly technical for experts. Hunt around and find some sources that satisfy you.
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