Term
|
Definition
Work of Francis Bacon that described an ideal society based on organized and applied science and which had a part in the formation of what was to become the Royal Society |
|
|
Term
the philisophical system of Rene Descartes was based on critical doubt and the |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
Historically, the first scientific society was the |
|
Definition
Accademia dei Lincei in Italy |
|
|
Term
The largest satellite of Saturn, Titan, was discovered by |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
According to Newton's first law of motion, an object that is not acted on by any external forces |
|
Definition
moves with constant velocity |
|
|
Term
Uniform circular motion is caused by the operation of a |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
Newton's universal gravitation |
|
Definition
Acts throughout the universe and is of infinite range |
|
|
Term
According to Newton, an object fired from the earth with more than the escape velocity will follow a trajectory that is part of a |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
Newton's version of Kepler's Third Law (the Harmonic Law) is extremely important because it |
|
Definition
allows us to estimate the masses of astronomical bodies (planets, stars, and galaxies) |
|
|
Term
The Earth's oblateness is caused by |
|
Definition
its rotation and the resulting centrifugal "force" |
|
|
Term
The tidal force caused by the Moon at the place on Earth opposite the moon is directed |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
If the earth were perfectly spherical instead of oblate |
|
Definition
there would be no precession |
|
|
Term
Which of the following did Halley not do in connection with Newton's Principia? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The most accurate star positions measured without using a telescope were those of |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
Ole Roemer introduced the practice of measuring one of the equatorial coordinates by recording the sidereal time at which a star transits the celestial meridian. Which coordinate was it? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
To measure the shape of the Earth, one measures the length of a degree of latitude at different latitudes. If the Earth is prolate, a degree of latitude is |
|
Definition
longer at the Equator than at the poles |
|
|
Term
The first expedition to bring back data to show that the Earth is in fact oblate was that headed by |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The straight-line (collinear) solution for the gravitational three-body problem was put forward by |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The branch of astronomy that deals with orbital motions of astronomical bodies is |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The "Great Inequality" involves slight orbital irregularities associated with a resonance between the planets |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The planet Uranus was discovered by |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
A numerical calculation of the orbit of Halley's Comet that accurately predicted the comet's return in 1759 was carried out by |
|
Definition
Clairaut and Madame Lepaute |
|
|
Term
The fact that the "fixed" stars actually shift their positions on the celestial sphere very slowly because of their individual motions through space (the shifts we call {\it proper motions}) was discovered by |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The first proof that the Earth goes around the Sun was the aberration of starlight discovered by |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
Longitude on the Earth is determined by |
|
Definition
comparing local time witht hat at the Prime Meridian |
|
|
Term
Mayer's tables of the moon's motuon were |
|
Definition
calculated using Mayer's lunar theory with some perameters determined from observation (semi-empirical) |
|
|
Term
Observations of the transits of Venus in 1761 and 1769 were made for the purpose of finding out |
|
Definition
the length of the astronomical unit (AU) |
|
|
Term
The type of reflecting telescope having a paraboloidal primary mirror with a hole in the center and a convex secondary mirror is the |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The instrument used to discover the aberration of starlight and nutation was the |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The solution to the problem of chromatic aberation (though only partial) was the achromatic reflector patented by |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The approximate date of the Principia is |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
Saturn's peculiar apperance and the disappearance of its "companions were first explained in terms of rings by |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
Newton's theory of gravitation was finally shown to be incomplete or incorrect when which of the following was explained? |
|
Definition
advance of Mercury's perihelion |
|
|
Term
Toward the end of Newton's life he precipitated the great controversy over priority in inventing the branch of mathematics known as calculus; his antagonist was |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The concept of impetus introduced by Buridana nd Oresme to correct Aristotle's theory of forced motion could be used to invalidate |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The medieval astronomy text dealing with the celestial sphere and much of the other material covered in the first part of the course was |
|
Definition
Tractatus de sphaera (Treatise on the Sphere) by Sacrobosco (John of Hollywood) |
|
|
Term
The first extensive series of fairly accurate observations in Europe were those made by |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The Copernican theory presented in De revolutionibus was of major importance because |
|
Definition
it removed the Earth from the center of the Universe |
|
|
Term
We usually speak of the Copernican theory as heliocentric, yet is this strictly true of the theory in De revolutionibus? |
|
Definition
No, the center of the Earth's orbit -- the "mean Sun" -- is the true center |
|
|
Term
The unsigned preface to De revolutionibus (On the revolutions) was written by |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The first planetary tables based on the Copernican theory were the |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
Tycho Brahe's observations of the "new star" of 1572 were very important in showing that |
|
Definition
contrary to Aristotle's view, change is possible in the superlunary (celestial) region
|
|
|
Term
Tycho Brahe's refraction tables for the Sun differed from those for the stars because |
|
Definition
He used Ptolemy's value for the sun's geocentric parallax, which was badly off |
|
|
Term
Kepler's first two laws of planetary motion were first presented (for the case of Mars) in |
|
Definition
Astronomia nova (New Astronomy) |
|
|
Term
Kepler's First Law says that the orbits of planets are |
|
Definition
ellipses with the sun at one focus |
|
|
Term
the collision of the Copernican theory with the Roman Catholic Church was caused by Galileo's |
|
Definition
Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina |
|
|
Term
Galileo's discovery that Venus has the same phases as the moon |
|
Definition
proved the Ptolemaic theory was wrong |
|
|
Term
Which of the following was probably NOT a contributing cause of Pope Urban VIII's anger at at Galileo over the Dialogues? |
|
Definition
the book's unmistakable attack on church doctrin |
|
|
Term
Learning about nature by extracting general principles from specific observations and/or experiments was advocated by |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The first known scientific society was the |
|
Definition
Accademia dei Lincei in Italy |
|
|
Term
Four small satellites of Saturn were discovered by |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The first accurate pendulum clock was invented by |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The most accurate positional measurements made with the naked eye were those of |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
Newton's method used in the Principia was |
|
Definition
a combination of the inductive and deductive methods |
|
|
Term
According to Newton, in addition to the elliptical orbits found by Kepler, two bodies could also move around each other in |
|
Definition
parabolic and hyperbolic orbits |
|
|
Term
According to Newton, precession is caused by |
|
Definition
the Sun and Moon trying to pull the Earth's equatorial bulge into the ecliptic plane, which is prevented by Earth's rotation |
|
|
Term
Ole Roemer showed how the transit telescope could be used which of the following accurately? |
|
Definition
right ascension and declination |
|
|
Term
The person who played the most important part in publishing the Principia after Newton, who wrote it, was |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
If the length of a degree of latitude decreases as one goes from the Earth's equator to its poles, it means that the Earth's shape is |
|
Definition
prolate, as the French originally thought |
|
|
Term
The naked-eye instrument that was used for telling latitude from the Pole Star and for telling the time of night was the |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The type of telescope having a convex objective lens and a concave eyepiece lens is the |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The aberration in which different colors have different focal lengths is |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The main disadvantage of the early reflectors was |
|
Definition
the necessity of having to polish the metal mirror quite often because it tarnished |
|
|
Term
The speed of light was first determined by |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The most accurate early determination of the Earth's oblateness was obtained by |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The proper motions of the stars were discovered by |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
According to Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation, the gravitational force is proportional to |
|
Definition
the inverse square of the distance |
|
|
Term
The approximate date of Newton was |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
Philosophers in the medieval European universities believed that the correct model of the universe was that of |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The Treatise on the Sphere was |
|
Definition
Sacrobosco's basic textbook on the celestial sphere (John of Holywood) |
|
|
Term
The "Epitome" of Ptolemaic astronomy was a collaboration between Georg Peurbach and |
|
Definition
Regiomantanus (Johannes Mueller) |
|
|
Term
Copernicus placed the sun |
|
Definition
More or less at the center of the universe |
|
|
Term
Besides changing the title of Copernicus's book, what did Andreas Osiander, who oversaw its publication, do to deflect criticism by Protestants? |
|
Definition
Added an unsigned preface saying that the heliocentric model was not intended to be a true picture but only useful for calculations |
|
|
Term
The first planetary tables based on the Copernican theory, the Prutenic Tables, were produced by |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
|
Definition
|
|
Term
Tycho Brahe showed the "new star" of 1572 to contradict Aristotle by |
|
Definition
Measuring that it had no geocentric parralax |
|
|
Term
Kepler's work in which he first "explained" the planets' distances from the sun using the regular solids (cube, tetrahedron, etc) was |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
According to Kepler's Second Law (Law of Areas), a given planet moves fastest in its orbit at |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
Galileo's first discoveries with the telescope were reported in his book |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
Galileo's discovery that venus goes through all the phases that the moon does |
|
Definition
Proved that the Ptolemaic model was wrong |
|
|
Term
Which of the characters in Galileo's "Dialogue on the Two Great World Systems" presented Pope Urban VIII's argument at the end? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
How did Galileo's discovery of Jupiter's four large moons support the Copernican theory? |
|
Definition
it showed that moons could orbit something that was itself moving without being left behind, countering one argument against the earth's motion |
|
|
Term
The advocate of the inductive method in natural philosophy was |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The idea that comets are burnt-out stars passing from one vortex to another and can only pass through the solar system once was due to |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The idea that there are infinitely many planetary systems and many planets with living beings was suggested by |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The first scientific society was the |
|
Definition
Accademia del Lincei (Academy of the Lynx-Eyed) |
|
|
Term
The "aerial" telescope, with only a rope between the objective lens and the eyepiece lens, was devised by |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The first reasonably correct determination of the length of the astronomical unit (AU) was obtained through measurement of Mars's geocentric parallex at opposition by |
|
Definition
Giovanni Domenico Cassini |
|
|
Term
The most accurate measurements of star positions made without benefir of telescopic sights were those of |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
In his "Principia," Newton used |
|
Definition
A combination of the inductive and deductive methods |
|
|
Term
According to Newton's second law of motion, if the same force is applied to two objects, one more massive than the other, |
|
Definition
the less massive one is accellerated more |
|
|
Term
According to the law of Universal Gravitation, the attractive force is |
|
Definition
inversely proportional to the square of the distance |
|
|
Term
Which of the following is a possible form of the orbits in the gravitational two-body problem not found by Kepler? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
Newton's explanation of the tides was that they are caused by |
|
Definition
differences between the gravitational acceleration due to the moon (and Sun) at various points and the acceleration of the Earth as a whole |
|
|
Term
The first map of stars in the southern sky made by a European was that of some 350 stars by |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The first determination that the Earth is oblate rather than prolate as Newton and Huygens had predicted, ws that of |
|
Definition
Maupertuis and the Lapland expedition |
|
|
Term
Tycho Brahe introduced the use of transversals (zigzag patterns of dots) on angular scales in order to |
|
Definition
increase the precision of the measurement |
|
|
Term
Which of the following is an advantage of the Galilean refractor over the Keplerian (astronomical) refractor? |
|
Definition
upright image instead of inverted |
|
|
Term
The reflector having a solid primary mirror (ie no hole in its center) and a flat secondary mirror that reflects light to the side is the |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The failure of a refractor to bring all colors of light to a focus at the same distance from the objective lens is called |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The instrument used for correcting the altitude of Polaris to find one's latitude as well as for telling the time at night was the |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The approximate date of Johannes Kepler is |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The approximate date of Newton is |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
In his original correspondence with Kepler in 1597, Galileo wrote that he |
|
Definition
was a Copernican but chose not to go public because he didn't wish to be bothered about it |
|
|
Term
Which of Galileo's discoveries with the telescope is more an argument against Aristotle than it is an argument against Ptolemy? |
|
Definition
The moon's surface is rough, with craters and mountains |
|
|
Term
A special emphasis was placed on the practical application of scientific knowledge by |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The approach to natural philosophy by reasoning from scientific experiments or observations to general principles is called the |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Descarte's idea of a universe that is nowhere empty |
|
|
Term
The organization that formally (if not financially) sponsored Newton's "Principia" and indirectly led to its being written was |
|
Definition
The Royal Society of London |
|
|
Term
The largest satellite of Saturn, Titan, was discovered by |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The Paris Observatory was founded by |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The speed of light was first successfully measured by |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The method used by Newton in his "Principia" was |
|
Definition
a combination of the inductive and deductive methods |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
is proportional to the inverse square of the distance and therefore has infinite range |
|
|
Term
Which of the following is NOT a possible orbit shape in the two-body problem? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
Jupiter's mass is approximately 0.001 that of the sun. The center of mass of the Sun-Jupiter system (considering just those two) is located |
|
Definition
Very near the sun's center |
|
|
Term
The critical speed for an object to go into Earth orbit is termed the Earth's |
|
Definition
circular or orbital velocity |
|
|
Term
Newton's version of Kepler's Third (Harmonic) Law, is very important mainly because it is used to |
|
Definition
estimate masses of stars and galaxies |
|
|
Term
The Earth's oblateness is caused by |
|
Definition
centrifugal force arising from its rotation |
|
|
Term
The tidal acceleration caused by the Moon at the point on the Earth midway between the nearest point and the farthest point (diagram) |
|
Definition
is directed inwards, toward's the earth's center |
|
|
Term
The tides that occur when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are at syzygy (along a straight line), so that their tidal forces are reinforcing each other, are called |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The phenomenon that results when the tidal forces of the Sun try to pull the Moon's orbit plane into allignment with the ecliptic plane is |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The publication cost of Newton's "Principia" was paid mainly by |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The second Astronomer Royal was |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
If the earth is oblate, the distance corresponding to one degree change in latitude |
|
Definition
increases from the equator to the pole |
|
|
Term
The expedition whose measurements gave the first accurate measurement of the Earth's oblateness was led by |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The first proof that the earth goes around the sun was |
|
Definition
the discovery of the aberration of starlight |
|
|
Term
The prediction of the return of Halley's comet based on Newton's gravitational theory, which confirmed the theory in addition to disproving Descarte's idea about comets, was made by |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The so-called "Great Inequality" is |
|
Definition
a near-resonance between Jupiter and Saturn |
|
|
Term
Expeditions were sent out from France and England to observe the Venus transits of 1761 and 1769 in order to determin |
|
Definition
the length of the astronomical unit (through solar parallax) |
|
|
Term
The first lunar theory that was good enough to be used for finding longitude was |
|
Definition
Tobias Mayer's semiempirical theory |
|
|
Term
The astronomical or Keplerian refractor has the advantage over the Galilean refractor in which of the following respects? |
|
Definition
a real image, which can be viewed simultaneously with wires at the focus, as with crosshairs |
|
|
Term
The type of reflector having a paraboloidal primary mirror and a flat secondary mirror reflecting the light to a focus out to the side near the front is the |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The kind of aberration in which rays that come in at an oblique angle to the central axis of a paraboloidal mirror are focused in a comma- or teardrop-shaped region at the edge of the field of view is |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
With the transit telescope, a star's declination is found by |
|
Definition
calculation from its measured altitude, correcting for the observor's latitude |
|
|
Term
The approximate date of Newton's "Principia" was |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
At his trial in 1633, Galileo's sentence was |
|
Definition
house arrest for life, recitation of a penitential psalm once a week, and prohibition on publication |
|
|
Term
Newton himself considered the most productive time of his life for mathematics and science (natural philosophy) to have been when he was |
|
Definition
home at Woolsthorpe during the plague years |
|
|
Term
Newton's "Principia" originated |
|
Definition
as a followup to a conversation among members (Fellows) of the Royal Society--Wren, Hooke, and Halley |
|
|
Term
Which of the following did Halley not do in connection with Newton's "Principia"? |
|
Definition
Write a considerable portion of it |
|
|
Term
The methodology employed by Newton in his "Principia" was |
|
Definition
a combination of the inductive and deductive methods |
|
|
Term
The mathematics of "Principia" was |
|
Definition
almost calculus, but not quite, yet very difficult |
|
|
Term
According to Newton's Laws of Motion, an object in not being acted on by a net external force so long as |
|
Definition
its velocity isn't changing |
|
|
Term
Which is accelerated more by their forces on each other, the Earth or the Moon? (Earth is more massive) |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
Uniform circular motion is caused by the operation of a |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
If two planets have the same mass but different radii, which will have the larger surface gravity? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
Which of the following orbits is a periodic orbit in the two-body problem |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
According to Newton, an object fired from the earth with exactly the escape velocity will follow a trajectory that is part of a |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The Earth's mass is about 81 times greater than the Moon's. Then the center of mass of the Earth-Moon system is located |
|
Definition
Near the center of the earth |
|
|
Term
Newton showed that Kepler's Law of Areas (Second Law) is actually a result of the conservation of |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
Which of the following quantities doesn't appear in Newton's version of Kepler's Third Law? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The tidal force caused by the moon at the place on the earth farthest from the moon is directed |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The tides that occur when the sun, moon, and earth lie nearly along a straight line are called |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The earth's oblateness is caused by |
|
Definition
its rotation and the resulting centrifugal "force" |
|
|
Term
The Earth's precession (of the equinoxes) is caused by |
|
Definition
tidal forces of the Sun and Moon trying to pull its equatorial bulge into alignment with the ecliptic plane |
|
|
Term
To measure the shape of the Earth, one measures the length of a degree of latitude at different latitudes. If the earth is oblate, a degree of latitude is |
|
Definition
shorter at the equator than at the poles |
|
|
Term
Toward the end of Newton's life he precipitated the great controversy over priority in inventing the branch of mathematics now known as calculus; his antagonist was |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The first expedition to bring back accurate data which indicated the actual oblateness of the earth was that headed by |
|
Definition
Godin, La Condamine, and Bouger |
|
|
Term
The branch of astronomy that deals with the positions of astronomical bodies on the sky is |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The "great inequality" is a 900-year cycle associated with a resonance between the planets |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
A numerical calculation of the orbit of Halley's Comet that accurately predicted the comet's return in 1759 was carried out by |
|
Definition
Clairaut, Madame Lepaute, and Lalande |
|
|
Term
The fact that the "fixed" stars actually shift their positions on the celestial sphere very slowly because of their individual motions through space (the shifts we call proper motions) was discovered by |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The first proof that the Earth goes around the sun was the aberration of starlight discovered by |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
Longitude on the Earth is determined by |
|
Definition
Comparing local time with time at the Prime Meridian |
|
|
Term
Mayer's tables of the Moon's motion were |
|
Definition
calculated using Mayer's lunar theory with many parameters determined from observation (semi-empirical) |
|
|
Term
Halley pointed out that observations of the transits of Venus in 1761 and 1769 would give an accurate value for |
|
Definition
The length of the Astronomical Unit |
|
|
Term
The "Treatise on Celestial Mechanics which was the high point of eighteenth century celestial mechanics was written by |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
Newton's theory of gravitation was finally shown to be incomplete or incorrect when which of the following was explained? |
|
Definition
advance of mercury's perihelon |
|
|
Term
The refracting telescope having a convex objective lens and a concave eyepiece lens is known as the |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The reflecting telescope having a concave primary mirror and a concave secondary mirror is the |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The problem with the refracting telescope that causes color fringes around images and motivated Newton to turn to mirrors for the main optical element instead of lenses was |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
the solution to the problem of chromatic aberration (though only partially) was the achromatic refractor patented by |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The instrument used to discover the aberration of starlight and nutation was the |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The approximate date of Newton |
|
Definition
|
|