You Are Here:

Exam #1 Study Guide

Astronomy 100

EXAM 1 STUDY GUIDE

EXAM DATE:

    • Wednesday April 2nd through Friday April 3rd @ 5PM on CANVAS.

UNITS COVERED: 

5, 13, 7, 9, 6, 8, 11, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16, 18 (in that order)

The exam will consist of true/false and multiple choice questions.

WHAT SUBJECTS WILL THE EXAM COVER?

We have covered a large range of topics thus far. The first exam will test your comprehension of the following subjects:

Organization of the Sky:

    • Why do astronomers need to organize the sky?
    • What was the role of constellations in ancient times?  What is the role of constellations today?
    • What is the Bayer Designation System used for?  How does it work?

The Celestial Sphere:

    • Know the components of the celestial sphere (NCP, SCP, celestial equator, ecliptic, etc.)
    • Understand the apparent motions of celestial objects (diurnal motion, solar/sidereal day, etc.)
    • How do the movements of objects in the sky help you know where you are on Earth?
    • Understand the difference between “rotation” vs. “revolution”

The Seasons:

    • How does the current calendar system work? (explain why leap year is necessary and how the Gregorian system for leap year works)
    • What do we observe about the Sun and its movements? (rising and setting position of the Sun along the horizon, altitude of the Sun at noon, length of day/night during different times of the year, etc.)
    • What causes the seasons?  (be able to explain all of the details of how the tilt creates observed seasonal changes.)
    • How are the seasons different for different places on earth? (what do you observe from the different locations?)
    • Why is it hotter in the summer and cooler in the winter?

Lunar Phases:

    • What are the different surface features of the Moon? (craters, lunar maria)
    • What does synchronous rotation mean? How does it affect how you see the Moon over time?
    • Why do the phases of the Moon occur?  Describe each phase using the correct name along with your description.
    • How are the (1) phase of the Moon  (2) position of the Moon in the sky (3) time of day; of the Moon related?

Eclipses:

    • Why do eclipses occur?
    • What are the different types of eclipses?
    • What are the mechanics behind each type of eclipse?  What do we observe?
    • Why are eclipses rare?
    • How is the duration of totality determined?  What makes it longer/shorter?

Geocentric Cosmology:

    • What is “geocentrism”?  Why did the ancient people of the Earth believe in it?
    • Describe the observed motions of the planets (how do they appear to move throughout the sky?)
    • Describe the original explanation of epicyclic motion suggested by Aristotle.
    • Describe the Ptolemeic model (Be able to describe it and how it worked).
    • What were some of the successful (correct) discoveries of the ancient Greeks?
    • Why was geocentrism accepted for so long?

Heliocentric Cosmology:

    • The Copernican Model (how was it superior to the Ptolemeic model?)
    • Tycho Brahe (what did he contribute to our understanding of astronomy?)
    • Johannes Kepler (The Three Laws of Planetary Motion – be prepared to apply the knowledge, don’t just memorize the words!)
    • Galileo (what was his contribution?)
    • How were Galileo’s observations used to support the heliocentric model?

Orbital Mechanics:

    • Orbital mechanics (how/why do bodies orbit?)
    • How is an orbiting body actually a falling body?
    • Newton’s First Law of motion (what does it say?  How do they relate to orbiting bodies?)
    • The Universal Law of Gravitation (understand the concept behind it, don’t memorize the equation)

SAMPLE ESSAY QUESTIONS

ONE OF THESE QUESTIONS IS GUARANTEED TO BE ON THE EXAM!

The following is a list of examples of the types of essay questions that will be asked on the exam:

1.    Discuss how the appearance of the sky differs for observers at different latitudes on earth.

2.    What are the approximate dates of sunrise and sunset at the South Pole?  Describe the appearance and movement of the Sun from the South Pole on the first day of each season in a year.

3.    Explain how epicyclic motion works.  How does this model match the movement of celestial bodies as seen in the sky?

4.    Describe Galileo’s major telescopic discoveries and discuss the significance of each one to the heliocentric model.

5.    What is the relationship between Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion and the Laws of Motion deduced by Newton? Explain.

6.    Describe the contributions to astronomy made by  a)  Copernicus;  b)  Tycho Brahe;   c)  Kepler.  How were the contributions similar?  How were the contributions different?

7.    Using Newton’s Laws, explain why the Moon does not fall down to the surface of the Earth, or why the planets do not fall into the Sun.

UPDATE:  There will be NO ESSAY QUESTIONS ON THIS EXAM.

WHAT SHOULD YOU CONCENTRATE YOUR EFFORTS ON?

The emphasis of this class is to teach you the nature of the universe around you. My expectations of you are that you understand the concepts that are discussed in class rather than memorizing unrelated facts and numbers.  The role of the exam is to give you a chance to demonstrate your comprehension of the concepts by applying your knowledge, rather than simply restating memorized facts or definitions.

To do well on the exam:

  • Understand ratios.  I will not ask you to perform the math related to any particular equation but I will expect that you understand the relationships between the physical values in the important equations.  For example, how is gravity affected by the changes in either mass or distance?  How does a change in one value affect another? etc….
  • Understand the definitions of the terminology that is used in the lectures.  If you cannot understand the terminology, you cannot be expected to understand the basic concepts.
    Relate the various concepts to one another. For example, how do Galileo’s observations of the phases of Venus help prove the heliocentric model?
  • See the BIG PICTURE. If you feel that we have been spending much of our time going over seemingly unrelated ideas, then you are missing the BIG PICTURE.  Sit down and put the topics into perspective – get a feel for how the concepts are related.
  • Concentrate your studies on the lecture notes.  The textbook should also be read to help enhance your understanding of the lecture material.  Avoid reading more than one unit of the textbook at a time.  A good approach is to read a couple of units of the text each day while reviewing the class lecture notes simultaneously.
  • Don’t try and study all of the material in one study session.  Spread it out over several days (of course this means that you should begin to study several days in advance).  Cramming before the exam will do little or no good since the questions will not be ones where you can memorize the answers.
  • Use the “Test Yourself” questions at the end of each unit in the book to test whether or not you have a good understanding of the basic concepts.

Don’t spend your valuable time doing the following:

  • Don’t memorize equations. I am concerned that you understand the conceptual meaning of any given equation, not whether you can memorize it and restate it on an exam.
  • Memorizing definitions or numbers is not studying. This act, by itself will not help you.  I will not ask questions that require you to demonstrate whether or not you can simply state the meaning of a term or a memorized number. However, I do want you to know what certain terms mean so that you can use them to describe an idea in an essay answer.

YOU WILL NEED TO BRING WITH YOU:

SCANTRON form 882-ES
#2 pencil
GOOD LUCK!

The exam will take place on CANVAS.  Details have been announced on CANVAS.