1. Explain briefly how Copernicus
explained the absence of hurricane-strong winds at the Earth’s equator, even if
the Earth rotates about its axis at 1000 mi/hr at the equator.
2. The Copernican hypotheses
explained the retrograde motion of Mars by
a) Assuming that the Earth and
Mars orbit the Sun at different speeds
b) Assuming Mars rotates about
the Earth
c) Assuming Mars does not
rotate at all
d) Claiming that the
observations are incorrect
e) Asserting that the effect is
due to Jupiter’s gravitational pull
3. Aristotle argued that the
universe is eternal because
a) He could think of no
alternative
b) It was a condition necessary
for planets to move in circles around the Earth
c) Otherwise the universe would
change and it would then be fundamentally imperfect
d) It follows from the
hypothesis that natural motion is determined by nature
e) Otherwise it could not be
geocentric.
4. The geocentric hypothesis
was replaced by the heliocentric one because
a) The Church lost power after
the Middle Ages
b) The heliocentric hypothesis
provided a more accurate description of the data
c) Copernicus’ philosophy was
more intellectually satisfying than Aristotle’s.
d) Astronomers felt that it was
time for a change
e) None of the above.
5. According to Kepler’s ideas if we were to observe an alien stellar
system with two planets,
a) These planets would necessarily
move in perfect circles around the Earth
b) The planet closer to the
star to take more time that the one farther away
c) This observation would
falsify his laws of planetary motion
d) Both planets to necessarily take exactly the same time
to complete an orbit
e) The planet closer to the
star to take less time that the one farther away
6. Aristotelian cosmology
a) Could be falsified by the
single observation of a celestial object farther from Earth than the Moon and
which would not orbit the Earth
b) Was impossible to falsify
c) Was heliocentric
d) Could be falsified only by
showing that all celestial bodies, including the Moon, do not orbit the Earth
7. One important consequence of
the Copernican theory was that
a) It supported Aristotle’s
idea that nature determines motion
b) It demonstrated that the
universe is not eternal
c) It was able to predict
eclipses for the first time in human history
d) It was based on the
hypothesis that natural motion is
determined by nature
e) It demoted the Earth from
the role as the center of the universe to that of just another planet circling
the Sun.
8. According to the geocentric
hypothesis the motion of the Sun across the sky
a) Is produced by the rotation
of the Earth about its center
b) Is an illusion: the Sun is
really moving away from Earth due to is fiery nature
c) Is due to a combination of a
rotation of the Earth and its motion away from Earth due to its airy character
d) It is, in fact, moving form
East to West
e) The Earth slides form West
to East during the day and then back during the night
9. The Keplerian
theory
a) Is applicable only to the
solar system
b) Shows that planets move in
ellipses with the sun at one of the foci
c) Argues that planets move in
circles, but they appear to move in ellipses due to the motion of the
Earth itself
d) Can be falsified only if all planets fail to move in ellipses
around the Sun
e) Cannot be falsified
10. In Aristotle’s philosophy the universe must
have a single center, this was a troublesome to the Church because
a) The Church supported the
heliocentric hypothesis
b) If accepted, this conclusion
would imply a limit on the powers of God
c) It is explicitly
contradicted in the Bible
d) It led to polytheism