Physical Science
11th Edition
ISBN: 9780077862626
Author: Bill Tillery, Stephanie J. Slater, Timothy F. Slater
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education
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Textbook Question
Chapter 15, Problem 6FFA
Explain why is it difficult to count the number of comets in our solar system.
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Explain Comets?
Which of the following about comets is TRUE?
a. Cometary orbits always lie close to the ecliptic plane
b. Long period comets must originate from well beyond even the Kuiper Belt
c. The Oort cloud is the large cloud of gas surrounding a comet nucleus while it is near the Sun
d. Tails of comets always lie along the path of the orbit
Which of the following is least reasonable regarding comets?
Group of answer choices
Short-period comets originate in the Kuiper belt and take less than than about 200 years to orbit the Sun.
Long-period comets originate in the Oort cloud and can take millions of years to orbit around the Sun, in randomly oriented orbital planes.
The ion tail of a comet tends to produce a blue glow, as the ions inside it absorb sunlight and re-emit the absorbed energy with a characteristic color (somewhat like the gas atoms in a neon light or in an Aurora).
An ion tail is typically narrow and straight and always trails the comet, like long hair in the wind.
The dust tail of a comet often looks curved and its whitish color is just reflected sunlight.
Chapter 15 Solutions
Physical Science
Ch. 15 -
1. The mass of the Sun is how much larger than...Ch. 15 -
2. The distance from Earth to the Sun is called a...Ch. 15 -
3. What type of planets are Mercury, Venus,...Ch. 15 -
4. Which of the following is most likely found on...Ch. 15 -
5. What is the outermost...Ch. 15 -
6. The planet that was named after the mythical...Ch. 15 -
7. A day on which planet is longer than a year on...Ch. 15 -
8. The day on which planet is about the same time...Ch. 15 -
9. Mars has distinct surface feature-related...Ch. 15 -
10. How many moons orbit...
Ch. 15 -
11. What is the largest planet in our solar...Ch. 15 -
12. Callisto, Europa, Ganymede, and Io...Ch. 15 -
13. The density of Jupiter is
a. 50 percent...Ch. 15 -
14. The only moon in the solar system with a...Ch. 15 -
15. Saturn’s rings are thought to be
a. composed...Ch. 15 -
16. The planet with the lowest average density,...Ch. 15 -
17. The planet that is not a giant...Ch. 15 -
18. What planets are considered...Ch. 15 -
19. Area of the solar system where long-period...Ch. 15 -
20. Short-period comets have orbital periods...Ch. 15 -
21. Remnants of comets and asteroids found in...Ch. 15 -
22. Meteorites are classified into all of the...Ch. 15 -
23. The most widely accepted theory on the origin...Ch. 15 -
24. The belt of asteroids between Mars and...Ch. 15 -
25. Which of the following planets would be...Ch. 15 -
26. Which of the following planets probably still...Ch. 15 -
27. Venus appears the brightest when it is in...Ch. 15 -
28. The small body with a composition and...Ch. 15 -
29. A small body from space that falls on the...Ch. 15 -
30. Planets in our solar system are classified...Ch. 15 -
31. What separates the terrestrial planets from...Ch. 15 -
32. The planet that has the shortest “year” among...Ch. 15 -
33. What planet is called the morning star and...Ch. 15 -
34. Venus “shines” because it is
a. composed of...Ch. 15 -
35. On Venus, the sun rises in the west. This is...Ch. 15 -
36. The “sister” planet to Earth...Ch. 15 -
37. What feature on Mars was considered by some...Ch. 15 -
38. Jupiter radiates twice as much energy as it...Ch. 15 -
39. The Great Red Spot is thought to be
a. a...Ch. 15 -
40. The metallic hydrogen that surrounds the core...Ch. 15 -
41. A shooting star is a...Ch. 15 -
1. Describe the protoplanet nebular model of the...Ch. 15 -
2. What are the basic differences between the...Ch. 15 -
3. Describe the surface and atmospheric...Ch. 15 -
4. What evidence exists that Mars at one time had...Ch. 15 -
5. Describe the internal structure of Jupiter and...Ch. 15 -
6. What are the rings of Saturn?
Ch. 15 -
7. Describe some of the unusual features found on...Ch. 15 -
8. What are the similarities and the differences...Ch. 15 -
9. Give one idea about why the Great Red Spot...Ch. 15 -
10. What is so unusual about the motions and...Ch. 15 -
11. What evidence exists today that the number of...Ch. 15 -
12. Using the properties of the planets other...Ch. 15 -
13. What are “shooting stars”? Where do they come...Ch. 15 -
14. What is an asteroid? What evidence indicates...Ch. 15 -
15. Where do comets come from? Why are...Ch. 15 -
16. What is a meteor? What is the most likely...Ch. 15 -
17. What is a meteorite? What is the most likely...Ch. 15 -
18. Technically speaking, what is wrong with...Ch. 15 -
19. What are the primary differences between the...Ch. 15 -
1. What are the significant similarities and...Ch. 15 - Prob. 2FFACh. 15 -
3. Evaluate the statement that Venus is Earth's...Ch. 15 -
4. Describe the possibility and probability of...Ch. 15 -
5. Provide arguments that Pluto should be...Ch. 15 -
6. Explain why is it difficult to count the...Ch. 15 - Prob. 1IICh. 15 -
1. Based on the density and diameter in km...Ch. 15 - Prob. 2PEBCh. 15 -
3. A scale model of the solar system is being...Ch. 15 -
4. How many times has Uranus rotated on its axis...Ch. 15 -
5. An elementary school class is building a scale...Ch. 15 -
6. A class is building scale models of the...Ch. 15 - Prob. 7PEBCh. 15 -
8. A 1 cm thick piece of lead with a surface area...Ch. 15 -
9. Assume an astronaut at a space station on Mars...Ch. 15 -
10. What is the mass of the Sun, in kilograms,...Ch. 15 -
11. What is the mass of the Sun, in kilograms,...Ch. 15 -
12. Based on Kepler’s third law, what is the...Ch. 15 -
13. Based on Kepler’s third law, what is the...Ch. 15 - Prob. 14PEBCh. 15 -
15. Assuming a circular orbit, what is the...
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Need a deep-dive on the concept behind this application? Look no further. Learn more about this topic, physics and related others by exploring similar questions and additional content below.Similar questions
- Estimate the mass of the object that formed Meteor Crater in Arizona.arrow_forwardDescribe the origin and eventual fate of the comets we see from Earth.arrow_forwardThe mass of an average comet’s nucleus is about 1014 kg. If the Oort cloud contains 21012 comet nuclei, what is the mass of the cloud in Earth masses? Compare that with Jupiter’s mass. (Note: Relevant data can be found in Appendix Table A-10.)arrow_forward
- Explain how the scientific method was used to reclassify the planets in the solar system.arrow_forwardWhy is the composition of a comet typically dominated by volatile materials (frozen ices)? choose one of the following: a. rock and metal could not condense out of the solar nebula at extreme distances from the sun b. most of the metal in the solar system is locked up inside the terrestrial planets c. metals are not stable in the outer solar system d. elements that form ices (as opposed to rock & metals) are more abundant in our solar systemarrow_forwardDescribe the relationship between meteor showers and comets. Why do meteor showers occur about on the same day each year?arrow_forward
- What is exoplanetsarrow_forwardExplain how meteor showers are linked to comets. Why do meteor showers recur at about the same time every year?arrow_forwardA crater on the Moon is 28 km in diameter. If a typical meteorite is 11 times smaller than the diameter of the crater, what was the diameter (in km) of the original meteorite? km What is the estimated depth (in km) of the crater if its depth is one-ninth its diameter? kmarrow_forward
- Suppose the average mass of each of 20,000 asteroids in the solar system is 1017 kg. Compare the total mass of these asteroids to the mass of Earth. Assuming a spherical shape and a density of 3000 kg/m3, estimate the diameter of an asteroid having this average mass.arrow_forward5) What is the ratio of the number of asteroid impacts on the moon to the number of impacts on Earth? Assume the asteroids are originally traveling 15 km/s and use the following data. Mass: 5.97x1024 kg Earth, 7.3x1022 kg moon Radius: 6372 km Earth, 1738 km moon Note we count the number of craters on the moon to infer the number of impacts on Earth because many Earth craters have been hidden by erosion.arrow_forwardThe Solar Nebula model introduces the concept of ‘frost line’. Where are asteroids and comets found with respect to this frost line? How is their location connected to their composition?arrow_forward
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