The Cosmic Perspective (9th Edition)
9th Edition
ISBN: 9780134874364
Author: Jeffrey O. Bennett, Megan O. Donahue, Nicholas Schneider, Mark Voit
Publisher: PEARSON
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Textbook Question
Chapter 4, Problem 37EAP
Testing Gravity. Scientists are continually trying to learn whether our current understanding of gravity is complete or must be modified. Describe how the observed motion of spacecraft headed out of our solar system (such as the Voyager spacecraft) can be used to test the accuracy of our current theory of gravity.
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After completing this Lecture Tutorial, students should be able to:
distinguish between scientific hypotheses and nonscientific ideas.
Part 1: Comprehension of Hypotheses
A scientific hypothesis needs to (1) be supported by the majority of current data and (2) be
testable. An alien on Earth is wondering why a rubber ball falls back down to the ground
after it is thrown into the air. It comes up with several ideas about the ball.
a. Gravity is pulling the ball to the ground.
b.
A mystical force that cannot be measured is pushing the ball down.
c.
Earth's magnetic field is pulling on the rubber ball.
1. Which statement is NOT a hypothesis because it is not testable? a b c
2. Which statement is NOT a hypothesis because it is not supported by current data? a b c
3. Which statement IS a scientific hypothesis? a b c
Part 2: Application to Dinosaur Extinction
Below are possible scenarios explaining the extinction of the dinosaurs.
a. Dinosaurs were killed off by a virus.
b. A large meteorite…
a. What is a repeat ground-track orbit?
b. Explain why repeat ground-track and Sun-synchronous orbits are typically used for Earth observation missions.
=
c. The constraint for a Sun-synchronous and repeat ground-track orbit is given by T 86, 400, where T is the orbital period in seconds, m the
number of days and k the number of revolutions. Explain why this is, in fact, a constraint on the semi-major axis of the orbit.
m
The Universal Law of Gravitation
a. How does halving the distance between two objects affect the gravitational force between them?
b. Suppose the Sun was somehow replaced by a star with five times as much mass. What would happen to the gravitational force between the Earth and the Sun?
c. How long would the Earth year last in this last case? (hint: Newton’s version of Kepler’s 3rd Law)
Chapter 4 Solutions
The Cosmic Perspective (9th Edition)
Ch. 4 - Prob. 1VSCCh. 4 - Use the following questions to check your...Ch. 4 - Use the following questions to check your...Ch. 4 - Use the following questions to check your...Ch. 4 - Use the following questions to check your...Ch. 4 - Define speed, velocity, and acceleration. What are...Ch. 4 - Define momentum and force. What do we mean when we...Ch. 4 - What is free-fall, and why does it make you...Ch. 4 - Prob. 4EAPCh. 4 - Describe the laws of conservation of momentum, of...
Ch. 4 - Define kinetic energy, radiative energy, and...Ch. 4 - Define temperature and thermal energy. How are...Ch. 4 - Prob. 8EAPCh. 4 - 9. Summarize the universal law of gravitation both...Ch. 4 - 10. What is the difference between a bound and an...Ch. 4 - What do we need to know if we want to measure an...Ch. 4 - Explain why orbits cannot change spontaneously,...Ch. 4 - Explain how the Moon creates tides on Earth. Why...Ch. 4 - What is tidal friction? What effects does it have...Ch. 4 - Does It Make Sense?
Decide whether the statement...Ch. 4 - Does It Make Sense?
Decide whether the statement...Ch. 4 - Does It Make Sense?
Decide whether the statement...Ch. 4 - Does It Make Sense?
Decide whether the statement...Ch. 4 - Prob. 19EAPCh. 4 - Prob. 20EAPCh. 4 - Does It Make Sense? Decide whether the statement...Ch. 4 - Does It Make Sense?
Decide whether the statement...Ch. 4 - Does It Make Sense?
Decide whether the statement...Ch. 4 - Does It Make Sense?
Decide whether the statement...Ch. 4 - Choose the best answer to each of the following....Ch. 4 - Choose the best answer to each of the following....Ch. 4 - Choose the best answer to each of the following....Ch. 4 - Choose the best answer to each of the following....Ch. 4 - Choose the best answer to each of the following....Ch. 4 - Prob. 30EAPCh. 4 - Prob. 31EAPCh. 4 - Choose the best answer to each of the following....Ch. 4 - Choose the best answer to each of the following....Ch. 4 - Choose the best answer to each of the following....Ch. 4 - Prob. 35EAPCh. 4 - Testing Gravity. Scientists are continually trying...Ch. 4 - Prob. 38EAPCh. 4 - Prob. 39EAPCh. 4 - Prob. 40EAPCh. 4 - Weightlessness. Astronauts are weightless when in...Ch. 4 - Units of Acceleration. If you drop a rock from a...Ch. 4 - Gravitational Potential Energy. For each of the...Ch. 4 - Prob. 44EAPCh. 4 - The Gravitational Law. How does quadrupling the...Ch. 4 - Allowable Orbits? Suppose the Sun were replaced by...Ch. 4 - Head-to-Foot Tides. You and Earth attract each...Ch. 4 - Prob. 48EAPCh. 4 - Geostationary Orbit. A satellite in geostationary...Ch. 4 - Prob. 51EAPCh. 4 - Prob. 52EAPCh. 4 - Moving Candy Bar. Table 4.1 shows that...Ch. 4 - Spontaneous Human Combustion. Suppose that all the...Ch. 4 - Fusion Power. No one has yet succeeded in creating...Ch. 4 - Understanding Newton’s Version of Kepler’s Third...Ch. 4 - Using Newton’s Version of Kepler’s Third Law....Ch. 4 - Escape Velocity. Calculate the escape velocity...Ch. 4 - Weights on Other Worlds. Calculate the...Ch. 4 - Prob. 60EAPCh. 4 - Extra Moon. Suppose Earth had a second moon,...
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- Some people dismiss the validity of scientific theories by saying that they are “only” theories. The law of universal gravity is a theory. Does this mean that scientists still doubt its validity? Explain.arrow_forwardDescribe the relationship between gravity and planetary motion. What aspects have the greatest influence on the orbits of objects?arrow_forwardM M 1. What is the gravitational potential energy of the mass (m) in the picture? The mass is the same distance awayr from the centers of both of the other masses, and both of the other masses have the same mass, M. Give your answer in Joules. r= 400 million meters m = 7x1022 kg M = 2x1027 kg 2. What is the net gravitational force for the mass m at this location? Give your answer in Newtons.arrow_forward
- Newton's Law of Gravitation 2. The magnitude of the acceleration of an object under the pull of Earth's gravity is given by Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation МЕ a = G R? where G is the universal gravitational constant, ME is the mass of Earth, and R is the distance of the object from the center of Earth. Let x be the distance above Earth's surface. We can rewrite the formula for the acceleration as a function of x by noting that R = Rp + x, where Rp is the radius of Earth. Therefore, МЕ a(x) = G- (RE + x)2 d. (a) Show that dx 1 1 (1 – x)* - x. (b) Use the above fact, along with the power series of 1 to determine a power 1- x 1 series for (1+x)²* (c) What is the radius of convergence for the series in part (b)? (Hint: You do not need to calculate anything. What is the radius of convergence for the power series of 1 does not change the radius of convergence.) -? This series has the same radius of convergence since taking a derivativearrow_forward2. What effect does an excess of gravitational pull have on our bodies? 3. Extremely low gravity causes a planet to have a minimal atmosphere and sometimes not even one. Explain why? 4. The explanation for the most and least comfortable planet to live on are the following: 5. Which one is the planet with the strongest gravitational surface pull and why? 6. Which one is the planet with the weakest gravitational surface pull and why?arrow_forwardInclude appropriate units in your final answer. Round off your final answer to two decimal places. Box your final answer. Follow the given formulas 2. An electric fan is rotating at a constant 72,000 meters per hour, making one complete rotation in 0.17 seconds. (a) What is the magnitude of the speed of the bug sitting on one of fan's blades? (b) What is the magnitude of the acceleration of the bug sitting on one of fan's blades?arrow_forward
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