Astronomy 220,   Spring 1998,  Hamilton
Review Questions for Exam I  

Exam I: Total pts. = 75 
* 20 multiple choice questions (2 pts. each)
* 3 short answer questions (totaling 35 pts.). These will be multipart 
     questions, some identifications, one will be supported opinion

WARNING: These questions do not necessarily cover all possible
topics that I might choose to ask you about on Exam I!


1. Describe the steps involved in applying the scientific method and
be able to give examples of how this method has been applied from this
course.

2. What basic assumptions do scientists make using the scientific
method?

3. What is the difference between the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud?
How were they formed?

4. How and where did comets and asteroids form?

5. Why do astronomers suspect that the solar system experienced a
period of heavy bombardment early in its history?

6. Describe the Tunguska Event and other evidence of impacts on Earth.

7. How do geologists distinguish impact craters from volcanic craters?

8. Compare the characteristics of the jovian and the terrestrial
planets.

9. How do astronomers account for the observed differences between
the jovian and the terrestrial planets? 

10. Describe the differences highlighted in the comparison of heavily,
moderately, and lightly cratered surfaces in the solar system.

11. Describe how geological activity and erosion can modify the
surface of a planet or satellite.

12. What factors determine whether a planet or satellite retains an
atmosphere?

13. Give an overview of the Moon's surface history.

14. What happens as a comet approaches the Sun?

15. Describe what happened when Comet Shoemaker Levy 9 hit Jupiter. 

16. Briefly describe the history of Comet Shoemaker Levy 9.

17. Where are asteroids located?

18. Why do meteor showers occur annually?

19. Why do we find so many iron meteorites? (Two reasons).

20. Why do the different types of meteorites found suggest that at least
some asteroids are differentiated (heavy elements have sunk to the center)?

21. What factors influence the amount of energy released in an impact?

22. Describe the Nemesis theory. What are the problems with it?

23. What new discoveries have led to the proposal of the asteroid and
the dinosaur theory?

24. According to the Alvarez group, how did an impact trigger a mass
extinction 65 million years ago?

25. What are the supporting observations that have strengthened
Alvarez's asteroid/dinosaur theory?

26. Discuss how some of the secondary extended effects could have
affected life on Earth years and even decades after the K/T impact.

27. Describe the suspected K/T impact site, Chicxulub.

28. Compare the K/T impact winter to a hypothetical nuclear winter.

29. Discuss the theories regarding periodic mass extinctions and
possible causes.  

30. How did the Apollo missions lead to a revision in lunar origin
theories?

31. Explain current theories involving collisions and the Moon,
Mercury, Uranus, and Miranda.

32. Why do some planets have rings?  Where are rings typically found?

33. Discuss the energy released and risk involved in collisions
between Earth and a small meteoroid (1 cm across), a tiny asteroid
(100 m across), a medium asteroid (1 km across) and a large asteroid
(10 km across).

34. How do you assess the risk posed by impacts?  What could be done
to warn us of body on a collision course?  What could be done to
prevent a collision?

35. What are some of the objections that scientists raise regarding
the theories of Immanuel Velikovsky?

Terms that you should be able to use:

kinetic energy
Nemesis 
nuclear bomb
Spacewatch
planet
satellite
moon
asteroid
comet
meteoroid
meteor
meteorite
hypothesis
theory
K/T clay
Kuiper Belt
Oort Cloud
Meteor Crater, AZ
Chicxulub
Gene Shoemaker
Walter and Luis Alvarez
L. Kulik
Callisto
Miranda
Enceladus
Io
Europa
Ganymede
Galilean Satellites
Tunguska
shocked quartz
solar nebula
tektites
iridium
differentiation