Title Text: In Quest of the Universe, Fourth Edition
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Study Quizzes

Please read each question and select your answer from the choices provided. You must complete all of the questions in order to view your results. At the end of each exam, you have the option to e-mail your results to your instructor.


1:  As it evolves, our Sun will go through the following stages.
A: protostar, main sequence, red giant, blue supergiant, supernova
B: protostar, main sequence, red giant, planetary nebula, white dwarf
C: protostar, main sequence, planetary nebula, red giant, white dwarf
D: main sequence, protostar, red giant, planetary nebula, white dwarf
E: red giant, protostar, main sequence, planetary nebula, white dwarf

2:  Compared to the main-sequence lifetime of our Sun, the main-sequence lifetime of a star that is twice as massive as the Sun and 100 times as luminous is about
A: two times longer.
B: half as long.
C: a hundredth as long.
D: a fifth as long.
E: (There is something wrong with the numbers given.)

3:  Just after a low-mass star like our Sun exhausts the hydrogen in its core,
A: the core collapses and the star becomes a white dwarf.
B: the core and the star's outer layers contract.
C: the core and the star's outer layers expand.
D: the core contracts and the star's outer layers expand.
E: the core expands and the star's outer layers contract.

4:  A degenerate gas behaves in such a way that
A: if its temperature were to increase, its pressure would also increase.
B: if its temperature were to increase, its pressure would decrease.
C: its pressure does not depend on its temperature.
D: its pressure depends on its density.
E: (Both C and D.)

5:  The instability strip
A: is a layer in a star's interior that pulsates.
B: is a region in the H-R diagram where white dwarfs are found.
C: is a region in the H-R diagram where pulsating stars are found.
D: is a region in the H-R diagram where stars undergoing helium flash are found.
E: is a region in the H-R diagram that runs along the main sequence.

6:  The average density of a "typical" white dwarf is
A: about that of water.
B: about the same as the average density of the Sun.
C: about a million times the average density of the Sun.
D: about a billion times the average density of the Sun.
E: about a trillion times the average density of the Earth.

7:  A planetary nebula
A: is a shell of gas surrounding a small hot "star."
B: is a phase in the life of a star that is also known as proto-planetary nebula.
C: is a protoplanet.
D: is a shell of gas surrounding a main sequence star.
E: is a shell of gas surrounding a planet.

8:  Type Ia supernovae
A: have similar light curves and spectra.
B: result from the complete disintegration of white dwarfs.
C: are used by astronomers as a tool to study the expansion of the universe.
D: (Both A and B.)
E: (All of the above.)

9:  When a massive star enters the instability strip
A: it becomes a Cepheid variable.
B: it ejects a shell of gas (a planetary nebula).
C: it collapses and becomes a white dwarf.
D: it becomes a RR Lyrae variable.
E: it starts pulsating with an irregular period.

10:  The energy source for the observed intense glow of a planetary nebula is
A: the explosion of the star at the center of the nebula.
B: hydrogen fusion reactions in the nebula.
C: UV light from the hot star at the center of the nebula.
D: friction between the interstellar medium and the particles in the nebula.
E: (None of the above.)

11:  Brown dwarfs
A: are stars of very low temperature.
B: are stars of very low mass.
C: have masses less than about 8% of the mass of the Sun.
D: never go through the stage of nuclear fusion reactions in their cores.
E: (Both C and D.)

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