In Quest of the Universe, 5e: Explorations

Title Text: In Quest of the Universe, Fourth Edition

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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: Which of the following is not true about supernovae?
	A: They are used as distance candles for nearby stars.
	B: The heaviest elements are produced by them.
	C: They are responsible for recycling material to form new stars.
	D: They can cause the formation of new stars.
	E: (Two of the above are not true.)

2: The unseen companion in a binary system could be a neutron star or a black hole. Which of the following allows us to tell the difference?
	A: The presence of X-rays; neutron stars emit X-rays, while nothing escapes black holes.
	B: Finding (by using Kepler's third law as modified by Newton) that the mass of the unseen companion is greater than about 3 solar masses.
	C: If the unseen companion were a black hole, then the light of the companion star would bend as it enters the black hole.
	D: (The unseen companion must be a black hole. A neutron star can be observed because it emits beams of radiation along its magnetic axis.)
	E: (We currently have no way of telling the difference.)

3: When a star goes supernova and a neutron star is formed,
	A: almost all of the star's core particles become neutrons.
	B: the rotational period of the neutron star is shorter than that of the original star.
	C: the magnetic field of the neutron star is stronger than that of the original star.
	D: the mass of the neutron star is less than that of the original star.
	E: (All of the above.)

4: An object shows large variations in its energy output (covering its entire surface) in a time period of about 30 microseconds. This implies that the source could be a
	A: white dwarf.
	B: star like our Sun.
	C: neutron star.
	D: (None of the above.)
	E: (We do not have enough information to decide.)

5: Type II supernovae are most likely the result of
	A: the collapse of the iron core of a massive star.
	B: the explosion of a low mass star at the end of its life.
	C: the complete disintegration of a white dwarf when its mass exceeds 1.4 solar masses due to accretion.
	D: the collapse of the core of a protostar.
	E: (The same process is responsible for both Type I and Type II supernovae.)

6: Let us assume that the Sun has turned into a black hole. As a result,
	A: the Earth will slowly spiral into the black hole.
	B: the Earth will continue orbiting as if nothing happened.
	C: the new radius of the Sun would be 3 miles.
	D: the new radius of the Sun would be 3 kilometers.
	E: (Both B and D.)

7: Which of the following is not true about neutron stars?
	A: Some neutron stars rotate in less than a second.
	B: They are about the size of a small city.
	C: They have strong magnetic fields.
	D: Some of them evolve into supernovae.
	E: Their mass is less than about 3 solar masses.

8: Pulsars form
	A: when a white dwarf in a binary system goes supernova.
	B: when a star like our Sun collapses.
	C: when a massive star goes supernova, leaving behind a spinning neutron star.
	D: when a black hole collides with another black hole.
	E: when a white dwarf in a binary system accretes enough material to increase its mass so that it is between 1.4 and 3 solar masses.

9: We do not always detect a pulsar in a supernova remnant because
	A: some of the remnants might contain black holes.
	B: the beams of radiation from the pulsar might not sweep by the Earth.
	C: not every star that goes supernova is rotating.
	D: some of the resulting pulsars may have been kicked out of the remnant.
	E: (All of the above except one.)

10: Which of the following about the Crab nebula is not correct?
	A: It emits more than 100,000 times the total energy emitted by the Sun.
	B: It is the remnant of a supernova explosion that was first seen on Earth about 955 years ago.
	C: It contains a pulsar that is visible in more than one wavelength.
	D: It contains a number of newly forming stars.
	E: It is more than 4 light-years in diameter.

11: Gamma-ray bursts
	A: could be the result of mergers between neutron stars and black holes.
	B: can last up to tens of minutes.
	C: are distributed isotropically in the sky.
	D: can be the brightest objects in the gamma-ray sky.
	E: (All of the above.)

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