Question 1

Briefly describe why the detection of neutrinos coming from the Sun supports the theory that the Sun generates energy by nuclear fusion.

Accepted Answer

Laboratory experiments and theory show t...

Question 2

Why isn't the Sun shrinking or expanding?

Accepted Answer

A)   Because the Sun is spinning so fast, the centrifugal forces keep the surface of the Sun supported against collapse
B)   Because the Sun has lived for billions of years
C)   Because the Sun is solid
D)   Because gas pressure balances gravity in the Sun

Question 3

Energy from the core of the Sun first travels slowly through a convection zone and then much faster through the outer radiation zone.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

Order the interior layers of the Sun from the hottest to the coldest.

Accepted Answer

A)   Photosphere, convection zone, core, radiation zone
B)   Core, radiation zone, convection zone, photosphere
C)   Radiation zone, core, convection zone, photosphere
D)   Photosphere, convection zone, radiation zone, core

Question 5

What is the solar wind?

Accepted Answer

A)   A stream of charged particles flowing outward from the surface of the Sun
B)   The uppermost layer of the Sun, lying just above the corona
C)   The strong wind that blows sunspots around on the surface of the Sun
D)   The wind that causes huge arcs of gas to rise above the Sun's surface

Question 6

Which of the following correctly compares the Sun's energy generation process to the energy generation process in human-built nuclear power plants?

Accepted Answer

A)   The Sun generates energy by fusing small nuclei into larger ones, while our power plants generate energy by the fission (splitting)  of large nuclei.
B)   Both processes involve nuclear fusion, but the Sun fuses hydrogen while nuclear power plants fuse uranium.
C)   The Sun generates energy through nuclear reactions while nuclear power plants generate energy through chemical reactions.
D)   The Sun generates energy through fission while nuclear power plants generate energy through fusion.

Question 7

According to modern science, approximately how old is the Sun?

Accepted Answer

A)   4 ¹/₂ billion years
B)   25 million years
C)   10,000 years
D)   400 million years

Question 8

What is the solar thermostat?

Accepted Answer

The solar thermostat is a natural feedba...

Question 9

How do we test our computer models for the interior of the Sun?

Accepted Answer

A)   Sending a probe to the Sun to plunge into its interior
B)   Monitoring the helium content of the surface of the Sun
C)   Taking movies of the solar prominences and flares
D)   Comparing model predictions to how the Sun actually vibrates

Question 10

What are the appropriate units for the Sun's luminosity?

Accepted Answer

A)   Watts
B)   Joules
C)   Newtons
D)   Kilograms

Question 11

To estimate the central temperature of the Sun, scientists ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   send probes to measure the temperature
B)   use hot gas to create a small Sun in a laboratory
C)   monitor changes in Earth's atmosphere
D)   use computer models to predict interior conditions

Question 12

The Sun will exhaust its nuclear fuel in about ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   5000 AD
B)   5 million years
C)   5 billion years
D)   50 billion years

Question 13

Imagine that you are trying to stop neutrinos with a lead shield. How thick would you need to make this shield to ensure that it can stop a neutrino?

Accepted Answer

A)   About one meter.
B)   About 700,000 kilometers (the radius of the Sun) .
C)   About 150 million kilometers (the size of an astronomical unit) .
D)   About one light year.
E)   About 14 billion light years (the size of the observable universe) .

Question 14

The fundamental nuclear reaction occurring in the core of the Sun is ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   nuclear fission
B)   radioactive decay
C)   nuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium
D)   nuclear fusion of helium into carbon

Question 15

Which is closest to the temperature of the Sun's core?

Accepted Answer

A)   10,000 K
B)   100,000 K
C)   1 million K
D)   10 million K
E)   100 million K

Question 16

The light radiated from the Sun's surface reaches Earth in about 8 minutes. However, the energy of this light was released by fusion in the Sun's core about

Accepted Answer

A)   8 minutes ago.
B)   11 years ago.
C)   several hundred years ago.
D)   several thousand years ago.
E)   several hundred thousand years ago.

Question 17

What observations characterize solar maximum?

Accepted Answer

A)   The Sun becomes much brighter.
B)   The Sun emits light of longer average wavelength.
C)   The Sun rotates faster at its poles.
D)   There are many sunspots visible on the surface of the Sun.
E)   all of the above

Question 18

Which of the following statements about the sunspot cycle is not true?

Accepted Answer

A)   The number of sunspots peaks approximately every 11 years.
B)   The magnetic polarity of the Sun reverses approximately every 11 years.
C)   The rate of nuclear fusion in the Sun peaks about every 11 years.
D)   At solar minimum, the first sunspots form at mid-latitudes on the Sun.
E)   The number of solar flares peaks about every 11 years.

Question 19

The chromosphere is the layer of the Sun that we see as its visible surface.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

What do we mean when we say that the Sun is in gravitational equilibrium?

Accepted Answer

A)   There is a balance within the Sun between the outward push of pressure and the inward pull of gravity.
B)   The Sun maintains a steady temperature.
C)   The hydrogen gas in the Sun is balanced so that it never rises upward or falls downward.
D)   The Sun always has the same amount of mass, creating the same gravitational force.

Exam 10: Our Star

The fundamental nuclear reaction occurring in the core of the Sun is ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Imagine that you are trying to stop neutrinos with a lead shield. How thick would you need to make this shield to ensure that it can stop a neutrino?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The chromosphere is the layer of the Sun that we see as its visible surface.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

To estimate the central temperature of the Sun, scientists ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

How do we test our computer models for the interior of the Sun?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following correctly compares the Sun's energy generation process to the energy generation process in human-built nuclear power plants?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What do we mean when we say that the Sun is in gravitational equilibrium?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What is the solar wind?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following statements about the sunspot cycle is not true?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Order the interior layers of the Sun from the hottest to the coldest.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What observations characterize solar maximum?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What is the solar thermostat?

Correct AnswerverifiedThe solar thermostat is a natural feedba...View AnswerShow Answer

What are the appropriate units for the Sun's luminosity?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Briefly describe why the detection of neutrinos coming from the Sun supports the theory that the Sun generates energy by nuclear fusion.

Correct AnswerverifiedLaboratory experiments and theory show t...View AnswerShow Answer

According to modern science, approximately how old is the Sun?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Energy from the core of the Sun first travels slowly through a convection zone and then much faster through the outer radiation zone.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The light radiated from the Sun's surface reaches Earth in about 8 minutes. However, the energy of this light was released by fusion in the Sun's core about

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which is closest to the temperature of the Sun's core?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Why isn't the Sun shrinking or expanding?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The Sun will exhaust its nuclear fuel in about ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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The solar thermostat is a natural feedba...
View Answer

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Laboratory experiments and theory show t...
View Answer

Correct Answer
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