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Descriptive Statements:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the theories and supporting evidence for the origin of the universe (e.g., background radiation, redshift, abundance of light elements), including ongoing effects (e.g., star populations, expansion).
- Demonstrate knowledge of the types and modes of detection for energy and matter in the universe (e.g., normal matter, dark matter, dark energy).
- Demonstrate knowledge of the tools (e.g., telescopes, spectrometers, particle detectors) and techniques (e.g., gravitational lensing, imaging, parallax, redshift, remote sensing) used to observe the universe, including common measurements of distance (e.g., astronomical units, light years, parsecs) and the techniques and objects used to determine distances in space (e.g., parallax, Cepheids, redshift, standard candles).
- Demonstrate knowledge of the structures present in the universe (e.g., galaxies, stellar neighborhoods, clusters), including their formation and characteristics.
Sample Item:
Through most of modern astronomy, the universe has been described as which of the following geometric shapes?
- a closed system that curves into a spherical shape
- a torus system that is a singular loop in a doughnut cylinder shape
- a flat system that expands in every direction in one Euclidean plane shape
- an open system that has a negative curvature in a shape of a hyperbolic saddle
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
C. Astronomers' observations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB C M B ) indicate that the density of the universe is just right to allow for a zero curvature of space. When there is a zero curvature, rather than positive or negative curvature, the system will be geometrically flat.
Descriptive Statements:
- Apply knowledge of the different types of stars, including their origin, characteristics (e.g., luminosity, magnitude, size, age), gravitational forces, and the objects and materials they leave behind (e.g., quasars, black holes, heavy elements).
- Demonstrate knowledge of the processes that occur within a star (e.g., nucleosynthesis, heat transfer mechanisms), including the effects those processes have on planets within their system (e.g., gravitational effects, solar flares, sunspots, changes to insolation, composition).
- Apply knowledge of Kepler's and Newton's laws to astronomical bodies (e.g., planets, stars, satellites, black holes), including their interactions with other objects in the universe.
- Demonstrate knowledge of planet types, planet formation, and habitability, including for planets found outside the Sol system.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the notable nonplanetary objects within the Sol system (e.g., asteroids, moons, and comets), including their motion, their formation, their composition, and their characteristics.
- Apply knowledge of the orbital interactions that occur between the Earth, moon, and sun, including phenomena that could occur on Earth (e.g., tides, seasons, eclipses).
Sample Item:
During its life cycle, a massive star fuses progressively heavier elements in its core in a process known as nucleosynthesis. This process ends when the core is composed of which of the following elements?
- helium
- iron
- carbon
- silicon
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
B. During their lifetime, massive stars are able to synthesize heavier and heavier elements. The outward pressure generated by these exothermic nuclear reactions counteracts the inward pressure of gravity which keeps the star in hydrostatic equilibrium. The synthesis of iron, however, is endothermic and shifts the internal balance of forces, causing the star to collapse.
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