Exploring the Cosmos - Degree Exam 2012 - Particles, Forces & the Big Bang
1. What is the fundamental particle that the LHC is hunting for?
The Higgs boson
The Z boson
The proton
The neutrino
2. If a source of waves starts moving towards you, how does the frequency of the waves measured in your frame of reference compare to what was observed when the source was not moving?
The frequency will decrease.
The frequency will stay the same.
The frequency will become negative
The frequency will increase.
3. Which of the following is not true of Tycho Brahe?
He observed a supernova in 1572 and concluded that the celestial sphere is not immutable.
He did not believe in the Copernican system.
He claimed that planets travel along elliptical paths.
He developed equipment for making the most precise astronomical observations of his time.
4. In the Standard Model of particle physics, which of the following is NOT its own antiparticle?
The Z boson.
The photon.
The gluon.
The neutron.
5. The cosmic microwave background was created when the universe was roughly how old?
13.7 billion years old.
300 000 years old.
10−10 seconds old.
3 minutes old.
6. Our present best understanding of gravitational lensing comes from which of the following?
Newton’s Law of Gravity
Quantum Chromodynamics
Kepler’s third law
Einstein’s theory of General Relativity
7. In the scenario of inflation, the inhomogeneity in the distribution of galaxies is due to what?
The cosmic microwave background.
Quark confinement.
Primordial nucleosynthesis.
Quantum fluctuations in the very early universe.
8. Which one of the following particles interacts only weakly?
The neutrino.
The electron.
The up quark.
The gluon.
9. Which of the following is not one of Kepler’s Laws?
The speed of a planet varies depending on where it is in its orbit, so that it sweeps out equal area in equal time.
The planets follow elliptical orbits.
The period of a planet’s orbit squared equals the average radius of the orbit cubed.
The gravitational force between the sun and a planet is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
10. According to our best current understanding, most of the matter-energy in the universe is in what form?
Interstellar dust
Stars
Dark energy
Dark matter
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