Chapter 6 Exam Review:
How is Einstein’s famous equation, E= mc squared, important in understanding the Sun?
It explains the fact that the Sun generates thermal energy by losing some 4 million tons of
mass each day
. The “lost” 4 million tons is converted to an amount of energy equal to this mass times the
speed of light squared. Note that although 4 million tons per day sounds like a lot, it is quite small
compared to the Sun’s total mass.
In what way is Venus most similar to Earth?
Both planets are nearly the same size.
Imagine that an alien spaceship crashed onto Earth. Which statement would most likely be true?
It would crash in the ocean.
This is very likely, because the Earth’s surface is about ¾ covered by oceans.
Which statement about the recently-discovered object Eris is false?
It is thought to be the first example of a new class of planet.
Actually, it’s very similar to Pluto, so it’s not a new kind of object.
Mars has two moons that are most similar in character to: