Q 5
Which of the following statements about the way the mass of a white dwarf affects spacetime is correct?
A) the white dwarf mass will attract light, and pull it in a curved path; spacetime is not affected
B) the white dwarf mass will curve spacetime; light has to follow that curvature
C) the white dwarf mass will not affect spacetime at all; only black holes affect spacetime
D) the white dwarf mass will have enough gravity to straighten out any curvature in spacetime; so spacetime near the white dwarf will be flat
E) since no experiments have ever tested Einstein's theory of general relativity, it is impossible to say what will happen
Section 24.3: Tests of General Relativity
Q 6
Einstein suggested that the regular change (advance) in the perihelion of the planet Mercury could be explained by:
A) the presence of a planet inside the orbit of Mercury, whose gravity influenced Mercury
B) a distortion in spacetime caused by the gravity of the Sun
C) the pull of a small black hole that orbits our Sun so closely that we are not able to see it
D) the presence of a strong magnetic field in the Sun, which causes huge outburst of material
E) a distortion in our view of the solar system caused by the Earth's atmosphere
Q 7
When Einstein proposed his General Theory of Relativity, he suggested some pretty strange ideas about space, time, and gravity. How did scientists in 1919 show that Einstein's theory described the behavior of the real world and wasn't just a crazy hypothesis?
A) by finding x-rays from a black hole
B) by using an H-R diagram for a nearby cluster of stars
C) by discovering the process of nuclear fusion
D) by dropping different weights from very tall buildings
E) by observing starlight coming close to the Sun during an eclipse
Section 24.4: Time in General Relativity
