4/9/2021 Assignment 3

Assignment 3
Due: 11:59pm on Monday, February 8, 2021
You will receive no credit for items you complete after the assignment is due. Grading Policy

Prelecture Reading Question S3.01

Part A
Einstein's general theory of relativity suggests that gravity is __________.

ANSWER:

caused by curvature of spacetime

F = G(M1M2)/d2

a force of attraction that acts at a distance between two masses

one of four fundamental forces in nature

Correct
This is quite different from the Newtonian idea of "action at a distance."

Problem S3.30

Choose the best answer.

Part A
You know that you are following the straightest possible path through spacetime if
ANSWER:

you are standing still.

you are moving directly from one place to another.

you are weightless.

Correct

Problem S3.33

Choose the best answer.

Part A
Gravitational lensing occurs because
ANSWER:

gravity causes light to slow down.

gravity curves space and light always follows the straightest possible path through space.

the effects of gravity are indistinguishable from the effects of glass lenses.

Correct

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Problem S3.31

Choose the best answer.

Part A
According to general relativity, Earth goes around the Sun rather than flying straight off into space because
ANSWER:

in its own reference frame, Earth can consider itself to be stationary.

Earth is going as straight as possible, but the shape of spacetime makes this path go round and round.

gravity creates an invisible bond holding Earth and the Sun together.

Correct

Supplement 3 Question 21 v2

Part A
Figure S3.20a in the text shows a photograph that appears to show four identical galaxies arranged as a cross. What are we really seeing?

ANSWER:

a picture taken with a poorly made telescope, so that a single large object appears as four fuzzy dots

four images of a single background galaxy, created by the gravitational lens of a massive foreground galaxy or cluster

a large galaxy with four central masses that glow brightly

four galaxies that are nearly identical because they were born at about the same time

Correct

Problem S3.26

Choose the best answer.

Part A
Spacetime is

ANSWER:

another name for gravity.

the combination of time and the three dimensions of space.

a curved rubber sheet.

Correct

Ranking Task: Understanding Curved Spacetime

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Part A
The figures below show several different astronomical objects. Rank the objects based on the strength of the gravitational force that would be felt by a
spacecraft traveling at a distance of 10 AU from the center of each of the objects, from weakest to strongest. If the gravitational force is equal for two (or
more) cases, show this equality by dragging one figure on top of the other(s).

Hint 1. What would happen to Earth if the Sun became a black hole?
Suppose the Sun magically shrunk to become a black hole, but still had the same mass of 1 MSun. This would obviously cause Earth to become
dark and cold (since the Sun would no longer shine), but what would happen to Earth’s orbit?

ANSWER:

Earth would almost immediately be sucked into the black hole.

Earth would gradually spiral into the black hole.

Nothing; Earth’s orbit would stay the same.

ANSWER:

Reset Help

Weakest force Strongest force

Correct
A distance of 10AU is far from all four objects (the red giant’s radius of 100 RSun is equivalent to only about 1 AU), so the gravitational force on
the spacecraft depends only on this distance, the spacecraft’s mass, and the mass of the object the spacecraft is orbiting. Since all four objects
have the same mass, the gravitational force is the same in all four cases.

Part B
The figures below show several different astronomical objects. Rank the objects based on the amount that spacetime is curved (relative to flat spacetime)
at a distance of 10 AU from the center of each of the objects, from least to greatest. If two (or more) cases are equal, show this equality by dragging one
figure on top of the other(s).

Hint 1. What is curvature of spacetime?

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an orbiting object would feel a gravitational attraction to some massive object.

there is a black hole.

all objects must fall.

ANSWER:

Reset Help

Least amount Greatest amount

Correct
Einstein’s general theory of relativity tells us that gravity is curvature of spacetime. From Part A, you already know that the strength of gravity at a
distance of 10 AU is the same for all four cases (because all four objects have the same mass). Therefore the curvature of spacetime is also the
same in all four cases.

Part C
The figures below show several different astronomical objects. Rank the objects based on the amount that spacetime is curved (relative to flat spacetime)
very near the surface (or event horizon) of the objects, from least to greatest.

ANSWER:

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Reset Help

Least amount Greatest amount

Correct
It’s important to understand how the combination of an object’s mass and size both contribute to how much it will curve spacetime.

Part D
The figures below show several different astronomical objects. Rank the objects based on the acceleration a spaceship would have as it passed very near
the surface (or event horizon) of each object, from smallest to largest.

Hint 1. How does the spacecraft’s acceleration depend on the strength of gravity?

The closer a spacecraft passes to the center of a 1 solar mass object, the:
ANSWER:

smaller the acceleration of the spacecraft.

larger the acceleration of the spacecraft.

more quickly the spacecraft will be sucked inside the object.

ANSWER:

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Reset Help

Smallest acceleration Largest acceleration

Correct
From Part C you know that spacetime is curved more — which is equivalent to saying that gravity is stronger — near the surface (or event
horizon) of the objects with smaller radii. Stronger gravity causes greater acceleration to an object passing nearby, which is why the ranking here
is the same as that from Part C.

Visual Activity: Exploring the Effect of Mass Density on Spacetime Curvature

First, launch the interactive figure below. Explore the interactive figure before answering the questions. The main screen shows a rubber sheet analogy to the
curvature of spacetime around a one-solar-mass object; the slider allows you to change the object’s radius. Click “mass & radius controls” if you want to change
the object’s mass as well as its radius. In all cases, you can view the analogy at different angles by clicking and dragging it; you can also click “Show Orbits”
and then choose the orbit type to see how an orbit appears in the analogy.

Part A
Click on “Show Orbits” and choose an elliptical orbit. Where does an object on an elliptical orbit experience the greatest acceleration?

Hint 1. How are the direction of motion and acceleration related?

When an object travels with constant speed, its acceleration will be __________.
ANSWER:

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greatest when its direction of motion changes most rapidly

greatest when its direction of motion most closely resembles a straight line

zero regardless of whether or not its direction of motion changes

ANSWER:

where spacetime has the most curvature

where spacetime has the least curvature

The acceleration is the same everywhere along the orbit.

Correct
The object experiences the greatest acceleration when it is closer to the central mass, where spacetime has more curvature. You can understand
this by remembering that gravity arises from curvature of spacetime, so the greatest curvature also means the strongest force of gravity — and
Newton’s second law of motion tells us that a stronger force will cause the object to accelerate more.

Part B
Imagine that the Sun could be turned into a black hole without changing its mass. How would Earth’s orbit change?
ANSWER:

Earth’s orbit would change from elliptical to unbound.

Earth’s orbit would move farther from the Sun.

Earth would be sucked into the black hole.

Earth’s orbit would not change.

Correct
Notice that as you reduce the radius of the Sun (on the “main screen” in the interactive figure), the curvature of spacetime changes only in the
region that was inside the Sun. At greater distances, such as the distance of Earth’s orbit (or the distance of any of the other planet orbits), there
is no change to the structure of spacetime and hence there would be no change to the orbit.

Part C
Imagine that the Sun gained mass without changing its radius. How would the structure of spacetime change at the distance of Earth’s orbit?
ANSWER:

The structure of spacetime would stay the same.

Spacetime would become more curved at Earth’s orbit.

Spacetime would become flatter (less curved) at Earth’s orbit.

A black hole would engulf the Earth.

Correct
Be sure you turn on the “mass & radius controls,” and notice that as you increase the central mass (with constant radius) spacetime becomes
more highly curved at all distances from the object.

Prelecture Reading Question S3.09

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Part A
What do we mean by the event horizon of a black hole?
ANSWER:

It is the boundary within which events in the black hole cannot influence events in the outside universe.

It is the center of the black hole.

It is the place where time begins to slow down as you approach a black hole.

It is the "bottomless pit" of the black hole.

Correct
Not even light can escape from within the event horizon, so we cannot receive any information about events occurring within it.

Prelecture Reading Question S3.15

Part A
Which of the following correctly describes the relationship between Newton's theory of gravity and general relativity?
ANSWER:

Newton's theory of gravity and general relativity give the same answers, but the former tells us to think of gravity as a force and the latter tells
us to think of gravity as curvature of spacetime.

Newton's theory of gravity is an approximation to general relativity that works when gravity is relatively weak but breaks down when gravity is
strong.

General relativity applies at the subatomic level, but Newton's theory of gravity does not.

Newton's theory of gravity is now known to be false, and we were previously misled to think it was true by measurement errors.

Correct
That is, both theories give essentially the same answers for relatively weak gravitational fields, which is why Newton's theory works so well for
most cases.

Prelecture Video: Voyage to a Black Hole

Launch the video below and review the relevant sections of your textbook, then answer the questions that follow. You can watch the video again at any point.

Part A
Which of the following best describes a black hole?
ANSWER:

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An object that sucks in all the light from stars that are near it.

A funnel-shaped, bottomless pit in the universe.

An object that is completely black in color.

A place from which the escape velocity exceeds the speed of light.

Correct
Because nothing travel faster than light, if light cannot escape, then nothing can escape from within a black hole.

Part B
The boundary from within which light cannot escape from a black hole is called the black hole's __________.
ANSWER:

singularity

spacetime distortion zone

Schwarzschild radius

event horizon

Correct

Part C
What is the Schwarzschild radius of a 10 solar mass black hole?

ANSWER:

3 billion km

1 billion km

30 billion km

10 km

30 km

Correct
The answer is given in the video and can also be found with the simple formula in your textbook.

Part D
Complete the following sentences. Use each choice only once.
Drag a phrase from the left to the correct blank at the right.

ANSWER:

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Reset Help

If you tried to fly into a 10-solar-mass black hole , you would be killed by tidal forces before you

crossed the event horizon.

If you tried to visit a black hole in an X-ray binary system , you would probably be killed by

radiation well before you reached the black hole itself.

Ignoring any radiation, you could in principle survive the journey across the event horizon of a

supermassive black hole .

Correct

Chapter 18 Question 40 - Copy

Part A
Black holes, by definition, cannot be observed directly. What observational evidence do scientists have of their existence?

ANSWER:

We have detected neutrinos from them.

Gravitational interaction with other objects.

Theoretical models predict their existence.

We have sent spacecraft to nearby black holes.

Space is, overall, very black.

Correct

Prelecture Reading Question 18.20

Part A
The Schwarzschild radius of a black hole depends on __________.

ANSWER:

the observationally measured radius of the black hole

the way in which the black hole formed

both the mass and chemical composition of the black hole

only the mass of the black hole

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Correct
The greater the mass, the larger the Schwarzschild radius.

Problem 18.31

Choose the best answer.

Part A
What would happen if the Sun suddenly became a black hole without changing its mass?
ANSWER:

Earth would remain in the same orbit.

The black hole would quickly suck in Earth.

Earth would gradually spiral into the black hole.

Correct

Problem 18.34

Choose the best answer.

Part A
Which of these black holes exerts the weakest tidal force on an object near its event horizon?
ANSWER:

a 10 6 MSun black hole

a 10MSun black hole

a 100MSun black hole

Correct

Prelecture Reading Question 19.19

Part A
What kind of object do we think lies in the center of the Milky Way Galaxy?

Hint 1.
You may find it helpful to watch the video "The Galactic Center."

ANSWER:

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a dense cluster of young, hot stars

a black hole of about 4 million solar masses

a gigantic x-ray binary system

an enormous collection of dark matter, explaining why we detect no light at all from the galactic center

Correct
The black hole's existence is inferred from the orbits of stars near the galactic center, which tell us that an approximately 4 million solar-mass
object lies there but is so small in size that it can only be a black hole. X-rays from this region presumably come from an accretion disk around
the black hole.

Problem 19.37

Choose the best answer.

Part A
We measure the mass of the black hole at the galactic center from:

ANSWER:

the orbits of stars in the galactic center.

the orbits of gas clouds in the galactic center.

the amount of radiation coming from the galactic center.

Correct

Score Summary:
Your score on this assignment is 100%.
You received 20 out of a possible total of 20 points.

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