Space Physics
Each subtopic includes About section, revision page link, 10 preview questions, and practice CTAs.
Earth and the Solar System
SubtopicEarth and the Solar System under Space Physics for Grade 11 IGCSE.
Preview questions (no answers)
- 1.
If a planet's orbital radius is and its orbital period is , what is the formula for its average orbital speed ?
A.B.C.D. - 2.
Which of the following describes the composition of a 'Terrestrial' planet?
A.Mostly hydrogen and helium gas
B.Mostly ice and methane
C.Mostly rocky material with a solid surface
D.A collection of dust and plasma
- 3.
Which region of space is located beyond the orbit of Neptune and contains many small icy bodies?
A.The Asteroid Belt
B.The Kuiper Belt
C.The Solar Corona
D.The Van Allen Belt
- 4.
Which planet is characterized by a blue color due to methane in its atmosphere and was the first discovered by mathematical prediction?
A.Uranus
B.Neptune
C.Jupiter
D.Saturn
- 5.
Which of the following characterizes an 'asteroid' compared to a 'planet'?
A.Asteroids always have atmospheres.
B.Asteroids are much smaller and usually have irregular shapes.
C.Asteroids orbit the Earth, not the Sun.
D.Asteroids are made entirely of gas.
- 6.
Which planet orbits the Sun at the highest average speed?
A.Mercury
B.Earth
C.Jupiter
D.Neptune
- 7.
What happens during a solar eclipse?
A.The Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon.
B.The Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth.
C.The Sun passes between the Earth and the Moon.
D.The Moon's shadow falls on the Sun.
- 8.
A star is away. If it were to explode as a supernova today, in which year would we observe the event on Earth?
A.B.C.It would be observed instantly.
D. - 9.
The Roche limit is the distance within which a celestial body, held together only by its own gravity, will disintegrate due to a second celestial body's tidal forces. This limit explains the existence of:
A.Planetary rings
B.The Asteroid Belt
C.Sunspots
D.The Van Allen radiation belts
- 10.
Which of the following is the correct definition of an Astronomical Unit (AU)?
A.The average distance from the center of the Earth to the center of the Sun.
B.The distance light travels in the time it takes Earth to orbit the Sun.
C.The radius of the Sun's photosphere.
D.The distance from the Sun to the furthest planet, Neptune.
Download the worksheet for Space Physics - Earth and the Solar System to practice offline. It includes additional chapter-level practice questions.
Stars and the Universe
SubtopicStars and the Universe under Space Physics for Grade 11 IGCSE.
Preview questions (no answers)
- 1.
In a star, the process of nuclear fusion involves:
A.Heavy nuclei splitting into lighter ones
B.Light nuclei joining to form heavier ones
C.Chemical burning of coal
D.Radioactive decay of uranium
- 2.
What does the Hubble constant () help astronomers to calculate?
A.The mass of the Sun
B.The speed of light
C.The age of the universe
D.The temperature of a star
- 3.
Which of these objects orbits the Sun but is much smaller than a planet and is mostly made of rock and metal?
A.Moon
B.Asteroid
C.Galaxy
D.Nebula
- 4.
What is the primary factor that determines the life cycle path a star will take?
A.Its initial mass
B.Its initial temperature
C.Its distance from the galaxy center
D.Its orbital speed
- 5.
Two planets, and , orbit the same star in circular paths. Planet has an orbital radius and an orbital period . Planet has an orbital radius and an orbital period . If the orbital speed of planet is , what is the orbital speed of planet ?
A.B.C.D. - 6.
Which force is responsible for the formation of a protostar from a nebula?
A.Magnetic force
B.Electrostatic force
C.Gravitational force
D.Tension force
- 7.
The diameter of the Milky Way galaxy is approximately:
A.light-years
B.light-years
C.light-years
D.meters
- 8.
According to current cosmological models, what is the fate of the universe if the expansion continues to accelerate indefinitely?
A.The Big Crunch: The universe will eventually collapse back into a singularity.
B.The Big Rip: Expansion becomes so strong that it tears apart galaxies, stars, and atoms.
C.The Static State: Expansion will stop and the universe will remain a fixed size.
D.The Oscillating Universe: The universe will expand and contract in a cycle.
- 9.
In a galaxy, most of the stars are found in the 'Disk' and 'Bulge'. What is the name of the spherical component that surrounds the entire galaxy and contains globular clusters?
A.The Galactic Core
B.The Galactic Halo
C.The Event Horizon
D.The Oort Cloud
- 10.
How does the gravitational pull of a star affect the light escaping from its surface (Gravitational Redshift)?
A.The light's frequency increases as it loses energy.
B.The light's wavelength increases as it loses energy to the gravitational field.
C.The light's speed decreases as it moves away from the star.
D.The light's wavelength decreases as it gains energy.
Download the worksheet for Space Physics - Stars and the Universe to practice offline. It includes additional chapter-level practice questions.
The Big Bang Theory and Redshift
SubtopicThe Big Bang Theory and Redshift under Space Physics for Grade 11 IGCSE.
Preview questions (no answers)
- 1.
Which discovery by Edwin Hubble changed our view of the universe?
A.The Earth revolves around the Sun
B.The universe is expanding
C.Gravity is caused by mass
D.Stars are made of gas
- 2.
When we say the universe is expanding, we mean that:
A.The size of atoms is increasing
B.The size of the Earth is increasing
C.The distance between galaxy clusters is increasing
D.The distance from the Earth to the Sun is increasing
- 3.
If the redshift of a galaxy is very small, it means the galaxy is:
A.Very far away
B.Moving away very quickly
C.Relatively close to us
D.Made of blue stars
- 4.
The CMBR is often described as the 'afterglow' of which event?
A.The formation of the Earth
B.The death of the first star
C.The Big Bang
D.A supernova in the Milky Way
- 5.
What would be the effect on the observed wavelength of light from a galaxy if it were moving at a significant fraction of the speed of light away from us?
A.The wavelength would be significantly shorter.
B.The wavelength would be significantly longer.
C.The wavelength would remain the same, but the color would change.
D.The wavelength would become zero.
- 6.
According to the Big Bang Theory, what was the state of the universe roughly 13.8 billion years ago?
A.A vast, cold, empty space.
B.A collection of fully formed galaxies and black holes.
C.A single star that exploded.
D.An extremely hot and dense singularity.
- 7.
What property of light is directly measured to calculate the redshift of a galaxy?
A.The brightness of the stars.
B.The positions of absorption lines in the spectrum.
C.The total time it takes for light to reach Earth.
D.The diameter of the galaxy's image.
- 8.
Which of the following is the most significant limitation of using Hubble's Law to determine the distance to very nearby galaxies?
A.The random 'peculiar' motions of nearby galaxies can be larger than the recession speed due to expansion.
B.Nearby galaxies do not have spectral lines that we can measure.
C.The Hubble constant only applies to galaxies that are more than 13 billion light-years away.
D.Gravity does not exist at small scales, so Hubble's Law fails.
- 9.
If the current temperature of the CMBR is K, what would its temperature have been when the universe was exactly half its current size?
A.5.46 K
B.1.37 K
C.2.73 K
D.10.92 K
- 10.
The Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation spectrum is a near-perfect match for which physical concept?
A.Blackbody radiation
B.Emission line spectrum
C.Continuous x-ray spectrum
D.Absorption line spectrum
Download the worksheet for Space Physics - The Big Bang Theory and Redshift to practice offline. It includes additional chapter-level practice questions.