12 The universe

Answers

Page 223 Data-based question: Planetary orbits

1. 12
11
10
length of a year (Earth years)

9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0 5.5 6.0
distance from the sun (AU)

2. As distance from the sun increases, the length of a year increases

(at an increasing rate)
3. 2.75 AU
4. Distance = 2.75 – 0.4 = 2.35 AU; from graph, length of year = 3.6 years

Page 227 What lies beyond the solar system?

1. a) 1.08 × 1012 m
b) 1.8 × 1010 m
c) 2.59 × 1013 m
2. Larger and so easier to discover

Page 227 Activity: Extra-terrestrial life

1. The Goldilocks zone might be further away for a large hot star, and
closer for a cooler small star.
2. Life forms might have to be stronger, lower to the ground, or smaller
to reduce their weight.

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Page 230 Activity: Creating a timeline of the universe

Summative assessment
Criterion A: The properties of metals
1. B 4. D
2. B 5. D
3. D 6. B

Criterion B: Investigating the Goldilocks zone

7. a) Distance
b) Temperature
8. Measuring tape
9. 1 mark for control variable; 1 mark for description; e.g. all footballs
are around the same bonfire so that the heat output is the same.
10. 1 mark for control variable; 1 mark for adequate description; e.g.
footballs should all be identical; time taken for footballs to heat up
should be the same; power output of bonfire should be constant
11. 1 mark for improvement; 1 mark linking to safety consideration; e.g.
bonfire poses a fire risk  use other heat source; or experiment on
this scale requires a large output of heat which could be dangerous
 use lower powered heat source (and put footballs / smaller
objects closer)

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 Criterion C: Detecting exoplanets
12. Graph 1 has smaller dips; time between dips is shorter for graph 1.
13. Read dip form graph 2  approximately 99%;
Use graph to find radius; 11 times Earth radius.
14. 1 mark for any of the following (up to 5 max):
 planet in graph 1 is (about the) same size as Earth;
 planet in graph 2 is about 11 times larger;
 larger planet is easier to spot;
 planet in graph 1 has more regular dips;
 would not have to wait as long to observe a dip;
 would need to observe planet in graph 2 for a long time;
 planet in graph 1 orbits the star every 365 days.

Criterion D: The search of extra-terrestrial intelligence

15. 1 mark for any of the following:
 extra-terrestrial civilizations might be a long way away;
 signal could be very weak;
 takes a long time for signal to travel;
 might be difficult to interpret / decipher signals;
 we don’t know what to look for.
16. Award marks for: appreciation of dangers—2 marks; appreciation
of benefits—2 marks; quality of discussion—2 marks.

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