Life in the Universe (4th Edition)
4th Edition
ISBN: 9780134089089
Author: Jeffrey O. Bennett, Seth Shostak
Publisher: PEARSON
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Chapter 12, Problem 53IF
Dealing with UFO Claims. Given the large number of people who claim to have seen a UFO, you are likely to know at least one such person, now or in the future. Perhaps you have seen a UFO. Suppose someone who has seen a UFO believes deeply that it was an alien spacecraft. What, if anything, would you say to that person? Why?
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After completing this Lecture Tutorial, students should be able to:
distinguish between scientific hypotheses and nonscientific ideas.
Part 1: Comprehension of Hypotheses
A scientific hypothesis needs to (1) be supported by the majority of current data and (2) be
testable. An alien on Earth is wondering why a rubber ball falls back down to the ground
after it is thrown into the air. It comes up with several ideas about the ball.
a. Gravity is pulling the ball to the ground.
b.
A mystical force that cannot be measured is pushing the ball down.
c.
Earth's magnetic field is pulling on the rubber ball.
1. Which statement is NOT a hypothesis because it is not testable? a b c
2. Which statement is NOT a hypothesis because it is not supported by current data? a b c
3. Which statement IS a scientific hypothesis? a b c
Part 2: Application to Dinosaur Extinction
Below are possible scenarios explaining the extinction of the dinosaurs.
a. Dinosaurs were killed off by a virus.
b. A large meteorite…
Humanity's Energy Needs: Humankind's total annual energy need is approximately 4 x 10^20 J.
a) What is this in Watts?
b) The solar energy reaching the Earth is ~340 W/m^2. If we could collect 100% of the energy hitting 1/20th (5%) of the Earth's surface, and Earth's surface is 5x10^14 m^2, show that we could collect enough energy to meet all of humankind's annual energy needs in less than 12 hours.
c) Alternatively, if we wanted to provide all of humankind's energy needs with wind power, how many 100 MW wind farms are needed? (Assume constant average energy use and no efficiency losses.)
The principle cause of our intense interest in Mars in the decades before the dawn of the space age was that
Answers:
A.
a few astronomers believed that they saw evidence of an intelligent civilization on Mars.
B.
Mars has seasons just like the Earth and therefore should be inhabitable by humans.
C.
Mars has an unusual surface color and global dust storms, creating strange weather patterns.
D.
Mars has unusual orbital properties making our understanding of its motion around the Sun very difficult.
Chapter 12 Solutions
Life in the Universe (4th Edition)
Ch. 12 - What is the purpose of the Drake equation? Define...Ch. 12 - What is convergent evolution? How does this idea...Ch. 12 - Prob. 3RQCh. 12 - Prob. 4RQCh. 12 - Briefly describe early attempts at interplanetary...Ch. 12 - Briefly discuss early SETI efforts. What do we...Ch. 12 - What are the three general categories of signals...Ch. 12 - Why do SETI researchers assume that beacon signals...Ch. 12 - Summarize the current techniques of radio SETI and...Ch. 12 - Explain why it is reasonable to imagine optical or...
Ch. 12 - Prob. 11RQCh. 12 - What are the three distinct categories of...Ch. 12 - Briefly discuss some of the issues that would...Ch. 12 - Discuss several types of claims about alien...Ch. 12 - Humans are the crown of creation and an inevitable...Ch. 12 - If, for some reason, we humans were to suddenly...Ch. 12 - Prob. 17TYUCh. 12 - Most of the intelligence in the universe is not...Ch. 12 - Because SETI researchers are listening to star...Ch. 12 - Prob. 20TYUCh. 12 - Prob. 21TYUCh. 12 - Looking for signals from star systems is a poor...Ch. 12 - If 10,000 people saw the same UFO, scientists...Ch. 12 - The absence of any scientific evidence for alien...Ch. 12 - The end result of a calculation with the Drake...Ch. 12 - Which of the following statements is true about...Ch. 12 - The fact that marine predators like dolphins and...Ch. 12 - Which of the following would lead an animal to a...Ch. 12 - Prob. 29TYUCh. 12 - Why are we more likely to be able to detect a...Ch. 12 - What is the distinguishing characteristic that...Ch. 12 - Two-way conversation with other societies is...Ch. 12 - Prob. 33TYUCh. 12 - One reason scientists doubt that crop circles have...Ch. 12 - Alien Visits. Learn more about a particular claim...Ch. 12 - Prob. 39IFCh. 12 - Evolution of Intelligence. Based on your...Ch. 12 - Intelligence on Other Worlds. Consider again the...Ch. 12 - Talking Back. Suppose SETI were to find a signal...Ch. 12 - Contact. Watch the movie Contact, paying careful...Ch. 12 - Invasions of Movie Aliens. Choose a science...Ch. 12 - Prob. 47IFCh. 12 - Actual SETI Searches. Project Phoenix, the largest...Ch. 12 - Power Used by E.T. A modern SETI search using the...Ch. 12 - Detecting Signals. SETI scientists are sometimes...Ch. 12 - Societal Reaction. It is frequently said that the...Ch. 12 - Dealing with UFO Claims. Given the large number of...
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