Life in the Universe (4th Edition)
4th Edition
ISBN: 9780134089089
Author: Jeffrey O. Bennett, Seth Shostak
Publisher: PEARSON
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Chapter 13, Problem 29TYU
To determine
If it is possible that the aliens arrive on Earth ignores the existence of human and finds the diversity in bacteria to be of their interest.
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Which of the following is least reasonable regarding the difficulty in contacting extraterrestrial life using space flight and radio communication.
Group of answer choices
Space flight to the nearest star would take thousands of years with current technology.
Even if another intelligent civilization is within a few hundred light-years of us, conversations would be very slow with a turnaround time of decades or even centuries.
The spacecraft that NASA sent to Proxima Centauri a few years ago should be approaching its target within a decade or two, depending on solar wind conditions.
Earth has been broadcasting at radio wavelengths since the 1930's, so any civilization within a radius of about 100 light-years or so could have received the broadcast by now.
Without some major breakthrough, interstellar space flight is totally impractical.
Which of the following is not considered a likely solution to the question of why we are not currently aware of an extraterrestrial civilization?
Group of answer choices
There is no civilization because civilizations are not common.
The civilization is probably undetectable to us because it makes use of technologies that do not obey the known laws of physics.
There is no galactic civilization because civilizations do not leave their home worlds.
There is no civilization because most civilizations destroy themselves before achieving interstellar travel.
The civilization is deliberately avoiding contact with us.
Which of the following seems least reasonable regarding life on Earth?
Group of answer choices
There is much scientific evidence suggesting that all creatures living on Earth today appear to have evolved from a common ancestor.
Louis Pasteur discredited the concept of spontaneous generation by demonstrating that even bacteria and other microorganisms arise from parents resembling themselves.
There is ample physical evidence that the earliest life forms on Earth were multicellular creatures, perhaps resembling some of our primitive fish.
When the earth formed some 4.6 billion years ago, it was a lifeless, inhospitable place.
Before the mid-17th century, most people believed that God had created humankind and other higher organisms and that insects, frogs, and other small creatures could arise spontaneously in mud or decaying matter
About billion years into its development, the Earth it was teeming with organisms resembling blue-green algae.
Chapter 13 Solutions
Life in the Universe (4th Edition)
Ch. 13 - Prob. 1RQCh. 13 - How does the speed of light affect the possibility...Ch. 13 - Prob. 3RQCh. 13 - Prob. 4RQCh. 13 - What is the rocket equation used for? Based on the...Ch. 13 - Prob. 6RQCh. 13 - Discuss a few ways of reaching the stars (other...Ch. 13 - How would time dilation affect space travel at...Ch. 13 - Prob. 9RQCh. 13 - What is the Fermi paradox? What two seemingly...
Ch. 13 - Why does it seem that other civilizations, if they...Ch. 13 - What arc Von Neumann machines? How do they affect...Ch. 13 - Describe the coral model of galactic colonization....Ch. 13 - Briefly discuss possible motives for galactic...Ch. 13 - Summarize the three general categories of possible...Ch. 13 - Briefly discuss the profound implications of the...Ch. 13 - What known problems were solved when Einstein...Ch. 13 - Prob. 18RQCh. 13 - Besides the idea that you cannot reach the speed...Ch. 13 - Prob. 20RQCh. 13 - Prob. 21TYUCh. 13 - Prob. 22TYUCh. 13 - Each of the following describes some futuristic...Ch. 13 - Prob. 24TYUCh. 13 - Prob. 25TYUCh. 13 - Prob. 26TYUCh. 13 - Prob. 27TYUCh. 13 - Prob. 28TYUCh. 13 - Prob. 29TYUCh. 13 - Prob. 30TYUCh. 13 - Prob. 31TYUCh. 13 - The amount of energy that would be needed to...Ch. 13 - The rocket engines of our current spacecraft are...Ch. 13 - Suppose that a spaceship was launched in the year...Ch. 13 - Prob. 35TYUCh. 13 - Prob. 36TYUCh. 13 - Which of the following questions best represents...Ch. 13 - Prob. 38TYUCh. 13 - Which of the following is not relative in the...Ch. 13 - Prob. 40TYUCh. 13 - Prob. 41POSCh. 13 - Prob. 42POSCh. 13 - Prob. 44IFCh. 13 - What's Wrong with This Picture? Many science...Ch. 13 - Large Rockets. Suppose we built a rocket that...Ch. 13 - Prob. 47IFCh. 13 - Solution to the Fermi Paradox. Among the various...Ch. 13 - Prob. 50IFCh. 13 - Cruise Ship Energy. Suppose we have a spaceship...Ch. 13 - Prob. 52IFCh. 13 - The Multistage Rocket Equation. The rocket...Ch. 13 - Relativistic Time Dilation. Use the time dilation...Ch. 13 - Testing Relativity. A + meson produced at rest has...Ch. 13 - Prob. 57IFCh. 13 - Prob. 58IFCh. 13 - Prob. 59IFCh. 13 - Prob. 60IFCh. 13 - The Turning Point. Discuss the idea that the...
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- Tutorial A radio broadcast left Earth in 1923. How far in light years has it traveled? If there is, on average, 1 star system per 400 cubic light years, how many star systems has this broadcast reached? Assume that the fraction of these star systems that have planets is 0.50 and that, in a given planetary system, the average number of planets that have orbited in the habitable zone for 4 billion years is 0.40. How many possible planets with life could have heard this signal? Part 1 of 3 To figure out how many light years a signal has traveled we need to know how long since the signal left Earth. If the signal left in 1923, distance in light years = time since broadcast left Earth. d = tnow - broadcast d = 97 97 light years Part 2 of 3 Since the radio signal travels in all directions, it expanded as a sphere with a radius equal to the distance it has traveled so far. To determine the number of star systems this signal has reached, we need to determine the volume of that sphere. V, = Vb…arrow_forwardIn this experiment, as a form of sheltering-at-home fantasy, we adopt a science=fiction scenario. It’s the year 2520 and you are an astronaut working for a private entity simply called The Company. The CEO of The Company is the 8th clone of Elon Musk. Elon 9 has provided you with a small interstellar spacecraft about a million times faster than anything we can conceive of today. It is your job to check out the potential habitability of a few relatively near potentially habitable planets to see if human colonies can be established there to mine materials for the latest version of the Tesla automobile. But there is a problem. Shortly before your launch, a solar-system-wide pandemic ground human economy to a standstill. So Elon 9 had to cut corners. The only device he could afford for you to measure gravity acceleration on the subject planets is a pendulum with a length of 100 cm. After landing, you will determine the gravitational acceleration at the surface of…arrow_forwardAfter 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…arrow_forward
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