Life in the Universe (4th Edition)
4th Edition
ISBN: 9780134089089
Author: Jeffrey O. Bennett, Seth Shostak
Publisher: PEARSON
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Textbook Question
Chapter 13, Problem 45IF
What's Wrong with This Picture? Many science fiction stories have imagined the galaxy divided into a series of empires, each having arisen from a different civilization on a different world, that hold each other at bay because they are all at about the same level of military technology. Is this a realistic scenario? Explain.
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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.
The Drake equation In 1961 astronomer Frank Drakedeveloped an equation to try to estimate the number ofextraterrestrial civilizations in our galaxy that might be
able to communicate with us via radio transmissions. Nowlargely accepted by the scientific community, the Drakeequation has helped spur efforts by radio astronomers tosearch for extraterrestrial intelligence. Here is the equation:
NC = N # fp # ne # fl# fi# fc # fLOK, it looks a little messy, but here’s what it means:So, how many ETs are out there? That depends; valueschosen for the many factors in the equation depend onever-evolving scientific knowledge and one’s personalguesses. But now, some questions.a) What quantity is calculated by the first product, N # fp?b) What quantity is calculated by the product, N # fp # ne # fl?c) What probability is calculated by the product fl# fi?d) Which of the factors in the formula are conditionalprobabilities? Restate each in a way that makes thecondition clear.
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.
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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