Disasters and Failures - Final

Science is the application of mathematical principles to practical ends

a. true

b. false

b. false

The number of data points you collect from the population during your experiment is called what?

a. carrying capacity

b. population density

c. sample size

d. probability

c. sample size

When you are finished with testing and experimenting with your hypothesis, you analyze your results and only some of the results seem to be correct. You go ahead and publish the data because even if some wrong data, someone else will replicate is and fix it.

a. true

b. false

b. false

If you are experimenting with plants to see how they grow after being fed different liquids, you choose to use petunias as the type of plant in the experiment. The petunias are an example of what type of variable

a. manipulated

b. control

c. independent

d. dependent

b. control

Precision can also be explained in which following way

a. the ability of a measurement to match the actual value being measured

b. the ability of a measurement to be consistently reproduced

c. the result from some limitation in the method of data collection

d. the result from some uniform problem in the way data is collected

b. the ability of a measurement to be consistently reproduced

What normally results from some uniform problem in the way or method that data was collected

a. random error

b imprecision

c. systematic error

d. closed system

c. systematic error

The Mean is what

a. a measurement of precision

b. the same as the mode

c. the same as the average

d. a measurement of accuracy

c. the same as the average

When using the Scientific Method, the very first thing you do is experimentation to gather data

a. true

b. false

false

Heat stress on the Space Shuttle during re-entry is an example of what kind of system

a. random

b. closed

c. natural

d. open

d. open

The ability of a measurement to match the actual value of the quantity being measured is called what

a. distribution

b. precision

c. deviation

d. accuracy

d. accuracy

Rivers and other bodies of water form what

a. conduits of electromagnetic energy

b. barriers you can never cross

c. natural boundaries to human activity

d. none of the above

c. natural boundaries to human activity

How many forces act on a bridge

a. 1

b. 2

c. 3

d. 4

d. 4

The ‘environmental load” on a bridge includes the weight of the traffic

a. true

b. false

b. false

The force that tries to stretch or pull apart a material to lengthen it is called what

a. tension

b. compression

c. torsion

d. shear

a. tension

What ultimately caused the Tacoma Narrows Bridge to sway as much as it did and eventually collapse

a. too heavy

b. too long

c. too light

d. too wide

c. too light

The type of bridge whose deck is directly suspended from cables that run from the tower to the deck forming a fan-like pattern is called a what

a. cross-cut bridge

b. cable-strayed bridge

c. suspension bridge

d. deck bridge

b. cable-strayed bridge

What caused the Tay Bridge Disaster of 1879

a. bridge was not designed to withstand the strong winds of the Scottish coast

b. the columns could not be driven into the solid bedrock

c. the iron used in the bridge was not tested properly and contained defects

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

d. all of the above

The force that tries to slide the material apart in opposite directions is called what

a. shear

b. torsion

c. compression

d. tension

a. shear

In Newton’s 2nd Law equation, gravity can be substituted into the equation as a type of acceleration

a. yes

b. no

a. yes

Meaning “stationary” or “at rest”, this type of equilibrium is when the force of gravity pulling down is equal to and opposite to the force pushing up

a. constant

b. static

c. compressional

d. none of the above

b. static

Who built dams that reached extraordinary height and remained unsurpassed until the Middle Ages

a. celts

b. romans

c. egyptians

d. canadians

b. romans

The “Era of Large Dams” began with the construction of the Three Gorges Dam in 2014

a. true

b. false

b. false

When the wall of the dam is curved to distribute the hydrostatic pressure against the abutments, you have what kind of dam

a. buttress

b. barrage

c. arch

d. gravity

c. arch

When you build a dam and the friction and interaction between the particles binds them together instead of cement, you just build a what

a. gravity dam

b. arch dam

c. buttress dam

d. embankment dam

d. embankment dam

A dam that consist of a line of large gates that can be opened or closed is called a what

a. barrage

b. gravity dam

c. embankment dam

d. buttress dam

a. barrage

If you are building a dam across a wide valley where solid rock is not present and you still need to prevent the dam from falling forward, you need to build what kind of dam

a. arch

b. buttress

c. double-arch

d. barrage

b. buttress

What caused Malpasset Dam in France to fail in 1959

a. bad cement job and dry conditions

b. wrong type of rock and cement

c. large storm and inadequate geological survey

d. placed in the wrong valley

c. large storm and inadequate geological survey

The largest hydroelectric dam in the world is located where

a. United States

b. Australia

c. Russia

d. China

d. China

The South Fork Dam caused the Great Johnson Flood of 1889 collapsed because of what reason

a. the dam crest was lowered by 2 feet

b. placed mesh screens in the spillway

c. never replaced the stone and iron culvert pipes

d. all of the above

d. all of the above

When built on a solid foundation this type of dam represents the best-developed example of dam building

a. gravity dam

b. buttress

c. arch dam

d. barrage

a. gravity dam

The force that keeps the airplane in the air and comes from the wings is called what?

a. gravity

b. lift

c. drag

d. thrust

b. lift

What company built the first turbojet engine powered passenger plane

a. boeing

b. lockhead

c. de havilland

d. douglas

c. de havilland

When a plane flies through the air, the wings better be flexible and naturally flap up and down, if not you are in trouble

a. true

b. false

a. true

Which of the following is an example of Newton’s 3rd Law

a. increasing the angle of attack will increase

b. the shape of the airfoil

c. fuel is burned and the exhaust out the back of a jet engine moves it forward

d. pressurizing the cabin and interior of a plane

c. fuel is burned and the exhaust out the back of a jet engine moves it forward

The weakening of metal parts and surfaces of aircraft because of repeated forces and stresses is called what

a. metal fatigue

b. metal tiredness

c. metal mishaps

d. metal machine

a. metal fatigue

The mechanical force needed to move a plane from point A to point B is what

a. gravity

b. lift

c. drag

d. thrust

d. thrust

The Bernoulli Principle deals with the difference in what across the wings

a. thrust

b. pressure

c. drag

d. shape

b. pressure

Air pressure increases as you increase altitude

a. true

b. false

b. false

What was the cause of the De Havilland Comet 1 crashes

a. metal fatigue

b. 90 corners on the windows

c. the outer skin was too thin

d. all of the above

d. all of the above

The resistance force generated by a solid moving through a fluid is called what

a. gravity

b. lift

c. drag

d. thrust

c. drag

The uniform flow of electrons through a circuit is called what

a. voltage

b. current

c. resistance

d. energy

b. current

The minimum electricity required in a 24-hour period and cannot easily be ramped down is called what

a. base load

b. peak

c. surplus

d. generation

a. base load

If a wire is rated for only 30 amps, that is such a low number, go ahead and touch it, what is the worst that can happen

a. true

b. false

b. false

If you connect four 1.5V batteries together so that there is still only one path for the current to flow and you measure their output and notice it is near 6.0V, you just connected them in what configuration

a. single

b. series

c. parallel

d. alternating

b. series

A substance in which the outer electrons in the atoms can move around freely allowing a current to pass through it is called a what

a. energy

b. pipe

c. battery

d. conductor

d. conductor

If the electrical current only flows in one direction this is called what

a. alternating current

b. circular current

c. direct current

d. parallel current

c. direct current

What are caused by huge solar flares and sunspot activity, affects the Earth’s magnetosphere and can create large power surges over a wide area

a. hurricane storms

b. geomagnetic storms

c. ice storms

d. snow storms

b. geomagnetic storms

We are now looking into ways to bury high-voltage power lines because there is simply not enough room to build them above ground

a. yes

b. no

a. yes

The “rate” that current is flowing through the circuit and is also the number of electrons moving through a conductor is called what

a. meter

b. voltage

c. ampere

d. current

b. voltage

What part of the power grid causes a huge amount of pollution around cities in China and the U.S. for example

a. generation

b. transmission

c. transformation

d. consumption

a. generation

A regualr, repeating path that one object in space takes around another one is called what

a. orbit

b. trajectory

c. inertia

d. gravity

a. orbit

What was the name of the space program that sent the first America into space

a. mercury

b. gemini

c. apollo

d. shuttle

a. mercury

What are some of the problems with the ISS

a. the shuttle program is shut down

b. poor lifeboat designs limits crew size

c. logistics limts crew size

d. all of the above

d. all of the above

The Space Shuttle Program lasted about 39 years until they were decommissioned in 2011

a. true

b. false

a true

How many Space Shuttles were lost and destroyed during their mission

a. 1

b. 2

c. 4

d. 4

b. 2

What was the main cause of the Challenger disaster

a. not enough fuel

b. a rubber O-ring failed to seal

c. took off to quickly

d. landed in the wrong spot

b. a rubber O-ring failed to seal

What was the main objective of the Apollo missions

a. send people into orbit

b. launch the most satellites as possible

c. go to mars

d. to walk on the moon

d. to walk on the moon

What was the main cause of the Columbia disaster

a. wrong approach trajectory

b. did not reenter the atmosphere correctly

c. piece of foam destroyed some heat shield tiles

d. temperature was too cold during landing

c. piece of foam destroyed some heat shield tiles

In order to move completely away from Earth and travel out into space, your rocket would need to reach what speed

a. orbital velocity

b. terminal velocity

c. escape velocity

d. low earth orbit

c. escape velocity

After the disaster of Apollo 13’s Command Module, where was the crew forced to live for 3 days

a. second stage of the saturn rocket

b. lunar module

c. in the second bay

d. tail fin of the rocket

b. lunar module

Geosynchronous Earth Orbit means that the satellite is traveling around the north and south poles

a. true

b. false

b. false

The ISS has no issue with radiation because they are by a magnetic shield that comes from a shield generator located on the Earth’s surface

a. true

b. false

b. false

What is believed to have killed the three astronauts of Apollo 1

a. ran out of air

b. fire in the module

c. drowned in the sea

d. rapid decompression

b. fire in the module

What country launched the first satellite into orbit

a. Russia

b. Chine

c. United States

d. Canada

a. Russia

To build an orbit space station you will need to deliver all of the pieces in the proper order

a. true

b. false

a. true

Match the space program:

mercury -

gemini -

apollo -

space shuttle -

ISS -

a. a quick way to permanent space presence

b. used for skylab and US-USSR space docking

c. designed to carry payloads to the ISS

d. signaled the birth of NASA and all following programs

e. first space walk

mercury - d. signaled the birth of NASA and all following programs

gemini - e. irst space walk

apollo - b. used for skylab and US-USSR space docking

space shuttle - c. designed to carry payloads to the ISS

ISS - a. a quick way to permanent space presence

Nuclear fusion deals with what

a. breaking the nuclei apart

b. PWR-type reactors

c. radioactive decay

d. combining two nuclei together

d. combining two nuclei together

Which country is using mostly nuclear power

a. United States

b. Russia

C. France

d. Antartica

c. France

Fossil fuels are considered renewable energy sources

a. true

b. false

b. false

This type of reactor uses normal water as a coolant

a. light water reactor

b. heavy water reactor

c. dilithium reactor

d. over-pressured reactor

a. light water reactor

After Three Mile Island happened the NRC made what changes

a. new training program

b. let all power plants currently operating as normal

c. easier to build new reactors

d. all of the above

a. new training program

What are the control rods used for inside a nuclear reactor

a. to move the fuel rods around

b. to break apart the uranium atom

c. to drop and stop the nuclear chain-reaction

d. none of the above

c. to drop and stop the nuclear chain-reaction

What was used as a moderator in the reactors at Chernobyl

a. diamond

b. graphite

c. uranium

d. radium

b. graphite

The measure of disorder in a system is called what

a. moderator

b. entropy

c. energy

d. fusion

b. entropy

What is the energy that is motion and doing the work

a. potential

b. mass

c. kinetic

d. atomic

c. kinetic

What states that energy is neither created or destroyed, simply transferred from one state to another

a. 2nd law of motion

b. 3rd law of thermodynamics

c. 1st law of gravity

d. 1st law of thermodynamics

d. 1st law of thermodynamics

Water passes through the reactor and keeps from boiling and heats a second loop of water that does boil and moves the turbine. This describes what type of reactor

a. boiling water reactor

b. heavy water reactor

c. pressurized water reactor

d. cherenkov reactor

c. pressurized water reactor

What is the energy that is stored and available to do work

a. atomic

b. kinetic

c. nuclear

d. potential

d. potential

It is east to dispose of nuclear waste, just transport it to an empty field and spread it around

a. yes!

b. no!

b. no!

Still to this day, farmers in England have severe restrictions in place due to radioactive plants and grasses on their farms

a. true

b. false

a. true

What is necessary in a reactor to remove the heat from the core

a. fuel

b. radiation

c. coolant

d. moderator

c. coolant

Match the forms of energy

nuclear -

chemical -

mechanical -

thermal -

electromagnetic -

a. inside a physical system, need to move something

b. inside all matter; heat

c. inside a chemical compound, needs a chemical reaction

d. inside the atom, modify the make-up of the storm

e. generated by nuclear fusion in stars (sun)

nuclear - d. inside the atom, modify the make-up of the storm

chemical - c. inside a chemical compound, needs a chemical reaction

mechanical - a. inside a physical system, need to move something

thermal - b. inside all matter; heat

electromagnetic - e. generated by nuclear fusion in stars (sun)