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Astronomy current events question: gravity maps of the moon

Astronomy 210L, fall semester 2013
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students are assigned to read online articles on current astronomy events, and take a short current events quiz during the first 10 minutes of lab. (This motivates students to show up promptly to lab, as the time cut-off for the quiz is strictly enforced!)
Davide Castelvecchi, "Gravity Maps Reveal Why the Moon's Far Side Is Covered with Craters," November 7, 2013
http://www.nature.com/news/gravity-maps-reveal-why-the-dark-side-of-the-moon-is-covered-in-craters-1.14106
Gravity maps produced by NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) spacecraft may explain why the near side of the moon:
(A) always faces towards Earth.
(B) does not produce tides as large as theoretically predicted.
(C) may harbor ice trapped in shadowed craters.
(D) is more radioactive.
(E) has large, shallow impact basins.

Correct answer: (E)

Student responses
Sections 70178, 70186, 70200
(A) : 1 student
(B) : 5 students
(C) : 2 students
(D) : 1 student
(E) : 49 students

1 comment:

Patrick M. Len said...

Astronomy 210L, spring semester 2014
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Results from students at the start of this semester who were not instructed to study this current events article are shown below.

Student responses
Sections 30678, 30679, 30680
(A) : 23 students
(B) : 12 students
(C) : 6 students
(D) : 1 student
(E) : 14 students