Detectable Civilizations - The Drake Equation (Listening)

 1) What is the main goal of the lecture?

A) To explain ways to detect other civilizations.
B) To determine whether or not life exists elsewhere our galaxy.
C) To find out how many other civilizations have technology like ours.
D) To suggest a way to guess how many other civilizations there are in the galaxy.


2) According to the lecturer, what are some possible reasons that a civilization might NOT be detectable? (select 2 answers)

A) Because there is no life on their planet.
B) Because they aren't advanced enough to use technology like ours.
C) Because they have different ways to communicate.
D) Because their planet is too far away.


3) At 3:06 the lecturer says, "I like to start with the number of stars in our solar system. So, let's just start with, I will call it, N*, and this is the number of stars. . . number of stars not in our solar system, the number of stars in the galaxy."

Why does he say, "number of stars not in our solar system, the number of stars in the galaxy."

A) Because he thinks the solar system is too small to use with the Drake Equation.
B) Because he needs to correct a error he made.
C) Because he wants to emphasize the difference between the solar system and the galaxy.
D) Because he needs to correct a mistake made in the original Drake Equation.


4) Which of the following is NOT mentioned as an important factor to consider when thinking about whether a planet is life-sustaining?

A) Distance from the star.
B) Temperature.
C) Size of the star.
D) Presence of water.


5) In the context of the Drake Equation, why is it important to know whether a civilization could develop advanced communication technology?

A) Because we need to be able to find them.
B) Because we need to know if they are similar to us.
C) Because we need to find out about their culture.
D) Because we need to find out how many planets have life.


6) Which of the following are used in the Drake Equation? (Mark Yes or No for each.)

A) The number of stars in the Universe.
B) The frequency of planets around stars.
C) The average number of planets that could support life
D) The fraction of planets that have life.
E) The fraction of civilizations that develop beyond Earth's.