A SETI Search Using the 300-Meter Diameter Arecibo Radio Telescope

question 18

Multiple Choice

A SETI search using the 300-meter diameter Arecibo radio telescope can detect a 10 million Watt transmission at a distance of 1,000 light-years. If we were to detect a similar signal coming from 10,000 light-years away, how powerful would the alien transmitter have to be?

• A) 1 billion Watts
• B) 10 million Watts
• C) 10 billion Watts
• D) 100 million Watts

---

Definitions:

Assimilation

Piaget’s term for incorporation of new information into an existing cognitive structure.

Accommodation

Adjusting one's schemas and understanding to incorporate new and differing information or experiences.

Schematization

The process of organizing information or experiences into schemas, which are mental structures that represent some aspect of the world.

Observational Learning

Learning through watching the behavior of others.