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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Chapter Twelve, Beyond Strings, In Search of M-Theory.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is supergravity?
(a) The relativistic effect of two particles occupying the same location.
(b) The gravitational force felt at the Planck scale.
(c) A combination of general relativity and supersymmetry.
(d) The gravitational conditions inside a black hole.

2. Which of the following accurately describes the phenomenon of "quantum tunneling"?
(a) High-energy waves can penetrate the fabric of space-time for very short periods of time.
(b) Particles with high energy can vanish in one location, instantly appearing in another.
(c) Some particles are linked together, no matter how much space separates them.
(d) Particles can sometimes "borrow" energy to move in ways impossible in classical physics.

3. In which particle was spin first discovered?
(a) The electron.
(b) The proton.
(c) The photon.
(d) The neutron.

4. What characteristic did Werner Heisenberg discovered that some features of the universe at very small scales, and some properties of particle?
(a) They cannot be known with complete precision.
(b) They always increase or decrease by certain increments.
(c) They are dependant on the velocity of the object being studied.
(d) They can change spontaneously, with no external influence.

5. By what factor is the minimum mass of a wrapped string in determined?
(a) The string's winding number.
(b) The vacuum energy of the dimension it is wrapped around.
(c) The size of the circular dimension it is wrapped around.
(d) The string's Planck tension.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the quantum, or messenger particle, of the weak force?

2. What is one possible way that the three dimensions we observe could have been "stretched out"?

3. Richard Feynman's "sum over paths" theory states that in the double-slit experiment, an electron behaves in what way?

4. At what scale of length is quantum geometry necessitated?

5. What prevents the potentially dangerous effects of an exposed tear in space-time?

(see the answer key)

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