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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. More than his support for Copernicus, what of Galileo's was considered the genesis of modern physics?

2. What are the basic building blocks of string theory?

3. Why do researchers want to find black holes?

4. What is the second law of thermodynamics?

5. What might escape from a black hole?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the mathematical problem regarding the origination of the universe?

2. What are the three possibilities Hawking sees for the unification of physics theory?

3. Why do physicists want to detect black holes?

4. What does a weak form of the anthropic principle hold for the view of the universe?

5. Using imaginary numbers allows time to do what?

6. If quantum mechanics is used, then the universe has always done what?

7. According to Hawking, people are naturally curious about what?

8. What might have happened to the black holes left over from the early period of the Big Bang?

9. Hawking concludes that life is only possible during the expansion phase of the universe for what reason?

10. What does the psychological arrow of time represent?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

A thesis is a main point, or argument, that an essay or book is intended to support. If there was a thesis for this book, what would it be and why? Please cite examples from the book.

Essay Topic 2

Black holes exist in math, but not in observational reality. What does this mean for the evolution of ideas that scientists accept the idea of a new creation purely by seeing the math work? What does Hawking say about the evolution of ideas without observational proof? Please use the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

What do the arrows of time symbolize? What are their purposes? Which one is most important in our universe? Which one would Hawking say is most important? Why? Please use the text to support your answers.

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This section contains 633 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample