View a FREE sample

This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What refers to a change in the basic assumptions within the ruling theory of science?
(a) Gradient.
(b) Paradigm shift.
(c) Fractal basin boundaries.
(d) Theoretical physics.

2. Although James Yorke was a brilliant mathematician, he often referred to himself as what?
(a) A monk.
(b) A rebel.
(c) A martyr.
(d) A philosopher.

3. In Chapter 4, "A Geometry of Nature," Houthakker explained to Mandelbrot the diagram in his office represented eight years of what?
(a) Corn prices.
(b) Almond prices.
(c) Wheat prices.
(d) Cotton prices.

4. When was the Massachusetts Institute of Technology founded?
(a) 1895.
(b) 1861.
(c) 1877.
(d) 1823.

5. In statistics, what refers to any statistical relationship between two random variables or two sets of data?
(a) Prediction.
(b) Dependence.
(c) Commonality.
(d) Diversity.

6. When was Steven Smale born?
(a) 1943.
(b) 1930.
(c) 1932.
(d) 1938.

7. Who is attributed with the following quote in the beginning of Chapter 3, "Life's Ups and Downs": "The result of a mathematical development should be continuously checked against one's own intuition about what constitutes reasonable biological behavior"?
(a) Steven Smale.
(b) Benoit Mandelbrot.
(c) Harvey J. Gold.
(d) Stanislaw Ulam.

8. Where is the main laboratory for the Thomas J. Watson Research Center?
(a) Yorktown Heights, New York.
(b) Indianapolis, Indiana.
(c) Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
(d) Chicago, Illinois.

9. According to Gleick in Chapter 3, "Life's Ups and Downs," what will lead to an increased, steady state in the idealized population?
(a) A fraction parameter.
(b) A lower parameter.
(c) A higher parameter.
(d) A multiplier parameter.

10. According to Gleick in Chapter 3, "Life's Ups and Downs," what will cause the idealized population to end up at the lower level?
(a) A lower parameter.
(b) A fraction parameter.
(c) A multiplier parameter.
(d) A higher parameter.

11. In his paper, Kuhn argues that rival paradigms are ______, meaning that it is not possible to understand one paradigm through the conceptual framework and terminology of another rival paradigm.
(a) Incomprehensible.
(b) Indistinguishable.
(c) Incorrigible.
(d) Incommensurable.

12. Where was Thomas S. Kuhn born?
(a) Omaha, Nebraska.
(b) Spearfish, South Dakota.
(c) Cincinnati, Ohio.
(d) Anchorage, Alaska.

13. Where was Benoit Mandelbrot born?
(a) Milan, Italy.
(b) Warsaw, Poland.
(c) Lisbon, Portugal.
(d) Reykjavík, Iceland.

14. What was the name of Edward Lorenz's 1963 paper in Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences?
(a) "Physical Review Letters".
(b) "Fractals Everywhere".
(c) "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions".
(d) "Deterministic Nonperiodic Flow".

15. What is a branch of physics which employs mathematical models and abstractions of physics to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena?
(a) Fluid dynamics.
(b) Thermodynamics.
(c) Bifurcation theory.
(d) Theoretical physics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What studies the behavior of dynamical systems that are highly sensitive to initial conditions?

2. Robert May, like many before him, was confused by the changes when what was increased?

3. What is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy?

4. In Chapter 1, "The Butterfly Effect," the author writes, "The Butterfly Effect acquired a technical name: sensitive dependence on _____________"?

5. What is the mathematical study of changes in the qualitative or topological structure of a given family, such as the integral curves of a family of vector fields, and the solutions of a family of differential equations?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 505 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample