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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. What is a branch of physics which employs mathematical models and abstractions of physics to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena?

2. In what year did Edward Lorenz create a weather simulator as described in Chapter 1, "The Butterfly Effect"?

3. What can be formed by taking a finite Cartesian product of the Cantor set with itself, making it a Cantor space?

4. The National Weather Service is one of the six scientific agencies that make up what division of the U.S. Government?

5. What work by Edward Lorenz greatly impacted the thinking of James Yorke, as described in Chapter 3, "Life's Ups and Downs"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What variable changed the outcome in the experiment described by Thomas S. Kuhn in Chapter 2, "Revolution"?

2. How did the role of chaos theory affect ecologists in the 1970s as described in Chapter 3, "Life's Ups and Downs"?

3. How is James Yorke described in Chapter 3, "Life's Ups and Downs"? What term did he coin?

4. How did Lorenz develop ways to reproduce complex behavior in Chapter 1, "The Butterfly Effect"?

5. How is the relationship between meteorologists and computers described in Chapter 1, "The Butterfly Effect"?

6. What did Edward Lorenz develop in order to assist in working with computer technology in Chapter 1, "The Butterfly Effect"? How did he feel about the future of forecasting?

7. How is Edward Lorenz described in Chapter 1, "The Butterfly Effect"? Where was he working at the time?

8. What was the early life of Benoit Mandelbrot like, as described by the author in Chapter 4, "A Geometry of Nature"?

9. What were the biggest issues with weather forecasting during Lorenz's time as described in Chapter 1, "The Butterfly Effect"? How is the Butterfly Effect defined?

10. How is a Cantor set described in Chapter 4, "A Geometry of Nature"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Define and discuss linear and nonlinear science, period-doublings and chaos. How did the scientists from the book contribute to these concepts?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Albert Libchaber's major contributions in experimental condensed matter physics. How did his discoveries relate to the Rayleigh-Benard systems?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the lives and works of Gustav Mahler and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and analyze their influence on Mitchell Feigenbaum. What work of Goethe's is quoted in the book?

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