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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 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?

2. What controversial book did Thomas S. Kuhn publish in 1962?

3. In Chapter 2, "Revolution," the author writes, "Professional scientists, given brief, uncertain glimpses of nature's workings, are no less vulnerable to anguish and confusion when they come face to face with" _______________?

4. Where was Hendrik Houthakker born?

5. 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"?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Lorenz's work influence James Yorke in Chapter 3, "Life's Ups and Downs"?

2. 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?

3. What role do computers and mathematical equations play in ecology and biology as described in Chapter 3, "Life's Ups and Downs"?

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

5. What led to Benoit Mandelbrot's epiphany in Chapter 4, "A Geometry of Nature"? Where was Benoit Mandelbrot working at the time?

6. What impact did The Structure of Scientific Revolutions have on the scientific community? What did Kuhn assert in the book?

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

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

9. When and where was the National Meteorological Center founded in Chapter 1, "The Butterfly Effect"? What existed before it?

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 turbulence and the problems its discovery created for scientists and physicists. How is turbulence dealt with today by science?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Mitchell Feigenbaum's history, education and work. What are Feigenbaum constants and when were they discovered?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and discuss Edward Lorenz and his weather simulator at MIT. What effects did the weather simulator create? What led to the machine's breakdowns?

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