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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 Russian scientist theorized that the beginning of the universe may have started with a core so hot and dense that it created nuclear fusion and created the elements now known to man?

2. SETI was first proposed in 1959 by Giuseppe Cocconi and whom?

3. Quantum physics first emerged when who theorized that energy came in discrete units called quanta?

4. In Chapter 15, the author writes that physicists learned that when an electron was elevated into a higher orbit, it moved from lower to higher orbit without what?

5. When was René Descartes born?

Short Essay Questions

1. What discoveries does the author describe regarding spiral nebulae in Chapter 9: "Island Universes"?

2. Why did Darwin delay the publication of "The Origin of the Species" according to the author in Chapter 14: "The Evolution of Atoms and Stars"?

3. What obstacles did early quantum physicists have, as described by the author in Chapter 15: "The Quantum and its Discontents"?

4. What led to the emergence of quantum physics according to the author in Chapter 15: "The Quantum and its Discontents"?

5. How does the author compare telescopes and accelerators in Chapter 17: "The Axis of History"?

6. How does the author describe the world of science in the twentieth century in Chapter 17: "The Axis of History"?

7. How does the author describe theoretical physicists in Chapter 16: "Rumors of Perfection"?

8. How have advancements in the sciences improved mankind, according to the author in Chapter 19: "Mind and Matter"?

9. Who associated the red-shift of the galaxies with Einstein's relativity, according to the author in Chapter 12: "Sermons in Stones"?

10. What were the strengths of Darwin's "The Origin of the Species," according to the author in Chapter 14: "The Evolution of Atoms and Stars"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the discovery of nebulae, Immanuel Kant, and Johann Lambert. What are the three classes of nebulae and when were they defined as such? Who were the primary influences to each of these individuals? How did these historical thinkers differ in their ideas? How were they similar?

Essay Topic 2

Define, analyze and discuss micrometry, triangulation, and Euclidean geometry. When were micrometry and triangulation developed? By whom? How were these methods used to determine distance? Who was Euclid and when did he live?

Essay Topic 3

Describe, analyze and discuss the fall of Rome, the Brethren of Purity, the Islamic followers of Ptolemy, and Ancius Boethius. When did the fall of Rome take place and how did it affect the sciences? What impact did the rise of Christianity have on astronomy and cosmology, according to the author? Why?

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