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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Chapter 4, Microscopic Weirdness.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is the shape of all particles, at the smallest possible level, according to string theory?
(a) A one-dimension loop.
(b) A tangled ball of thin filament.
(c) An infinitely long string.
(d) A thread of thin strings.

2. If a clock were accelerated to nearly the speed of light for a year's time, which of the following would be true of its reading at the end of that time?
(a) It would be less than one year.
(b) Its reading would be random and meaningless.
(c) It would be exactly equal to one year.
(d) It would be more than one year.

3. What property of electromagnetic waves did Max Planck solve the thermodynamic problem of the oven by discovering?
(a) They can penetrate or "tunnel" through any surface.
(b) They have a minimum energy, proportional to their frequency.
(c) Waves are really particles.
(d) There are infinite numbers of waves, but each has an infinitely small energy.

4. Two theories form the basis of modern physics, but are incompatible with one another. String theory attempts to reconcile these fields. What are these two theories?
(a) General relativity and quantum mechanics.
(b) General relativity and special relativity.
(c) Quantum mechanics and the photoelectric effect.
(d) Gravity and general relativity.

5. Which of the following accurately describes the phenomenon of "quantum tunneling"?
(a) High-energy waves can penetrate the fabric of space-time for very short periods of time.
(b) Particles can sometimes "borrow" energy to move in ways impossible in classical physics.
(c) Particles with high energy can vanish in one location, instantly appearing in another.
(d) Some particles are linked together, no matter how much space separates them.

Short Answer Questions

1. What characteristic of the string determines the properties of the particle it represents?

2. What is the photoelectric effect?

3. What is different about a particle of antimatter, compared to its normal counterpart?

4. According to special relativity, which of the following can move faster than light?

5. According to Einstein's theory of general relativity, if two objects have a gravitational pull on one another, and one changes its mass or distance from the other, how quickly does the effect of this change travel to the other object?

(see the answer key)

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