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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is the Planck tension?
(a) The pull between strings at the Planck length.
(b) The attraction felt by a string through the strong force.
(c) The vacuum-energy of a matter and anti-matter string pair.
(d) The typical tension in a string.

2. General relativity is incompatible with _____.
(a) State theory.
(b) Quantum mechanics.
(c) The big bang theory.
(d) The photoelectric effect.

3. Which of the following is closest to the Planck length?
(a) A millionth of a billionth of a billionth of a billionth of a centimeter.
(b) A billionth of a billionth of a centimeter.
(c) A thousandth of a centimeter.
(d) A millionth of a centimeter.

4. Quantum physics began with the study of the energy inside a heated, closed container, such as an oven. The problem with theories at the time was that they predicted that _____.
(a) The oven contains no energy.
(b) The oven can store more energy the smaller it is.
(c) The oven contains infinite energy.
(d) The oven can only store energy if it has no mass.

5. In quantum mechanics, what is symmetry breaking?
(a) When two fused fundamental forces become separated out.
(b) When an asymmetrical matter and anti-matter pair is created.
(c) The primary reason that the theory is incompatible with general relativity.
(d) When the symmetry between a electrical and magnetic field is broken at high energy levels.

6. The wave-like nature of the electron means that after a collision, _____.
(a) The electron will double in frequency.
(b) The electron can never be located again.
(c) The electron has a range of possible locations.
(d) The electron will disperse into a wave of energy.

7. What spin do all particles of matter have?
(a) 1/2.
(b) 1.
(c) 3/2.
(d) 2.

8. The first version of string theory did not include any particles of _____.
(a) Gravitons.
(b) Fermions.
(c) Bosons.
(d) Messenger particles.

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

10. 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?
(a) Near the speed of light, faster for more massive objects.
(b) Instantaneously.
(c) Near the speed of light, faster for lighter objects.
(d) At exactly the speed of light.

11. Who discovered the theory of general relativity?
(a) Albert Einstein.
(b) Isaac Newton.
(c) Richard Feynman.
(d) Max Planck.

12. Black holes are dense and massive cosmological bodies. What unique distinction do they have?
(a) Neutrinos always flow towards them.
(b) Light cannot escape their gravitational well.
(c) They are the only types of stars that can produce uranium and heavier elements.
(d) They are the only objects that emit gamma rays.

13. What discovery was made that incorporated gravitational force into quantum mechanics via string theory?
(a) At extremely small scales, gravity is fused with the strong force.
(b) Gravity could be made symmetric only if the graviton is a string.
(c) A vibrational pattern with the properties of the graviton was discovered.
(d) Gravity was found to be supersymmetric.

14. What is the result when a particle of matter and a particle of antimatter are brought into contact?
(a) A black hole is formed.
(b) A strange quark is formed.
(c) Energy is released and both particles are destroyed.
(d) A theoretically unlimited amount of energy is released.

15. In Einstein's famous equation, E=mc^2, what does "c" represent?
(a) The speed of light.
(b) The frequency of light.
(c) The speed of the object.
(d) The object's density.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to general relativity, the change that an object causes in the fabric of space-time depends directly on _____.

2. The advent of fermionic vibrational patterns resulted in the creation of _____.

3. What discovery about string theory triggered the "superstring revolution"?

4. Which of the follow best describes a boson?

5. Which of the follow is true of objects with which string theory is concerned?

(see the answer keys)

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