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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is one possible way that the three dimensions we observe could have been "stretched out"?
(a) The big bang.
(b) A false vacuum event.
(c) Vacuum energy.
(d) Quantum fluctuations.

2. Which of the following is true regarding the tearing of space-time according to string theory?
(a) A tear would destroy the universe.
(b) It is not known if space-time can tear.
(c) It cannot tear.
(d) It can tear under special circumstances.

3. Who posited the existence of M-theory?
(a) Greene.
(b) Plesser.
(c) Brandenberger.
(d) Witten.

4. What does the second law of thermodynamics state about entropy for a closed system?
(a) It is conserved, and never changes.
(b) It always increases.
(c) It always decreases.
(d) It varies with external temperature.

5. Which of the following is true about the background microwave radiation of the universe?
(a) It is almost uniform, and no more than 0.2 degrees Kelvin anywhere.
(b) It varies across the universe, and is no more than 12 degrees Kelvin anywhere.
(c) It is almost uniform, about 2.7 degrees Kelvin on average.
(d) It varies across the universe, and is no more than 2.7 degrees Kelvin anywhere.

6. What metric best approximates the scales at which extra dimensions would have a major impact?
(a) The Kaluza length.
(b) One-billionth of a meter.
(c) The nanometer.
(d) The Planck length.

7. Kaluza-Klein theory units which two fundamental forces?
(a) Gravity and electromagnetism.
(b) Electromagnetism and the weak force.
(c) The strong force and the weak force.
(d) Gravity and the strong force.

8. When a black hole's entropy increases, which of its characteristics increases as well?
(a) Its spin.
(b) The surface area of its event horizon.
(c) Its nuclear-weak force charge.
(d) Its electrical charge.

9. What is supergravity?
(a) A combination of general relativity and supersymmetry.
(b) The gravitational conditions inside a black hole.
(c) The relativistic effect of two particles occupying the same location.
(d) The gravitational force felt at the Planck scale.

10. The extra dimension or dimensions in M-theory are needed in order to incorporate _____.
(a) Electromagnetism.
(b) Unwound Calabi-Yau spaces.
(c) Supergravity.
(d) Electroweak duality.

11. Which of the following will occur after the collapse of the universe as predicted by string theory?
(a) The universe will be mirrored in another dimension.
(b) The universe will expand again.
(c) The universe will become a single black hole.
(d) The universe will cease to exist.

12. How does the shape of the extra "curled up" dimensions affect the vibration of strings?
(a) The shape determines what types of vibrations are possible.
(b) Only the wavelength of the vibration is affected.
(c) The shape does not affect the vibrational patterns.
(d) Only the total energy of the vibration is affected.

13. When the universe is at its smallest possible size, which other property is also at its maximum?
(a) The string coupling constant.
(b) Its temperature.
(c) The Planck tension.
(d) The cosmological constant.

14. What problem of cosmology was the inflationary model created to deal with?
(a) The cosmic background is not uniform, and should be.
(b) The cosmic background radiation is uniform, and shouldn't be.
(c) The universe is too small to support its own expansion.
(d) The universe is too large to support its own expansion.

15. Which of the following methods has been used to determine the shape of the Calabi-Yau space?
(a) Matrix manipulation.
(b) Discrete mathematics.
(c) The finite elements method.
(d) Perturbation theory.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to modern physics, which of the following may cease to exist at the center of a black hole?

2. Which one of the following do physicists believe occurs at the central point of a black hole?

3. Which of the following is true regarding the tearing of space-time according to general relativity?

4. What did Stephen Hawking prove regarding black holes?

5. Who provided the computer programming to process the results of the Morrison-Greene experiment?

(see the answer keys)

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