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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which of the following best describes a fermion?
(a) A particle of matter.
(b) A messenger particle for a force.
(c) The supersymmetric version of a proton.
(d) The super-partner of a proton.

2. What are the vibrational patterns that a string can exhibit called?
(a) Notes.
(b) Chords.
(c) Resonances.
(d) Harmonics.

3. Which of the follow is true of objects with which string theory is concerned?
(a) The objects are purely imaginary.
(b) They include strings and other objects as well.
(c) It concerns one-dimensional strings and nothing else.
(d) They are all really Calabi-Yau shapes.

4. What is the Planck mass?
(a) The typical mass created by quantum foam over one nano-second.
(b) The average mass gained by a string when it changes to a higher-frequency pattern.
(c) The typical mass of a vibrating string.
(d) The typical energy of a quark.

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. Which of the following is not one of the four fundamental forces of the universe?

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

3. What type of a wave is light?

4. What is the quantum, or messenger particle, of the strong force?

5. How can black holes be detected?

Short Essay Questions

1. State Newton's law of gravity.

2. Referring to the experiment described in question Short Essay #6, what would the three observers see according to the theory of special relativity?

3. Describe some of the problems with uniting quantum mechanics and general relativity.

4. Describe the basic principles of string theory.

5. Describe and explain the results of the two-slit experiment.

6. Describe Max Planck's solution to the infinite-energy problem.

7. Adam is in his spaceship, at rest, when Ben's ship passes by, moving at nearly the speed of light. Adam observes that Ben's ship seems to be shorter than normal, and the clock on the outside of the ship is running very slowly. When he tells Ben about this, Ben claims that his ship was at rest, and that Adam passed him at nearly the speed of light. Ben also claims to have seen the same unusual problems with Adam's ship; it appeared shorter and its clock was running slowly. Adam and Ben's observations are both perfectly valid. Why?

8. What are the two main theories on which modern physics is based? At what scales are they accurate or inaccurate? Give at least one example of a circumstance in which both theories would need to be employed.

9. What is supersymmetry and what is its importance in string theory?

10. How does string theory reconcile quantum mechanics and the theory of general relativity?

(see the answer keys)

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