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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. What is the traditional method of testing theories in physics?
(a) Debate.
(b) Experimentation.
(c) Mathematical proof.
(d) Consensus.

2. What does the string coupling constant govern?
(a) The relative length of threading between strings.
(b) The number of strings that can be joined at once.
(c) The strength of links between strings.
(d) The likelihood of strings joining or separating.

3. How many dimensions are necessitated by M-theory?
(a) Eight.
(b) Ten.
(c) Nine.
(d) Eleven.

4. String theory claims that super particles _____.
(a) Come in pairs.
(b) Do not exist.
(c) Are massless.
(d) Are the only non-string particles.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. As a string becomes wrapped, which of its properties increases?

2. In M-theory, what role does duality play?

3. Which of the following is true regarding the amount of visible matter in the universe compared to the amount of matter required to cause collapse of the universe?

4. Regarding mirror-symmetry, Greene's work proved that _____.

5. What metric best approximates the scales at which extra dimensions would have a major impact?

Short Essay Questions

1. Greene suggests that black holes are very similar to, and might in fact be, elementary particles. What evidence supports this suggestion?

2. What is the relative composition of matter in the universe?

3. Describe the history of space-time tears in physics.

4. Describe the phenomenon of winding in string theory.

5. How is the shape of the Calabi-Yau space is determined?

6. What is the origin of M-theory, and what are its basic characteristics?

7. What is the horizon problem in cosmology? How was it resolved?

8. What is the relationship between the elementary particles and the Calabi-Yau space?

9. What is a wormhole, and how is it formed?

10. In the context of the big bang, what is symmetry breaking?

(see the answer keys)

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