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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What theories of relativity did Einstein advance?

2. What does time have?

3. What may the no boundary condition imply?

4. Who believed they could interpret General Relativity so time had an infinite past and an infinite future?

5. What is a p = 2 brane?

Short Essay Questions

1. What changed about the way we view zero point fluctuations in the 1940s?

2. What is Hawking's view about mathematical models?

3. Why does the theory of general relativity break down when discussing the Big Bang?

4. What is hard to reconcile with Dirac's discoveries in quantum mechanics?

5. What did Einstein do in 1905 that launched him to the top of the scientific community?

6. What is considered to be expanding in our universe, and why does Hawking think this is beneficial?

7. What kind of history might the universe have, according to quantum mechanics?

8. What idea about the galaxies did Einstein never take seriously?

9. What was considered the foundation of a TOE and why did it go out of fashion?

10. How did the general relativity theory break down?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Hawking states that the human race must be able to better itself since it will be dealing with an "increasingly complex world." Write an essay that supports or negates this argument. Be sure to include data from Chapters Five, Six, or Seven and at least two other supporting examples from your own research.

Essay Topic 2

Describe the ether theory. Explain why this theory fell apart and what Einstein's role was in its deconstruction. Be sure to include at least two reasons the ether theory became redundant and unnecessary.

Essay Topic 3

Define and describe supersymmetry and its implications on space-time. Cite two examples from Chapter Two that identify important players in the idea's inception or in its repercussions and consequences on modern scientific thought.

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