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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. According to the author in Chapter 5, “Infinite Zeros and Infidel Mathematicians,” Leibniz wanted to use infinitesimals in calculus which were termed what?
(a) “ö.”
(b) “mi.”
(c) “dx.”
(d) “∞.”

2. The author asserts in Chapter 6, “Infinity's Twin” that with the introduction of imaginary numbers, the fundamental theorem of what mathematical branch was discovered?
(a) Quantum physics.
(b) Thermodynamics.
(c) Algebra.
(d) Geometry.

3. In Chapter 8, “Zero Hour at Ground Zero,” the author states that the Hubble telescope saw that most galaxies were flying away from one another by using red-shifting and blue-shifting effects, the cosmological equivalent of what?
(a) The differential effect.
(b) The radon effect.
(c) The Heisenberg effect.
(d) The Doppler effect.

4. According to the author in Chapter 7, “Absolute Zeros,” Max Planck came up with a new equation that solved the ultraviolet catastrophe but implied that energy was released in discrete packets that have come to be called what?
(a) Photons.
(b) Quanta.
(c) Derivatives.
(d) Strings.

5. Bernhard Riemann was able to show how to generate the geometry for what, according to the author in Chapter 6, “Infinity’s Twin”?
(a) Sound waves.
(b) Light waves.
(c) Differential equations.
(d) Non-Euclidean spaces.

6. According to the author in Chapter 7, “Absolute Zeros,” thermodynamics led physicists to believe that light was not a particle but what?
(a) A proton.
(b) An electron.
(c) A vibrating string.
(d) An electromagnetic wave.

7. The author asserts in Chapter 8, “Zero Hour at Ground Zero” that today astronomers estimate the universe as being how old?
(a) 2 billion years.
(b) 4 billion years.
(c) 15 billion years.
(d) 10 billion years.

8. A primary difficulty in the creation of a “Theory of Everything” is that most attempts to apply quantum mechanics to the gravitational field in the same way as for the electromagnetic field fails due to the breakdown of what?
(a) The renormalization procedure.
(b) The gravitational pull.
(c) The Golden Ratio.
(d) Differential equations.

9. What term refers to a branch of pure mathematics devoted primarily to the study of the integers?
(a) Geometry.
(b) Classical physics.
(c) Algebra.
(d) Number theory.

10. When was Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica first published?
(a) 1666.
(b) 1568.
(c) 1687.
(d) 1632.

11. The operation of finding the area under a curve is now called what, according to the author in Chapter 5, “Infinite Zeros and Infidel Mathematicians”?
(a) Integration.
(b) Disintegration.
(c) Differentiation.
(d) Division.

12. What refers to a now-obsolete theory and model developed as an alternative to the Big Bang theory of the universe's origin?
(a) Magnum Impulse theory.
(b) Steady State theory.
(c) Infinity Completion theory.
(d) Regulation theory.

13. In the photoelectric effect, electrons are emitted from solids, liquids or gases when they do what?
(a) Absorb energy from light.
(b) Depict energy from light.
(c) Approach zero.
(d) Reflect energy from light.

14. In quantum mechanics, the concept of de Broglie waves reflects what?
(a) The gravitational pull of the earth’s poles.
(b) The Big Bang Theory.
(c) The wave-particle duality of matter.
(d) The emergence of black holes.

15. What principle holds that there is an inverse relation between the fineness with which a particular's location can be determined and the fineness with which its velocity can be determined?
(a) The Planck constant.
(b) The Golden Ratio.
(c) The Heisenberg uncertainty principle.
(d) The Pythagorean Theorem.

Short Answer Questions

1. In mathematics, the cardinality of a set is a measure of what?

2. The Rayleigh–Jeans law revealed an important error in physics theory of its time. The law predicted an energy output that diverges towards infinity as wavelength approaches what?

3. According to the author in Chapter 7, “Absolute Zeros,” thermodynamics have taught us that there are many things we cannot do, such as building what?

4. The author notes in Chapter 6, “Infinity's Twin” that multiplying zero or infinity by itself equals what?

5. When was Jean le Rond d'Alembert born?

(see the answer keys)

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