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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. When was Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica first published?
2. Who coined the term “fermion” in particle physics?
3. Bosonic string theory was developed in what decade?
4. Where was Carl Gauss from?
5. 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?
Short Essay Questions
1. What problem does zero present when calculating tangent lines? What is a tangent?
2. How old is the universe estimated to be by astronomers today? How did they calculate this age?
3. What problem do black holes present in physics, according to the author in Chapter 8, “Zero Hour at Ground Zero”?
4. Who was Carl Gauss? What discovery did he make regarding imaginary numbers?
5. How does the elimination of zero help general relativity theory, according to the author in Chapter 8, “Zero Hour at Ground Zero”?
6. What discovery did Georg Cantor make regarding different types of infinities? How are these types defined?
7. The author states in Chapter 6, “Infinity’s Twin” that before imaginary numbers could be accepted, several developments had to occur. Which was the first?
8. How many dimensions are required for string theory to work? How are these dimensions described in Chapter 8, “Zero Hour at Ground Zero”?
9. What is expressed through the Rayleigh-Jeans law? How does this law relate to zero?
10. Who created calculus? How did calculus differ from the other mathematical fields, according to the author in Chapter 5, “Infinite Zeros and Infidel Mathematicians”?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Describe and discuss the origins and developments of mathematics in Mayan culture. What was the base of the Mayan numeral system? How did this system compare with that of the Egyptians and the Babylonians? How did it deal with zero?
Essay Topic 2
Discuss the biography and the mathematical and philosophical contributions of Archimedes of Syracuse. How did Archimedes first encounter the infinite? How did this discovery influence his work and the work of mathematicians after him?
Essay Topic 3
Discuss the work of Sir Isaac Newton, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Johannes Kepler, and the origins and development of calculus. When did Newton and Leibniz independently create calculus? What conflict occurred between the two? When did this conflict end?
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This section contains 828 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) |
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