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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. Using low level radiation to detect black holes is in what stage of research?

2. What is entropy?

3. Gravitational force is always what?

4. What are the basic building blocks of string theory?

5. When Einstein said he was not coming back to Germany, what was the headline in the paper?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the estimated concentration of black holes?

2. According to Hawking, people are naturally curious about what?

3. What is ironic about Einstein's involvement in U.S. politics?

4. What is Einstein's general theory of relativity's famous equation?

5. What does a weak form of the anthropic principle hold for the view of the universe?

6. What is, according to the book, the most recent attempt to find a complete unified theory?

7. String theory implies what about other dimensions?

8. The Catholic Church allowed Galileo to write a book, but said that it must do what?

9. Real time is described in math using what?

10. When did the early ideas that the universe is deterministic fall apart?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Using the book to support your answer, answer the following question: Was there a beginning of time and will there be an end?

Essay Topic 2

What does the evolution of ideas since the days of mythology have to do with our world view today? Support your answer with examples from the text.

Essay Topic 3

Hawking simplifies many concepts in his book. Using the text to support your answer, what is the purpose of simplifying these ideas? How does Hawking accomplish this simplification of complex scientific ideas?

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