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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 Planck tension?
(a) The attraction felt by a string through the strong force.
(b) The vacuum-energy of a matter and anti-matter string pair.
(c) The typical tension in a string.
(d) The pull between strings at the Planck length.

2. What spin do all particles of matter have?
(a) 1/2.
(b) 3/2.
(c) 1.
(d) 2.

3. According to general relativity, the change that an object causes in the fabric of space-time depends directly on _____.
(a) Its direction compared to the observer.
(b) Its density.
(c) Its proximity to another massive body.
(d) Its mass.

4. Two theories form the basis of modern physics, but are incompatible with one another. String theory attempts to reconcile these fields. What are these two theories?
(a) General relativity and special relativity.
(b) Quantum mechanics and the photoelectric effect.
(c) General relativity and quantum mechanics.
(d) Gravity and general relativity.

5. What discovery about string theory triggered the "superstring revolution"?
(a) It was found to encompass the four fundamental forces of matter.
(b) It was experimentally confirmed at Fermilab in the US.
(c) Einstein announced that it exactly matched his formulas for general relativity.
(d) Its approximate equations were solved for the first time.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the quantum, or messenger particle, of the strong force?

2. How many dimensions did the tiny objects involved in the original statement of string theory have?

3. Quantum chromodynamics concerns quantum mechanics and ____.

4. Why are the fluctuations that quantum physics predicts not observable in everyday life?

5. What rule did Max Planck discover the electromagnetic waves bounded in a container, such as an oven, must follow?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the relationship between the vibration of a string and the particle it represents, including the particle's mass and the tension, wavelength, and amplitude of the string.

2. Describe a black hole, including some of its physical properties and methods by which it can be detected.

3. State Newton's law of gravity.

4. Describe the symmetry between the electromagnetism and the weak force that is predicted by quantum electroweak theory.

5. Referring to the experiment described in question Short Essay #6, what would the three observers see according to the theory of special relativity?

6. Adam is in his spaceship, at rest, when Ben's ship passes by, moving at nearly the speed of light. Adam observes that Ben's ship seems to be shorter than normal, and the clock on the outside of the ship is running very slowly. When he tells Ben about this, Ben claims that his ship was at rest, and that Adam passed him at nearly the speed of light. Ben also claims to have seen the same unusual problems with Adam's ship; it appeared shorter and its clock was running slowly. Adam and Ben's observations are both perfectly valid. Why?

7. What is supersymmetry and what is its importance in string theory?

8. Describe Max Planck's solution to the infinite-energy problem.

9. Describe the basic principles of string theory.

10. According to Einstein's theory for the photoelectric effect, what is the relationship between the frequency of light and the electrons ejected by the metal?

(see the answer keys)

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