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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. The existence of what entity as a basic element of genetics had been theorized before the mechanics of genetic reproduction was fully understood?

2. What is the advantage of using quantum particles in the place of bits?

3. Where is DNA found?

4. How much information does the universe hold?

5. What is an algorithm?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Dawkins attribute the belief in God to?

2. What was Erwin Schrodinger's theory about "genes"?

3. What are "memes" as first proposed by Richard Dawkins in "The Selfish Gene"?

4. What was found to be the make-up of DNA and what did these properties allow?

5. What estimates did Seth Lloyd, a quantum engineer at MIT, make about the power of the universe?

6. What was Claude Shannon referring to by the term "entropy" and what was its importance?

7. What are examples of memes?

8. What is the normal state of molecules in a system? Describe that arrangement.

9. The connection of information with entropy and the physical realm was important to what physics discipline?

10. What makes a number "computable?"

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why is the year 1948 considered a huge turning point in information theory and technology? What advances were made by researchers at Bell Laboratories during this time frame?

Essay Topic 2

What are some of the highlights of Claude Shannon's work on what he termed "information theory"? How did Shannon come to the conclusion that information needed to be separated into "bits" for the most effective transfer of information?

Essay Topic 3

What is the relationship between genes and DNA? What are the properties of DAN and where is it found in an organism?

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This section contains 651 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample