We will go over as many of these as time permits in class on Tuesday, February 28. The exam itself will be on Thursday, March 2.

(Augmented) Multiple Choice

Directions: circle the letter of the answer that you think best completes the sentence. In the space provided below the answers, write a clear and concise sentence explaining your choice. (Thursday's exam will consist of ten such questions.)

1. In the Lewis structure of an NH₃ molecule, there are:
   1. three covalent bonds and two unshared electron pairs.
   2. three covalent bonds and one unshared electron pair.
   3. two covalent bonds and two unshared electron pairs.
   4. two covalent bonds and one unshared electron pair.



2. Which unification has not yet been achieved by physics?
   1. Electricity and magnetism.
   2. The heavens and the Earth.
   3. Space and time.
   4. General relativity and quantum mechanics.



3. A major difference in early Egyptian and Babylonian mathematics stemmed from:
   1. the Babylonians near complete indifference to geometric notions.
   2. the significantly more sophisticated positional (base 60) number system of the Babylonians.
   3. the more theoretical (and less empirical) motivations and interests of the Egyptians.
   4. King Tut's absolute refusal to do any algebra whatsoever.



4. Which of the following illustrate a truly random process?
   1. 20, 8, 5, 2, 1, 20, 5, 19, 13, 5, 14, 21.
   2. the next moment when a carbon-14 molecule emits a beta particle.
   3. the Bates Dining Hall menu.
   4. flipping a coin one thousand times and getting exactly five hundred heads and five hundred tails.
   
   
5. The geological concept of uniformitarianism:
   1. was proposed by Archbishop Usher to argue for a recent formation of the earth.
   2. cannot explain catastrophic geological events, such as meteorites hitting the earth and causing global mass extinctions.
   3. states that all rocks are the same age.
   4. implies that the age of the earth is much older than what biblical accounts suggest.

Long answer

Directions: write your answers clearly, in the space provided for each question. Keep your answers succinct. (Thursday's exam will consist of five pairs of such questions. For each pair you will choose exactly one question to answer for a total of five paragraph-or-so-length answers.)

1. Discuss how mathematics assisted the Greeks in advancing their knowledge in the natural sciences.



2. Can a computer generate truly random numbers? Explain.



3. Physics has a reputation for using a lot of mathematics. From class or the readings, choose either a discovery in physics that you think could not have been convincingly supported without the use of mathematics, or a discovery that did not require mathematics to be convincing. What characteristics of the discovery causes it to require/not require mathematics to be convincingly demonstrated?



4. Does the lack of a rich fossil record from before the Cambrian period allow scientists to conclude that something "special" must be responsible for the events that gave rise to the Cambrian Explosion? Explain.



5. Imagine you are an intergalactic explorer and you discover a distant planet (call it Planet Bates) where there is currently 75kg of Uranium-238 in the planet's bedrock. Recall that the half-life of Uranium-238 is 4.15 billion years. If you travel back in time 8.3 billion years, how much Uranium-238 should you expect to find? Explain your reasoning.