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Physical Science 410 Exam II 1. Creativity, Discovery, and Science", Ronald Brown 1. Is it possible for the scientific observer to be totally objective and divorced completely from what he examines? *2. Brown discusses several beliefs and presuppositions that influence scientific work. What are some of these? 3. How does Brown contradict the view that science is no more than a sterile accumulation of facts? 4. Brown list numerous examples of nonconscious insight in scientific breakthroughs as well as several cases of serendipity in science. What are some of these examples? *5. Currently what process is followed to test new theories or ideas? 6. Brown also mentions the two different scientific skills or processes followed in the development of new ideas or concepts. Relate these ideas to our discussion or ordinary and extraordinary science. *7. What parallels and contrasts are drawn between scientific creativity and artistic creativity? 8. According to Brown's article, what fundamental concept provides the basis for the scientific system? 9. What conclusions does Brown draw about the connection between Christian faith and the rise of modem science? 10. One of the hallmarks of science is the reproducibility of experimental results by different observers at different times. What practical considerations are mentioned in the article when one considers making a "real world" application of this concept to certain commonly occurring industrial or laboratory processes? 2. "The Scientific Enterprise" *1. In what sense is there no such thing as "The Scientific Method!"? *2. What are the three important aspects presented in the article by which science differs significantly from the fine arts, literature, and philosophy? *3. What is the major difference between the artist's approach to reality and the scientist's approach to reality? 4. What limitations of science are presented in the article? 5. What is the difference between technology and science?What is the significance of cooperative activity in modem science? 3. What do I need to know from lecture material The handout already given will cover any questions taken from the two articles and also gives some general discussion questions over the Nature and Practice of Science material. I addition to this, you should know *1. The Characteristics of Science (there are 8 listed). You should be able to list the characteristics and to briefly explain what each means or how it applies. You will either be given one or two characteristics to describe in your own words, or else asked to list some subset of the 8 characteristics. *2. The Limitations of Science (there are also 8 of these). The same comments as above apply here, except be careful not to confuse the two listings! *3. Cosmology: What was the significance of Hubble’s Law,the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation, the COBE satellite, and the WMAP data. Identify the “Cosmological Redshift”, how the heavy elements in the universe are presumably created. What is the universe mostly made of ? What is the “Big Bang”? What is “Inflation”? You should be able to identify/tell the significance of each of the following people: Edwin Hubble, Albert Einstein, Alexander Friedman, Arno Penzias, Robert Wilson *4. Be able to comment, knowingly, about the probabilities for life developing on the Earth and in the universe. What is the anthropic principle? What effects might catastrophic events have on the development of life? What is a habitable (goldilocks) zone? 5. Be able to make a reasoned pro/con statement about the existence of other life in the universe. *6. Be able to identify the content of Psalms 19:1-3 4. Questions from The Case for a Creator,Chapters 4, 5 & 7 7. (pp 74 ff) Molecular biologist Stephen Meyer lists 3 ideas that to him can only be satisfactorily explained with Theistic explanations. What are these ideas/ 8. What is the NOMA principle? Why should Christians find this principle unacceptable? 9. What are Meyer’s half-dozen evidences that he believes point to a transcendent, intelligent cause. *10. Beginning on page 84 Strobel gives 4 challenges to the idea that science today points towards theism. What are these 4 challenges? *11. What are the 3 points that make up the Kalaam argument for the existence of a creator? *12. On which of these points have the major attacks against this argument been directed? *13. In response to the Kalaam argument the following statements were quoted in the book. “If everything must have a cause, how did god become exempt?” George Smith. “If everything must have a cause, then the First Cause must be caused and therefore; Who made God? To say that this First Cause always existed is to deny the basic assumptions of this theory.” David Brooks. How would you respond to these quotations? Hint: consider the statement of the Kalaam argument. 14. (pp101-102) A very popular argument presented in some circles today to eliminate the requirement of “something originating out of nothing” is the concept of the quantum “vacuum” and the idea that this sea of energy and virtual particles allow the possibility that the particles ( and consequently possible the universe itself) may spontaneously appear out of the “vacuum”. A quote is given from Edward Tryon, “I offer the modest proposal that our universe is simply one of those things which happen from time to time.” Bill Craig makes at least four objections to this idea. What are these objections? *15. In the chapter on Cosmology (Chpt 5) what scientific evidence is presented for the validity of the Big Bang concept? At least 3 main ideas are presented in pages 105-107, and were also mentioned in class. What are these ideas? *16. What is the Copernican Principle, or Principle of Mediocrity? 17. (161-164) Many point to the response of religion to the “new” ideas of Copernicus, Galileo, and Giordano Bruno, as evidence of the war between science and religion. Specifically that Copernicus was persecuted, Galileo was treated harshly, and Bruno was burned at the stake because of their advocating that the Earth moved. How does Gonzalez respond to this? 18. (167-172) In discussing the Galactic habitable Zone, Gonzalez discusses the 3 types of galaxies, Spiral, elliptical, and irregular. Which is presented as the only likely candidate for possible life development and why? 19. (174) What is the problem with elliptical planetary orbits? 20. (175-176) Give at least 2 of the arguments why M class red dwarfs are very unlikely to harbor complex life? *21. Be able to give a couple of reasons why plate tectonics is crucial to the development of life on Earth. BONUS POINTS If you can quote the following 2 verses in NIV or NASV, they are worth 3 points each. Maximum of 6 points Colossians 1:16-17 and Isaiah 55:9