Questions for End Sem
Following are the 10 questions for the End Semester Exam.
Question 1
How can probability fit into the deterministic world view of Newtonian mechanics? What
role does probability play in the quantum mechanics?
Question 2
How did the historical ideas about the nature of light develop and change through the cen-
turies, from the ancient Greeks to the emergence of quantum mechanics?
Question 3
Archimedes used mathematics to deduce laws of statics. How he deduced the law of lever?
Question 4
How was Aristotle’s idea regarding motion falsified?
Question 5
Newton explained motion with the help of force. However, the Principle of Least Action
explains motion in terms of energy in a conservative force field. What is the significance of
this achievement to modern physics?
Question 6
Who can be called a scientist? Are there any particular qualities of a scientist, or is it the
method that they employ, or is it the end work which determines whether a person is a scientist or not. Elaborate your arguments with examples from history of science.
Question 7
How did ’The Elements’ influence the subsequent mathematics of its era?
Question 8
What experiments were perfomed to prove the statement Life originates from life.? If one
believes in the above statement, then how does one account for the origin of life in the first
place? How are these experiments seen in the light of modern science?
Question 9
How did the discovery of the periodic table influence chemistry?
Question 10
Suppose that you meet a person who believes in the geocentric theory of the cosmos. What
arguments, examples, data would you give to convince that person for a heliocentric theory.
What arguments can be given against the ones that you provide?