University of Maryland - Spring 2005
HIST 402
Study Questions for Topic 1

The midterm exam will consist of 2 essay questions (choose 1) and 12 short-answer questions (choose 6).  Most of the questions will be taken from this list and the lists for Topics 2 and 3, but there will be a few based on lectures.  Questions numbered in multiples of 5 are essay questions (equivalent to 40% on midterm exam); the others are short-answer (10%).  No question can be answered just "yes" or "no" or with one or two words.

"Identify" means, (a) for a person, give nationality, most important contribution to the history of science, and its approximate date; state half-century in which they were active, e.g. 1st half of 17th century; or (b) for a concept or book title, give a brief definition or description, state its significance in the history of science, and name of person who wrote the book or introduced the concept.

1. What is "Popper's Principle"? How is it related to "falsifiability"?
2. State one of Zeno's paradoxes, and state what it is intended to prove.
3. Identify: Democritus.
4. Why was atomism not considered an acceptable scientific theory until the 17th century?
5. Discuss the debate between supporters of intromission and extramission theories of vision, including the major arguments and observations on each side, from Plato to Alhazen.
6. How did Euclid and Ptolemy explain vision? How did Ptolemy correct a defect in Euclid's theory?
7. Identify: Alhazen
8. What was Alhazen's major criticism of the extramission theory of vision?
9. What was the major weakness in Alhazen's theory of vision? How was it corrected by Kepler?
10. Discuss the validity of "Popper's Principle" on the basis of the history of science up to 1760.
11. Why did Hahn and Strassmann refuse to conclude that they had discovered nuclear fission? Who was the colleague who recognized that the Hahn-Strassmann experiment did demonstrate fission?
12. What is Kepler's Second Law? How does it help to explain the unequal lengths of the seasons?
13. Explain Kepler's theory of vision. What puzzle did it leave unsolved, and how was that puzzle eventually solved?
14. Should Descartes be considered the discoverer of the Law of Conservation of Momentum? Explain.
15. Discuss the purpose of theories in science, using examples from the history of science up to 1760.
16. Why should we believe the story that Newton was inspired by the fall of an apple to develop his theory of gravity?
17. What was Newton's own version of his Second Law of Motion, and how does it differ from the modern version?
18. Explain the difference between the operational definitions of gravitational and inertial mass in Newtonian mechanics.
19. Explain the difference between "centrifugal force" and "centripetal force." According to Newtonian mechanics what is the amount of each force for an object of mass m moving at speed v around a circle of radius r?
20. Must a new scientific theory be judged by its plausibility (in the context of accepted ideas)? Discuss, using examples from the history of science up to 1700.
21. According to Newton's theory, the acceleration of gravity should be smaller at the Earth's equator than at its poles. Why? (Give 2 reasons, one direct, the other indirect).
22. How did Newton explain the motion of planets? (A qualitative explanation is sufficient, you don't need to give any equations.) How does his explanation differ from Kepler's?
23. What is the shape of the Earth according to Newton's theory? How was this theoretical deduction confirmed by French scientists in the 18th century?
24. Compare the views of Descartes and Newton on "action at a distance." Why did Newton have difficulty in maintaining his view consistently?
25. Discuss the nature of science (as distinct from music, philosophy, etc.) Using examples from the history of science before 1750.
26. Identify: "Hypotheses non fingo."
27. What is the "post hoc, ergo propter hoc" fallacy? Give an example.
28. Newton wrote in the preface to his Principia: "The basic problem of philosophy [i.e., science] seems to be to discover the forces of nature from the phenomena of motions and then demonstrate the other phenomena from these forces." Discuss the validity of this statement as a summary of the way scientists work.
29. Identify: secondary qualities.
30. Discuss the public/private "duality" of science and how it may explain the emergence of objectively-verifiable knowledge from the efforts of people with a wide range of methods and motivations.
31. Identify: The Ortega Hypothesis.
32. What is the Duhem-Quine thesis? Do you think it is valid? (Why or why not).

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