Liberal Studies 304 – Section 6

Dr. Mark H. Shapiro

Study Guide – Quiz #3

Caveats: This guide is intended only to assist you in your study for the third quiz of the semester. You should not assume that it is a “contract”; i.e. that you are required to know only what is mentioned in the guide, nor that I am limited to ask you only questions on the topics covered in the guide. However, I have tried to include the most important points.

Quiz #3 material: This quiz will emphasize material from chapters 14 and 15 of Physics for Poets and the first six chapters of Darwin’s Ghost. The quiz will include some quantitative problems, but the majority of questions will emphasize concepts and ideas.

You do not have to memorize formulas and physical constants. The test will include a list of all the important formulas from chapters 14 and 15 of Physics for Poets.

Chapter 14 (Physics for Poets):

Very important: Understand the difference between the “plum pudding” model and the “planetary” model of the atom.

Important: Understand the relationship between spectral lines and the two models of the atom – be familiar with the Balmer formula (p. 171).

Very important: Be familiar with the Geiger-Marsden experiment and understand how the results of this experiment supported the “planetary” model of the atom (a small massive nucleus surrounded by orbiting electrons).

Numerical problems: Problems 1, and 3, 5, and 7 on the top of p. 269 are good practice problems.

Chapter 15:

Important: Understand how Plank’s assumption that light from excited atoms was emitted in “bundles” with energy helped to explain the incandescent-light spectrum (pp. 182-183).

Important: Understand how this idea also explains the photoelectric effect (pp. 184-185), and leads to the formula for the energy of electrons liberated from a metal surface by the photoelectric effect.

Very important: Be aware of Bohr’s three insights into the structure of the atom (discrete energy levels, size of the atom is related to , energy changes in an individual atom are due to transitions between the discrete energy levels).

Very important: Understand Bohr’s model of the hydrogen atom (p. 192) and that it leads to a formula for the energy levels that agrees with the Balmer formula.

Numerical problems: Problems 1, 3, and 5 on pp. 269-270 are good practice problems.

Introduction and Chapter 1 (Darwin’s Ghost):

Important: Understand how the high error rate in copying RNA/DNA from one generation of the AIDS virus to the next makes it difficult to find a cure for this disease.

Important: Understand how DNA can be used to trace the history of a species such as the AIDS virus.

Important: Understand the basic ideas of Darwin’s theory. Evolution (existing species are the descendents of previous species, and natural selection provides the mechanism for descent with modification).

Important: Understand the relationship of man with domestic plants and animals. Understand how man uses the principles of evolutionary theory to develop specific varieties (breeds) of plants and animals. Know how one species can be differentiated from another. Know the importance of variation within a species. Understand how domestication can lead to a loss of variety within a species. Understand how DNA can be used to trace the origin of domestic species.

Chapter 2:

Important: Understand variability in nature. Understand how DNA can be used to track the variability in species, and the difficulty in making absolute distinctions between closely related species owing to similarities (and differences in DNA). Understand hybridism. Be able to distinguish hybrids from distinct species. Understand the relationship between evolutionary theory and legal issues relating to endangered species.

Chapter 3:

Important: Understand Malthus’s theory of population growth, and how various factors such as food supply and weather have affected population growth both for humans and animals.

Important: Understand the relationship between the survival and sexual success in the struggle for existence.

Chapter 4:

Important: Understand the basic idea of natural selection, and be familiar with specific examples such as the change in color of peppered moths in response to changing environmental conditions.

Important: Understand the interplay between immediate survival and sexual selection as they relate to natural selection.

Important: Understand how success in sexual selection influences the differences between male and female members of a species.

Important: Understand how natural selection and sexual selection sometimes apparently contrast in the struggle for existence.

Important: Understand what circumstances are favorable to natural selection.

Important: Understand how natural selection leads to extinction of species.

Chapter 5:

Important: Understand the work of Mendel on heredity.

Important: Understand that genetic information is transmitted in discrete units (genes).

Important: Understand sexual differences in the transfer and expression of genetic information.

Important: Understand the role of DNA in the transfer of genetic information, particularly the effects of associated units of the DNA molecule and the effects of mutations.

Important: Understand how particular features can skip generations.

Chapter 6: Understand, in a general way, the difficulties with Darwin’s theory.

Important: Understand how the development of specific “organs of extreme perfection” such as organs of vision arise.

Important: Understand how “organs of little importance” can arise.

Important: Understand why it is difficult to observe transitional species.

Important: Understand why there are imperfections in the genetic coding of the DNA molecule.