Question 1

How are natural magnets (such as lodestone) formed in nature?

Accepted Answer

Many atoms have magnetic fields that closely approximate the dipole type thus each atom in the material can be thought of as a tiny dipole magnet. The magnetic field of a solid material like a piece of lodestone arises from the combination of all
these tiny magnetic fields.

Question 2

What does an amplifier do?

Accepted Answer

An amplifier takes a small current and converts it into a larger current.

Question 3

Why do so few materials have magnetic fields?

Accepted Answer

Each atom has a magnetic field oriented in a random direction; the total magnetic field sum is neutral. A few materials such as iron, cobalt, and nickel metals have atoms that line up within a specific magnetic domain. Only under certain conditions will these domains orient parallel to each other, resulting in an external magnetic field for the material.

Question 4

Why do you think computers were invented? What influenced the stages of computer evolution for the past five decades? What do you predict for the computer industry in the year 2050?

Accepted Answer

Computers make our work easier

Question 5

Which of the following does not determine the physical properties of materials?

Accepted Answer

A)  constituent atoms 
B)  type of chemical bond 
C)  pH 
D)  arrangement of atoms 
E)  constituent molecules 
A)  constituent atoms 
B)  type of chemical bond 
C)  pH 
D)  arrangement of atoms 
E)  constituent molecules

Question 6

Which phrase describes electrical resistance?

Accepted Answer

A)  material through which electrons flow freely 
B)  arrangement of a material's electrons 
C)  potential of a battery with flowing current 
D)  inverse of electrical conduction 
E)  channels for the flow of electrons 
A)  material through which electrons flow freely 
B)  arrangement of a material's electrons 
C)  potential of a battery with flowing current 
D)  inverse of electrical conduction 
E)  channels for the flow of electrons

Question 7

A silicon semiconductor will transmit electrical current

Accepted Answer

A)  by electrons and holes. 
B)  only by electrons. 
C)  only by holes between electrons. 
D)  only if the silicon is doped with phosphorous 
E)  when the material is frozen. 
A)  by electrons and holes. 
B)  only by electrons. 
C)  only by holes between electrons. 
D)  only if the silicon is doped with phosphorous 
E)  when the material is frozen.

Question 8

Why is a diamond stronger than a material such as a plastic shopping bag or talcum powder?

Accepted Answer

Diamonds possess a large amount of all t

Question 9

How is p-type semiconductor material made?

Accepted Answer

A small amount of phosphorus is mixed wi

Question 10

The information in a computer is stored and manipulated by

Accepted Answer

A)  transistors. 
B)  bytes. 
C)  service providers. 
D)  doping. 
E)  DVDs. 
A)  transistors. 
B)  bytes. 
C)  service providers. 
D)  doping. 
E)  DVDs.

Question 11

Which of the following has the least information content?

Accepted Answer

A)  a printed page with 500 words 
B)  one second of a telephone conversation 
C)  one color picture on a television screen 
D)  digital 3-D graphic file 
E)  one second of a DVD audio and video recording 
A)  a printed page with 500 words 
B)  one second of a telephone conversation 
C)  one color picture on a television screen 
D)  digital 3-D graphic file 
E)  one second of a DVD audio and video recording

Question 12

What is the difference between a superconductor and a semiconductor?

Accepted Answer

A superconductor is the property of comp

Question 13

Magnets are usually found in all of the following except for

Accepted Answer

A)  refrigerator. 
B)  telephones. 
C)  a doorbell. 
D)  water faucets. 
E)  audio system. 
A)  refrigerator. 
B)  telephones. 
C)  a doorbell. 
D)  water faucets. 
E)  audio system.

Question 14

Moore's Law

Accepted Answer

A)  was first applied during the industrial age. 
B)  states that electrons flow from negative to positive poles. 
C)  applies to the ever-increasing information capacity of computers. 
D)  applies to the service charges on cell phones. 
E)  explains the ferromagnetic characteristics of iron. 
A)  was first applied during the industrial age. 
B)  states that electrons flow from negative to positive poles. 
C)  applies to the ever-increasing information capacity of computers. 
D)  applies to the service charges on cell phones. 
E)  explains the ferromagnetic characteristics of iron.

Question 15

Why is the transistor important to the computer industry?

Accepted Answer

The transistor can b

Question 16

From what source does the total magnetic field of an atom arise?

Accepted Answer

Electrons spinning around an atom can be

Question 17

If you were to design a new material for a fire hose to be used by modern firefighters, what three properties do you think would be most important to include?

Accepted Answer

Examples of key properties inc

Question 18

A nerve cell is to a brain as what is to a computer?

Accepted Answer

A)  cable 
B)  transistor 
C)  monitor 
D)  central processing unit 
E)  modem 
A)  cable 
B)  transistor 
C)  monitor 
D)  central processing unit 
E)  modem

Question 19

What components are combined to make the composite material safety glass? Describe the important property each material would add to the composite.

Accepted Answer

The safety glass is

Question 20

What is the advantage of using composite materials? Give at least one example.

Accepted Answer

In composite materials the strength of o

Exam 11: Materials and Their Properties: How Have Computers Gotten so Much Faster

How are natural magnets (such as lodestone) formed in nature?

What does an amplifier do?

Why do so few materials have magnetic fields?

Why do you think computers were invented? What influenced the stages of computer evolution for the past five decades? What do you predict for the computer industry in the year 2050?

Which of the following does not determine the physical properties of materials?

Which phrase describes electrical resistance?

A silicon semiconductor will transmit electrical current

Why is a diamond stronger than a material such as a plastic shopping bag or talcum powder?

How is p-type semiconductor material made?

The information in a computer is stored and manipulated by

Which of the following has the least information content?

What is the difference between a superconductor and a semiconductor?

Magnets are usually found in all of the following except for

Moore's Law

Why is the transistor important to the computer industry?

From what source does the total magnetic field of an atom arise?

If you were to design a new material for a fire hose to be used by modern firefighters, what three properties do you think would be most important to include?

A nerve cell is to a brain as what is to a computer?

What components are combined to make the composite material safety glass? Describe the important property each material would add to the composite.

What is the advantage of using composite materials? Give at least one example.

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Energy: Why Must Animals Eat to Stay Alive

Heat and the Second Law of Thermodynamics: Why Is It Easier to Make an Omelet From an Egg Than to Make an Egg From an Omelet

Electricity and Magnetism: What Is Lightning

Waves and Electromagnetic Radiation: What Is Color

Albert Einstein and the Theory of Relativity: Can a Human Ever Travel Faster Than the Speed of Light, at Warp Speed

The Atom: Why Are There so Many Different Materials in the World

Quantum Mechanics: How Can the Electron Behave Like Both a Particle and a Wave

Atoms in Combination: the Chemical Bond: How Does Blood Clot

The Nucleus of the Atom: How Do Scientists Determine the Age of the Oldest Human Fossils

The Ultimate Structure of Matter: How Can Antimatter Be Used to Probe the Human Brain

The Stars: How Much Longer Can the Sun Sustain Life on Earth

Cosmology: Will the Universe End

Earth and Other Planets: Is Earth the Only Planet With Life

Plate Tectonics: Can We Predict Destructive Earthquakes

Earths Many Cycles: Will We Ever Run Out of Fresh Water

Ecology, Ecosystems, and the Environment: Are Human Activities Affecting the Global Environment

Strategies of Life: What Is Life

The Living Cell: What Is the Smallest Living Thing

Molecules of Life: What Constitutes a Healthy Diet

Classical and Modern Genetics: Why Do Offspring Resemble Their Parents

The New Science of Life: Can We Cure Cancer

Evolution: How Did Life Emerge on the Ancient Earth

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