NSCI 314 - LIFE IN THE COSMOSSTUDY GUIDE 3THIS IS A STUDY GUIDE FOR THE FINAL EXAM, WHICH WILL BE ON WEDNESDAY,DECEMBER 10, AT 4 - 6 PM. THE FINAL EXAM WILL BE COMPREHENSIVE, BUTTHERE WILL BE MORE EMPHASIS ON THE MATERIAL COVERED AFTER THESECOND MIDTERM EXAM. APPROXIMATELY 50% OF THE EXAM QUESTIONSWILL COVER THE MATERIAL AFTER THE SECOND MIDTERM EXAM, AND THEOTHER 50% WILL COVER THE EARLIER MATERIAL. YOU SHOULD USE THESTUDY GUIDES FOR THE TWO MIDTERM EXAMS AND THE BASIC SCIENCE QUIZTO HELP YOU STUDY THE EARLIER MATERIAL. (IF YOU HAVE LOST THEM, THEYARE AVAILABLE ON THE COURSE WEBSITE (http://physics.csusb.edu/~karen), ON“BLACKBOARD,” OR FROM ME. THIS STUDY GUIDE COVERS ONLY THEMATERIAL FROM AFTER THE SECOND MIDTERM EXAM.DO NOT MEMORIZE A LOT OF NUMBERS, DEFINITIONS, AND FACTS. YOUSHOULD KNOW SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT DEFINITIONS AND FACTS ANDHAVE A ROUGH “BALLPARK” IDEA OF SOME IMPORTANT NUMBERS. HOWEVER,IT IS MUCH MORE IMPORTANT TO CONCENTRATE ON UNDERSTANDINGCONCEPTS, SO THAT YOU CAN EXPLAIN WHY THINGS ARE THE WAY THEY ARE(OR MIGHT BE). IN PARTICULAR, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND ANDEXPLAIN A SENTENCE OR TWO ABOUT EACH OF THE FOLLOWING TOPICS.Drake equation (I will include the equation itself on the exam)meaning of a technological civilizationknow the meaning of each factor in the equationwhat arguments can be made for each factor being larger vs. smaller pro and con arguments for inevitability of development of intelligencepro and con arguments for inevitability of development of technologywhat is the least well-known factor?what can be concluded from the equation?approximate relationship between number of civilizations, spacing betweencivilizations, and feasibility of communication Note: I am not expecting you to remember the values of the factors in the Drakeequation that I used for our “optimistic estimate,” our “pessimistic estimate,”or “my bestestimate.”interstellar communication feasibility of communication vs. travelmeaning of “SETI”advantages of radio waves over other types of communicationdeliberate vs. accidental signals:what types of each have we sent?at what approximate distance could aliens with our level of technologydetect our signals?how could aliens detect the presence of humans on earth?the “water hole”:what is it?approximately where is it in the spectrum?what defines the edges of it?targeted search vs. non-targeted searchhow to communicate information:the language problem what kind of information do we send?binary numbers and how to use them to send picturesfirst contact: principlespossible human responsesUFOs possible explanations other then alien spacecraftreliability of eyewitness accountspsychological issuesgovernment conspiracyintervention in human history the Fermi paradox what is it?responses that are reasonable (why?)responses that are not reasonable (why?)timescale for galactic colonizationinterstellar space travelbasic problem acceleration - definition and desired valuerelativity:special vs. generaltime dilationtwin paradoxenergy and fuel requirementswhy a spaceship can't travel at or above the speed of lightinterstellar hazardsantimatterpossible propulsion methods:chemicalionsnuclearmatter-antimatter annihilationwarp drive?light sailsBussard ramjetslimitations on lifetimes of technological civilizations impacts: Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary and other mass extinctionseffects of a large impacthow to protect ourselves against a large impactpopulation growth:exponential growth and doubling timehow to delay the problemhow to solve the problemwar:could we destroy all life on earth via nuclear war?pollutiondisease, including “new” diseasesloss of interest in
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