Concepts Behind the Names

General Knowledge · 10 questions

Explore the concepts behind established terms across disciplines and the distinctions between them.

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1. When choosing between competing explanations, what criterion does Occam's razor favor?

   1. More observations
   2. Fewer assumptions
   3. Broader scope
   4. Older sources
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   B) Fewer assumptions

2. In the greenhouse effect, which radiation emitted by Earth interacts with atmospheric greenhouse gases?

   1. Gamma rays
   2. Visible radiation
   3. Infrared radiation
   4. Radio waves
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   C) Infrared radiation

3. In computer science, what kind of structure does an algorithm specify for solving a problem?

   1. A hardware connection diagram
   2. A machine instruction language
   3. A finite set of defined steps
   4. An ordered set of data items
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   C) A finite set of defined steps

4. In ecology, what does a species' niche include beyond the place where it lives?

   1. Its ecosystem role and resource use
   2. Its geographic range
   3. Changes in its population size
   4. The distribution of related species
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   A) Its ecosystem role and resource use

5. In economics, opportunity cost is the value of which alternative given up when a choice is made?

   1. The best forgone alternative
   2. Total production expense
   3. The market price paid
   4. Expected total revenue
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   A) The best forgone alternative

6. In statistical physics, how does entropy in the Boltzmann relation depend on the number of microstates?

   1. Proportionally to its cube
   2. Inversely to its square root
   3. Proportionally to its square
   4. Proportionally to its natural logarithm
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   D) Proportionally to its natural logarithm

7. In a clinical study, the placebo effect describes a change associated with which factor?

   1. The dose's biochemical action
   2. The active ingredient's pharmacological action
   3. The natural course of the illness
   4. Treatment expectations and context
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   D) Treatment expectations and context

8. In the Doppler effect, a wave's observed frequency changes in relation to what between source and observer?

   1. Source temperature
   2. Wave amplitude
   3. Medium density
   4. Relative motion
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   D) Relative motion

9. In hydrology, which landform usually marks the boundary of a drainage basin?

   1. A drainage divide
   2. A river delta
   3. A meander bend
   4. A floodplain
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   A) A drainage divide

10. In philosophy of science, what property does the criterion of falsifiability require of a claim?

    1. An observation proving it true
    2. Testability that could show it false
    3. Widespread acceptance
    4. A simple formulation
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    B) Testability that could show it false