Note to Student: These questions are designed to make you think. If you get stumped, just leave it blank and we will fill it in for you.
1. What are the two possibilities as to how matter might have gotten to be as it is today once it was already in existence?
a.
b.
2. The Monarch butterfly migrates from the maritime provinces of Canada to Mexico over several generations. Give three possible explanations as to how such a migratory journey might have come to be a part of this insects life cycle?
a.
b.
c.
3. What is meant by the phrase “god of gaps?”
4. Suppose that in order for a particular event to occur, five separate things would have to happen. Suppose that we know what the probabilities of each of those five things happening by chance are. How would you calculate the total probabilities?
5. Pick an example, like the Monarch butterfly, and identify things that would have to be right in order for the result of the whole situation to turn out in a favorable way. These can be a living example, a chemical process, or a physical or astronomical event.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
6. What happens to the probability of an event when more and more variables become necessary for the final result to turn out in a positive way? In other words, what happens to the total probability when a whole string of things have to be right for the event to occur?
7. Think about the other planets in the solar system and identify some variables not used in the lesson that would have to be right in order for any kind of life to exist. List three variables below.
8. Why is it not valid to postulate the existence of stone people or fire people somewhere in space, totally different than we are that nonetheless would be living?
9. Does the discussion of this lesson attempt to prove or does it prove that there is no life in outer space? Explain your answer.
10. Why is it not valid to argue that if there is any chance at all for life in space that it will occur?
ESSAY QUESTION FOR PEOPLE WITH CHEMICAL BACKGROUNDS: Explain why life in space will have to be carbon type life and not silicon or germanium or some other kind of life.
Please add any questions on this course of study that have not been answered so we can take care of any remaining ideas that are not clear in your mind.
The easiest way to complete these questions is to copy and paste the questions to a word processing program (Word, WordPerfect, Notepad, etc.). Once you finish answering the questions, e-mail the questions/answers to John N. Clayton as a text e-mail, NOT as an attachment or HTML format. We will not accept any e-mail containing attachments. Leave spaces between each question and answer. The answers will be graded and commented on and returned to you.
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2/24/2007