Question 2 of 21

Einstein and Bohr's disputes about quantum mechanics were especially important because the two men ___________.

... During the early 20th century, Bohr and Einstein, along with other physicists such as Planck, Heisenberg and Schrodinger, developed the foundations of quantum physics.

Question 3 of 21

In 1927, Einstein and Bohr debated at the fifth Solvay Conference in __________.

... The Solvay Conferences, held in Brussels, Belgium, are physics forums for great thinkers in the field.

Question 4 of 21

In the early 20th century, physicists noted that certain matter could behave like particles sometimes and like waves at other times. Bohr proposed that it did not exist in a particular form unless it was being observed; this eventually became known as the __________ interpretation.

... The Copenhagen interpretation suggests that a quantum particle exists in all states simultaneously and only settles on a particular state when someone is watching. Einstein rejected this explanation.

Question 5 of 21

How is the Copenhagen interpretation viewed by 21st-century physicists?

... Two common interpretations of quantum mechanics are the Copenhagen interpretation and the many-worlds interpretation (where all possible futures are seen as real).

Question 6 of 21

Like many physicists of his time, Bohr believed that quantum physics was full of probabilities, and nothing could be fully explained. Einstein disagreed, comparing that view to _________.

... In a letter to physicist Max Born, Einstein wrote that the theory was not going to answer enough questions, and that he, Einstein, was "convinced that He [God] does not play dice."

Question 7 of 21

Einstein spent a great deal of time between 1927 and 1930 performing ___________ in order to prove quantum theory incorrect.

... Einstein attempted to use thought experiments (reflective explorations of potential outcomes) to challenge quantum theory, but Bohr found mistakes in each one.

Question 8 of 21

Starting in the 1930s, after a lack of success with his thought experiments, Einstein suggested that quantum theory was not wrong; it was __________.

... Although Einstein proposed there was still more to learn about quantum physics, Bohr believed the explanations were complete and received support from much of the scientific community.

Question 9 of 21

Einstein believed that there was one "real" world, detached from and not reliant on any observer. Bohr thought those rules didn't apply in quantum mechanics because it deals with ______.

... Bohr was convinced that something as tiny as quantum matter could behave differently than matter that could be observed on an ordinary, daily basis.

Question 10 of 21

There is a story that Bohr became frustrated with Einstein's insistence on applying classical physics to the quantum world and told him, "Stop telling God ________."

... Bohr believed that Einstein was trying to force the quantum world to fit into the classical mold; therefore, he was, figuratively, giving orders to God.

Question 11 of 21

Fundamentally, Einstein was unable to accept that humans could not fully understand __________.

... While Einstein struggled to know more about why the natural world worked as it did, Bohr was satisfied that quantum mechanics explained what physicists were observing.

Question 12 of 21

In 1935, Einstein published a paper commonly referred to as the ______ with his postdoctoral research assistants; it discussed the interaction of quantum systems that were physically separated from each other.

... The EPR paper was named for Einstein and his associates, Boris Podolsky and Nathan Rosen.

Question 13 of 21

As set out in his EPR paper, Einstein did not believe that systems could affect each other instantly; he referred to such action as "_________."

... The idea that systems could instantaneously affect each other without exchanging any information between them was regarded by Einstein as "spooky action from a distance."

Question 14 of 21

Which physicist was also a dissenter, not fully accepting the Copenhagen interpretation?

... Paul Ehrenfest disagreed with his great friend Einstein. Max Born and Werner Heisenberg actually stated at the fifth Solvay conference that the development of quantum mechanics was complete. Schrodinger, however, like Einstein, was a holdout.

Question 15 of 21

Years after the fifth Solvay conference, Einstein compared Bohr to someone who was _________.

... Einstein is quoted as having said that the Copenhagen interpretation is like the "system of delusions of an exceedingly intelligent paranoiac, concocted of incoherent elements of thoughts."

Question 16 of 21

Bohr believed that the job of physics was to _________.

... Bohr said that physics was concerned with "... what we can say about nature." He insisted it was "wrong to think that the task of physics is to find out how nature is." Einstein, on the other hand, said that the purpose of science was "determining what is."

Question 17 of 21

At the 1930 Solvay conference, Einstein presented Bohr with a thought experiment designed to disprove the uncertainty principle, which states that pairs of some entities (e.g., energy and time) cannot be accurately measured at the same time. Bohr eventually poked a hole in the experiment using ____________.

... Bohr discovered that Einstein had not considered his own General Theory of Relativity when creating the thought experiment. Einstein had neglected to consider the effect gravity has on time. His thought experiment required the weighing of a box of light that contained a clock; gravity, Bohr noted, would affect the measurements.

Question 18 of 21

Which physicist during World War II worked on the Manhattan Project to develop the nuclear bomb?

... Niels Bohr worked on the Manhattan Project. Einstein was, however, a key figure who initially urged the U.S., in a letter to President Roosevelt, to more aggressively pursue uranium research to counter work being done by the Nazis.

Question 19 of 21

By the end of the great debates, Bohr and Einstein were __________.

... Although they had fundamental conceptual disagreements, Einstein and Bohr maintained their friendship and mutual respect all their lives.

Question 20 of 21

Prior to the debates concerning quantum mechanics, Einstein and Bohr disagreed about Einstein's proposal concerning __________.

... In 1905, Einstein suggested that light sometimes acted as a particle (light quantum) rather than a wave. Bohr initially rejected this notion.

Question 21 of 21

Physics professor Chad Orzel, who wrote the popular press science book How to Teach Physics to Your Dog (2009), made a video that recreated the Einstein-Bohr debates using __________.

... Orzel used dog puppets to enact the debates: A white bichon represented Einstein, while a black lab stood in for Bohr. The physicist audience was represented by plush creatures such as elephants, penguins and cats.

YOU SCORED: 0 out of 21 try again

MORE QUIZZES

Do you know your Keats from your Yeats? Take the famous poets quiz!

Does that voice sound familiar? Take the famous voiceovers quiz!

From Colombo to Castle -- try naming the fictional gumshoe in this quiz!