First Take-home Exam

You may use the course readings when writing your answers, but your answers should be in your own words. Your answers should be typed. The completed exam is due at the beginning of class Monday. If you will not be able to turn the exam in then, either turn it in earlier (in my departmental mailbox) or contact me via e-mail--- otherwise you will be penalized.

The questions are meant to elicit the kinds of answers that you would be able to give in an in-class exam; if your answers stretch beyond two or three pages each, then you should consider reining them in.

1. What is the inductivist conception of science? What does Popper say is the most serious problem with it?
2. What is the difference between temporal novelty and heuristic (use) novelty? Which played a more important rôle in the reception of Fresnel's 1819 prize essay?
3. Suppose a scientist wants to know whether a particular volcano is going to erupt. She reasons that if there is an active lava flow near the surface, then the volcano is prone to erupt. She writes a computer program to analyze seismic wave data and reconstruct a picture of what is going on underneath the mountain. If that picture includes an active lava flow, then the program makes a `ping' noise.

   Using Trevor Pinch's notion of externality, arrange the following sentences in order of externality from least to greatest. Explain your answer.

   ``A lava flow was observed.''
   ``Seismic waves were observed.''
   ``A `ping' noise was observed.''
   ``The danger of volcanic eruption was observed.''