Over time, non-specialists are usually able to assimilate radically new scientific ideas, even though these ideas may seem strange when they are initially introduced. Such was the case with Newtonian physics; when Newton proposed his ideas regarding motion and gravitation in the seventeenth century, they were denounced as unreasonable even by other leading physicists. Eventually, however, Newton’s ideas were generally assimilated. Such will also prove to be the case with quantum mechanics, a twentieth-century science that deals with the behavior of matter and light on the subatomic scale. Eventually, the novelty of quantum mechanics will no longer act as a bar to the comprehension of this theory by the non-specialist.

Question

Over time, non-specialists are usually able to assimilate radically new scientific ideas, even though these ideas may seem strange when they are initially introduced. Such was the case with Newtonian physics; when Newton proposed his ideas regarding motion and gravitation in the seventeenth century, they were denounced as unreasonable even by other leading physicists. Eventually, however, Newton’s ideas were generally assimilated. Such will also prove to be the case with quantum mechanics, a twentieth-century science that deals with the behavior of matter and light on the subatomic scale. Eventually, the novelty of quantum mechanics will no longer act as a bar to the comprehension of this theory by the non-specialist.

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8) The author of the passage assumes which of the following about quantum mechanics in relation to previous scientific theories?
A) Quantum mechanics is not inherently more difficult for the non-specialist than previous scientific theories.
B) Quantum mechanics has generated less controversy among specialists than previous scientific theories.
C) Quantum mechanics is more important to the history of science than previous scientific theories.
D) Quantum mechanics has more important practical applications than previous scientific theories.

Answer 1

The underlying assumption is that over time non-specialists can and will assimilate new ideas, regardless of the difficuly.

Answer 2

We'll be glad to check your answer.

Answer 3

A) Quantum mechanics is not inherently more difficult for the non-specialist than previous scientific theories.

Answer 4

To answer this question, we can analyze the passage. The author discusses how non-specialists are usually able to assimilate radically new scientific ideas over time, even if they initially seem strange. They use the example of Newtonian physics, which was initially denounced by other physicists but eventually assimilated by the general population. The author then suggests that the same will happen with quantum mechanics.

Based on this information, we can conclude that the author assumes that quantum mechanics is not inherently more difficult for the non-specialist than previous scientific theories. This is because they compare the assimilation of quantum mechanics to that of Newtonian physics, implying that both can eventually be comprehended by non-specialists.

Therefore, the correct answer is A) Quantum mechanics is not inherently more difficult for the non-specialist than previous scientific theories.