I'll be teaching a seminar for first-year undergraduates next year. The idea of my university's first-year seminar program is to expose students to exciting ideas and important texts in a somewhat interdisciplinary way. My course will focus on three epochs in the history of cosmology in which our ideas about the size of the Universe underwent radical expansions: the Copernican revolution, the early 20th century, and the present / recent past.

I have a lot of ideas for good undergraduate-friendly readings on the first two topics, but not so many for the last one. One idea I want to get at with them is that recent theories suggest that the observable Universe is a small and perhaps not even typical fraction of the entire Universe. I'd even love to get them arguing about the anthropic principle while I'm at it.

So my question is this: Can you suggest good books, articles, etc. for me to consider in the syllabus for this course? Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the course, I'm happy to consider fiction, philosophy, and history as well as straight-up science. (For instance, Borges's story about the Library of Babel has a nice metaphorical connection to some of these ideas.) Just remember that these are kids fresh out of high school -- they're not ready for Phys. Rev. D!

Q6. Contract price: $9.5 million;

Year 6                 Year 7                 Year 8

Costs for the year                                              $3,825,000 $4,675,000 $1,300,000

Estimated cost to complete                               $4,675,000 $1,270,000         

Progress billing during the year                        $3,500,000 $4,100,000 $1,900,000

Cash collected during the year                         $3,100,000 $4,150,000 $2,100,000

(1) Using the percentage-of-completion method, determine the balance of construction in progress (CIP) at the end of year Year 7. [9 marks]

(2) Using the completed-contract method, determine the balance of construction in progress (CIP) at the end of year Year 7. [9 marks]

The current year and prior-year balance sheet of NCA show the following account balance:

During the current year, NCA $13300 of supplies expense and received $8700 of cash for services to be performed later.

Required: Using the ledger accounts, determine NCA's supplies expense and service revenue for the current year.

​​​​​​

1. Assume that the current 1-year interest rate is 3%, the expected 1-year rate next year is 2%, and the expected 1-year rate in the following year (3^rd year) is 4%.

1. Calculate the 2-year interest rate and the 3-year interest rate based on the expectations theory. (Show calculations)
2. Draw the yield curve based on your data above. Label your axis and mark the numbers along the axis, so you can read the actual interest rates in your graph. (This doesn’t need to be 100% precise, but your graph should look consistent with the numbers. Sloppy graphs will lose points.)
3. Assume that investors want a liquidity premium with a higher compensation for holding long-term bonds. Add the liquidity premium in your graph above. Make clear which curve is based only on the expectations theory and which takes into consideration the liquidity premium.
4. Based on this yield curve: What do you think market participants expect from future inflation and the economy (Write brief answers.)

1. in the next 2 years?
2. From year 3?

Consider a project with the following cash flows:

Year 0: -$1160
Year 1: $80
Year 2: -$270
Year 3: $580
Year 4: $2290

What is the MIRR of the project if the WACC is 13% and the financing costs are 2% ?

Group of answer choices

22.23%

21.18%

23.27%

A statistical program is recommended.

Consider the following time series.

Use the following dummy variables to develop an estimated regression equation to account for seasonal effects in the data:

x₁ = 1 if quarter 1, 0 otherwise; x₂ = 1 if quarter 2, 0 otherwise; x₃ = 1 if quarter 3, 0 otherwise.

=

(c) Compute the quarterly forecasts for next year.

quarter 1 forecast

quarter 2 forecast

quarter 3 forecast

quarter 4 forecast

The 5-year, 8-year, and 10-year zero rates are 5%, 7%, and 8%. The rates are given per annum with annual compounding.

a) What is the forward rate for an investment initiated 5 years from today and maturing 10 years from today? (Give your answer per annum with annual compounding)?

b) What is the forward rate for an investment initiated 5 years from today and maturing 8 years from today? (Give your answer per annum with continuous compounding)?

Pepsi Co. paid dividends of $7,000; $11,000; and $14,000 during Year 1, Year 2, and Year 3, respectively. The company had 1,400 shares of 7.0%, $100 par value preferred stock outstanding that paid a cumulative dividend. The amount of dividends received by the common shareholders during Year 3 would be:

A. $4,000.

B. $2,800.

C. $2,600.

D. $9,800.

Basically if the year is divisible by 4( think year%4==0) it’s a leap year UNLESS its divisible by 100 in which case its not a leap year UNLESS its also divisible by 400 , in which case it is.

Write a program that evaluates the years from 1890 to 2017 and write out the year if it is a leap year. Otherwise do not write out anything.

Hints

1. Loops can begin at any integer(think begin at 1890; test will be year <=2017)
2. Use && and || to get desired result in the if statements
3. There is nothing to write out in the case its not a leap year. If none of the conditions for a leap year are true, the loop “block” would end and you would increment , test to see if less than 2017 and then evaluate the next year.

Here is what the output should look like

1892 is a leap year

1896 is a leap year

1904 is a leap year

1908 is a leap year

1912 is a leap year

1916 is a leap year

1920 is a leap year

1924 is a leap year

1928 is a leap year

1932 is a leap year

1936 is a leap year

1940 is a leap year

1944 is a leap year

1948 is a leap year

1952 is a leap year

1956 is a leap year

1960 is a leap year

1964 is a leap year

1968 is a leap year

1972 is a leap year

1976 is a leap year

1980 is a leap year

1984 is a leap year

1988 is a leap year

1992 is a leap year

1996 is a leap year

2000 is a leap year

2004 is a leap year

2008 is a leap year

2012 is a leap year

2016 is a leap year