Quiz 5 (the Science around us) of QUEST-ion quiz series in IIT Patna's technical fest, Celesta '20. Hosted on 15th December 2020 at Dare2Compete.

3. The image shows a graph from The Cambridge
Encyclopaedia of Astronomy, which was the
inspiration behind a very famous music album
cover. Harold Craft who created this graph at
Arecibo observatory remarks, “The band’s 1979
album cover leaned entirely on a small mysterious
data display, printed in white on black.”
This a radiograph of the first ever discovered X in
1967. What is X and name the music album.
1.

4. Pulsar
Joy Division’s
Unknown Pleasures

5. An experiment which won an infamous prize in the last decade tried to calculate the
smoothness of X. The experiment found that X had a friction coefficient of 0.066 on
linoleum and 0.083 on hardwood flooring. Although, we have all seen this phenomenon
in cartoons, this was never quantified but this experiment aimed to do so. For the
experiment, 12 X were used and a volunteer tried them one by one. The experiment ran
for five sections of each X, thus a total of 60 readings. To find out the reason for such
low coefficient of friction, they crushed X and looked at it under the microscope. When
crushed, the tiny little bumps of X release a gel made of polysaccharides. This gel is
the reason for such low friction.
What is X, which is a bit radioactive?
2.

6. Banana Peel

7. While the present pandemic is still the reason for crisis situations around the world. Around two
decades ago, another crisis was very successfully averted. The reason for the crisis was because the
programmers left out writing the digits 1 & 9 at the starting of some numbers to save space on data
storage. The sectors including but not limiting to banking, airlines, transportation and nuclear power
plants were threatened, because due to this bug, the computers would incorrectly state some
functions to appear before others.
As a solution to this, many governments spent millions to increase the data storage to add the
remaining digits that were left otherwise. Many believed it was just another end-of-the-world cult.
What crisis I am talking about?
3.

8. Year 2000 crisis

9. In his first ever guest appearance at Simpsons, X initially had the line “second comes
right after first”. The producers thinking that it was insulting, changed the line to “first
to take a ____ sample”. Although, X had no problems with the initial line, so they
continued with that.
Who is X, who had a quarantine experience much before the Coronavirus pandemic?
4.

10. Buzz Aldrin

11. The currency X uses the element Y in it’s banknotes as a security feature because of
Y’s property of fluorescence under UV light. Although the exact nature of the
compounds is secret and there is no apparent reason why the element Y was chosen
over other elements of the same group which also show the property of fluorescence
under UV light, many would like to believe that Y was preferred in X currency notes
due to the similarity in names.
Identify the currency X and element Y.
5.

12. Euro
Europium

13. If the left hand side
gives the older
version and right
hand side is the
newer version, what
do the 7 elements of
the middle (white)
constitute?
6.

14. Fundamental
/Base units of
SI

15. In an episode of Breaking Bad, Walt drops a red colored substance in hot water which also
produces a visible explosion. While Walt escapes, the other two in the room succumb to this
reaction product. Walt later comes back with a gas mask to protect himself, he later explains
to Pinkman how the substance on reaction with water had produced a poisonous gas.
Although at first glance you may feel that this was scientific, any person who has worked in the
lab would explain you how this is not how the reaction actually takes place. The red substance
actually reacts with Hydrogen to form this gas. Interestingly, this gas is also produced by some
forms of life.
Identify the poisonous gas, which was in news this year.
7.

16. Phosphine

17. According to the chain curve problem, a perfectly flexible chain suspended by it’s ends and in
equilibrium would attain the shape of a catenary due to its own weight.
In the words of Johann Bernoulli who first deduced this: I ran to my brother, who was struggling
miserably with this Gordian knot without getting anywhere, always thinking like Galileo that the
catenary was a parabola. Stop! Stop! I say to him, don’t torture yourself any more trying to prove
the identity of the catenary with the parabola, since it is entirely false.
Since the advent of electricity in our homes, where would you most likely encounter this shape,
catenary, in the cities?
8.

18. Hanging Electric
Cable

19. In an experiment conducted by Dr MacDougall, he attempted to weigh X. For this purpose
he placed 6 of his patients on the weighing scale although the experiment could only be
performed in 4 of them. He found the weight of X as 21-grams. He later conducted the
same experiments on dogs and another scientist conducted these experiments on mice
but they found nothing like what happened with humans. This put up the experiments
done by Dr. MacDougall under question. He himself believed that more experiments were
needed to verify this. Although, he died soon after without any more research on this
topic.
What did he attempt to weigh?
9.

20. Soul

21. This popular application X serves many gamers and communities around the world using
voip technology. Its use has particularly skyrocketed during now, amidst covid-19. This
popular application was almost named after a legendary dragon-like mythical creature Y
but instead got named after “lack of agreement”, as most gamers have in a group.
Give X, Y
10.

22. Discord
Wyvern

23. The characteristics of different characters in this cartoon series point towards mental illness in the characters.
The signs are usually misspelled with letters usually inverted or reversed, which means the one who wrote them had
dyslexia. Another character suffers from OCD. The single mother suffers from social anxiety disorder and shows
overprotectiveness for her offspring who often finds himself in danger with no idea of what is going around him,
which can be interpreted as a sign of autism. A character suffers from hyperactivity, while the other’s demeanor
suggests he is suffering from depression. One has frequent anxiety attacks, while the main character (on whom the
series is named after) has ADHD and obsessive fixations which makes him eat his favourite food all the time.
Lastly, there’s only one human in the series because all the other characters are his stuffed toys and his vivid
imagination brings them to life, which may suggest that he has schizophrenia.
Which cartoon show?
11.

24. Winnie the
Pooh

25. In a recent experiment, scientists cooled down X to near absolute zero temperatures and
check their heat conductivity.
X will serve as a cheaper and effective alternative to the costly plastics that are very
good heat insulators. Technologies like Quantum Computing can make use of these.
The reason for X’s effectiveness can be attributed to Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene
(ABS), the material used to make X, alongwith the ability of different X to clamp with
each other.
What is X, popular among children?
12.

26. Lego

27. Which scientist was
commemorated by
this Google Doodle
(not the complete
image)?
13.

28. C V Raman

29. Although many assume it to be a pollution-free alternative to many activities, the truth is,
although it reduces the pollution, it still accounts for a lot of it. According to a 2014
report, if it were a country, it would be 5th on the list of energy consumption. In 2019, it
was responsible for 2% of the world’s CO2
. The main source of X’s carbon footprint is the
energy to keep it’s infrastructure running.
Although, most of the companies involved in the field of X have taken steps to use
renewable energy sources, a major part of the pollution of X is from it’s usage in common
households and offices.
What is X?
14.

30. Internet

31. A vintage advertisement for X goes on like this: “X! The magic mineral of the Middle Ages. Today, still a ‘magic’
mineral; fireproof, rat-proof, and practically indestructible. When combined with portland cement it is
manufactured into products which are especially important on the farm, because they provide permanent
protection against fire, weather, and wear. Read this folder. Learn how to put this magic mineral to work on your
farm.”
Following is a timeline to help you through it:
1. Late 1800s : X mining became a major industry to supply fibers for industrial products.
2. 1927 : First known workers’ compensation claim for X-related disease is filed.
3. 1930s : X companies quietly researched health effects and kept results hidden.
4. 1960s : Medical studies confirm X causes a specific type of cancer.
What is X?
15.

32. Asbestos