Shaastra Main Quiz 2018 finals

Shaastra Main Quiz
Gokul S Nair
Paul Martin

Special Round : What’s in a name?
What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other word would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
- The Bard circa 1597

1.
This molecule is unique in that it is both rigid and
virtually stress free.
The structure of the molecule resembles that of
diamond which is how it gets its name from the greek
root which means “untamable” which is often used to
refer to diamond.
The greek root is used to refer to a lot of materials
including the one used by Kronos to castrate Uranus
or the chains binding Prometheus. The greek root also
gives rise to a common noun in English.
Name the molecule (or) What’s the common noun?

2.
This element is named after the Greek goddess of the moon, which is also the
name of one of the aliases used by the forsaken Lanfear in The Wheel of Time
series by Robert Jordan.
The name of the goddess herself derives from the Greek word meaning light,
which is fitting considering that the element has many applications in
photocells. It is used in streetlights to automatically switch them on after dusk.
The element is also an essential micronutrient for humans but is toxic in
higher doses.
Which element?

Bubble Sort is an algorithm to sort integers in an array in ascending order by
having the largest unsorted integer move to the end at every pass, just like a
bubble rises to the top of a lake.
However, one issue of bubble sort is that if there are small integers at the end,
they will take some time to reach their position.
A variation of Bubble sort works by having the largest unsorted integer moved to
the end and the smallest unsorted integer moved to the beginning in alternate
passes. This algorithm gets its name from a comparison to an action done by
people of a certain profession. The algorithm infact is named after what these
people make.
What’s the good name?
3.

4.
The Douglas A3D Skywarrior was a strategic bomber for the US Navy. It had a
crew of three : pilot, bombardier and crewman. However, it had a conspicuous
lack of something that was first patented by Calthrop in 1916. This resulted in
the aircraft getting a tongue in cheek nickname. What did the aircraft lack.
What was the tongue in cheek nickname?

5.
______ _______ is a book by Peter Medawar and is considered one of the best
science books ever written. The title of a book is a clever pun combining two
elements.
The first one was discovered by Clyde Tombaugh in 1930.
The second one is a book written in 380 BC concerning justice, the order and
character of the just city-state and the just man. The one word title is also
used by 159 of the world’s countries.
Name the book by Peter Medawar?

2.
This element is named after the Greek goddess of the moon, which is also the
name of one of the aliases used by the forsaken Lanfear in The Wheel of Time
series by Robert Jordan.
The name of the goddess herself derives from the Greek word meaning light,
which makes it fitting that the element has many applications in photocells. It
is used in streetlights to automatically switch them on after dusk. The element
is also an essential micronutrient for humans but is toxic in higher doses.
Which element?

Douglas A3D - All Three Dead - the aircraft lacked ejection seats.

DRIES : BOUNCE POUNCE : CLOCKWISE

1.
When you go searching for one of these, the key is to look for infrared light.
The wavelengths of radiations emitted by these would depend on the
emission spectrum of the substances making them up and one would expect
these to be made of heavy elements which are not found at the center.
Thus, if these are present there would be atypical wavelengths not normally
found in the spectral type. If heavy elements are used, then one could expect
more infrared radiation as was referenced in the title of the 1960 paper that
introduced this concept.
What?

2.
Below is is an extreme case of buckling, usually exhibited by metallic beams
under impulse loads, such as the loads seen in a crash. This is also called X
buckling, as the buckled structure resembles a (relatively) common item

3.
The reason that these are usually not more than over 112 m has oft puzzled
many a scientist.
Structural instability was one theory that was dismissed.
Another issue is the occurrence of cavitation, formations of bubbles of water
vapour in water at low pressure. However, defences against this are generally
present.
The current theory is the “hydraulic limitation hypothesis” .
What question are these theories trying to answer?

Ans : Why aren’t the Sequoia trees any taller?

4.
The wafer shown on the next slide, called the ____ museum is an inch by half-an-
inch size and contains artwork by 6 prominent artists.
The artwork on the top left can be viewed either as a rendition of the method of
transport of the museum to its location, or as a stylised version of the artist’s
initials, but when you really look at it, you’ll realise it’s nothing but a penis.
Where is this museum located? Who drew the dick?

5.
An initial version of this principle was introduced by Pierre Louis Maupertius who said
that “Nature is thrifty in all its actions”.
He further went on to say : “The movement of animals, the vegetative growth of plants
... are only its consequences; and the spectacle of the universe becomes so much the
grander, so much more beautiful, the worthier of its Author, when one knows that a
small number of laws, most wisely established, suffice for all movements.”
Perhaps this forebodes a 2008 paper that appeared in the proceedings of the Royal
Society that compared this principle to the theory of evolution. The paper showed that
the second law of thermodynamics when written in an integral form can be shown to be
similar to this principle and in a differential form similar to the theory of evolution.
Which am I talking about, which is also the subject of the limerick on the next slide?

It just stood there and did nothing, of course,
A harmless and still wooden horse.
But the ________ ______
Was just a distraction.
The plan involved no use of force.

Ans : The Principle of Least Action

A 2008 study concluded that he probably had FG syndrome, a rare genetic
disease that causes physical anomalies and along with intellectual disability
and hyperactivity as opposed to the most popular explanation for his nature.
Who?(5) What popular explanation?(5)
Half points(2.5) for funda of first part without name. (as in telling me this is the
dude who... etc)
6.

Ans : Kim Peaks, inspiration for Rain Man

7.
He was, arguably, one of the greatest Soviet mathematicians of the 20th century.
Among his many works is a 1938 paper on predicting stationary stochastic
processes. This was of huge utility to the military, and he spent the second world
war contributing to the Russian war effort by applying statistical theory to artillery
fire to develop a scheme of stochastic distribution of barrage balloons intended to
help protect Moscow from German bombers.
Post the second world war, he used his knowledge of stochastic processes to
establish some basic principles of a particular field which, to this date, remains the
only thing resembling some form of theory in this field.
Who?

8.
Biosphere two is an isolated system meant to explore the possibilities of creating
an isolated ecosystem with plants, animals and humans and see if such a system
can be made in space.
During one of their isolation experiments, the researchers noticed that the trees
were growing faster than their terrestrial counterparts. However, they all became
unstable and fell down before reaching maturity. The researchers concluded that
this was due to the absence of a particular external stress. This external stress
causes trees to develop “stress wood”, which is gives tree trunks their strength.
What external factor was missing?

9.
This word means "a central or a focal point". This is also the name of a flagship
line of smartphones. In 2010, when it was first launched, the estate of a particular
author decided to sue them over copyright infringement. One could see how the
lawsuit could be strong when you look at the type of smartphone this is. However,
the author hadn't exactly copyrighted the term itself and the company successfully
argued they used the term in its original meaning, given above.
Which book? Which flagship line of Phones?

10.
A walk is organised every year by the National University of Ireland from the
Dunskirk Observatory to the Broom Bridge. Attendees have included Murray
Gell Mann, Andrew Wiles and Roger Penrose
The walk seeks to commemorate something which is also commemorated by
a bronze plaque at the location.
What does this walk seek to commemorate?

Ans : Sir William Rowan Hamilton’s discovery of
Quaternions
He had the idea while on a walk along the bridge and carved the basic
equations into the wall on the bridge.
i^2 = j^2 = k^2 = ijk = -1

11.
Shown in the next slide, Science and Hypothesis is a book by Henri Poincare.
Poincare’s description of some of the unsolved problems in science such as
the photoelectric effect, relativity of physical Laws in Space inspired Albert
Einstein to investigate these problems and crack them.
The book’s description of higher dimensions along with another book called
“Elementary treatise on the geometry of four dimensions” was also studied by
another famous group of people who used methods given in the book.
Which group of people?

12.
This particular Mercury spacecraft was
given a particular name due to its
distinctive shape.
The line with white paint was also added
as an allusion to something that
happened after the death of Chief
Justice John Marshall in 1835.
What’s the good name?

13.
The two were motivated by reports this particular machine in one home had leaked toxic fumes
because a seal failed and this led to the death of the family.
They decided to design one themselves, the salient feature of which was that it had no moving parts,
It is conjectured that one of the duo did not actually do much work but was involved only to help
them patent things properly, thanks to his expertise in the field. However, the patents were quickly
bought up by Electrolux.
The other member of the duo is known for developing the idea of the nuclear chain reaction and
also for a famous shift to an entirely different field.
ID both members of the duo and what did they invent. (3,3,4)

Ans : Einstein-Szilard Refrigerator

14.
The Kelvin Problem, proposed by Lord Kelvin asks how space can be divided
into cells of equal volume with the least surface area between them.
The Wearie Phelan structure, discovered in 1993 is the best known solution to
this problem.
The design of which iconic building is inspired by this?

Ans : Beijing National Aquatics Center (Water
Cube)

15.
The etymology of this term can trace its roots back to the latin word for cow. This
was coined because the first version of this was “pertaining to cows: from cows”.
The OED credits Pasteur with using this for other entities of this type and making it
a general term, even though these other entities had nothing to do with cows.

16.
This is made of granite from two sources : Ailsa Craig, an island off the coast
of Scotland and the Trefor granite quarry in Wales.
Ailsa Craig is the traditional source and produces two types of granite out of
which Blue Hone is the more preferred one. This is because it has very low
water absorption and prevents the action of repeatedly freezing water from
eroding the stone. Kays has exclusive rights to the Ailsa Craig quarry and has
been manufacturing these for a particular event since 2006.
What?

SPECIAL ROUND : SCIENCE IN SPORTS
5*10=50

1.
Competitors in this sport often face a large amount of water loss through the
course of an event. This is due to many reasons, such as the high temperature of
the environment they compete in, the multiple layers of protective clothing they
have to wear, and maintaining an elevated heart rate for a long period of time.
Athletes lose around 2-3 kgs of body weight over the course of an event.
A common misconception is that the frequent weigh-ins over the course of an
event is to keep tabs on this water loss. However, this is used to enforce the
stringent weight restrictions the governing body mandates for the sport.
What sport?

2.
Many investigations (mostly English) have been made into the effect of humidity
on this phenomenon.A humid environment will strongly effect the degradation of
the object, ensuring that the surface remains smooth longer which in turn inhibits
flow separation, which is essential to this process. However, the question of
whether an identical object will behave differently in a humid environment is still
debatable.
While some studies show a positive correlation, most studies have failed to
recreate this in lab conditions and puts any observed phenomenon on the field
down to overcompensation by the player.

3.
This all time great suffers from scoliosis, a curvature of the spine. As a result, his
left leg is about half an inch longer that his right, which is pretty large for an elite
athlete. To compensate, he has an uneven gait, with his right leg striking the
ground with about 13% more force than his left. This value lies between 0-7% for
most of his competitors.
Scientists are unable to determine whether his dominance in the sport is because
or in spite of this variation.
Who?

4
The technical term for this is a ‘peloton’. The primary advantage of this is a drastic
decrease in fatigue, upto 40% if done correctly. However, even though it does not
look difficult, it takes a great degree of skill to execute this correctly and efficiently.
Furthermore, if one member screws up, it will result in a domino effect.
The primary difficulty in a peloton lies in the fact that you are, essentially,
collaborating with your competitors. Therefore, various strategies are used to gain
an advantage while within this and sabotage the others. Choosing the correct time
to break away from this is also important.
Despite the drawbacks, these remain popular and are a distincitve feature of this
competition.

5.
Care is taken to humidify these entities to the correct amount before their use,
especially in major tournaments. If it is too dry, it becomes brittle and parts of it
may break off, which can cause it to wobble. If it is too saturated, it deforms under
motion and behaves undesirably.
Due to the general brittle nature of this entity, Synthetic versions have been made
and are quite popular. However, most professionals prefer the “feel” of the original
version and professional tournaments mostly stay away from these synthetic
alternatives.

Effect of Humidity on swing bowling

4.
The technical term for this is a ‘peloton’. The primary advantage of this is a drastic
decrease in fatigue, upto 40% if done correctly. However, even though it does not
look difficult, it takes a great degree of skill to execute this correctly and efficiently.
Furthermore, if one member screws up, it will result in a domino effect.
The primary difficulty in a peloton lies in the fact that you are, essentially,
collaborating with your competitors. Therefore, various strategies are used to gain
an advantage while within this and sabotage the others. Choosing the correct time
to break away from this is also important.
Despite the drawbacks, these remain popular and are a distincitve feature of this
competition.

Cycling in packs. Tour de France

Back to dries… This time against the clock.

17.
Hans Bethe once said "For the sake of history, I think it is more precise to say
that Ulam is the father, because he provided the seed, and Teller is the
mother, because he remained with the child. As for me, I guess I am the
midwife.”
The child was born in 1952.
What is he talking of?

Waldo is a short story by Robert A Heinlein.
It tells the story of a mechanical genius using his talents to build something to
help him conquer the disease myasthenia gravis.
In real life these were first used by contractors working in nuclear installations
to help them safely handle radioactive material. They were named Waldos
after the story.
What are these, something similar to which many of us may have encountered
at arcades?
18.

19.
The concept of this was first talked about by Leo Szilard to articulate how
nuclear weapons could be of great danger to humanity. These refer to bombs
that are doped in such a way that detonating one of them could result in the
making a large area, perhaps even the entire earth uninhabitable. The most
popular example of such a device is from the Kubrick movie Dr. Strangelove.
Such a bomb is called a ______ bomb referring to an ancient Assyrian practice
of doing something to symbolise areas being captured by them being
rendered inhabitable, and became a common motif in the middle ages to
render an area to waste.
Fill in the blanks?

Ans : Salted Bomb
Comes from the phrase “To salt the earth” to render the soil uncultivable.

20.
Alexandre Dumas in his memoires names Pescheux d'Herbinville as the
culprit.
He was one of 19 artillery officers to celebrate whose acquittal a banquet was
held. In the banquet someone raised a toast to Louis Philippe with a wine
glass in one hand and a dagger in the other. This led to this person being
arrested.
A few months later, just before the infamous incident, this person wrote a
letter to his brother : “Don't cry, Alfred! I need all my courage to die at twenty.”
Another theory that seeks to explain this incident is a love affair gone wrong.
Who? (or) What incident?

Ans : Galois ; The duel that resulted in his death

21.
In 1976, this was placed in front of a sensor that detects ionised particles and
was then encoded into impulses and sent via satellite to Ottawa.
The arrival of the signal activated a laser that recreated this in a 90cm urn.
This was the Canadians’ innovative method to do what?

22.
Eugene Lazowski was a Polish medical doctor. Along with his friend Stanislaw
Matulewicz he discovered that injecting a healthy person with a vaccine of dead
bacteria, that person would test positive for epidemic typhus without experiencing
the symptoms.
They immediately began to give healthy people in a dozen villages in the vicinity
of Rozwadow and Zbydniow shots of the vaccine.
Why?

Ans : To save them from the Nazis
They created fake epidemics so the Nazis would stay away and not take the Jews
in the villages to concentration camps.

23.
Most draught beer systems use CO2 to provide the pressure needed to get the
beer flowing. This CO2 is usually pumped into the beer keg from a canister.
But regulations mean this company cannot use CO2. So, partnering with
Heineken, they have developed Brewlock Keg, which uses air pressure to bring
the keg pressure to the desired level, compensating for the negative pressure of
the surroundings, generating sufficient tap pressure for serving.
Where can one get this beer?
Brownie points for naming the company.

Ans : On board a flight; KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
.

24.
A group of four japanese researchers recently won an Ignobel prize for adapting a
commonly used safety device for a particular group of people. The basic issue
was that these people were unable to respond to the stimulus usually given by
these safety devices, especially while asleep. Hence, the researchers used a
nasal stimulus, wasabi, so to alert these people of a potential danger.
What safety device? And for which group of people?

Ans : Fire Alarms for the Deaf

25.
On the 21st May 1822 a startling discovery was made when a White Stork, shot
on an estate in Mecklenburg, Germany, was discovered with an 80cm long spear
sticking straight through its neck.
This was hugely significant as it proved a hypothesis and answered a question
that had been puzzling scientists till then.
What theory? How did this stork answer this question?

Proved the theory of migration.
The spear in question was african

26.
Just before they went to the moon, Neil, Buzz and Mike autographed hundreds of
covers like the ones on the next slide.
This was done for a very specific reason as the usual method employed for
astronauts embarking on perilous voyages could not be used.
What reason? And why could the conventional method not be employed?

No life insurance company was willing to insure these astronauts. So, they signed
these covers to be sold so that their families would have enough money to survive
if they did not return

27.
The closest match we can get to this word is an archaic french word meaning
“comrade”. In all probability, Chevrolet just made it up. However, at the press
conference, when the journalists asked Chevrolet what it means, they were told
that it is a “small, fierce animal that eats ______(a type of horse)”
What word?FITB.

28.
One of the most famous movie chess games terminates with one player declaring
a mate in two. The other player, on hearing this analysis, promptly resigns.
However, further analysis shows that this prediction is, in fact, incorrect. There is a
theory that says that this is not a gaffe, but a subtle trick employed by the first
player to coerce the second into resigning and that this was used to foreshadow
the characters waywardness which became apparent as the movie progressed.
However, the director, an avid chess enthusiast, died before he could confirm the
authenticity of this theory.
Which movie? Which character?

2001: A Space Odyssey,HAL 9000

29.
Georg Cantor work on set theory was hugely controversial at the time. His
comparison of infinities and his demonstration that some infinities are greater than
others vexed many of his contemporaries.
Leonhard Kronecker was a harsh critic of his work, and regarding Cantors work on
comparing transcendentals and real numbers, made a quote which has gone into
history. A part of this has also been used as a title for a famous anthology.
The quote?

God created integers, all else is the work of man

30.
This person found that, by attaching a metal rod onto this object, and biting onto it,
he was able to circumvent a potentially career-ending disability. In fact, this
innovation is the reason he was able to do some of his best work, and his ability to
continue working despite his disability has been a source of inspiration to all of us.
Who? What phenomenon was he taking advantage of?

Ans : Beethoven ; Bone conduction

31.
Iron ball paint is a type of paint created for a specific purpose. This contains tiny
balls coated with carbonyl iron or ferrite.
When EM waves of a specific type are incident upon a body coated with iron ball
paint, it is converted into heat by the alternating magnetic field of the ferrite balls
and sent into the body.
For what purpose was iron ball paint developed?

RADAR invisibility. Iron ball paint absorbs RADAR waves and does not reflect
them.

32.
Cymbeline is a 1611 play by William Shakespeare
In Act 5 Scene 4, we find a character called Posthumus having a dream. He sees
the ghosts of four dead family members. As he lies in a daze, the ghosts move
around him in a circle. Feeling his anguish, they ask a certain person to come to
his aid. The person descends, riding an eagle, throws a thunderbolt,and the
ghosts fall on their knees.
It is believed that this particular scene was inspired by a scientific discovery made
in the early 17th century. What discovery?

Ans : Galileo’s discovery of the four moons of Jupiter

Shaastra Main Quiz 2018 finals

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