Can You Ace This Math-Sci-Tech Trivia Quiz?

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Discussion Overview

This thread features a trivia quiz focused on math, science, and technology, with participants answering questions related to historical figures, concepts, and terminology. The scope includes a mix of general knowledge and specific trivia, encouraging engagement without external research.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • Question 1 asks for the name of the primordial space from which everything sprang, with some participants suggesting "chaos."
  • Question 2 involves identifying a historical school with specific rules, with guesses including the Pythagorean school and Cambridge.
  • Question 3 relates to the first use of mounted armament in a war-plane, with a participant naming Roland Garros.
  • Question 4 references a Nobel Prize winner's remark about science, with some suggesting Lord Rutherford and others considering Linus Pauling.
  • Question 5 seeks the noun form of "state-of-the-art," with suggestions like "prototype" and "state of the art" being discussed.
  • Question 6 involves identifying the individual whose epitaph reads "He lies here, somewhere," with guesses including Heisenberg.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing opinions on several answers, with some agreeing on certain responses while others propose alternatives. The discussion remains unresolved on some questions, particularly regarding the historical school and the noun form of "state-of-the-art."

Contextual Notes

Some participants correct earlier guesses or clarify rules, indicating a dynamic exchange of ideas. The trivia format encourages a playful yet competitive atmosphere, with participants engaging in speculation and reasoning.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in trivia, historical figures in science, and the interplay of language and terminology in STEM fields may find this discussion engaging.

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Math, Science & Technology Related Trivia Questions

Rules :

# answer without googling - makes it more fun and broadens participation
# only one answer allowed per person - same reasons as above

1. Greek Myth : At the time of creation, everything sprang from an unordered and formless primordial space, which was an amalgam of all things to come. What was this space called ?

2. Some of the rules of this school :
- to abstain from beans
- never to walk on highways
- never to break bread


Which school ?

3. WWI : On April 1 1915, a French pilot attached a machine gun to the front of his cockpit and bolted steel wedges on his propeller blades to deflect bullets. This was the first time mounted armament was used in a war-plane.

Name the pilot.

4. When awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry, he made the disgruntled remark : "All science is either physics or stamp collecting."

Who ?

5. What is the noun form of the adjective "state-of-the-art" ? (Sorry for throwing in a language based question)

6. This last one's easy : Whose epitaph reads "He lies here, somewhere" ?

(More on their way...if requested.)
 
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i believe 4 is rutherford
 
My guesses:

1. chaos (or kaos or however one would transliterate it)
2. [ANSWER RESCINDED BY EDIT PER REQUEST]
Should DarkEternal be wrong on 4, maybe Linus Pauling is the right anwer.
 
Last edited:
DarkEternal - correct

Janitor, you are breaking rule #2, rescind one guess before it is seen - both are correct
 
Gokul43201 said:
only one answer allowed per person - same reasons as above

Whoops! :redface: Sorry. I didn't read the rules carefully enough.

It won't happen again, I promise. :approve:
 
More will follow once the above 6 are answered...patience, Pilutor !

Your request has been noted and will be fulfilled.
 
Number 6 sounds like some kind of a statement a scientist would make. My guess would be Heisenberg.
 
3 would be... Roland Garros !
Is it not ?
 
Recon - correct- it's apt that Heisenberg's epitaph is written with "Uncertainty"

humanino - correct - that would be too easy for you parisians. Roland Garros, was also the first European to fly across the Mediterranean; and the tennis stadium in Paris (the venue of the French Open) is named after him.


Okay, folks - 2 and 6 are still up for grabs. Any guesses, anybody ?

Edit : Correction (thanks to The Bob) : It's 2 and 5 that are still open - please feel free to shoot in the dark. There ain't no guillotine for that here. :biggrin:
 
Last edited:
  • #10
Gokul43201 said:
Okay, folks - 2 and 6 are still up for grabs. Any guesses, anybody ?

What about 5?

The Bob (2004 ©)
 
  • #11
5. Prototype?
 
  • #12
Nice guess Entropy, but 'prototype' is a different word altogether...whereas I'm looking for the noun form of the given adjective.
 
  • #13
2. Cambridge?

Just taking a stab...
 
  • #14
Math Is Hard said:
2. Cambridge?

Just taking a stab...

Well...you missed. :cry: :mad: :cry:

2. Let me throw in a BIG clue here : this school is way older than Cambridge...and I don't believe it exists anymore.

5. This one's pretty strightforward if you just think about it - make a sentence with the noun.
 
  • #15
2. That bunch of hippy triangle lovers - the Pythagorean school. Despite the fact that they favoured not eating meat (there was a sliding scale of good food and bad food), they had particular hatred for beans, IIRC it was because they came from the Earth (and therefore were close to Hades).
 
  • #16
Okay, jcsd with #2. That leaves only #5 to be cracked.

For this one, it's a free for all, including those that have already guessed before.

I can't decide whether I should put the next set of questions here, or start a new thread - ideas ?
 
  • #17
6. the state of the art?
 
  • #18
Awright... jcsd mopping up the plate with that one. The noun form simply lacks the hyphens.
 
  • #19
To, summarize, here's the answers :

1. Greek Myth : At the time of creation, everything sprang from an unordered and formless primordial space, which was an amalgam of all things to come. What was this space called ?

Chaos, what else ?

2. Some of the rules of this school :
- to abstain from beans
- never to walk on highways
- never to break bread


Which school ?

The Pythagorean School They were really a bunch of wackos, eh ?

3. WWI : On April 1 1915, a French pilot attached a machine gun to the front of his cockpit and bolted steel wedges on his propeller blades to deflect bullets. This was the first time mounted armament was used in a war-plane.

Name the pilot.

Rolland Garros of the French Open tennis stadium fame.

4. When awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry, he made the disgruntled remark : "All science is either physics or stamp collecting."

Who ?

Lord Rutherford of the alpha-particle, Gold Film experiment.

5. What is the noun form of the adjective "state-of-the-art" ?

state of the art, a compound noun ?

6. This last one's easy : Whose epitaph reads "He lies here, somewhere" ?

Werner Heisenberg, of the Uncertainty Principle.

More questions in new thread titled Math-Sci-Tech Trivia, Round II