What is Mystery: Definition and 912 Discussions

Mystery is a fiction genre where the nature of an event, usually a murder or other crime, remains mysterious until the end of the story. Often within a closed circle of suspects, each suspect is usually provided with a credible motive and a reasonable opportunity for committing the crime. The central character is often a detective (such as Sherlock Holmes), who eventually solves the mystery by logical deduction from facts presented to the reader. Some mystery books are non-fiction. Mystery fiction can be detective stories in which the emphasis is on the puzzle or suspense element and its logical solution such as a whodunit. Mystery fiction can be contrasted with hardboiled detective stories, which focus on action and gritty realism.
Mystery fiction can involve a supernatural mystery in which the solution does not have to be logical and even in which there is no crime involved. This usage was common in the pulp magazines of the 1930s and 1940s, whose titles such as Dime Mystery, Thrilling Mystery and Spicy Mystery offered what were then described as complicated to solve and weird stories: supernatural horror in the vein of Grand Guignol. That contrasted with parallel titles of the same names which contained conventional hardboiled crime fiction. The first use of "mystery" in that sense was by Dime Mystery, which started out as an ordinary crime fiction magazine but switched to "weird menace" during the later part of 1933.

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  1. quasar987

    Unravelling the Mystery of logn Identities

    I don't get where these two identities come from: (logn)^{logn} = n^{log(logn)} and (logn)^{log(logn)} = e^{(log(logn))^2}
  2. D

    Unravelling the Mystery of DNA, RNA and Proteins

    Are the whole processes of DNA, RNA, ribosomes, amino acids and proteins all just "chemical reactions" or is there something more to it? I know the way it works from DNA to protein but why? I understand this question might have a very complex anwser but a brief explanation would be...
  3. C

    The Proportional Decay - Uncovering the Mystery

    Rate of decay... "The rate of decay is durectly proprtional to the number of atoms present, following an exponential law, the rate of decay decreasing with time" - but why is this the case? Thanks in advance. :smile:
  4. M

    Uncovering the Mystery of Numbers Divisible by 7

    hi , i recently found while playing around with my new calculator that any number repeated six times is divisible by 7 ... for eg, 4 repeated 6 times gives 444444/7 =63492 an say 761 repeated 6 times 761761761761761761/ 7 =108823108823108823 the last one was done using a computer...
  5. G

    The Mystery of H- & HII Ions: Why the Balance Matters

    what is the reason why the number of H- ions in a gas must always be less than the number of HII ions?
  6. M

    The Mystery of the 'Wet' Asphalt: Explained

    Why does dry asphalt appear to be wet on a hot, sunny day?
  7. M

    Solving the Mystery of a Gold Sculpture's Secret Cavity

    I have a question regarding fluids A small sculpture made of gold (density of gold = 19280 kg/m^3) is believed to have a secret central cavity. The weight of the sculpture in air is 25.76 N. When submerged in water, the weight is 23.86 N. What is the volume of the secret cavity. (Density of...
  8. A

    The Mysterious Name of the Integral Symbol: A Mystery Solved?

    What is the actual name for the integral symbol? I know it was first used by Leibniz, but did he actually call it anything...? It's really hard trying to convince my friends the integral symbol is the sexiest thing ever invented, when I don't even know her true name. :blushing:
  9. P

    Uncovering the Mystery of Acetanilide and Caffeine Melting Point Range

    I have a sample of 25 % acetanilide with 75 % caffeine. I record a melting point range of 198 - 240 degrees celcius acetanilide's melting point is 114.3 caffeine's melting point is 238 What would cause this huge experimental range? My thinking is that the acetanilide is...
  10. Crumbles

    Charge of Muon/Anti-Muon: Unraveling the Mystery

    I'm trying to write a program that would process data from a particle physics experiment and I need to know what the charge of a muon/anti-muon is. It doesn't seem to be easy to find on the web. Does anyone here have a value for it?
  11. S

    The Mystery of Planetary Cores: Fission or Fusion?

    Is it know why the Earth's core, and indeed the cores of other planets, are "hot" while some are cold? Is it possible that fusion or fission processes are taking place there ?
  12. S

    Confused by x=--x: Exploring the Mystery

    x=--x wtf =/ (this isn't a homework problem but it was brought up today and I'm curious) :confused:
  13. G

    How to Determine the Percent Mass of a Mystery Alkali Carbonate in a Reaction?

    undefinedundefinedundefined I have a mystery alkali carbonate. I need to react it with sulfuric acid. When this occurs I know the products are carbon dioxide, water, ions of the mystery metal in solution and ions of sulfate in the solution. My question is how do I find the percent mass of the...
  14. tandoorichicken

    The Mystery Behind 'Base Rain': Exploring the Unknown

    Why isn't there such a thing as base rain? Or do we just never hear about it?
  15. P

    Solving the Mystery of Racing Cans of Broth Down a Ramp

    hey everybody, I am new to the forum, and glad to be here. looks like a great place for help when all has failed! :cry: if you race 2 cans of broth down a ramp, one frozen and one still liquid, which one wins? well, i did this mathematically, using the equation for a solid ring...
  16. E

    Solving the Mystery of the Skier and the Snowball

    Ok, here's the question: A skier starts at the top of a very large frictionless spherical snowball, with a very small initial velocity, and skis straight down the side. At what point does she lose contact with the snowball and fly off at a tangent? That is, at the instant when she loses...
  17. G

    Unlock the Mystery of Plasma Balls

    How does a plasma ball work? http://www.iwantoneofthose.com/PLABAL_GADG.htm
  18. N

    Uncovering the Mystery of Sulfur-Nitrogen Compound

    Under special conditions, sulfur reacts with anhydrous liquid ammonia to form a binary compound of sulfur and nitrogen. The compound is found to consist of 69.6% S and 30.4% N. Measurements of its molecular mass yield a value of 184.3 g/mol. The compound occasionally detonates on being struck or...
  19. P

    Solving the Mystery of Electron-Positron Collision Energy

    what the !? ok idk if I am right and the book is wrong but help me out the question is... An electron moving at a speed 0.60c collides head on witha positron also moving at 0.60c. Determine the energy and momentum of each photon produced in the process. well this is what I did.. E =...
  20. A

    Unraveling the Mystery of DNA's Self-Replication

    Hi All Why DNA molecules alone replicates itself were does self property of ( memory ) to replicate comes from ? why not other macro moloecules like proteins ( expect pirons :biggrin: ) don't replicate like DNA :confused:
  21. F

    Cracking the Mystery of Fermi Numbers - Come Help!

    Fermi Numbers!?? I'm trying to solve this problem and explain all my steps in my reasoning. **HOW MANY HAIRS ARE ON YOUR HEAD?** If anyone can help me figure this out, reply thanking u in advance faiza
  22. R

    Help Solve Mystery: "Twons" & Photon Deceleration

    I have a smal brain but am trying to help an elderly gentleman (who doesn't speak too good English) with his theories. He talks about a "twon" or tuon in relation to the rapid deceleration of photons, producing eletron-positron pairs. I can't find any particle or process similar to this...
  23. M

    Solve the Mystery: Identify Light Bulb Switches

    You are in a room with 3 light switches. These switches are connected to 3 separate light bulbs in an ajoining room. Access to the ajoining room is via a door that remains closed, there are no windows, other people etc etc. You are allowed to enter the ajoining room once and then return. At...
  24. Gokul43201

    History Mystery Trivia Quiz: Myth & History

    Mystery : Myth & History - yet another trivia quiz This is advance warning that I'll put up the actual quiz here in about a day. Also, I'd like to dedicate this quiz to Ivan Seeking and Evo, the irreplaceable Guardians of the PF Lounge. < hope I chose the theme wisely >
  25. S

    Solving the Mystery of Calculating 10ul and 0.25ml for Protocol Steps

    here is a part of the protocol we did: a)spin down the chloroplast solution and decant the supernatant. add 4ml water to the pellet. b) add 10ul proteinase K ( concentration= 20mg/ml) to get a final concentration of 50ug/ml. -> how do they get 10ul? which formula do they use? i don't...
  26. N

    Unraveling the Mystery of Light Speed: 670 Million MPH

    Can someone explain how it is possible that the speed of light is constantly 670 million mph irrelevant of relative speed? how is it that you can be going 669 million mph yet light still accelerates toward you at the same rate??
  27. D

    Mystery of a Spam Email to my Anti-Spam Account

    My anti-spam Email account is suppose to be basically spam free. However, today I received an Email which may have contained a virus and a message I could not read. My provider blocked both from my account. The title however was "I cannot forget you!" The Email's domain contained the...
  28. C

    Exploring the Mystery of Heat to Current Transformation

    Hi all. Imagine one negative charged dielectric rod into a copper solenoid, and rounded coaxially by another positive charged dielectric. Then we have an E field radially directed passing through the coil. Now put one magnet on top of the coil and another magnet at the bottom of the coil...
  29. C

    Uncovering the Mystery Behind Football Field Math Facts

    I was just messing around and ran across this site that hate math facts on it and I chose a random one about a football field. Here's a http://www.math.hmc.edu/funfacts/ffiles/10010.2.shtml# the fact. Now, I understand what they're trying to get it, but what I don't get is how they came up...
  30. M

    The Mystery of the Single Atom: Solid, Gas, or Liquid?

    If there is a single atom of water or some substance, can it have the properties of a solid gas or liquid? Or is it a separate state?
  31. M

    Unraveling the Mystery of Lightning Balls

    Ok i don't know if you ppl know these http://storeforknowledge.com/stores/163/images/lightning%20ball%20large.jpg How do these work?
  32. quasar987

    Mystery of Dark Energy: Unravelling the GR Expansion of Universe

    Another one of the physics teacher working at the college I attended (see my previous post) wrote a book on basic http://universite.deboeck.com/Resources/Titles/28011100266200/Images/28011100266200L.gif . In this book it says that the expansion of the Universe is due to the expansion of space...
  33. J

    Solving the Mystery of M1 and M2: What is the Equation for?

    ok so I've got this equation M1 = T1^2 M2 __T2^2 the _s are only for spacing purposes can anyone tell me what it is for? I think the M is mass and the T is tension but I really have no idea
  34. Andre

    Unveiling the Mystery of Greenland's Ancient Plant Remains

    Last decade ice core digging in the West Antlantic Ice Sheet (WAIS) gave a big surprise. Diatoms in the mud under the ice sheet revealed that there has been a sea bottom with a maximum age of some 500,000 years but possibly younger. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/281/5373/82...
  35. I

    Solving the Mystery of the Hats: Who Knew Blue?

    We have a box in which there are 2 white and 3 blue hats. The light is turned out and 3 boys take at random one hat each and places it on his head. The light is turned on again. Each boy can see the colour of the hat of each of his colleagues but not his own. The first boy is asked the...
  36. D

    Exploring the Mystery of the Exorcist: Fact or Fiction?

    The new movie that is about to be released, Exorcist The Beginning (or something like that), got me thinking. The Exorcist is suppose to be based on a true story that happened in 1948, right? And through many tests done by Doctors and Psychiatrists, there was no medical explanation. Is...
  37. K

    Unraveling the Mystery of Photon Masslessness

    Hi! I understand that according to E=mc^2 any normal object can't reach the speed of light because the energy of its motion increases its mass and thus you'd need an infinite amount of energy to reach c. However, it is said that objects with no mass (i.e. photons) travel at the speed of...
  38. M

    Unlocking the Mystery of the Universe's Origin

    why the Universe was at a small point? Is this point like super small like. Plank length Googelplex^googelplex Or just any size smaller then Planck Length? To be undefinable. Why couldn't the universe just all of a sudden be created right where it is, in all the same...
  39. A

    The Mystery of Life and Death: Exploring Where Brain Activity Goes

    A person is alive, animated, breathing, communicating, thinking, moving. There is brain activity - an energy which can monitored by a machine. Then suddenly their body is a cold lifeless shell and no brain activity can be found. In the terms of physics - what has happened? Where did that...
  40. russ_watters

    Hawking Solves Black Hole Mystery

    http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996151 The explanation will have to wait until next week though when he presents his findings at a black hole conference.
  41. 0

    Lightning Mystery: AC DC & Neutral Fields/Currents in Earth

    I have heard lightning in the tropics is responsable for creating AC Dc and Neutral fields/currents in the Earth that spread all over the planet. Can anyon confirm this as a theory or fact and if so who formed the theory and when. regards tony
  42. V

    A Surprising Reunion: The Mystery Behind the Door

    A guy is sitting near the open door with an unhappy face. After some time another guy enters that door. First guy becomes happy and enters the door too. Why??
  43. I

    Exploring Time in the Sun's Core: Mystery of Time Inside

    Why is it that if you actually entered the sun's core,all time would stop,or speed up?
  44. B

    Is there yet a mystery about partitions?

    is there yet a mystery about partitions? where can i find some lit. on the subject?
  45. D

    Mystery of the Magnetic Field: "Because

    A few days ago my physics teacher told me that to find the magnetic field's direction in a wire you put up your right hand and whichever way your fingures bent was the magnetic field's direction, or at least that is what I understood. When I questioned him why this was the case he told me...
  46. K

    Unlock the Mystery of 1961 & Find a 6-Letter Perfect Word Divisible by 11

    1. What happened in 1961 that will not happen again for over 4000 + years? 2. A man wanted to enter an exclusive club but did not know the password that was required. He waited by the door and listened. A club member knocked on the door and the doorman said, "twelve." The member replied...
  47. Q

    Unsolved Mystery of Prime Numbers: Why Is It So Hard?

    Hi, Let's talk about Prime Numbers. Still an unsolved mystery, I don't understand why it's still unsolved. Has anyone discovered why its hard to find a pattern? Or is this a silly question?
  48. E

    The Mystery of Rotting Fruit and Mold: Exploring the Unknown

    Do they really form from fruit going bad... or do they COME To the fruit.. I don't understand how they would form.. from just fruit.. =-/
  49. Y

    Dark Matters vs Planets: The Mystery Unveiled

    It is said that most mass in the universe consists of dark matters which don't emmit light. What is the difference between dark matters and planets? Thank u.
  50. Ivan Seeking

    Mystery of the [Australian] Min Min lights explained

    http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s818193.htm
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