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. M

    Exploring the Mystery of Months & Days

    Hy. Why some months have 30 and some 31 days , and february 28? Thanks!
  2. J

    Medical Exploring the Mystery of Rocking Motion's Soothing Effect

    Why is it that a rocking motion gives a soothing effect? I guess it has to do something with brain fluids, but no clear answer.
  3. S

    The true mystery is Identity NOT Mechanics

    A lot has been discussed/posted about various models/theories to explain consciousness, the systems of laws, fundamental physics, emergence, upward and downward causality etc. However I think too much of these theories focus on GENERAL universals and ultimately on the mechanisms, but not on...
  4. F

    The mystery of the tangent and the radius fluid in spiral pipe on rotating disk

    Here's something simple but also a bit puzzling, let me know if you have any ideas... For clarity, I'll describe three cases before asking the final question (skip ahead if you like). 1. Mounted on a disk are two curved fences, just a few centimetres apart from each other. Between the fences...
  5. P

    Unraveling the Mystery of Planetary Motion: Mercury & Pluto

    why does mercury move with such velocity while pluto is much slower?
  6. D

    Solving the Mystery: 1+1=0?

    helo.. We know that 1+1 = 2. but try this out..there is some dummy things goes around here Firstly, we denote 1 + 1 = 1 + \sqrt{1} <=> 1 + \sqrt{(-1)(-1)} <=> 1 + \sqrt{-1}\sqrt{-1} <=> 1 + i*i <=> 1 + (-1) <=> 0 ?? how come 1+1=0 ? and where is the...
  7. N

    Blondel's Theorem: A Math Mystery Explained

    tell me somthing about blondels theorem
  8. J

    Mystery of the Microwave Fan Noise Solved?

    First I thought of posting this on the random thoughts thread, but I need an answer to this bugging question. Why the hell a microwave (the cooking device) makes that fanlike noise? While an infrared device (electric heater), visible light device (a flashlight), x-ray machine do not make any...
  9. B

    Charm's Curious Origin: A Quarky Mystery!

    Whence "Charm"? The quarks have very quirky names! All of them have an origin: * (up, down) refer to isospin states. * strange refers to "strange decays" that were, well, strange! * (bottom, top) are derived from "beauty" and "truth" ("Beauty" still is used synonymously with "bottom")...
  10. A

    Unlocking the Mystery of Soda Powered Clock

    Homework Statement My teacher used soda to power up a clock. He used a magnesium and copper wire, and soda (sierra mist) I have to explain why and how this happened. Homework Equations n/a The Attempt at a Solution My teacher said it had something to do with...
  11. I

    Uncovering the Mystery of Kinetic Energy

    Kenetic energy! [PLAIN]http://img190.yfrog.com/img190/2899/42256198.jpg alright for the basketball question, I don't understand why the KE doesn't drop to 0.The correct answer is B..and I picked A! because when the PE is max KE is 0.
  12. D

    Unraveling the Mystery of Electrical Phases

    Hi, I am struggling with finding info on Electrical Phases. I understand that Single Phase is simply one ac signal, and I understand that 3 phase is 3 independent ac signals, all of which are exactly 120 degrees out of phase. My struggle comes in when I think about 220 volt dryer hookup in my...
  13. M

    Unraveling the Mystery of Theta: Solving Cot(2theta) = 2

    what is Theta? Cot (2theta) = 2 I have no idea how to get the answer. algebraically or in my calculator
  14. S

    Unraveling the Mystery of Psychometric Tests

    Haj friends! I'm looking for some kind of psychometric test. It works, something, like this. You have a matrix of say 6x6, where colums are denoted as A-F while rows are denoted 1-6. In your left hand you got a blue pencil while in your right hand you got a red. The supervisor plays a...
  15. G

    Unlock the Mystery: Investigating Inherited p53 Mutations

    Any ideas with this one? It's a part of an optional assignment I have been working on for extra credit. Everything else is complete and I have been milling this one over for about a week without coming up with a solution that I am confident in. You are studying a heritable form of cancer that...
  16. M

    Unraveling the Mystery of Neutral Atoms and Electric Fields

    Hi People all know that a neutral atom has no net charge. Well, does that mean that it neither creates an electric field nor is affected by any electric field? I wonder whether it's correct or not, because the distance between a test charge outside this atom is closer to its electrons...
  17. T

    Uncovering the Mystery of "-2" in Momentum X

    Trying to Understand Where this Constant Came From in the "X component of Momentum" After asking for help on this problem, my professor showed me how to derive the forumla needed to solve the following question. However, it sliped my mine to ask where the "-2" came from. Homework Statement...
  18. F

    The Mystery of White Light from the Sun

    why is the light from the sun called white light?
  19. rhody

    Mystery: Failed Name: a much simpler one was chosen

    Here is a name I found that was proposed but never used to name something. It is quite long, 83 characters I believe, and is eight words appended to one another. Your job is to tell me what it was proposed to name (Hint: associated with physics, a single word). However, there is a...
  20. J

    Solving the Mystery of 7 Three-Way Switches & 7 Lights

    have been told there is a way to make this mystery below work and can't figure it out. I know it wouldn't be up to code and i would never do it but if someone could hook me up with a wire diagram of how its done i really appreciate it. I am pretty sure switching the neutral is involved...
  21. Sirsh

    Exploring the Mystery of Negative Number Squaring

    Why do negative numbers which are squared by a even number always return as a negative while using a calculator? e.g. (-1)^2 = 1, except calculators say -1, even though -1*-1 = 1 :S:S
  22. M

    Uncovering the Mystery of Fluids with Varying Densities

    I don't know the answer to this because i can't find it on the net or textbook, i need to know a type of fluid that is one where density varies throughout the fluid system? (Eg, a fluid system of oil and water among others) Thank
  23. C

    Solving Bill's Elevator Mystery: Weight and Distance

    Homework Statement Bill gets into an elevator on the 40th floor of a building and it begins moving at t = 0s. The figure shows his apparent weight over the next 12s. Is the Elevator moving up or down originally? What is his weight? How far does he travel over the first 12 seconds...
  24. B

    Unraveling the Mystery of Integration: Area Under the Curve

    I am having trouble figuring out how an integration works. Consider the function, y = x2 . The antiderivative is x3 / 3 or in other words its x2 (x/3). How come multiplying the original function by (x / n) (where n represents the exponent + 1) will lead to the area under the curve. Put in...
  25. L

    Solving the Mystery of the Electric Bird

    Homework Statement A bird has gathered electrical charge of .0001C by rubbing against another bird(I have no idea why the bird is doing this but...) and it is flying to a certain point where there is a thunderstorm brewing and a vertical electrical field of 5000N/C. What is the electrical...
  26. B

    Unraveling the Mystery of "Neural Networks"

    Can anyone explain to me what this "neural network" nonsense is all about? Everyone and their mother is doing research in this area, but nobody seems to know what "neural networks" are or why they would be useful. It sounds like pure hype to me.
  27. D

    Unraveling the Mystery: Why Stars Blink but Planets Don't

    Why do the stars blink, but the planets do not? I need good explanation, please!
  28. P

    Shape of Light: Uncovering the Mystery

    Does light have a definite shape? (this may be stupid question but from many days this question is hanging in my brain Thanks
  29. O

    Orangutan & Dog Bonding: Unraveling the Mystery

    This delightful video shows an orangutan playing with a dog, not to mention an elephant. http://video.aol.com/video-detail/the-orangutan-and-the-hound/1234581161 I know very little about animal behavior, so maybe someone knows? As far as I’ve read, orangs are solitary animals. In the...
  30. D

    Exploring Mass: Unveiling the Mystery

    I've been confused on why mass is such an essential component to understanding the physical relationships that we experience. From my limited understanding I want to believe that I can recognize the significance of general relativity, special, the various quantum functions, among recent...
  31. A

    Unraveling the Mystery of Gyro and the Transport Theorem

    Gyro seems to weird when i think abt it using the transport theorem. i mean for a spinning dish, symmetric one, {Total moments acting on it} = Hdot + w x H --- (1) where H is the angular moment of the dish, w is its angular velocity. then when i consider that it spins inside a box...
  32. R

    Unraveling the Mystery of 4π in Coulomb's Law

    Why the 4π in Coulomb's Law, SI version? The CGS version does well without it...:confused: \mbox{thanks in advance!}
  33. T

    Exploring the Mystery of Time: No Objects or Events?

    You can call time an unfolding of events... but what if there were no events as in a pure emptyness without objects... or objects present yet never changing in any way? Then there could still be time because you might have a consciousness that was watching the nothingness. That mind might be...
  34. J

    Sherlock Holmes Movie Night: Mystery & Notes!

    My wife informs me that next weekend I want to see the new Sherlock Holmes movie with her. She likes murder mysteries in general and she especially likes the Sherlock Holmes series with Jeremy Brett. I don't mind seeing all those dead bodies on the TV, but I wish she wouldn't take notes while...
  35. I

    Solving the Mystery of cot2x & cosec2x

    Homework Statement this time i have posted two questions on a post, instead of me creating posts all over the forum. a)cot^2x + cosec^2x = 7 b) (2 cosec^2)2x + cot2x =3 find out the solutions. Homework Equations cosec^2 = 1+ cot^2 The Attempt at a Solution a) cot^2x + cosec^2x =...
  36. I

    Unraveling the Mystery of Ed Witten's Early Learning Background

    Ed Witten is the kind of genius other incredibly intelligent theorists and mathematicians will look up to in awe, that's how scarily smart the guy is. He clearly knows his stuff when it comes to QFT, string theory and any related mathematics. As someone taking graduate courses in QFT and...
  37. zoobyshoe

    Exploring the Mystery of Egg Cleansing

    "Egg Cleansing" A friend of mine, whose mother grew up in a small village in Mexico, related to me her mother's story of the local "Bruja". Among other things, this woman performed an "egg cleansing" on people to rid them of bad mojo they had collected. She would rub a common chicken egg over...
  38. snoopies622

    Solving the Mystery Equation - Physics Library Wall

    I saw this equation on one of the walls of my local physics library and I cannot make sense of it. L = \bar {q} (i \gamma ^{\mu} D_{\mu} - m_{q} ) q - \frac {1}{4} F^{a}_{\mu \nu} F^{\mu \nu} _{a} I tried assuming that L was the Lagrangian, m was mass, F was the Faraday tensor...
  39. X

    Is Our Moon Moving Away? The Mystery Unraveled

    Is our moon slowly receding? is it getting further from us? if so why?
  40. M

    The Mystery of Sound: How is it Possible?

    How is it that we can play back sounds in our heads? I'm a musician and I can compose works in my head. It's a mystery to me why I can hear sound, but bypass my ears. "If a tree falls in the woods..." Hell, I can hear them all.
  41. Andre

    Methane Mystery: Solving Northern Hemisphere's Warming Puzzle

    I have been searching internet for a legitimate source for this graph (I made one like that myself orginally): But this one was found by Skyhunter, so there can be little doubt about it's legimaticy. It shows the comparison of the delta 18O records of the ice cores, which is supposed...
  42. Z

    Acceleration of Boxes on Ramp: Solve the Mystery!

    Homework Statement They're two boxes on a ramp. Box 1 (on the bottom) is 8.60kg and has a coefficient of kinetic friction of .35 with an incline plane. Box 2 (on top of Box 1) is 1.3kg and has a coefficient of kinetic friction of .45 between the boxes. The two boxes are connected through a...
  43. X

    Exploring the Mystery of Red Color Ball Absorption and Reflection

    If there is a "red" color ball people told me that if i shine white light on it the "red" color ball absorbs all the light and reflects "red" photons hence we perceive it as "red" colored Is this true? if this is right i want to know more details... what does reflect mean here? what does...
  44. R

    How Do You Integrate the Square of dx/dt?

    Hey, not really homework but I am just having a total mind blank and would be grateful if someone could help me. \int\left(\frac{dx}{dt}\right)^{2}dt=? I even have the answer my brain is just refusing to play along though and I just can't picture how to work it out properly at the moment...
  45. J

    Limit is 0/0??: Exploring the Mystery of x=-2

    Limit is 0/0 ?? Homework Statement limit as x approaches -2 of: (x+2)/(x3+8) The Attempt at a Solution I plugged -2 into the eq'n and I got 0 for both the numerator and denomenator, so I thought the answer would be 1. Apparently it's supposed to be 1/12 ... is the text wrong?
  46. A

    Unravel the Mystery: Can You Figure it Out?

    OK the game is like this. I will tell you a story. And you should figure out what happened by asking questions. I will give yes or no answer (maybe some others) to question. Should be fun. Story: One morning a man was watching TV. In the TV he saw something terrible. He was so shocked and...
  47. G

    Solving the Mystery of the Pigeon-Seeking Fall: Acceleration Calculations

    Homework Statement A very silly person, intent on catching pigeons on the roof of an apartment building, trips and falls a distance of 44.6 m. She lands on a metal garbage can, crushing it to a depth of 0.422 m and walks away without having been seriously hurt. What acceleration did she...
  48. P

    Trajectory of Mud Glob Thrown From Wheel: Solving the Mystery

    Homework Statement A wheel of radius r is rolling along a muddy road with speed v, and particles of mud are being continuously thrown off from all points of the wheel. ignoring air resistance, what is the trajectory of a mud glob thrown off the wheel when it is at angle (theta) to the...
  49. T

    Light Reflection Mystery at the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam

    I took this photo in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam. I hope it can be seen but the reflection of this silver thing is different colours in the different panes of glass. (Blue behind it, orange/red to the sides). What causes this effect? And why the particular colours...
  50. M

    Solving the Mystery of Entropy

    I've always found entropy a hard concept to grasp. Some time I read something that seems to make it more clear, then another time I read something else which completely disturbs my understanding of the idea. My current problem with entropy is the violation of the the conservation laws. And...
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