How Well Do You Know Isaac Newton?

[Greg Bernhardt]

Greg Bernhardt submitted a new PF Insights post

The Isaac Newton Quiz

Continue reading the Original PF Insights Post.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

What scores are we getting?

 

[Jack Ho]

Too Hard for me. ; _ ;''

 

[Amrator]

I totally bombed this one. I got 8/12 on the Feynman quiz, 10/12 on the Einstein quiz, and a 4/10 on this one. Huh, looks like I need to start reading more about Newton.

 

[Amrator]

4/12* Sorry.

 

[William White]

9
could do better

hmm I read a biography last year...!

He had a very deep mean nasty streak.

 

[SteamKing]

Greg Bernhardt submitted a new PF Insights post

The Issac Newton Quiz

Continue reading the Original PF Insights Post.

At least spell Newton's first name correctly. It's I-S-A-A-C.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

At least spell Newton's first name correctly. It's I-S-A-A-C.

Thanks!

 

[Silicon Waffle]

Unbeatable me!

 

[DiracPool]

8/12 That was a tough one.

 

[PAllen]

I obviously know few details about Newton. Did well on all the others (Einstein, Feynman, LHC) but only 4/12 on this and most were guesses, mostly wrong. Of course, there is a giveaway answer in there ... (but that one I knew anyway).

 

[William White]

"Of course, there is a giveaway answer in there"

there is two actually , if you read the Roman Numerals correctly, you know the answer to that question and an earlier one.

 

[Hepth]

5/12 guess most, and 10 gives away 2!

 

[aleazk]

8/12, no guesses. My awesome Newton knowledge comes from...

...reading the wikipedia article some weeks ago when I was looking for some specific detail about his life.

 

[tfr000]

7/12
Can't say I've ever studied the man's life very much... his work, yes, somewhat.

 

[WWGD]

8/12, I am competent.

@ Greg: Given my name : WWGD: What Would Gauss do? , please give me plenty of time to prepare for any quiz you may prepare on Gauss. I guess my 8/12 score prevents me from using WWND as a name.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

please give me plenty of time to prepare for any quiz you may prepare on Gauss

Maybe you'd like to write it? :)

 

[WWGD]

Maybe you'd like to write it? :)

Sure, it may take me some time, though, I know relatively little about him (blushing of embarrassment). And I know nothing of the technical aspects of uploading and administering the quiz.

 

[Dr. Courtney]

Great quiz. I managed an 8/12. Nice mix of scientific and more historical questions.

 

[DennisN]

4/12. Failed :).

 

[Ernest S Walton]

9 for me with a couple of guesses

 

[Lisa!]

5/12 ! Just passed

 

[Imager]

Seven for me.

 

[Gaz]

I got 5 would have been four if the Roman numerals question wasn't a dead give away for another answer =)

 

[OldEngr63]

There is a bit of a problem with Question 8. It reads ---
8. Although born an Angelican Christian, what sect did he start following in his 30s?
Methodist
Lutheran
Arianism
Calvinist
The three "wrong answers," (Methodist, Lutheran, and Calvinist) are all organized, recognized branches of Christianity. There is no organized religion called Arianism.

The first ecumenical council of the Christian Church was called by Constantine in 325 AD to settle the issue of the relation between Jesus Christ and God the Father. One churchman, Arius, took the position that Christ was the creation of the Father and thus had a beginning. Another churchman, Athanasius, took the position that Christ and the Father were essentially one, both existing together from before the beginning of time. The final product of the council was the doctrine of the Trinity, the idea that God exists in three Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, all equal and all from co-existant before eternity. This was expressed in the Nicene Creed and also in the Athanasian Creed.

The council condemned the position of Arias, now known as the Arian Heresy, which denies the doctrine of the Trinity. Newton, after much study, was unable to accept the doctrine of the Trinity, so by default, he accepted the Arian Heresy. He did not walk down the street and join an Arian Church, there was no such and never has been. Through the ages there have been individual Arians, but never any organized branch of the church called Arianism.

 

[epenguin]

9/12 and there was a reason. I thought. 48 was too old for the portrait that I remembered. Given the shortness of life expectancy back then I thought Queen Anne was leaving it late for a knighthood. The last one was sheer ignorance, I do not know what Arithmetica Universalis is, I must have read of it but have no memory of it.

 

[epenguin]

9/12 and there was a reason. I thought. 48 was too old for the portrait that I remembered. Given the shortness of life expectancy back then I thought Queen Anne was leaving it late for a knighthood. The last one was sheer ignorance, I do not know what Arithmetica Universalis is, I must have read of it but have no memory of it.

A more familiar name than 'Arianism' is 'Unitarianism'. Early unitarians did exist in England in Newton's time,: "The word Unitarian had been circulating in private letters in England, in reference to imported copies of such publications as the Library of the Polish Brethren who are called Unitarians (1665). Henry Hedworth was the first to use the word "Unitarian" in print in English (1673)" - Wikipeida. The real history as a Church and movement is rather later: Joseph Priestley was a famous adherent.

Given his character I'd guess Newton is more likely to have arrived at the doctrine through his own reasonings, but whether he had any influential ocontact with anyone of that persuasion I'll see what the biog. "Never at Re∫te" says when I am near it in a week or two.

 

[diegzumillo]

5 too. Just passed. Not bad for blind guessing! Seriously, I had no idea on the vast majority of these questions.

 

[Silicon Waffle]

5 too. Just passed. Not bad for blind guessing! Seriously, I had no idea on the vast majority of these questions.

People with more correct answers clearly have a larger memory storage. 5 is an average number. I've tried to reach 7 but always failed. I am amazed to see those who can reach over 10, it's fantastic.

 

[BvU]

Very nice. Only 5/12 and I really liked old Isaacs performance in "Dark Matter" by Philip Kerr and in the Baroque trilogy by Neal Stephenson.

Aren't questions 2 and 10 a cheap way to score two points (or at least to score an extra point -- If you pay attention, as I did not) ?