History Quiz: Yet Another Quiz - 15 Questions on History, Maths & More

[Adam]

I thought I'd try my hand at writing up a little quiz. Same rules. One answer per customer. Try to be honest and supply your answer without simply looking it up somewhere. Rely on your own knowledge.

QUESTIONS

1) Who led the Spartans at Thermopolae?

2) What is the voltage drop of an ideal Germanium diode?

3) In which battle of the American Revolutionary War did only 8 people die?

4) You and two friends stand on Earth's surface, average sea level. Your two friends are 76 kilogrammes and 90 kilogrammes. Your mass is the exact average of those two friends combined. What do you weigh?

5) What is significant about the site Hisarlik?

6) About which point do two masses, such as Earth and Sun, orbit?

7) Who were the Vaerings?

8) Which refinement of evolution theory, in particular, made Stephen Gould famous?

9) To whom (which ethnic group in particular) did Hippocrates refer when he said "They have no right breasts... for while they are yet babies their mothers make red-hot a bronze instrument constructed for this very purpose and apply it to the right breast and cauterize it, so that its growth is arrested, and all its strength and bulk are diverted to the right shoulder and right arm."?

10) John (Jack) Napier developed which important contribution to mathematics?

11) What's a Nubian?

12) Regarding computers, what was Heath Robinson?

13) Carthage was a colony of which cultural group?

14) What is Eratosthenes famous for?

15) From which custom do we derive the modern hand-to-brim salute?

ANSWERS

Binary Monster: #4 814.23 Newtons to two decimal places. Course, if you meant what is your mass, then the answer is 83 kilograms. ;) I was being tricky :P I only went to one decimal place and got 813.4, but near enough. You got it.[/color]

Chroot: 8) Stephen Gould developed the theory of "punctuated equilibrium."

BobG: 10) Logarithms. At least, that's his main contribution. Many elementary school students still have to memorize 'Napier's bones', even to this day.

Evo: #11 Nubians are a people that come from Nubia in Africa, south of Egypt on the Nile River. In ancient times, they were rivals of Egypt.

JSCD: 13) The Carthaginians! Though I think they were Phoenicians orginally.

Gokul: I'll take 14 Eratosthenes' Sieve - for generating primes. I think he also made a calculation of the Earth's diameter.

 

[Evo]

#11 Nubians are a people that come from Nubia in Africa, south of Egypt on the Nile River. In ancient times, they were rivals of Egypt.

 

[The Binary Monster]

4) You and two friends stand on Earth's surface, average sea level. Your two friends are 76 kilogrammes and 90 kilogrammes. Your mass is the exact average of those two friends combined. What do you weigh?

814.23 Newtons to two decimal places. Course, if you meant what is your mass, then the answer is 83 kilograms. ;)

 

[BobG]

10) Logarithms. At least, that's his main contribution. Many elementary school students still have to memorize 'Napier's bones', even to this day.

 

[Gokul43201]

I'll take 14 Eratosthenes' Sieve - for generating primes. I think he also made a calculation of the Earth's diameter.

 

[Gokul43201]

Q10 was made for BobG...though he might have preferred if it were about Will Oughtred instead.

 

[chroot]

8) Stephen Gould developed the theory of "punctuated equilibrium."

- Warren

 

[Gokul43201]

Adam, will you make it a free-for-all, if answers dry up ?

 

[Gza]

6) About which point do two masses, such as Earth and Sun, orbit?

This may be too obvious to be correct, but I'm going to have to go with the center of mass.

 

[Adam]

Sure. Not like I can prevent it anyway. :P

 

[jcsd]

1) The Carthaginians! Though I think they were Phoenicians orginally.

 

[Gokul43201]

1) The Carthaginians! Though I think they were Phoenicians orginally.

Woah, I had no idea !

 

[Adam]

This may be too obvious to be correct, but I'm going to have to go with the center of mass.

Sorry, I should have been more clear. I'm looking for a single-word name for that point.

 

[chroot]

Oooh oooh I know so many more... *bites tongue*

You and Gokul should try your hand at making some actual quizzes -- the ones under the "quizzes" link at the top of the page -- so that everyone can take them, not just the first lucky respondents.

- Warren

 

[Adam]

It's always so tempting to throw in heaps of responses, eh? :D

I actually thought Chroot would go for the diode question. I don't know who studies what here, but I seem to recall Chroot did/does computer/electrical engineering.

 

[chroot]

Yeah, I'm a EE, but I just happened to not notice the diode question. Besides, the diode drop is dependent on temperature and even humidity -- and since no such conditions are given, the question is really not answerable.

- Warren

 

[Adam]

Well, I did make sure to include the "ideal". I guess I should have specified ideal conditions also.

 

[BobG]

Q10 was made for BobG...though he might have preferred if it were about Will Oughtred instead.

Well, who couldn't like the guy who invented the \times symbol for multiplication?

Oh, yeah, he also strapped a couple of Gunter's logarithmic scales together and invented the first 'slide' rule.

 

[Adam]

I invented the question mark...

 

[The Bob]

I think the answer to question 6 is the Ecliptic. I think I have spelt it right.

The Bob (2004 ©)

 

[Gokul43201]

It's always so tempting to throw in heaps of responses, eh? :D

I actually thought Chroot would go for the diode question.

I know a rule of thumb number (~0.7V) [/color] for the typical forward voltage drop, but I'm sure that's for a Silicon diode...not Germanium.

Naw fair to ask for Germanium. I don't think anyone except folks that work with tunnel diodes or the such would know that number off the top of their hats. Definitely not common folk !

<I'm a complainer ...don't mind me>

 

[Adam]

Should I post the remaining answers? Or anyone else want to?

 

[enigma]

I think #6 is barycenter

 

[BoulderHead]

2) What is the voltage drop of an ideal Germanium diode?

0.3 volts, off the top of my head.

Naw fair to ask for Germanium. I don't think anyone except folks that work with tunnel diodes or the such would know that number off the top of their hats. Definitely not common folk !

I am quite common folk, but worked (and played) with Germanium xistors and diodes for years. Now watch me flub, but I've no choice except go with my memory.

 

[Gokul43201]

Sounds like free for all time...so I'll take my shots at the rest :


3) In which battle of the American Revolutionary War did only 8 people die? the only battle I remember is Brandywine, so that's my guess

5) What is significant about the site Hisarlik? this is or was thought to be the location of Troy

6) About which point do two masses, such as Earth and Sun, orbit? I would have gone with CoM, but you want a single word, so I'll try 'focus'. I believe that would be true in the limiting case of one object being much heavier than the other.

7) Who were the Vaerings? sounds Vikingish - but never heard that name

9) To whom (which ethnic group in particular) did Hippocrates refer when he said "They have no right breasts... for while they are yet babies their mothers make red-hot a bronze instrument constructed for this very purpose and apply it to the right breast and cauterize it, so that its growth is arrested, and all its strength and bulk are diverted to the right shoulder and right arm."? this has to be the Amazons - right breasts obstruct bow'n'arrow shooting

12) Regarding computers, what was Heath Robinson? uhh??

15) From which custom do we derive the modern hand-to-brim salute? No amount of thinking (and acting) helped here...(clueless)

oops ! Didn't notice #6 was taken.

 

[Gokul43201]

0.3 volts, off the top of my head.
I am quite common folk, but worked (and played) with Germanium xistors and diodes for years. Now watch me flub, but I've no choice except go with my memory.

People that worked with Ge transistors/diodes are exempt from my classification of 'common folk'.

 

[BobG]

15) Knights in armor used to lift their face mask and show their right hand so the other knight could see he had no weapon in his hand.

 

[Gokul43201]

Aah, nice !

 

[Evo]

15) Knights in armor used to lift their face mask and show their right hand so the other knight could see he had no weapon in his hand.

I knew that but had brain freeze. Thanks BobG!

 

[Adam]

1) Who led the Spartans at Thermopolae?

Leonidas.

2) What is the voltage drop of an ideal Germanium diode?

Boulderhead: 0.3 volts, off the top of my head.

3) In which battle of the American Revolutionary War did only 8 people die?

Battle of Lexington.

4) You and two friends stand on Earth's surface, average sea level. Your two friends are 76 kilogrammes and 90 kilogrammes. Your mass is the exact average of those two friends combined. What do you weigh?

Binary Monster: #4 814.23 Newtons to two decimal places. Course, if you meant what is your mass, then the answer is 83 kilograms. ;) I was being tricky :P I only went to one decimal place and got 813.4, but near enough. You got it.[/color]

5) What is significant about the site Hisarlik?

Gokul: 5) What is significant about the site Hisarlik? this is or was thought to be the location of Troy.

6) About which point do two masses, such as Earth and Sun, orbit?

Enigma: I think #6 is barycenter

7) Who were the Vaerings?

Scandinavian mercenaries hired to become the elite guard of the eastern Roman emperor in the tenth century.

8) Which refinement of evolution theory, in particular, made Stephen Gould famous?

Chroot: 8) Stephen Gould developed the theory of "punctuated equilibrium."

9) To whom (which ethnic group in particular) did Hippocrates refer when he said "They have no right breasts... for while they are yet babies their mothers make red-hot a bronze instrument constructed for this very purpose and apply it to the right breast and cauterize it, so that its growth is arrested, and all its strength and bulk are diverted to the right shoulder and right arm."?

Sarmatian women.

10) John (Jack) Napier developed which important contribution to mathematics?

BobG: 10) Logarithms. At least, that's his main contribution. Many elementary school students still have to memorize 'Napier's bones', even to this day.

11) What's a Nubian?

Evo: #11 Nubians are a people that come from Nubia in Africa, south of Egypt on the Nile River. In ancient times, they were rivals of Egypt.

12) Regarding computers, what was Heath Robinson?

The first functional electro-mechanical computer.

13) Carthage was a colony of which cultural group?

JSCD: 13) The Carthaginians! Though I think they were Phoenicians orginally.

14) What is Eratosthenes famous for?

Gokul: I'll take 14 Eratosthenes' Sieve - for generating primes. I think he also made a calculation of the Earth's diameter.

15) From which custom do we derive the modern hand-to-brim salute?

BobG: 15) Knights in armor used to lift their face mask and show their right hand so the other knight could see he had no weapon in his hand.

 

[The Bob]

Enigma: I think #6 is barycenter

Go Enigma. It was the only question I thought I had a chance at. Well Done.

The Bob (2004 ©)

 

[Gokul43201]

Sarmatian women.

Sarmatians are descendents of the Amazons. I believe the practice was passed down from them.

(not objecting...just adding )