THE SOUTHWORTH PLANETARIUM
207-780-4249 www.usm.maine.edu/planet
70 Falmouth Street Portland, Maine 04103
43.6667° N 70.2667° W
Founded January 1970
“There is no sun without shadow, and it is essential to
know the night.”
-Albert Camus
THE DAILY ASTRONOMER
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Quiz: Brain of Brains!! Part I
All year long we've been waiting for the Brain of Brains quiz, which marks
the end of the DA school year. Throughout the year, we periodically offer
"Brain of Portland" quizzes, which are modeled after the "Brain of Britain"
quiz broadcast on BBC Radio 4 between January and April. Our "Brain of
Portland" quizzes culminate in this mega-quiz containing questions about a
variety of subjects including history, astronomy, biology, philosophy,
meteorology, literature, mathematics, mythology, physics, geography, art,
classical music, politics, sports, geology and other topics. So as not
to show favoritism toward any one subject.
This time, we're sending the quizzes in four parts!
We promised 200 questions and that is exactly what we'll deliver.
Today is part I of IV.
Today we have 40 questions. Tomorrow 50. The next day 50 and on Friday,
60
questions and, if we do our math properly, that adds up to 200 questions!
Friday will then end the school year.
ROUND 1:
1. Meteor showers are generally named for what?
a. the constellation from which they appear to emanate
b. their parent comet
c. their year of discovery
2. Who was Gerald Ford's Vice President?
a. Bob Dole
b. Nelson Rockefeller
c. Spiro Agnew
3. In Raphael's "School of Athens," the two central figures are Plato and
_____________.
a. Pythagoras
b. Plato
c. Socrates
4. If the US President and Vice President died at the same time, who would
become president?
a. President pro tempore of the Senate
b. Secretary of State
c. Speaker of the House of Representatives
5. What is special about the Bosphorus Bridge?
a. It is the longest suspension bridge in the world
b. It connects Europe and Asia
c. Both a and b
6. The frictional force exerted between a stationary object and the floor
is called "static friction." What is the name of the frictional force
exerted between a moving object and the floor?
a. kinetic friction
b. potential friction
c. specific friction
7. The Mir Castle Complex, a World Heritage Site, is located in which
country?
a. France
b. Belarus
c. Belgium
8. If a substance is "ferric," what does it contain?
a. iron
b. copper
c. carbon
9. Where are your metatarsal bones?
a. your hands
b. your feet
c. your chest
10. Name three of the five US States that comprise the area known as
"Tornado Alley."
ROUND 1 ANSWERS
1. a. the constellation from which they appear to emanate
2. b. Nelson Rockefeller
3. b. Plato
4. c. Speaker of the House of Representatives
5. b. It connects Europe and Asia
6. a. kinetic friction
7. b. Belarus
8. a. iron
9. b. your feet
10. Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Texas
ROUND 2:
11. Who wrote "Foucault's Pendulum," and "The Name of the Rose?"
a. Umberto Eco
b. A.S. Byatt
c. Salman Rushdie
12. Which of the following planets -could be more than one - can be at
opposition relative to Jupiter?
a. Mars
b. Earth
c. Saturn
13. If the moon rises at midnight, it is in which phase?
a. full
b. last quarter
c. waxing crescent
14. Which philosopher said, " metaphysics is a dark ocean without shores
or lighthouse, strewn with many a philosophic wreck?"
a. Kant
b. Descartes
c. Nietzsche
15. Greek philosopher Democritus once wrote, "Nothing exists except atoms
and empty space; everything else is _______________"
a. opinion
b. a dream
c. darkness
16. In the 1972 Munich Olympic games, terrorists killed 11 athletes from
which nation?
a. Germany
b. Israel
c. Egypt
17. George Blanda was the oldest person to ever play in the NFL. How old
was he when he played his last game?
a. 48
b. 50
c. 52
18. Who, with the help of Pegasus, slew the Chimera?
a. Perseus
b. Hercules
c. Bellophoron
19. According to astronomers, about how many galaxies orbit the Milky Way?
a. 12
b. 33
c. 50
20. Watson and Crick received the Nobel Prize for discovering what?
a. the structure of the DNA molecule
b. the cosmic microwave background radiation
c. X-rays
ROUND 2 ANSWERS
11. a. Umberto Eco
12. c. Saturn
13. b. last quarter
14. a. Kant
15. a. opinion
16. b. Israel
17. a. 48
18. c. Bellophoron
19. c. 50
20. a. the structure of the DNA molecule
ROUND 3
21. The philosophical notion asserting that you alone exist in the
Universe is known as what?
a. solipsism
b. narcissism
c. myopia
22. The human heart consists of how many chambers?
a. 3
b. 4
c. 5
23. A star of magnitude 1 is how much brighter than a star of magnitude 0?
a. 2.5 times brighter
b. 6.25 times brighter
c. actually, it is 2.5 times dimmer
24. In what century (AD)was the Taj Mahal built?
a. 15th
b. 16th
c. 17th
25. What percentage of lightning discharges remain inside clouds,
approximately?
a. 80%
b. 20%
c. 0.0004%
26. Mount Cook is the highest mountain which country?
a. Tahiti
b. New Zealand
c. Vanuatu
27. "Semper Paratus,"" (Always ready) is the slogan for what organization?
a. U.S. Air Force
b. U.S. Coast Guard
c. U.S. Army
28. Which U.S. state generally records the greatest number of lightning
strikes?
a. Kansas
b. Nebraska
c. Florida
29. How many degrees does a clock's minute hand move in six minutes?
a. 18
b. 36
c. 54
30. What did Benjamin Britten use to simulate raindrops in his opera Noye's
Fludd?
a. pipettes
b. teacups on a string
c. tin cans
ROUND 3 ANSWERS
21. a. solipsism
22. b. 4
23. c. actually, it is 2.5 times dimmer
24. c. 17th
25. a. 80%
26. b. New Zealand
27. b. U.S. Coast Guard
28. c. Florida
29. b. 36
30. b. teacups on a string
ROUND 4
31. Stalagmites
a . protrude from a cavern floor
b. protrude from a cavern ceiling
c. do not exist.
32. The Irish capital Dublin is the chief port on what body of water?
a. Irish Sea
b. Celtic Sea
c. Donegal Bay
33. In the "Heart of Darkness," in which country did Marlow encounter
Kurtz?
a. Viet Nam
b. the Belgian Congo
c. Rhodesia
34. In what year did UNESCO start designating certain places as World
Heritage Sites?
a. 1945
b. 1978
c. 1983
35. When a substance sublimates, what is it doing?
a. changing from a solid into a gas without going through the liquid phase
b. reaching absolute zero
c. losing all of its electrons
36. Who painted "Le Dejeuner des Canotiers?"
a. Monet
b. Renoir
c. Dali
37. In Celtic mythology, the wizard Gwydion conjured Blodeuedd, the
fairest of all women, out of what?
a. blossoms
b. blood
c. moon light
38. Scheat and Markab are two stars within what?
a. the Great Square of Pegasus
b. the Big Dipper
c. Orion's Belt
39. In what year was the Statue of Liberty designated a World Heritage
Site?
a. 1984
b. 2001
c. It hasn't been designated a World Heritage Site, yet
40. In terms of volume, how large is Earth's inner core compared to the
moon?
a. the core is about 20% as large as the moon by volume
b. the core is about 34% as large as the moon by volume
c. the core is twice as large as the moon by volume
ROUND 4 ANSWERS
31. a . protrude from a cavern floor
32. a. Irish Sea
33. b. the Belgian Congo
34. b. 1978
35. a. changing from a solid into a gas without going through the liquid
phase
36. b. Renoir
37. a. blossoms
38. a. the Great Square of Pegasus
39.a. 1984
40. b. the core is about 34% as large as the moon by volume
ROUND 5
41. In the modern era, what is the greatest number of runs a major league
baseball team has scored in a nine inning game?
a. 22
b. 27
c. 30
42. What was the title of Harper Lee's sequel to "To Kill a Mockingbird?"
a."Go Set a Watchman"
b. "To Apologize to a Mockingbird's Owner."
c. "Scout."
43. What is the mass of a 100 kg person on Pluto?
a. 6 kg
b. 0.6 kg
c 100 kg
ROUND 5 ANSWERS
41. c. 30 (2007: Texas Rangers 30, Baltimore Orioles 3) Remember
that, Richard?
42. a."Go Set a Watchman"
43. PLANETARIUM
207-780-4249 www.usm.maine.edu/planet
70 Falmouth Street Portland, Maine 04103
43.6667° N 70.2667° W
Founded January 1970
“There is no sun without shadow, and it is essential to
know the night.”
-Albert Camus
THE DAILY ASTRONOMER
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Quiz: Brain of Brains!! Part I
All year long we've been waiting for the Brain of Brains quiz, which marks
the end of the DA school year. Throughout the year, we periodically offer
"Brain of Portland" quizzes, which are modeled after the "Brain of Britain"
quiz broadcast on BBC Radio 4 between January and April. Our "Brain of
Portland" quizzes culminate in this mega-quiz containing questions about a
variety of subjects including history, astronomy, biology, philosophy,
meteorology, literature, mathematics, mythology, physics, geography, art,
classical music, politics, sports, geology and other topics. So as not
to show favoritism toward any one subject.
This time, we're sending the quizzes in four parts!
We promised 200 questions and that is exactly what we'll deliver.
Today is part I of IV.
Each part has fifty questions and, if we do our math properly, that adds up
to 200 questions! Friday will then end the school year.
ROUND 1:
1. Meteor showers are generally named for what?
a. the constellation from which they appear to emanate
b. their parent comet
c. their year of discovery
2. Who was Gerald Ford's Vice President?
a. Bob Dole
b. Nelson Rockefeller
c. Spiro Agnew
3. In Raphael's "School of Athens," the two central figures are Plato and
_____________.
a. Pythagoras
b. Plato
c. Socrates
4. If the US President and Vice President died at the same time, who would
become president?
a. President pro tempore of the Senate
b. Secretary of State
c. Speaker of the House of Representatives
5. What is special about the Bosphorus Bridge?
a. It is the longest suspension bridge in the world
b. It connects Europe and Asia
c. Both a and b
6. The frictional force exerted between a stationary object and the floor
is called "static friction." What is the name of the frictional force
exerted between a moving object and the floor?
a. kinetic friction
b. potential friction
c. specific friction
7. The Mir Castle Complex, a World Heritage Site, is located in which
country?
a. France
b. Belarus
c. Belgium
8. If a substance is "ferric," what does it contain?
a. iron
b. copper
c. carbon
9. Where are your metatarsal bones?
a. your hands
b. your feet
c. your chest
10. Name three of the five US States that comprise the area known as
"Tornado Alley."
ROUND 1 ANSWERS
1. a. the constellation from which they appear to emanate
2. b. Nelson Rockefeller
3. b. Plato
4. c. Speaker of the House of Representatives
5. b. It connects Europe and Asia
6. a. kinetic friction
7. b. Belarus
8. a. iron
9. b. your feet
10. Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Texas
ROUND 2:
11. Who wrote "Foucault's Pendulum," and "The Name of the Rose?"
a. Umberto Eco
b. A.S. Byatt
c. Salman Rushdie
12. Which of the following planets -could be more than one - can be at
opposition relative to Jupiter?
a. Mars
b. Earth
c. Saturn
13. If the moon rises at midnight, it is in which phase?
a. full
b. last quarter
c. waxing crescent
14. Which philosopher said, " metaphysics is a dark ocean without shores
or lighthouse, strewn with many a philosophic wreck?"
a. Kant
b. Descartes
c. Nietzsche
15. Greek philosopher Democritus once wrote, "Nothing exists except atoms
and empty space; everything else is _______________"
a. opinion
b. a dream
c. darkness
16. In the 1972 Munich Olympic games, terrorists killed 11 athletes from
which nation?
a. Germany
b. Israel
c. Egypt
17. George Blanda was the oldest person to ever play in the NFL. How old
was he when he played his last game?
a. 48
b. 50
c. 52
18. Who, with the help of Pegasus, slew the Chimera?
a. Perseus
b. Hercules
c. Bellophoron
19. According to astronomers, about how many galaxies orbit the Milky Way?
a. 12
b. 33
c. 50
20. Watson and Crick received the Nobel Prize for discovering what?
a. the structure of the DNA molecule
b. the cosmic microwave background radiation
c. X-rays
ROUND 2 ANSWERS
11. a. Umberto Eco
12. c. Saturn
13. b. last quarter
14. a. Kant
15. a. opinion
16. b. Israel
17. a. 48
18. c. Bellophoron
19. c. 50
20. a. the structure of the DNA molecule
ROUND 3
21. The philosophical notion asserting that you alone exist in the
Universe is known as what?
a. solipsism
b. narcissism
c. myopia
22. The human heart consists of how many chambers?
a. 3
b. 4
c. 5
23. A star of magnitude 1 is how much brighter than a star of magnitude 0?
a. 2.5 times brighter
b. 6.25 times brighter
c. actually, it is 2.5 times dimmer
24. In what century (AD)was the Taj Mahal built?
a. 15th
b. 16th
c. 17th
25. What percentage of lightning discharges remain inside clouds,
approximately?
a. 80%
b. 20%
c. 0.0004%
26. Mount Cook is the highest mountain which country?
a. Tahiti
b. New Zealand
c. Vanuatu
27. "Semper Paratus,"" (Always ready) is the slogan for what organization?
a. U.S. Air Force
b. U.S. Coast Guard
c. U.S. Army
28. Which U.S. state generally records the greatest number of lightning
strikes?
a. Kansas
b. Nebraska
c. Florida
29. How many degrees does a clock's minute hand move in six minutes?
a. 18
b. 36
c. 54
30. What did Benjamin Britten use to simulate raindrops in his opera Noye's
Fludd?
a. pipettes
b. teacups on a string
c. tin cans
ROUND 3 ANSWERS
21. a. solipsism
22. b. 4
23. c. actually, it is 2.5 times dimmer
24. c. 17th
25. a. 80%
26. b. New Zealand
27. b. U.S. Coast Guard
28. c. Florida
29. b. 36
30. b. teacups on a string
ROUND 4
31. Stalagmites
a . protrude from a cavern floor
b. protrude from a cavern ceiling
c. do not exist.
32. The Irish capital Dublin is the chief port on what body of water?
a. Irish Sea
b. Celtic Sea
c. Donegal Bay
33. In the "Heart of Darkness," in which country did Marlow encounter
Kurtz?
a. Viet Nam
b. the Belgian Congo
c. Rhodesia
34. In what year did UNESCO start designating certain places as World
Heritage Sites?
a. 1945
b. 1978
c. 1983
35. When a substance sublimates, what is it doing?
a. changing from a solid into a gas without going through the liquid phase
b. reaching absolute zero
c. losing all of its electrons
36. Who painted "Le Dejeuner des Canotiers?"
a. Monet
b. Renoir
c. Dali
37. In Celtic mythology, the wizard Gwydion conjured Blodeuedd, the
fairest of all women, out of what?
a. blossoms
b. blood
c. moon light
38. Scheat and Markab are two stars within what?
a. the Great Square of Pegasus
b. the Big Dipper
c. Orion's Belt
39. In what year was the Statue of Liberty designated a World Heritage
Site?
a. 1984
b. 2001
c. It hasn't been designated a World Heritage Site, yet
40. In terms of volume, how large is Earth's inner core compared to the
moon?
a. the core is about 20% as large as the moon by volume
b. the core is about 34% as large as the moon by volume
c. the core is twice as large as the moon by volume
ROUND 4 ANSWERS
31. a . protrude from a cavern floor
32. a. Irish Sea
33. b. the Belgian Congo
34. b. 1978
35. a. changing from a solid into a gas without going through the liquid
phase
36. b. Renoir
37. a. blossoms
38. a. the Great Square of Pegasus
39.a. 1984
40. b. the core is about 34% as large as the moon by volume