Questions 30th Nov 2010

Q1. Who wrote Ashtadhyayi, the earliest systematic work in linguistics?

Q2 What microbial forms are considered lifeless as they lack a cellular structure & require to infect a cell for metabolism?

Q3. What is the general shape of our galaxy the Milky Way?

Q4. Which new form of optical storage uses 3-D light interference patterns to store data, offering greater capacity than DVD?

Q5. The olfactory lobes in the brain are responsible for which sense?

Answers for 26th Nov 2010

Q1. The first engineering college in India was established in 1847. It is now an IIT. Which one?

A: IIT Roorkee. It was established by the British. After independence, it became University of Roorkee in 1949 and then the seventh IIT in 2001.

Correct answers: @Prashanth_Krish, @kirankarlmarx, @swaraj_india, @Saffronizer

Q2. What law holds that the simplest explanation is more likely to be the correct one?

A: Occam's Razor, also known as the Law of Parsimony. It is attributed to William Of Ockham from 14th century England. It recommends selecting the competing hypothesis that makes the fewest new assumptions. It finds application in philosophy, science and the study of religion.

Correct answers: @Prashanth_Krish, @kirankarlmarx, @Saffronizer, @sashikanthd

Q3. What are the Four Great Inventions of Ancient China? Name atleast three.

A: Compass, gunpowder, paper and printing. The Chinese are understandably quite proud about them, as they indicate ancient China's scientific advancement, and they were featured during the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Great_Inventions_of_Ancient_China

Correct answers: @Prashanth_Krish, @Saffronizer

Q4. Evidence for which particle, popularly known as "God particle", is to be found at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN?

A: Higg's Boson. It is a hypothetical elementary particle that could be the reason why mass exists in the universe. Though scientists are convinced of its existence, they'd like to come up with irrefutable evidence, and collecting this evidence is one of the goals of the Large Hadron Collider experiment: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=what-exactly-is-the-higgs

Correct answers: @kirankarlmarx, @Prashanth_Krish, @Saffronizer, @sashikanthd

Q5. Watson and Crick made which famous discovery in the field of biology?

A: The double helical structure of DNA. It was discovered with the help of X-ray diffraction in 1953. Watson and Crick won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1962.

Correct answers: @Vijay_Vikram, @anooprk07, @kirankarlmarx, @Prashanth_Krish, @SivaChandan, @Saffronizer, @sashikanthd

Scores

@Saffronizer 50

@Prashanth_Krish 50

@kirankarlmarx 40

@sashikanthd 30

@SivaChandan 10

@Vijay_Vikram 10

@swaraj_india 10

@anooprk07 10

Questions for 26th Nov 2010

Q1. The first engineering college in India was established in 1847. It is now an IIT. Which one?

Q2. What law holds that the simplest explanation is more likely to be the correct one?

Q3. What are the Four Great Inventions of Ancient China? Name atleast two.

Q4. Which hypothetical particle, popularly known as "God particle", does the Large Hadron Collider at CERN seek to find evidence for?

Q5. Watson and Crick made which famous discovery in the field of biology?

Notice

Dear participants, there will be no quiz today. We'll be back tomorrow. Take care

Answers 24th Nov 2010

Q1. Venkatraman Ramakrishnan won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for work in which area?

A: Ribosomes. He studied the structure and functions of Ribosomes using the technique X-ray crystallography, along with Ada Yonath and Thomas Steitz with whom he shared the Nobel Prize.

Correct answers: @Prashanth_Krish, @g_upadhyay, @Karmasura, @kirankarlmarx

Q2. What kind of electromagnetic waves are used in TV remote control?

A: Infrared.

Correct answers: @kirankarlmarx, @quietist, @Prashanth_Krish, @Karmasura, @ssudhirkumar, @rushikeshgk, @centerofright

Q3. The bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans, sometimes called Conan The Bacterium, entered the Guinness Book for what?

A: Toughest bacterium. This bacterium has been demonstrated to survive extreme conditions such as intense nuclear radiation, ultraviolet radiation, cold, dryness, vacuum and acidity. On account of its extraordinary properties, the bacterium is used for research in several areas, including life on Mars and space travel: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/1999/ast14dec99_1/ ; Scientists recently discovered the secrets behind its abilities: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100906142136.htm

Correct answers: @Prashanth_Krish, @Karmasura

Q4. Which electronics giant produced the first silicon transistor and the first integrated circuit?

A: Texas Instruments. The first silicon transistor was made in 1954 at TI by Gordon Teal, who announced his invention at a conference as thus: "Contrary to what my colleagues have told you about the bleak prospects for silicon transistors, I happen to have a few of them here in my pocket." http://www.pbs.org/transistor/science/events/silicont1.html . The first integrated circuit was made in 1958 at TI by Jack Kilby, who won the Nobel Prize in 2000. It is probably the most important invention in the last 50-60 years, is it not?

Correct answers: @quietist, @Prashanth_Krish

Q5. What massive object is speculated to be present at the centre of our galaxy Milky Way?

A: A supermassive blackhole. It is speculated to be four million times more massive that the sun. Think about it, we are all revolving around it right now. But dont worry, it is 27,000 light years away from the earth: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7774287.stm

Correct answers: @kirankarlmarx, @g_upadhyay

Scores

@Prashanth_Krish 40
@kirankarlmarx 30
@Karmasura 30
@quietist 20
@g_upadhyay 20
@ssudhirkumar 10
@rushikeshgk 10
@centerofright 10

Questions for 24th Nov 2010

Q1. Venkatraman Ramakrishnan won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for work in which area?

Q2. What kind of electromagnetic waves are used in TV remote control?

Q3. The bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans, sometimes called Conan The Bacterium, entered the Guinness Book for what?

Q4. Which electronics giant produced the first silicon transistor and the first integrated circuit?

Q5. What massive object is speculated to be present at the centre of our galaxy the Milky Way?

Answers 23rd Nov 2010

Q1. What is Jaipur Foot, in the field of surgery?

A: Prosthetic Leg. It is a prosthetic leg created by Masterji Ram Chander under the guidance of Dr. P. K . Sethi in 1961 for landmine victims. It is inexpensive, can be made using local materials, easy to use and water resistant. Here's an article from Time: http://www.time.com/time/reports/heroes/foot.html

Correct answers: @KiranKS, @kishor_narayan, @sashikanthd, @kirankarlmarx, @Karmasura, @Prashanth_Krish, @kashyapa, @dremtee

Q2. What is the active ingredient in chillies, or what substance in chillies is responsible for their "hotness"?

A: Capsaicin. The degree of hotness of a chilly is directly related to the concentration of capsaicin. Capsaicin has medicinal applications. It is used in ointments for pain relief, for instance: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsaicin#Uses

Correct answers: @KiranKS, @kishor_narayan, @kirankarlmarx, @Karmasura, @Prashanth_Krish, @venkataa, @raghuduttc,

Q3. Who was the first notable woman in mathematics? She is also credited with the invention of the Hydrometer.

A: Hypatia. She was a mathematician, astronomer and philosopher who lived and taught at Alexandria, Egypt, in the 4th-5th century AD. She lived at a time of social turmoil and was brutally murdered by a mob of Christian fanatics which accused her of witchcraft. She is the main character in the 2009 film "Agora." http://womenshistory.about.com/od/hypati1/a/hypatia.htm

Correct answers: @KiranKS, @Prashanth_Krish

Q4. In which psychological phenomenon does a kidnapped individual begin to sympathize and even bond with the captor?

A: Stockholm Syndrome. It occurs when there is no hope of escape. The hostage begins to mistake his captor's not taking his life as an act of kindness. Time magazine on Stockholm Syndrome: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1919757,00.html

Correct answers: @KiranKS, @kishor_narayan, @sashikanthd, @kirankarlmarx, @Karmasura, @Prashanth_Krish

Q5. The Pacific Ring of Fire pertains to which geological phenomena?

A: Volcanism and earthquakes. It is a long and narrow belt of tectonic activity along the shores of the Pacific Ocean, resulting from collision of tectonic plates. The zone accounts for 3/4ths of all volcanoes and more than half of all earthquakes. http://geography.about.com/cs/earthquakes/a/ringoffire.htm

Correct answers: @KiranKS, @kishor_narayan, @sashikanthd, @kirankarlmarx, @Karmasura, @Prashanth_Krish

Scores

@KiranKS 50

@Prashanth_Krish 50

@kishor_narayan 40

@kirankarlmarx 40

@Karmasura 40

@sashikanthd 30

@kashyapa 10

@dremtee 10

@venkataa 10

@raghuduttc 10

Excellent performances. Keep it up fellas!