Thread: Trick Questions

Originally Posted by ThePerfectHacker

13)Which book and what author attempted to teach the decimal system to the world.

Presumably you expect Leonardo of Pisa (Fibonacci) and the Liber Abici.

But then I thought that was the Arabic numerals and the place system,
not the decimal system.

RonL

Originally Posted by ThePerfectHacker

7)Who invented the telescopre (trick question)?

Anyone of a number of people:

Traditionally: Hans Lippershey
In popular belief: Galileo
Reflecting Telescope: Newton

Possibly Francis Bacon or some other Elizabethan

RonL

Originally Posted by ThePerfectHacker

15)Name at least 6 people who developed quantum theory.

How about:

Boltzmann
Bohr
Einstein
Schrödinger
Heisenberg
Von Neumann
Dirac

Originally Posted by CaptainBlank

It could well have been a reference to Hook's(?) claim of priority for
the inverse square law. Hook was short, so its an indirect denial of
Hook's priority claim.

Otherwise Kepler and Galileo and numerous others.

RonL

Newton most appreciated the solution to the "tangent problem" which was solved by Fermat. The others you mentioned where other people he referred to but not the giant par excellence.

Cannot have been Leibniz for he lived during his time andNewton disliked him. It would have been nice if Newton and Leibniz worked together instead of hating eachother.

Originally Posted by CaptainBlank

Anyone of a number of people:

Traditionally: Hans Lippershey
In popular belief: Galileo
Reflecting Telescope: Newton

Possibly Francis Bacon or some other Elizabethan

I was speaking of the initial telescope which you said was correct, by Hans in 1609. As I said it was a trick question because most people believe it was Galileo in 1610. All Galileo did was perfect the telescope for star gazing. Good job on that one.

Originally Posted by CaptainBlank

Presumably you expect Leonardo of Pisa (Fibonacci) and the Liber Abici

I do. Is it a United Kingdomish thing to say 'Leonardo of Pisa'?

Originally Posted by TheSmartestManInHistory

Name at least 6 people who developed quantum theory.

The six I was thinking were,
Planck, Bohr, Born, Heisenberg, Schrodinger, Pauli

How can you miss, Planck? That should be the first name to automatically think of. Furthermore, Einstein had nothing to do with Quantum theory. Also, not sure if Dirac had something to do with it either.

Here is a funnier question:
"Name at least 1 non-German who developed quantum theory (classical)?"
---
I thought of an interesting question. Note that Galileo is for some reason referred to usually by his first name. Name another person from math or science who is referred to usually by his first name.

Originally Posted by ThePerfectHacker

I was speaking of the initial telescope which you said was correct, by Hans in 1609. As I said it was a trick question because most people believe it was Galileo in 1610. All Galileo did was perfect the telescope for star gazing. Good job on that one.

There are stories floating around about references in late 16 C sources to
the use of perspective glasses at sea by English ships, which if substantiated
would pre-date Lippershey's invention.

RonL

Originally Posted by ThePerfectHacker

Newton most appreciated the solution to the "tangent problem" which was solved by Fermat. The others you mentioned where other people he referred to but not the giant par excellence.

Cannot have been Leibniz for he lived during his time andNewton disliked him. It would have been nice if Newton and Leibniz worked together instead of hating eachother.

I favour the epigram being a calculated insult of Hook.

RonL

Originally Posted by ThePerfectHacker

The six I was thinking were,
Planck, Bohr, Born, Heisenberg, Schrodinger, Pauli

How can you miss, Planck? That should be the first name to automatically think of.

Not me, Boltzmann

Furthermore, Einstein had nothing to do with Quantum theory. Also, not sure if Dirac had something to do with it either.

Einstein proposed the quantisation of EM radiation in his 1905 paper on
the Photo-Electric effect. I seem to recall that he got a Nobel prize for
that.

RonL

Originally Posted by ThePerfectHacker

Here is a funnier question:
"Name at least 1 non-German who developed quantum theory (classical)?"
---

out of my initial list the ones that I know are not German are:

Bohr
Von Neumann
Dirac

RonL

Originally Posted by ThePerfectHacker

I thought of an interesting question. Note that Galileo is for some reason referred to usually by his first name. Name another person from math or science who is referred to usually by his first name.

Because both of his names are essentialy the same

RonL

Originally Posted by CaptainBlank

There are stories floating around about references in late 16 C sources to
the use of perspective glasses at sea by English ships, which if substantiated
would pre-date Lippershey's invention.

That is because the English try to steal all of history inventions for themselves.

Originally Posted by ThePerfectHacker

11)Who was the primarily giant Newton referrend to in "...I stood on the soldier of the giants...".

If I have seen farther than others, it is because I was standing on the shoulders of giants.
-- Isaac Newton

In the sciences, we are now uniquely privileged to sit side by side with the giants on whose shoulders we stand.
-- Gerald Holton

If I have not seen as far as others, it is because giants were standing on my shoulders.
-- Hal Abelson

Mathematicians stand on each other's shoulders.
-- Gauss

Mathematicians stand on each other's shoulders while computer scientists stand on each other's toes.
-- Richard Hamming

It has been said that physicists stand on one another's shoulders. If this is the case, then programmers stand on one another's toes, and software engineers dig each other's graves.
-- Unknown

-

Originally Posted by topsquark

If I have seen farther than others, it is because I was standing on the shoulders of giants.
-- Isaac Newton

In the sciences, we are now uniquely privileged to sit side by side with the giants on whose shoulders we stand.
-- Gerald Holton

If I have not seen as far as others, it is because giants were standing on my shoulders.
-- Hal Abelson

Mathematicians stand on each other's shoulders.
-- Gauss

Mathematicians stand on each other's shoulders while computer scientists stand on each other's toes.
-- Richard Hamming

It has been said that physicists stand on one another's shoulders. If this is the case, then programmers stand on one another's toes, and software engineers dig each other's graves.
-- Unknown

-

If I have not seen as far as others its because I am standing in the footprints
of giants.

RonL

7)Who invented the telescopre (trick question)?

I think it was an arabian invention, could have been also adopted from the chinese though (like the astrolabe and the compass).

Originally Posted by Rebesques

I think it was an arabian invention, could have been also adopted from the chinese though (like the astrolabe and the compass).

That could be interesting, but we will need references.

RonL

The first compass originated in China. Although I'm not sure where it was first practically used.