Settings
Random Round Print Round
1) Toss Up - Math - Short Answer

Expressed as a decimal to the nearest hundredth, what is the derivative of the function `f(x) = e^x` at x = 1?

ANSWER: 2.72
1) Bonus - Math - Short Answer

A semiperfect number N satisfies the property that some of the divisors of N sum to N, where it is assumed that these divisors are all less than N. Name all of the following three numbers that are semiperfect: 12, 28, 47.

ANSWER: 12 and 28
2) Toss Up - Chemistry - Multiple Choice

A ketone is a class of compounds that contains a carbonyl group bonded to:
W) 2 carbon atoms
X) 2 hydrogen atoms
Y) 2 nitrogen atoms
Z) 1 hydrogen and 1 carbon atom

ANSWER: W) 2 CARBON ATOMS
2) Bonus - Chemistry - Short Answer

What is the primary product produced when ethyl alcohol is heated to 170°C in the presence of 95% sulfuric acid?

ANSWER: ETHYLENE
3) Toss Up - Chemistry - Multiple Choice

For individuals who are Lactose Intolerant the reason for their gastric distress is the production of:
W) methane
X) acetic acid and nitrogen
Y) lactic acid and carbon dioxide
Z) acetic acid and methane

ANSWER: Y) lactic acid and carbon dioxide
3) Bonus - Chemistry - Multiple Choice

Which of the following is the element which makes up about 8 percent of the earth's crust and occurs in rocks except limestone and sandstone?
W) sulfur
X) aluminum
Y) sodium
Z) magnesium

ANSWER: X) aluminum
4) Toss Up - Physics - Multiple Choice

Which of the following is not a property defined exclusively for the 6 quarks?
W) strangeness
X) charm
Y) topness
Z) color

ANSWER: Z) COLOR
4) Bonus - Physics - Short Answer

What is the strong force between quarks usually called?

ANSWER: COLOR FORCE
5) Toss Up - Earth And Space - Multiple Choice

Nautical twilight is defined to occur when the geometric center of the sun is how many degrees below the horizon?
W) between 0º and 6º
X) between 6º and 12º
Y) between 12º and 18º
Z) greater than 18º

ANSWER: X) between 6º and 12º
5) Bonus - Earth And Space - Multiple Choice

Gypsum is a hydrated ionic compound. How many moles of water are present in 1 mole of gypsum?
W) 2
X) 3
Y) 5
Z) 8

ANSWER: W) 2
6) Toss Up - Physics - Multiple Choice

If the coulomb constant is 9 x 10^9 newton meters squared per coulomb squared, what force, in newtons, will two particles with charges of +2 and -2 coulombs kept 2 meters apart exert on each other?
W) 4.5 X 10^9 away from each other
X) 4.5 X 10^9 toward each other
Y) 9.0 X 10^9 toward each other
Z) 1.8 X 10^10 toward each other

ANSWER: Y) 9.0 x 10^9 TOWARD EACH OTHER
6) Bonus - Physics - Short Answer

Pam buys a pendulum clock at a discount store and discovers when she gets home that it loses 6 minutes each day. If the pendulum has a period of 2 seconds, by how much must the length be changed, to the nearest centimeter, so that the clock keeps accurate time?

ANSWER: 1
7) Toss Up - Earth Science - Multiple Choice

Which one of the following is an example of chemical weathering?
W) the splitting of a boulder
X) the grinding of pebbles into sand
Y) the cleavage of a feldspar crystal
Z) the rusting of hornblende

ANSWER: Z) the rusting of hornblende
7) Bonus - Earth Science - Multiple Choice

What is a general term for a very fine textured, fissile, sedimentary rock composed of clay, mud, and silt?
W) Slate
X) Schist
Y) Arkose
Z) Shale

ANSWER: Z) Shale
8) Toss Up - Math - Short Answer

The lengths of two sides of a triangle are 30 centimeters and 35 centimeters, respectively. Between what values, in centimeters, must the length of the third side lie?

ANSWER: BETWEEN 5 AND 65
8) Bonus - Math - Short Answer

Factor the following expression completely over the integers: `16a^4 - 81b^4`

ANSWER: `(4a^2+9b^2)(2a+3b)(2a-3b)`
9) Toss Up - General Science - Short Answer

In the troy weight system used to weigh precious metals, how many ounces in a troy pound?

ANSWER: 12
9) Bonus - General Science - Short Answer

In fishes and amphibians, what is the tissue called that is positioned between gill slits?

ANSWER: BRANCHIAL ARCHES
10) Toss Up - Earth Science - Multiple Choice

Which of the following is responsible for the changing of the seasons:
W) the Earth's axis is not perpendicular to the ecliptic
X) the Earth's orbit is elliptical
Y) the Earth's axis precesses
Z) the Sun moves through space

ANSWER: W) THE EARTH'S AXIS IS NOT PERPENDICULAR TO THE ECLIPTIC
10) Bonus - Earth Science - Multiple Choice

Which of the following surfaces would exhibit the highest albedo:
W) bare rock
X) an ocean at sunrise
Y) an ocean at sunset
Z) an ice field

ANSWER: Z) AN ICE FIELD
11) Toss Up - Math - Short Answer

Evaluate `lim_(x->pi/3) (sinx - sqrt(3)/2)/(x - pi/3)` (read as: the limit as x approaches pi over three of open parenthesis sine of x [pause] minus the square root of 3 over 2 close parenthesis over open parenthesis x minus pi over 3 close parenthesis).

ANSWER: 1/2
11) Bonus - Math - Short Answer

If the volume of oil leaked into the ocean from a damaged drilling platform is given by the equation `V = 0.05pir^2`, where r is the radius of the spill, use differentials to estimate the error in cubic meters of the volume if there is a possible error of 0.5 meters in the radius measurement of a spill of radius `100/pi` meters.

ANSWER: 5
12) Toss Up - Chemistry - Multiple Choice

You are given a particular polymer to study, and you notice that it can endure an extremely high amount of stress, but only a very small amount of strain. Which of the following types of polymer is it?
W) Brittle plastic
X) Tough fiber
Y) Elastomer
Z) Plastic with yield

ANSWER: X) TOUGH FIBER
12) Bonus - Chemistry - Multiple Choice

The measured bond angle in ammonia is 107.3°, whereas the bond angles in phosphine [FOS-feen] are 93.7°. Which of the following facts correctly identifies the atomic property that makes the two angles different?
W) Ammonia and phosphine have different expected VSEPR geometries
X) Nitrogen is more electronegative than phosphorus
Y) The bonding orbitals of phosphine have more s and less p character than those of ammonia z) The phosphorus atom is much larger than the nitrogen atom

ANSWER: Z) THE PHOSPHORUS ATOM IS MUCH LARGER THAN THE NITROGEN ATOM
13) Toss Up - Physics - Multiple Choice

When we subtract a velocity vector from another velocity vector, the result is
W) another velocity
X) an acceleration
Y) a displacement
Z) a scalar quantity

ANSWER: W) ANOTHER VELOCITY
13) Bonus - Physics - Multiple Choice

Which of the following does not fit in the same category?
W) light wave
X) radio wave
Y) sound wave
Z) X-ray

ANSWER: Y) SOUND WAVE
14) Toss Up - Physics - Multiple Choice

An electromotive force of 12 volts is connected in series to an uncharged capacitor of capacitance 6 mF and a resistor of 2 Ω. After 12 milliseconds, the current flowing is
W) 6 A
X) 6/e A
Y) 3 A
Z) 3/e A

ANSWER: X) 6/E A
14) Bonus - Physics - Short Answer

A particle with charge +1 mC is moving at 100 m/s through a field of 10 T that is angled 30° away. What is the force on the particle?

ANSWER: 0.5 NEWTON
15) Toss Up - Physics - Short Answer

The pressure placed on a square with 1/2 meter sides is 1000 Pascals. How much force, in Newtons, is being applied to the square?

ANSWER: 250 (NEWTONS)
15) Bonus - Physics - Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT closely associated with a non-magnetic Phase Diagram?
W) Eutectic Temperature(pron: you-tek-tik)
X) Curie Point
Y) Solidus (pron: sahl-ud-us)
Z) Liquidus (pron: lick-wid-us) Curves

ANSWER: X-- CURIE POINT
16) Toss Up - Astronomy - Multiple Choice

What process produces a star's energy?
W) hydrogen and oxygen combustion
X) nuclear fusion
Y) neutron beta decay
Z) nuclear fission

ANSWER: X) nuclear fusion
16) Bonus - Astronomy - Multiple Choice

The Giotto spacecraft set a new record last July for the closest visit yet to:
W) the core of a comet
X) the red spot of Jupiter
Y) an active solar flare
Z) the rings of Saturn

ANSWER: W) the core of a comet
17) Toss Up - Math - Short Answer

Solve the following equation for x: `log_2 x = 5` (read as: log base 2 of x equals 5).

ANSWER: 32
17) Bonus - Math - Short Answer

Consider the polynomial `5x^2 + 13x + 10`. How many and what kind of roots does it have?

ANSWER: TWO COMPLEX ROOTS
18) Toss Up - Math - Short Answer

A wheel of radius 2 meters is rolled a distance of 315 meters. To three significant figures, how many radians does the wheel turn?

ANSWER: 158 radians
18) Bonus - Math - Short Answer

If the earth is modeled as a perfect sphere, and the wind as a continuous vector field of velocities tangent to that sphere, the fact that there is at least one point on the earth where the wind is not blowing is guaranteed by which mathematical theorem?

ANSWER: The Hairy Ball Theorem
19) Toss Up - Math - Short Answer

Convert `(5\pi)/3` radians into degrees

ANSWER: 300°
19) Bonus - Math - Short Answer

What are the median, mean and mode of the following set of numbers: 2, 3, 3, 8, 8, 8, 10, 14

ANSWER: MEDIAN = 8; MEAN = 7; MODE = 8
20) Toss Up - General Science - Multiple Choice

The only species of cat that lives and hunts in groups is
W) lion.
X) leopard.
Y) jaguar.
Z) cougar.

ANSWER: W-- LION
20) Bonus - General Science - Short Answer

What is the name of the island in the Caribbean that was recently devastated by the Soufriere Hills volcano?

ANSWER: MONTSERRAT
21) Toss Up - Math - Multiple Choice

Which of the following best represents the conversion of the rectangular coordinates (3, 4) into polar coordinates?
W) (5, 37°)
X) (37°, 5)
Y) (5, 53°)
Z) (53°, 5)

ANSWER: Y) (5, 53°)
21) Bonus - Math - Short Answer

Evaluate `int_sqrt(2)^(3sqrt(2)) (3x^2 + 6) dx` [the integral from the square root of 2 to the 3 times the square root of 2 of the quantity 3 x squared plus 6 dx] in simplest radical form.

ANSWER: `64sqrt(2)`
22) Toss Up - Math - Short Answer

Named after a German mathematician, what type of bottle has one surface with no edges and thus neither an outside nor an inside?

ANSWER: KLEIN BOTTLE (ACCEPT: KLEIN)
22) Bonus - Math - Short Answer

If `sintheta = sqrt(3)/2` and `theta` terminates in Quadrant II of the Cartesian coordinate system, in a unit circle find `costheta`:

ANSWER: -1/2 (ACCEPT: -0.5) (answer must be negative) (Solution: `r^2 = x^2 + y^2; 1^2 = x^2 + (sqrt(3)/2)^2; x^2 = 1/4; x = 1/2`; negative for Quad II)
23) Toss Up - Computer Science - Multiple Choice

Which of the following do NOT provide both input and output of data:
W) printers
X) hard disks
Y) writable CD-ROMs
Z) diskettes

ANSWER: W) PRINTERS
23) Bonus - Computer Science - Multiple Choice

In today’s typical computers, if there isn't enough room in memory for all the information the CPU needs, the computer sets up what kind of memory file:
W) real
X) imaginary
Y) virtual
Z) temporary

ANSWER: Y) VIRTUAL
24) Toss Up - Math - Short Answer

What is the exponent of 5 in the prime factorization of 325?

ANSWER: 2
24) Bonus - Math - Short Answer

For which real values of x does the following the series converge: `Sigma_(n = 0)^oo x^n/(n!)` (read as the summation from n equals 0 to infinity of [pause] x to the power of n over n factorial)?

ANSWER: ALL REAL NUMBERS
25) Toss Up - Earth And Space - Multiple Choice

W) 10A18 meters
X) 10A16 meters
Y) 10A14 meters
Z) 10A12 meters

ANSWER: X
25) Bonus - Earth And Space - Short Answer

What is the name of the space probe that first orbited Saturn?

ANSWER: Cassini-Huygens (Accept Cassini)