Prelims of 4th Pauling Memorial Inter-School Science Quiz (2018) Note : Answer slides start from Slide No. 29

3.  There are 20 questions.
 Titles serve as hints. A * indicates a tiebreaker question.
 Write the answer next to the corresponding question number.
 Answer only what is asked.
 If you have any doubts, raise your hand.
 No cellphones. Cheating of any kind will lead to disqualification.
 Quizmasters are God.
 Best team name will get a prize!
 Have fun, we think the questions are easy .

5.  1999 - Our Changing Earth
 2005 - Celebrating Physics
 2008 - Understanding the Planet Earth
 2011 - Chemistry in Daily Life
 2012 - Clean Energy Options and Nuclear Safety
 2014 - Fostering Scientific Temper
 2017 - Science and Technology for Specially Abled Persons
Listed above were the themes used during the celebration of a certain
occasion every year. (Not all are mentioned above). What is this "occasion"?
Bonus: What’s the theme for 2018?

6. Philolaus was a Greek philosopher during 4th century BC. He was one of
the first thinkers to come up with a non-__________ model of the
Universe, claiming the existence of “Central Fire”. Later around 3rd
century BC, Aristarchus of Samos was influenced by Philolaus and made
major improvements to his model. He identified the Central Fire to be the
Sun and made more accurate predictions about other celestial bodies. His
theories however, were rejected in favour of the theories of Aristotle and
Ptolemy.
It was only in 15th century AD that this theory made a profound impact
on science after it was put forth by a renowned mathematician and
astronomer X in his book De revolutionibus orbium coelestium.
ID X.

7. According to Wikipedia, A is a philosophical tradition once practiced throughout
Europe, Asia and Africa (from as back as 3500 BC to the late 1600s). The main aims of
A were:
 Purification of objects
 Transforming ordinary substances into gold
 Finding the elixir of life/immortality (Philosopher's stone for you, Potterheads!)
 Creation of a substance called Panaceas that can cure any disease
 Development of Alkahest, a solution to dissolve everything
There were several who pursued this tradition and failed, obviously, only to create a
more believable and systematic approach that is now a part of what we call, science.
What is A? What is the field developed from it?

8. The Thrilling Adventures of L and B is a steampunk graphic
novel written and drawn by Sydney Padua. It
features L and B in an alternative universe where they have
successfully built an analytical engine and use it to "fight
crime".
ID L and B.

10. This phrase is quite synonymous with an English naturalist famous for
his HMS Beagle ventures. However it actually was first used by Herbert
Spencer in his 1864 work Principles of Biology.
This term strongly suggests natural selection, yet as Spencer extended
evolution into the realms of sociology and ethics, he also made use of
Lamarckism.
The phrase has become widely used in popular literature as a
catchphrase for any topic related or analogous to evolution and natural
selection.
It is also prone to misinterpretation if one thinks of the common modern
meaning. Think of a puzzle piece, not an athlete.
What is the phrase?

11. CONNECT!

12. 'The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and
Balancing' is an Arabian book on mathematics written by
Persian mathematician Mohammed Ibn Musa Al-Khwarizmi. It
provided an exhaustive account of solving for the positive roots
of certain equations. This book also introduced a term that has
been used in mathematics ever since.
Name this term.

13. The Mars Climate Orbiter was a robotic space probe launched
by NASA to study the planet Mars. One day, NASA lost
communication with the spacecraft as it flew too close to the
planet and disintegrated. This was quite surprising as the
required values entered into the system to control the
spacecraft's orbit seemed to be quite accurate.
What caused the failure?

14. Identify this person. Why is
he in the news recently?

15. On 13th August, 2014 the Tabla Maestro Ustad Zakir
Hussain tweeted about a certain achievement of a former
student of his. The tweet claimed Manjul’s achievement
was an honour for India.
What was the tweet about?

17. The M was a series of rallies and marches held in Washington D.C. and
more than 600 other cities across the world on Earth Day, April 22, 2017.
According to organizers, the march was a movement to celebrate science
and the role it plays in everyday lives. The goals of the marches and
rallies were to emphasize that science upholds the common good and to
call for evidence-based policy in the public's best interest.
Inspired by this, M was held in various cities in India on August 9, 2017.
What is M?

18. On 4th April 2017, the town of Khan Shaykhun in Syria was struck by a
government airstrike followed by the release of a poisonous gas. This
attack was one of the deadliest uses of chemical warfare in the Syrian
civil war, killing at least 74 people and leaving more than 557 injured.
The chemical used in this attack affects the victim’s nervous system
making it difficult to control the muscles. The victim either dies because
he or she is unable to control the muscles responsible for controlling
breathing or survives with permanent damage to the nervous system.
Name the chemical used in this attack.

19. On October 23, 2017, the online posting of a PhD thesis crashed the
University of Cambridge’s website after it was viewed more than
60,000 times. Stuart Roberts said at the time, ”Other popular theses
might have 100 views per month.”
The acknowledgements page contains the date of submission (15th
October 1965), a certification in scrawled handwriting stating “This
dissertation is my original work” and a signature.
Whose thesis is it?

20. 1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a
human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where
such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection
does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
Who is credited with framing these three " Laws of Robotics "?

21. CONNECT!

22. The Sputnik virophage is a microorganism that reproduces in amoeba
cells that are already infected by another virus. It uses the other virus'
resources to reproduce and negatively affects the other virus. Such
viruses which infect organisms by making use of another virus are called
_________ viruses.
Shown in the picture is a _________ tornado, which rotates around a
larger tornado in the same storm.
FITB.

24. V is a substance developed by the National Physics Laboratory in UK.
The term V also refers to the color it possesses.
A huge controversy arose around V when artist Anish Kapoor licensed it
exclusively for his art studio.
He said about V - "It's effectively like a paint... Imagine a space that's so
______ that as you walk in you lose all sense of where you are, what you
are, and especially all sense of time.“
What is V and what is its specialty?

25. Established in 1636, Harvard University is the oldest institute of higher education
in the United States. Upon its inception, their subjects were broadly classified as:
 Philosophy and logic
 Politics and ethics
 Greek and Eastern languages
 Astronomy
 Arithmetic and Geometry
 Rhetoric
 History and Nature
As is apparent, Harvard didn't teach its students Calculus, the backbone of modern
mathematics, in its early days. What was the reason for this exclusion?

26. On March 14, 1951, United Press photographer Arthur Sasse was
clicking photos for a birthday party of X. Having smiled a lot of times that
day, X responded with a weird face to Arthur when asked to pose for a
photo, perfect for photographers.
X liked the picture so much that he requested United Press for 9 personal
copies of the photo out of which he gave a signed one to Arthur.
The original signed photo was sold for $74k, a record for X's picture.
ID X.

27. Sunflowers are what environmental scientists call hyperaccumulators – plants
that have the ability to take up high concentrations of toxic materials in their
tissues. Due to this property, sunflowers were planted near affected areas in
places like the Soviet Union in the mid 1990s and Japan in 2011 following
certain "events". What were these "events"? Bonus for the exact locations where
these sunflowers were planted.

31.  1999 - Our Changing Earth
 2005 - Celebrating Physics
 2008 - Understanding the Planet Earth
 2011 - Chemistry in Daily Life
 2012 - Clean Energy Options and Nuclear Safety
 2014 - Fostering Scientific Temper
 2017 - Science and Technology for Specially Abled Persons
Listed above were the themes used during the celebration of a certain
occasion every year. (Not all are mentioned above). What is this "occasion"?
Bonus: What’s the theme for 2018?

33. National Science Day
"Science and Technology for a sustainable future."

34. Philolaus was a Greek philosopher during the 4th century BC. He was
one of the first thinkers to come up with a non-__________ model of the
Universe, claiming the existence of “Central Fire”. Later around 3rd
century BC, Aristarchus of Samos was influenced by Philolaus and made
major improvements to his model. He identified the Central Fire to be the
Sun and made more accurate predictions about other celestial bodies. His
theories however, were rejected in favour of the theories of Aristotle and
Ptolemy.
It was only in the 15th century AD that this theory made a profound
impact on science after it was put forth by a renowned mathematician
and astronomer X in his book De revolutionibus orbium coelestium.
ID X.

36. Nicolaus Copernicus

37. According to Wikipedia, A is a philosophical tradition once practiced throughout
Europe, Asia and Africa (from as back as 3500 BC to the late 1600s). The main aims of
A were:
 Purification of objects
 Transforming ordinary substances into gold
 Finding the elixir of life/immortality (Philosopher's stone for you, Potterheads!)
 Creation of a substance called Panaceas that can cure any disease
 Development of Alkahest, a solution to dissolve everything
There were several who pursued this tradition and failed, obviously, only to create a
more believable and systematic approach that is now a part of what we call, science.
What is A? What is the field developed from it?

39. Alchemy
Chemistry

40. The Thrilling Adventures of L and B is a steampunk graphic
novel written and drawn by Sydney Padua. It
features L and B in an alternative universe where they have
successfully built an analytical engine and use it to "fight
crime".
ID L and B.

43. L – Ada Lovelace
B – Charles Babbage

44. This phrase is quite synonymous with an English naturalist famous for
his HMS Beagle ventures. However it actually was first used by Herbert
Spencer in his 1864 work Principles of Biology.
This term strongly suggests natural selection, yet as Spencer extended
evolution into the realms of sociology and ethics, he also made use of
Lamarckism.
The phrase has become widely used in popular literature as a
catchphrase for any topic related or analogous to evolution and natural
selection.
It is also prone to misinterpretation if one thinks of the common modern
meaning. Think of a puzzle piece, not an athlete.
What is the phrase?

46. Survival of the Fittest

47. CONNECT!

49. Mole day / Avogadro’s Number

50. 'The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and
Balancing' is an Arabian book on mathematics written by
Persian mathematician Mohammed Ibn Musa Al-Khwarizmi. It
provided an exhaustive account of solving for the positive roots
of certain equations. This book also introduced a term that has
been used in mathematics ever since.
Name this term.

52. Algebra

53. The Mars Climate Orbiter was a robotic space probe launched
by NASA to study the planet Mars. One day, NASA lost
communication with the spacecraft as it flew too close to the
planet and disintegrated. This was quite surprising as the
required values entered into the system to control the
spacecraft's orbit seemed to be quite accurate.
What caused the failure?

55. The Impulse values were not entered in SI units

56. Identify this person. Why is
he in the news recently?

58. Satya Pal Singh
Evolution argument

59. On 13th August, 2014 the Tabla Maestro Ustad Zakir
Hussain tweeted about a certain achievement of a former
student of his. The tweet claimed Manjul’s achievement
was an honour for India.
What was the tweet about?

62. Manjul Bhargava – First person of Indian origin to win
the Field’s Medal(the highest honour in Math)

63. The M was a series of rallies and marches held in Washington D.C. and
more than 600 other cities across the world on Earth Day, April 22, 2017.
According to organizers, the march was a movement to celebrate science
and the role it plays in everyday lives. The goals of the marches and
rallies were to emphasize that science upholds the common good and to
call for evidence-based policy in the public's best interest.
Inspired by this, M was held in various cities in India on August 9, 2017.
What is M?

65. March for Science

66. On 4th April 2017, the town of Khan Shaykhun in Syria was struck by a
government airstrike followed by the release of a poisonous gas. This
attack was one of the deadliest uses of chemical warfare in the Syrian
civil war, killing at least 74 people and leaving more than 557 injured.
The chemical used in this attack affects the victim’s nervous system
making it difficult to control the muscles. The victim either dies because
he or she is unable to control the muscles responsible for controlling
breathing or survives with permanent damage to the nervous system.
Name the chemical used in this attack.

68. Sarin

69. On October 23, 2017, the online posting of a PhD thesis crashed the
University of Cambridge’s website after it was viewed more than
60,000 times. Stuart Roberts said at the time, ”Other popular theses
might have 100 views per month.”
The acknowledgements page contains the date of submission (15th
October 1965), a certification in scrawled handwriting stating “This
dissertation is my original work” and a signature.
Whose thesis is it?

71. Stephen Hawking

72. 1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a
human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where
such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection
does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
Who is credited with framing these three " Laws of Robotics "?

74. Isaac Asimov

75. CONNECT!

77. Leonardo da Vinci’s inventions

78. The Sputnik virophage is a microorganism that reproduces in amoeba
cells that are already infected by another virus. It uses the other virus'
resources to reproduce and negatively affects the other virus. Such
viruses which infect organisms by making use of another virus are called
_________ viruses.
Shown in the picture is a _________ tornado, which rotates around a
larger tornado in the same storm.
FITB.

81. Satellite

82. V is a substance developed by the National Physics Laboratory in UK.
The term V also refers to the color it possesses.
A huge controversy arose around V when artist Anish Kapoor licensed it
exclusively for his art studio.
He said about V - "It's effectively like a paint... Imagine a space that's so
______ that as you walk in you lose all sense of where you are, what you
are, and especially all sense of time.“
What is V and what is its specialty?

84. Vantablack – “Blackest” colour to be produced

85. Established in 1636, Harvard University is the oldest institute of higher education
in the United States. Upon its inception, their subjects were broadly classified as:
 Philosophy and logic
 Politics and ethics
 Greek and Eastern languages
 Astronomy
 Arithmetic and Geometry
 Rhetoric
 History and Nature
As is apparent, Harvard didn't teach its students Calculus, the backbone of modern
mathematics, in its early days. What was the reason for this exclusion?

87. Calculus hadn’t been invented then

88. On March 14, 1951, United Press photographer Arthur Sasse was
clicking photos for a birthday party of X. Having smiled a lot of times that
day, X responded with a weird face to Arthur when asked to pose for a
photo, perfect for photographers.
X liked the picture so much that he requested United Press for 9 personal
copies of the photo out of which he gave a signed one to Arthur.
The original signed photo was sold for $74k, a record for X's picture.
ID X.

90. Albert Einstein

91. Sunflowers are what environmental scientists call hyperaccumulators – plants
that have the ability to take up high concentrations of toxic materials in their
tissues. Due to this property, sunflowers were planted near affected areas in
places like the Soviet Union in the mid 1990s and Japan in 2011 following
certain "events". What were these "events"? Bonus for the exact locations where
these sunflowers were planted.

93. Famous disasters of a radioactive nature
Chernobyl, Fukushima