I am a senior member of Wilmott. I like the spirited discussion about topics in economy, quant finance, mathematics, technology, programming, but also off topics ...
Motivated by a Dutch senior member, an open team of "Wilmotters" decided to participate the 2012 Dutch Science Quiz as a group.
And we won the group prize - a private tour to the ESA Space Expo.
What is exciting about this? I found the process effective and efficient: none of the team members was assigned as leader, or co-ordinator... but -- or because? -- the result was found quickly and straight forward. All 15 answers are correct.
I answered the questions independently based on my own knowledge and without mining information (as if I stood as a candidate in a live show) before the team started - 5 wrong answers.
The wisdom of teams ... (and the availability of great resources) make the difference.
Here are the Winners
And here is the final Show with candidates, the answers and the rationale .. enjoy (but maybe you want to answer ... first?)
This are the questions:
1) You and your friend are both holding an opened bottle of Champagne. Your friend hits
your bottle at the opening with the bottom of his bottle causing Champagne to flow out
of your bottle. What is causing this?
A. Dust and flakes from the sides enter the Champagne.
B. A low pressure region is formed at the bottom and the sides.
C. Microbubbles from the region above the liquid enter the Champagne.
2) Two metronomes with a slight different frequency are places on a table that hangs
from strings. The table can only move sideways. After a while both metronomes will
synchronize. What will be the average freuquency?
A. Lower than the average of the two initial frequencies.
B. Exactly the average of the two initial frequencies.
C. Higher than the average of the two initial frequencies.
3) What attracts the least number of horseflies?
A. A white horse.
B. A brown horse.
C. A black horse.
4) You have 100 grams of body material. What type of material allows you to make the
largest diamond?
A. Teeth
B. Hair
C. Fresh excreta
5) You drill a straight tunnel between Maastricht and Leeuwarden. How deep is the tunnel
at the half way point assuming a spherical Earth?
A. 130 meters
B. 1300 meters
C. 13000 meters
6) What color blood has never been observed in living animals?
A. White
B. Green
C. Black
7) Why do frogs ignore dead mosquito's?
A. Because they don't move.
B. Because they smell bad.
C. Because they don't make a sound.
8) If you overlay two grids you'll often get a new pattern. What material has to do
with the name of this effect?
A. Textile
B. Paper
C. Plastic
9) In top sports ice skaters are faster than runners on all distances. Why is that?
A. Because of the low temperature in skating halls the air will be thinner than
on a running track.
B. The aerobic energy of a skater will always be bigger than that of a runner.
C. Skater use their push off point better
10) How would your voice sound on Venus?
A. Like a dwarf, loud with a high pitch
B. Like a dwarf, soft with a low pitch
C. like a giant, loud and low
11) There are at least two trees in The Netherlands with the same number of leafs on
them (with "mathematical precision" -whatever that is-)
12) Two groups of students participate in a boring study. One groups is rewarded 3 Euro,
the other group 30 Euro for participating. After the study they need to tell the next
groups that the study was fun to do. Which group will in retrospect find the study the
least boring?
A. The group with the largest reward
B. The group with the smallest reward
C. There is no difference
13) A net filled with steal marbles and cork floats right underneath the surface in an
aquarium. What happens with the water level if you cut the net -releasing the content-?
A. the level will rise
B. it stays the same
C. the level will drop
14) How many dominoes do you need to tip over a domino the size of the Utrecht Dom tower?
(112.5 meters, 368 feet). You start out with a standard domino. When enlarging dominoes
in consecutive steps, the measures will scale proportionally.
A. At least 8
B. At least 20
C. At least 32
15) Two persons play a game with 22 coins. Each turn one takes 1,3 or 4 coins. The
one picking the last coin(s) from the table loses. When both parties play a perfect game,
then the one starting the game will
A. always win
B. always lose
C. you can't say
