Wednesday, April 7, 2010

The Wednesday Quiz II:6 -- The Elements


The Wednesday Quiz -- Season II -- Quiz 6

The Elements

The Wednesday Quiz is a "closed-book" test of knowledge and intuition; please do not look up answers, ask others for help, or answer as a team.

Questions about the rules and the ~Fabulous Prizes~ are answered here.

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This week's Quiz is another is-it-or-isn't-it game. It has fifteen items, and we're scoring it hardball: ten points for every correct answer after the fifth.

Is It or Isn't It One of the Chemical Elements?
1. Boron

2. Brass

3. Bromine

4. Einsteinium

5. Floridium

6. Fluorine

7. Francium

8. Germanium

9. Italium

10. Latium

11. Lead

12. Newtonium

13. Nickel

14. Niconium

15. Veridium
Submit your answers in the comments!

28 comments:

Morgan said...

1. Is
2. Isn't
3. Is
4. Is
5. Isn't
6. Is
7. Is
8. Is
9. Isn't
10. Isn't
11. Is
12. Isn't
13. Is
14. Isn't
15. Isn't

Elaine said...

1. IS
2. alloy-isn't
3. hmmm IS
4. IS
5. isn't
6. IS
7. isn't
8. IS
9. isn't
10. IS
12. hmmm isn't\
13. IS
14. isn't
15. is

Actually, I know they keep adding elements, so I am not at all confident EXCEPT for the ones I helped our daughter memorize. She had to know the atomic numbers, so we had mnemonics that she remembers to this day. (Samples, if I recall correctly: FLuorine and Laura are both 13. 39 mph in the Zinc Zn. If you drink phosphorus, your P will glow in the dark.) Can I get extra credit?

blythe said...

i'll tell you the ones that aren't according to my 10th grade effort at memorizing the table and helping helping the work studies in my office in chem: brass, floridium (it's californium, duh), italium, latium, newtonium, niconium, veridium. i don't know about newtonium. if it's not, it should be as should oklahomium.

Nichim said...

1. Y
2. N
3. N
4. Y
5. Y
6. Y
7. N
8. Y
9. N
10. Y
11. Y
12. Y
13. N
14. N
15. Y

Elizabeth said...

1. is
2. n't
3. n't
4. is
5. n't
6. is
7. n't
8. is
9. n't
10. n't
11. is
12. is
13. is
14. n't
15. n't

Not at all elementary, my dear M5Kson.

Aviatrix said...

Michael, you're so kind to me.

1. Yes, #5
2. No, it's an alloy of copper and tin (or maybe nickel).
3. Yes, right under chlorine and above iodine.
4. Yes, in the Uranides, I think.
5. No, you made that up.
6. Yes, #9 above chlorine.
7. Yes, it's an active metal.
8. Yes, between gallium and arsenic.
9. No, you made that up. Italy's scientific prowess seems to have focused on other fields.
10. No, I was going to pretend I thought the Ferengi used that for currency, but I know that's Latinum and couldn't bring myself to deny my geekdom.
11. Yes, but I can't think of anything smartassed to say about it.
12. DAMN! It sounds familiar, but I can't picture it anywhere. The elements I knew under names like Unnilhexium (I went to school during the cold war: the approach was that if the Russians and Americans can't agree on who names it, no one gets to) have been renamed, is this one? It might be a former or alternate name of something, but I'm going to say NO. I'll be mad if I'm wrong.
13. Yes, between cobalt and zinc.
14. No, you made that up.
15. No, but it sounds really nice.

And if next week is "parts of the airplane," I might catch up.

mrs.5000 said...

But where's Yttrium? I'm pretty sure Yttrium is an element. I'm not so sure about the others...
1 yes
2 no
3 yes
4 yes
5 yes
6 no
7 yes
8 no
9 no
10 no
11 yes
12 no
13 yes
14 yes
15 no

DrSchnell said...

1. yes
2. no
3. no
4. yes
5. no
6. yes
7. no
8. yes
9. no
10. no
11. yes
12. yes
13. yes
14. no
15 yes.

The Calico Cat said...

1. Yes
2. No
3. Yes
4. Yes
5. No
6. Yes
7. Yes
8. Yes
9. No
10. No
11. Yes
12. No
13. Yes
14. No
15. No
(I officially hated Chemistry & did not go into my desired field because of the need to have chemistry classes...)

Cartophiliac said...

1. is
2. isn't
3. isn't
4. is
5. isn't
6. is
7. isn't
8. is
9. isn't
10. isn't
11. is
12. is
13. is
14. isn't
15. is

You forgot to add dilithium crystals.

Melissa said...

1. Is
2. Isn't
3. Is
4. Is
5. Isn't
6. Is
7. Isn't
8. Is
9. Isn't
10. Isn't
11. Is
12. Isn't
13. Is
14. Isn't
15. Is

Yes! I should do fairly well at this quiz because my husband insists on hanging the poster of the elements above our toilet for study whilst peeing.

Elaine said...

Shriek!
I skipped 10 and put 11's answer there. Never even noticed. Came to check my guesses against others', and that is when I saw that goof.
Pb is Lead, and I had a catchy little jingle about "Pb Lead, when you need to poison # of your closest enemies." (I would have said NO to Latium, even though it's too late.)

Goldarnit.

Michael5000 said...

Elaine: OK, points for Lead. Can't help you about Latium.

Christine M. said...

1. is
2. isn't
3. isn't
4. is
5. isn't
6. is
7. isn't
8. is
9. isn't
10. isn't
11. is
12. isn't
13. is
14. isn't
15. isn't

Anonymous said...

1. Is
2. Isn't
3. Is
4. Is
5. Isn't
6. Is
7. Isn't
8. Is
9. Isn't
10. Is
11. Is
12. Is
13. Is
13. Is
14. Isn't
15. Is

Kritkrat said...

1 yes
2 no
3 yes
4 no
5 yes
6 no
7 yes
8 no
9 no
10 no
11 yes
12 no
13 yes
14 yes
15 no

I know 2 for sure...

UnwiseOwl said...

I do like it when you're nice to us and give us such friendly topics, Mr. 5000. Turns out all those hours poring over a periodic table was useful for something.
1. Yep.
2. Nope, it's an alloy.
3. Yep.
4. Yep, the tendency of chemists to name things after physicists is well documented.
5. I've never heard of this, Nope.
6. Yep, whcih reminds me that I didn't brush my teeth this morning.
7. Yep.
8. Yep.
9. Hehe...I'm not going to fall for that one.
10. Or that one, you can't just take Latin geography and trick us into thinking it's an element, you know.
11. Yup.
12. Again with the physicists. Yep.
13. Yep.
14. More Italian cities.
15. I don't think so.

Oh dear...I'm not as sure on those as I'd hope...but I think I've done ok.

cecil said...

All are but 2 & 9. maybe.

lamanyana said...

1. Y
2. N
3. N
4. Y
5. N
6. Y
7. Y
8. Y
9. N
10. N
11. N
12. Y
13. Y
14. N
15. N

It's been a long time since I was a chemistry major.

Michael5000 said...

And now presenting: the answers!

1. Boron - IS

2. Brass - is... an alloy of copper and zinc, apparently. Who knew?

3. Bromine - IS

4. Einsteinium - IS

5. Floridium - ISN'T

6. Fluorine - IS

7. Francium - IS, though many of you didn't think so.

8. Germanium - IS

9. Italium - ISN'T, and not a single person fell for it.

10. Latium - was the district around Rome in classical times

11. Lead - IS

12. Newtonium - ISN'T. Though you sure would expect it to be. It turns out that the name was given to a hypothesized lighter-than-hydrogen element, and by the time chemists figured out that they were chasing superheated, highly ionized iron, all the good elements had already been named.

13. Nickel - IS

14. Niconium - Isn't

15. Veridium - Isn't

Michael5000 said...

And the winners are:

Morgan, Blythe, Aviatrix, and The Calico Cat! Unwise Owl was right behind 'em with 14/15.

Well done all round, and we'll see you next week for the "Parts of an Airplane" quiz!

Michael5000 said...

@Blythe: You are full of surprises.

@Elaine: I was going to tease you for suggesting that they "keep adding elements," but I do occasionally do a desultory fact check around here and note that Copernicium was confirmed as Element 112 just this February. How 'bout that.

@Mrs.5000: Where's Yttrium? On the moon! And in cabbage! Haven't you been paying attention?

@Melissa: Your husband sounds like a keeper.

@ray-wing: Welcome to the show....

UnwiseOwl said...

Damn you Newtonium!

The Calico Cat said...

My father works in the aviation field - I should start quizzing him now - see how much I can cram for the exam.

Elaine said...

Next quiz I plan to make sure I number my page correctly.
But I fear there is nothing i can do to plug up all of the holes in my educational background. You have an unerring eye for subjects on which my ignorance has no bounds! Thou cursed, cursed whale! er, I mean, you rascal, you!

Aviatrix said...

Booyah!

Michael could probably fifteen airplane parts that none of us knows. I've discovered that if I don't know, call it an escutcheon, baffle or fairing. Or I just draw a picture.

Michael's talent is in finding areas of knowledge in which we are uninformed, but instantly feel that we are uneducated boors for not knowing.

Michael5000 said...

"Michael's talent is in finding areas of knowledge in which we are uninformed, but instantly feel that we are uneducated boors for not knowing."

We all have our gifts... and mine is a really crappy one. Why couldn't I have been a brilliant surgeon, or even a helluva dancer?

blythe said...

it's the song! shain knows it too. we sang it last night together. unfortunately, it's the only science we know. also, i only participate in quizzes i can do ok in. i have a teeny tiny amount of dignity. somewhere.