12 Jun Mathematics Quiz

*1. What is the sequence shown here:

*2. A computer theorist in the 1950s, X had a mandatory drug therapy that made X impotent and caused X’s breasts to enlarge. It is widely believed that X committed suicide when X was made a guinea pig by the British authorities so that they could reverse X’s homosexuality. Just identify X.

3. A piece of cake this time! What is the contribution of the book ‘Kitab al jabr wal-muqabala’ to modern mathematics?

*4. What is the most widely believed story for the non inclusion of Nobel Prizes in math?

*5. He is considered to be one of the foremost researchers working in Iwasawa theory. A Ph.D from Cambridge, his tutor there was Prof. John Coates. The first to earn the coveted title of Wranglar from Assam, he is also a two time winner of the Dr. Subratanada Dowerah Memorial Gold Medal. Who am I talking about?

6. Who has described Pascal as the greatest ‘must have been’ in mathematics?

*7. Connect the following pictures:

8. Which mathematical classic is an all time bestseller selling more copies than Newtons’ Principia or Hawking’s Brief History combined?

*9. What is the class of numbers to which 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,153,370,371,407,… belongs to are called?

10. Tagged by many as the ‘Famous failure’, with which mathematician would you associate the French phrase ‘Une Femme’ and why?

11. If you are an expert in the branch of math previously called ‘analysis situs’ then what would you be called?

12. X plays Y in Z. Y is a known schizophrenic who very recently came to India to give some lectures. Z is based on a book by Sylvia Nasar of the same name. While X is a cousin of a famous New Zealand cricket player. Identify X, Y and Z.

*13. Primarily known now to the world as a physicist, but his greatest achievements lie in the sphere of math. He was the first person to use a primitive form of differentiation way ahead of the others. His work on sphere and polygons are quite well known but the world now hails him for a physical law which he discovered and is named after him. Roman soldiers killed him while he was immersed in his geometrical musings. Who are we talking about?

*14. To what mathematical discover did ‘The New York Times’ refer as ‘At last a shout of Eureka! In age old math mystery’?

15. Who commented: Taking mathematics from the beginning of the world to the time of Newton, what he has done us much the better half?

*16. This number derives its name from a huge sea dragon or serpent of some kind that often symbolizes evil in Christian literature and in the Old Testament. Its value is (10666)! What is the name of this monstrous number?

*17. Which famous mathematician held the belief that if you can solve the equation x2-92y2=1 in a year then you are a mathematician?

18. Which famous mathematical notes when published in a book format in the last decade had its first chapter dedicated to magic squares?

*19.Connect:

20. Which modern mathematician is widely credited with the invention of ‘The Game of Life’ problem?

*21. If you are compelled to commit repetitive acts that are apparently meaningless such as persistent hand washing, counting objects etc. which involves numbers like the great inventor Nikola Tesla who demanded precisely 18 clean towels each day, then you are said to be an ‘arithromanianc’, but what is the scientific name to describe this condition?

22. What is so special about this 39 digit number ‘115,132,219,018,763,992,565,095,597,973,971,522,401’?

*23. In 1998, 17 year old Colin Percival did something very unusual with the help of about 25 computers distributed around the world, each connected to a main server at the ‘Centre for Experimental Mathematics’, Simon Fraser University at Canada through the internet. What did he do?

24. From which movie was the following screenshot taken which shows a wrong value of Pi?

-Manjil P. Saikia