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CONTEST 17
ROUND 1

1. The diagonals of a rhombus are of lengths 10 cm and 16 cm. Find its area.
ANSWER: 80 cm2
[ A = ½ d1d2 = ½ (10 x 16) = 80 cm2]
2. The diagonals of a kite are of lengths 20 cm and 15 cm. Find its area.
ANSWER: 150 cm2
[ A = ½ d1d2 = ½ (20 x 15) = 150 cm2]
3. The parallel sides of a trapezium have lengths of 12 cm and 16 cm and are 10 cm apart. Find its
area.
AMSWER: 140 cm2
[ A = ½ (12 + 16)10 = 140]
4. Define the term isomerism.
ANSWER: Isomerism occurs when a chemical formula can represent two or more
Compounds.
5. Two organic molecules have the same formula but differ in the orientation of the atoms or units
in space. What type of isomers are the compounds?
ANSWER: Stereoisomers
6. What name do we give to isomers that affect the plane of polarized light to the same extent but in
the opposite direction?
ANSWER: Enantiomers (Do not accept optical isomers.)
PREAMBLE: Name the blood proteins that perform the following functions:
7. Control of water
ANSWER: Albumin
8. Carry oxygen
ANSWER: Haemoglobin
9. Contribute to the osmotic pressure of the blood
ANSWER: Albumin

PREAMBLE: A book measures long by wide by thick and has a

mass of .

10. Find the pressure the book exerts when it is placed broadside on a horizontal surface.
 ANSWER:

Accept

11. Find the pressure it exerts when a long edge of the closed book is placed on a horizontal surface.

ANSWER:

12. Estimate the pressure it exerts when it is opened flat on a horizontal surface to the middle page.

ANSWER:

PREAMBLE: Express as the same trigonometric ratio of an acute angle.

13. sin400°
ANSWER: sin40° [sin400 = sin(360+ 40) = sin40]
14. cos 240°
ANSWER: - cos60°
[ cos240 = cos(180 + 60) = -cos60]
15. tan195°
ANSWER: tan15°
[tan195 = tan(180 + 15) = tan15]
16. A non–metal X with atomic mass 14 forms an oxide containing 36.4% of oxygen. What is the
empirical formula of the oxide? O = 16
ANSWER: X O
63.6/14 36.4/16
4.54 2.28
2 : 1
Empirical formula X2O
17. A metal M of atomic mass 51 forms an oxide containing 44% oxygen. What is the empirical
formula of the metal? O = 16.0
ANSWER: M O
56/51 44/16
1.1 2.75
1 : 2.5
2 : 5
 Empirical formula = M 2O 5
18. An element M forms an oxide containing 60% oxygen. If the atomic mass of the element is 32,
what is the empirical formula of the oxide? O = 16
ANSWER: M O
40/32 60/16
1.25 3.75
Empirical formula = MO3
19. Name the strongest bone in the body.
ANSWER: Femur
20. Name the smallest bone in the human body.
ANSWER: The stapes/stamp
21. Name the longest bone in the body.
ANSWER: Femur
22. What is the relationship between acceleration and displacement in simple harmonic motion?
ANSWER: Opposite and proportional
Proportional is not sufficient
23. What is the nature of acceleration in motion at constant speed along a circle?
ANSWER: Constant magnitude and directed toward the centre of the circle
24. What is the nature of acceleration in motion at constant speed in a fixed direction along a straight path?
ANSWER: Zero
 ROUND 2 - SPEED ROUND

1. Name the hydrogen atom spectral line series that lies in the ultraviolet.
ANSWER: Lyman

2. Determine the wavelength of the fundamental note emitted by a pipe closed at one end.

ANSWER:

3. Name the physical property of a material that specifies the electrical resistance of a sample of the material.
ANSWER: Resistivity
Accept conductivity.
4. Name the product given by a reaction of ethanoyl chloride with benzene in the presence aluminum
chloride.
ANSWER: Phenyl methyl ketone or methyl phenyl ketone or acetophenone
5. What reagent must be added to propene to give 2-bromopropane.
ANSWER: HBr gas
6. Which compounds must be reacted together to give the ester propyl methanoate.
ANSWER: 1 – propanol and methanoic acid
7. Find the next prime number after 163.
ANSWER: 167 [164, 165, 166, 167]
8. Find the period of the trigonometric function y = cos3x.
ANSWER: T = 120° or 2π/3 radians
[3T = 360, T = 120° or 2π/3 radians]
9. Find the number of distinct real roots of the quadratic equation 2x2 – 3x + 1= 0.
ANSWER: 2
[b2 – 4ac = 9 – 2(4) = 1 > 0, hence 2 distinct real roots].
10. Enzymes will usually react with only one substance. This can be explained by what hypothesis postulate?
ANSWER: ‘Lock and key' theory
11. Which hormonal gland is located on top of the kidney?
ANSWER: Adrenal gland
12. When the solute concentration of the cell and its surrounding medium are the same, the solution is said to
be.........
ANSWER: Isotonic

PROBLEM OF THE DAY

In order to determine the concentration of an HCl solution, 0.1060 g of anhydrous

Na2CO3 was weighed and dissolved in some deionized water. When the whole

solution was titrated against HCl using phenolphthalein as indicator, the titre was

20.0 cm3. Use this information to determine the concentration of the HCl solution

Na = 23.0; O = 16.0; C = 12.0

SOLUTION

With phenolphthalein, the reaction in the titration is as follows;

HCl + Na2CO3 → NaHCO3 + NaCl

Molar mass of Na2CO3 = 46 + 12 + 48 = 106

Moles of Na2CO3 weighed = 0.106/106 = 0.001

mmole of Na2CO3 weighed = 1.0

Since HCl and Na2CO3 react in a 1:1 ratio, mmole of HCl used = 1.0

But mmole = moldm-3*V in cm3

Therefore, concentration of HCl = 1.0 mmol/20 cm3

= 0.050 moldm-3
 ROUND 4

TRUE OR FALSE

1. The first Ionization energy of sodium is lower than that of potassium.

ANSWER: False Ionization energy decreases down the Group
2. The first Ionization energy of carbon is lower than that of boron.
ANSWER: False That of boron is lower
3. The first Ionization energy of boron is lower than that of beryllium because boron is a smaller atom.
ANSWER: False Though boron is a smaller atom it has a lower of first ionization energy
because of its electronic configuration.
4. The anterior end of paramecium is blunt.
ANSWER: True
5. The gullet of paramecium is lined with cilia.
ANSWER: True
6. The vacuole of Paramecium is stationary.
ANSWER: False
7. The greatest square factor of 200 is 25.
ANSWER: False
8. π is a rational number.
ANSWER: False
9. Any terminating or recurring decimal is a rational number.
ANSWER: True
10. The specific latent heat of fusion of a solid is the thermal energy required to melt a sample of the
solid at constant temperature.
ANSWER: False
11. Because the temperature of a melting solid remains constant, its total internal energy also remains
constant during melting.
ANSWER: False
12. The thermal energy absorbed when a solid melts at constant temperature equals the thermal energy
liberated when the liquid formed freezes at constant temperature.
ANSWER: True
13. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe.
 ANSWER: True
14. Silicon is the most abundant element in the earth’s crust.
ANSWER: False (2nd most abundant; Si 25.7%, O 47%)
15. Calcium is more abundant than aluminum in the earth’s crust.
ANSWER: False Al > Ca; Al = 7.4%, Ca = 3.4%
16. Wind pollinated flowers produce smaller quantities of sticky pollen.
ANSWER: False
17. Wind pollinated plants produce small inconspicuous scentless flowers.
ANSWER: True
18. Wind pollinated plants produce small anthers which are firmly attached to the filament.
ANSWER: False
19. Only a square matrix has a determinant.
ANSWER: True
20. The determinant of a square matrix is always positive.
ANSWER: False
21. A matrix has an inverse if the determinant is zero.
ANSWER: False
22. In an isothermal process involving a fixed quantity of an ideal gas, pressure is inversely proportional
to volume.
ANSWER: True
23. In an isobaric ideal gas process, temperature is inversely proportional to volume.
ANSWER: False
24. An isometric ideal gas process occurs at constant volume.
ANSWER: True
 ROUND 5
RIDDLES
RIDDLE 1

1. I belong to a kingdom of twins.

2. You may describe me as being conservative because I resist changes.
3. I change only if the new idea will make a significant impact.
4. I am a two – in – one entity since one cannot function without the other.
5. The two parts in me have a conjugate relationship.
6. I resist changes in pH when small quantities of either an acid or a base are added to the medium
in which I am present.
Who am I?

ANSWER: Buffer

RIDDLE 2
1. I am a dynamical property of a moving object.
2. I am associated with rotational motion.
3. I may be varying even when the net force on an object is zero.
4. I am to rotational motion what linear momentum is to rectilinear motion.
5. I am constant when net torque is zero.
Who am I?

ANSWER: Angular momentum

RIDDLE 3
1. I am the action or fact of carefully choosing someone or something as being the best or most
suitable.
2. In computing, I am a list of items on which user operations will take place.
3. I am also used to refer to the pressures on cells and organisms to evolve.
4. I do not guarantee that advantageous traits or alleles become prevalent within a population.
5. I only occur when the individuals of a population are diverse in their characteristics.
Who am I?

ANSWER: Selection

RIDDLE 4
1. I am a two-digit number.
2. I am a prime.
3. I am 3 short of a score.
4. The sum of my digits is a cube of an even prime.
5. I am five more than a dozen.
Who am I?

ANSWER: 17