CONTEST 14
ROUND 1
PREAMBLE: Factorise
1. a3 – b3
ANSWER: (a – b)(a2 + ab + b2)
2. a3 + b3
ANSWER: (a + b)(a2 – ab + b2)
3. x3 + 1
ANSWER: (x + 1)(x2 – x + 1)
4. Arrange the following petroleum products in the order of increasing boiling point, aviation
fuel, diesel and gasoline.
ANSWER: gasoline, aviation fuel, diesel
5. Name any of the two organic compounds used in determining the octane rating of gasoline.
ANSWER: 1) 2,2,4–Trimethylpentane/isooctane
2) n–heptane
6. Name any product that can be obtained from the residue of crude oil distillation.
ANSWER: 1) Fuel oil 2) bitumen 3) wax
7. Give one characteristic feature each of respiratory organs.
a) They are highly vascularized / They are supplied with many
blood vessels.
b) They have large surface area.
c) They have thin outer membrane.
d) Their surfaces are always moist.
8. The velocity ratio of a simple machine is . Find the distance moved by the effort when the load
moves .
ANSWER:
9. A pair of gears have 100 teeth on the driven wheel and 20 teeth on the driving wheel. Find the
angular speed of the driven wheel when the driving wheel rotates at .
ANSWER:
1
10. The velocity ratio of a simple machine is . Find the distance moved by the load when the effort
moves .
ANSWER:
PREAMBLE: Identify the property given by the identity in the following operation on sets.
11.
ANSWER: ASSOCIATIVE property of Union
12.
ANSWER: DISTRIBUTIVE (union is distributive over intersection)
13.
ANSWER: IDENTITY ( is the identity for union)
14. In which of these solid elements are the atoms not held by metallic bonds: manganese, silicon
and lithium.
ANSWER: Silicon - Metalloid/semi – metal.
15. Which of these elements, is/are non–metals: Boron, Iodine and sulphur.
ANSWER: Iodine and Sulphur
16. Which of these elements, is/are not metals: Mercury, Germanium and calcium.
ANSWER: Germanium
PREAMBLE: Give the role of the following termites in a caste system
17. Queen
ANSWER: Produces eggs
18. Soldier
ANSWER: Defends the colony against enemies
19. King
ANSWER: Fertilizes eggs produced by the queen / Mates with the queen
PREAMBLE: Give the SI prefix for the given power of ten.
20.
ANSWER: Pico
21.
ANSWER: Femto
22.
2
ANSWER: Giga
PREAMBLE: Express each term using a single root sign.
23.
ANSWER: [ ]
24.
ANSWER: [ (71/2)1/2 = 71/4 ]
25.
ANSWER: [ ((6)1/3)1/2 = 61/6]
26. If 4.48dm3 of bromine gas at STP was discharged during electrolysis of molten KBr, calculate
the charge in Faraday that was passed through the electrolytic cell. Molar volume of a gas at
STP = 22.4dm3
ANSWER: 2KBr + 2F → 2K + Br2
22.4 dm3 of Br2 at STP ≡ 2F
3
Therefore, 4.48 dm of Br2 at STP = (4.48/22.4)*2F
= 0.4F
27. Gold is refined by electrolysing gold (I) trioxonitrate (V) solution using pure gold as
electrodes. Calculate the charge in Faraday required in refining 1.182kg of gold.
Au = 197.0.
ANSWER: Au+ + 1F → Au
197g of Au ≡ 1F
1182g of Au = 1182/197*1F = 6F
28. Molten alumina is electrolysed by passing a charge of 0.30 Faraday through an electrolytic
cell containing the alumina. Calculate the volume of oxygen gas at STP discharged.
Molar volume of a gas at STP = 22.4dm3.
ANSWER: Al2O3 + 6F → 2Al + 1.5O2
3
6F ≡ 1.5 mol O2 = 1.5*22.4dm
0.3F = 0.3/6*1.5*22.4 dm3 of O2 = 0.15*11.2
= 1.68 dm3 of O2
PREAMBLE: State the source of the following enzymes.
29. Salivary amylase
ANSWER: Salivary gland
30. Pepsin
3
ANSWER: Gastric gland / in the inner lining of the stomach
31. Trypsin
ANSWER: Pancreas
PREAMBLE: The density of water is approximately and the acceleration due to
gravity is approximately .
32. Determine the pressure at a depth of below the surface of water.
ANSWER:
33. A cylindrical vessel of cross-sectional area contains a column of water deep. Find the
force the water exerts on the bottom of the vessel.
ANSWER:
34. Find the depth of water that exerts a pressure of on the bottom of a vessel that contains it.
ANSWER:
4
PROBLEM OF THE DAY
An organic compound contains only carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. It is
found to contain 60.0% carbon and 13.3% hydrogen. Calculate its
empirical formula. If the actual formula is the same as the empirical
formula, suggest one structural formula for the compound.
O = 16.0, C = 12.0, H = 1.0
SOLUTION
%O = 100 - (%C + %H)
= 100 - 73.3 = 26.7
C O H
60/2 26.7/16 13.3/1
5.0/1.67 1.67/1.67 13.3/1.67
3 1 8
Hence, C3H8O
Possible structural formulae: any one of CH3CH2CH2OH;
CH3CHOHCH3, CH3CH2OCH3.
5
ROUND 3
True or False
1. When two equal frequency sound waves interfere constructively, the resultant sound
amplitude equals the sum of the amplitudes of the interfering waves.
ANSWER: True
2. When two equal frequency sound waves interfere constructively, the resultant sound
intensity equals the sum of the intensities of the interfering waves.
ANSWER: False
3. When two equal frequency sound waves interfere destructively, the resultant sound
intensity equals the difference in intensity of the interfering waves.
ANSWER: False
4. An element with atomic number 14 will have an electronic configuration of the valence shell
as 4s24p2.
ANSWER: False should be 3s23p2.
5. An element with a valence shell of 3s2 has atomic number 10.
ANSWER: False should be 12
6. An element with atomic number 20 should have electrons in shells at 4 different energy
levels.
ANSWER: True
7. If a quadrilateral has a pair of congruent sides then it has a pair of congruent angles.
ANSWER: False
8. The diagonals of a rhombus are perpendicular bisectors of each other.
ANSWER: True
9. For any polygon the sum of the exterior angles is less than the sum of the interior angles.
ANSWER: False (examples are a triangle and a quadrilateral)
10. A change in chromosome number of a species results in the formation of a new species.
ANSWER: True
6
11. Essential amino acids can be synthesized in the body of organisms.
ANSWER: False
12. First class proteins contain very few amino acids.
ANSWER: False
13. A p-type semiconductor always contains excess protons.
ANSWER: False
14. An n-type semiconductor always has a net negative charge.
ANSWER: False
15. An intrinsic semiconductor contains equal concentrations of electrons and holes.
ANSWER: True
16. Starch and cellulose consist of identical monomers.
ANSWER: False. Monomers are different isomers of glucose
17. The monomers in both starch and cellulose are linked through ether linkages.
ANSWER: True. C – O – C
18. Table sugar, sucrose, is made up of two different units.
ANSWER: True Made up of fructose and glucose.
19. In the polynomial 5x2 – 5x + 7, the coefficient of x is 5.
ANSWER: False
20. The degree of a quadratic polynomial is 2.
ANSWER: True
21. The expression 3x2 – 5 is a binomial.
ANSWER: True
22. The plant body of Bryophytes is divided into root, stem and leaf portions.
ANSWER: False
23. In Bryophyta, the sporophyte and the gametophyte may be on the same plant or different
plants.
ANSWER: True
24. The vegetative parts of bryophytes are attached to the substratum by Rhizoids.
ANSWER: True
7
ROUND 4
Riddles
Riddle #1
1. I am a measuring device.
2. I come in a variety of designs, but all follow the same basic principle.
3. Types of me include the Bubble, the Mass, the Ganong's and the Darwin's.
4. I am sometimes known as a transpirometer.
5. I am used to measure the rate of water loss from a plant (transpiration).
WHO AM I?
ANSWER: Potometer
Riddle #2
1. I am a force field.
2. I am described by an inverse distance potential.
3. I am always attractive.
4. My sources are massive particles.
Who am I?
ANSWER: Gravitational field
Riddle #3
1. I am a three digit number between 100 and 200.
2. My second digit is the product of two prime numbers.
3. My last digit is the square of an odd prime digit.
4. I am myself an exact square..
5. The number formed by my first two digits is a square.
6. The sum of my digits is also an exact square.
8
Who am I?
ANSWER: 169
Riddle #4
1. I help to kick out peer pressure, because I hate it.
2. But I am not in the Police service or the military.
3. I am only a scientific law helping gases to maintain order among them.
4. I ensure that unless there is a chemical reaction, each gas retains its belongings or physical
property as much as possible when they assemble.
5. I am particular about individual pressures.
6. I am named after the famous scientist who discovered me and also researched into the
composition of matter.
Who am I?
ANSWER: Dalton’s Law of Partial Pressure.
