CONTEST 26

ROUND 1

1. Name the elements in Group (IV) or 14 whose symbols start with an S.

ANSWER: silicon (Si), and Tin (Sn).
2. Name the elements in Group (VI) or 16 whose symbols start with an S.
ANSWER: Sulphur (S), and Selenium (Se).
3. Name the elements in Group (II) whose symbols start with a B.
ANSWER: Beryllium (Be), and Barium (Ba).
PREAMBLE: Find the value of the trigonometric expression.
4. cos47°cos2° + sin47°sin2°
ANSWER: 1/√2 [cos(47° – 2°) = cos 45° = 1/√2]
5. sin13°cos17° + cos13°sin17°
ANSWER: ½ [ sin(13° + 17°) = sin30° = ½ ]
6. cos45°cos15° – sin45°sin15°
ANSWER: ½ [cos(45° + 15°) = cos60° = ½ ]
7. What name is given to the membrane that encloses the vacuole of a plant cell?
ANSWER: Tonoplast
8. Name the structure that surrounds a typical parenchyma cell.
ANSWER: Cell wall
9. Name the structure that surrounds red blood cells.
ANSWER: Membrane
PREAMBLE: The contact angle between a solid and liquids A , B, C , and D are 0 ° , 20 ° , 120 ° , and
130 ° respectively.
10. Which of the liquids forms a concave meniscus in a tube made of the solid?
ANSWER: A and B
11. Which of the liquids forms a convex meniscus in a tube made of the solid?
ANSWER: C and D
12. Which of the liquids completely wets the solid?
ANSWER: A only
13. Give the systematic name of an alkanoic acid with ten carbons in an open chain.
ANSWER: Decanoic acid.

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14. Give the systematic name of the most symmetrical alkanone with an open chain of seven carbons.
ANSWER: 4-Heptanone (CH3CH2CH2COCH2CH2CH3)
15. Give the systematic name of any one of the two most symmetrical hexadienes.
ANSWER: 1,5-hexadiene or hexa-1,5-diene
2,4-hexadiene or hexa-2,4-diene
PREAMBLE: Find the value of each expression.

16. (12 combination 2).

ANSWER: 66 [12 x 11 /2 = 6 x 11 = 66]

17.
ANSWER: 105 [ 15 x 14 /2 = 15 x 7 = 105]

18.
ANSWER: 120 [10 x 9 x 8/(3 x 2 x 1) = 10 x 3 x 4 = 120]
19. Name the phenomenon whereby the presence of a gene suppresses the effect of a gene on another
locus.
ANSWER: Epistatsis
20. What name is given to the gene whose effect is suppressed in epistatis?
ANSWER: Hypostasis gene
21. What name is given to the gene which does the suppression in epistasis?
ANSWER: Epistatic gene \ inhibiting gene
22. Find the reactance of a series combination of two 20 μ F capacitors at an angular frequency of 100 rad / s.
ANSWER: 1k Ω
X C =2 / ( ωC ) =1000 Ω=1 k Ω
23. Find the reactance of a parallel combination of two 25 μ F capacitors at an angular frequency of 40 rad / s .
ANSWER: 500 Ω
X C =1 / ( 2 ωC )=500 Ω=0.5 k Ω
24. Find the reactance of a series combination of two 10 μ F capacitors at an angular frequency of 500 rad / s .
ANSWER: 200 Ω
X C =2 / ( ωC ) =200 Ω=0.2 k Ω
25. Name a nuclear particle that has its analogue outside the nucleus of an atom.
ANSWER: Beta – particle.
26. Name the most ionizing nuclear particle.

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 ANSWER: α-particle
27. Name the most penetrating nuclear particle.
ANSWER: Gamma Ray.
PREAMBLE: Solve for x given:
28. (x – 3)2 = 9
ANSWER: x = 0, 6 [x – 3 = ±3, x = 3 ± 3, x = 0, x = 6]
2
29. (x + 2) = 16
ANSWER: x = 2, - 6 [x + 2 = ±4, x = -2 ± 4, x = 2, -6]
30. (x + 5)2 = 5
ANSWER: x = -5 ± √5 [(x + 5) = ± √5, x = -5 ± √5]
31. Name the process by which oxygen molecules move from the alveoli into the blood capillaries.
ANSWER: Diffusion
32. Name the process by which by mineral salts move into the roots of plants against a concentration
gradient.
ANSWER: Active transport
33. Name the process by which gases are exchanged by Amoeba and its immediate environment.
ANSWER: Diffusion
34. A long horizontal wire carries a large current flowing north. In which direction does the north pole of a
compass needle point when the compass is placed just beneath the wire?
ANSWER: West
35. A long horizontal wire carries a large current flowing south. In which direction does the north pole of a
compass needle point when the compass is placed just above the wire?
ANSWER: West
36. A long horizontal wire carries a large current flowing north. In which direction does the north pole of a
compass needle point when the compass is placed just above the wire?
ANSWER: East
37. 5.0cm of 2.0 moldm-3 solution of HCl were diluted to 25cm3. 10cm3 of this new solution were further
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diluted to 100cm3. What is the HCl concentration of the final solution?

ANSWER: 1st Dilution 5cm3 to 25cm3; 1 in 5
2nd Dilution 10cm3 to 100cm3; 1 in 10.
Total dilution is 1 in 50.
Hence, concentration of final HCl solution = 2/50 = 0.04moldm-3.

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38. 10cm3 of a concentrated KOH solution of unknown concentration were diluted to 35cm3. 15cm3 of
this was further diluted to 30cm3. This new solution was found to be 0.06 moldm-3 with respect to
KOH. What was the concentration of the original concentrated KOH solution?
ANSWER: 1st Dilution: 10cm3 to 35cm3; i.e. 1 in 3.5
2nd Dilution 15cm3 to 30cm3; i.e. 1 in 2.
Total dilution: 1 in 7.
Hence, concentration of the original solution = 0.06*7 = 0.42moldm-3.
39. Exactly 100cm3 of 0.15moldm-3 HCl solution is required to be prepared from 1.2moldm-3 HCl stock
solution. State two serial dilutions you would make so that the final one gives you exactly 100cm 3 of
the required concentration i.e. 0.15moldm-3.
ANSWER: 1.2moldm-3 HCl to 0.15moldm-3
Total dilution: 1 in 8 dilution
2 Possible approaches.
A; 1 in 2, follow by 1 in 4, dilution OR
B: 1 in 4, follow by 1 in 2, dilution.
Examples A: V cm3 diluted to 2V cm3
25 cm3 of this new solution is diluted to 100 cm3.
B: V cm3 diluted to 4V cm3
50 cm3 of this new solution is diluted to 100 cm3.
PREAMBLE: Find the median and the mode of the set of numbers.
40. 13, 17, 15, 18, 17, 19, 12
ANSWER: MEDIAN = 17, MODE = 17 [12, 13, 15, 17, 17, 18, 19]
41. 38, 29, 45, 38, 39, 48, 50
ANSWER: MEDIAN = 39, MODE = 38 [ 29, 38, 38, 39, 45, 48, 50]
42. 58, 48, 59, 45, 60, 59, 47
ANSWER: MEDIAN = 58, MODE = 59, [ 45, 47, 48, 58, 59, 59, 60]
43. A cell with a diploid number of 36 undergoes meiosis. How many chromosomes are in each daughter
cell?
ANSWER: 18
44. A cell goes through meiosis to produce daughter cells that have 24 chromosomes each. What is the
diploid number of the cell?
ANSWER: 48
45. What is the diploid number of a cell that goes through meiosis to produce daughter cells that have 34
chromosomes each?

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 ANSWER: 68
PREAMBLE: The elementary charge is approximately 1.6 ×10−19 C .

46. Find the electron flow rate through a copper wire carrying a current of 1.6 A .
19 −1
ANSWER: 10 s
19 −1
R=I / q=10 s
47. Find the magnitude of current in a copper wire through which the electron flow rate is 5 ×1015 s−1.
ANSWER: 0.8 mA
−4
I =Rq=8× 10 A=0.8 mA
48. Find the electron flow rate through a copper wire carrying a current of 8 A .
19 −1
ANSWER: 5 ×1 0 s

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 PROBLEM OF THE DAY

A 1 mm diameter wire8 m long is stretched between two fixed supports by a

40 N force. The density of the material of the wire is 5000 kg / m3.

a. Determine the mass per unit length of the wire.

b. Determine the speed of a transverse wave on the wire.

c. Calculate the frequency of the fundamental transverse wave on

the wire.

SOLUTION

a. Mass per unit length is V

2
μ= ρA= ρπ r =5000 kg / m × π × ( 0.5 × 10 m ) =0.004 kg / m .
2 3 −3

b. Wave speed v=√ F / μ=√ 40 N ÷ ( 0.004 kg / m )=100 m/ s.

v v
c. f = λ = 2l =100 m / s ÷ ( 2× 8 m )=6.25 Hz . The frequency is thus 6 Hz .

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 ROUND 3

TRUE OR FALSE

1. An object in a fluid displaces its own weight of fluid.

ANSWER: False
2. The weight of fluid displaced by a floating body equals the weight of the body.
ANSWER: True
3. A solid sphere immersed in a fluid displaces its own volume of fluid.
ANSWER: True
4. All free radical reactions require an external source of a free radical for the initiation reaction.
ANSWER: False A free radical can be formed from one of the reactants
5. A free radical can be formed from a homolytic fission of a covalent bond.
ANSWER: True
6. Nucleophiles are species that must have free electron pairs.
ANSWER: False carbon – carbon double bond can act as a nucleophile.
7. Glycolysis occurs in the mitochondria.
ANSWER: False
8. Glycolysis can occur with or without oxygen.
ANSWER: True
9. Glycolysis is the first step in both aerobic and anaerobic respiration.
ANSWER: True
10. tan2A = sec2A + 1.
ANSWER: False
2 2
11. cot A = cosec A – 1.
ANSWER: True
12. cos2A – sin2A = 1.
ANSWER: False
13. The reactance of a capacitor is directly proportional to frequency.
ANSWER: False
14. The reactance of a capacitor is independent of angular frequency.

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 ANSWER: False
15. The reactance of a capacitor varies inversely as the capacitance of the capacitor.
ANSWER: True
16. The ammonium cation gives an observable change with warm aqueous NaOH solution.
ANSWER: True NH3/ pungent gas is given off.
17. Fe3+ solution will not give any observable change with dilute ammonia solution.
ANSWER: False It gives rust/red – brown coloured precipitate
18. Ca2+ solution does not give any observable change when H2S gas is bubbled through it.
ANSWER: True No precipitate is formed.
19. Meiosis results in 2 haploid daughter cells.
ANSWER: False
20. Meiosis results in 4 diploid daughter cells.
ANSWER: False
21. Meiosis results in 4 haploid cells.
ANSWER: True
22. The line y = x intersects the circle x2 + y2 = 1 in 2 points.
ANSWER: True
23. A line and a circle intersect at 2 points or not at all.
ANSWER: False
24. Two distinct circles can intersect in only one point.
ANSWER: True

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 ROUND 4
RIDDLE

Riddle #1
1. I share a name with a venerable biblical character.
2. I was also born on a day that is popularly celebrated in honor of the birth of another biblical character.
3. But I am best known for several laws of nature named after me.
4. I wrote the Principia,
5. which was published in 1687
6. and which set forth among other things the laws governing the interaction of objects with mass.
Who am I?
ANSWER: Isaac Newton

Riddle #2
1. My name is derived from the Latin word which means 'to boil’.
2. I am a Natural process that precedes human history.
3. I have been used by humans for the production of food and beverages.
4. Louis Pasteur, in a series of investigations, showed that I am initiated by living organisms.
5. In food processing, I am used to convert carbohydrates to alcohols and carbon dioxide or organic
acids using yeasts, and bacteria.
Who am I?
ANSWER: Fermentation

Riddle #3
1. I am used in set theory as well as in Logic
2. I transform statements into alternative and more convenient forms.
3. Essentially I am two laws in one.
4. For sets I express the complement of union of two sets as the intersection of their complements.
5. I also transform the complement of the intersection of two sets into the union of their complements.
6. There is something French about me so far as my name is concerned.

Who am I?
ANSWER: De Morgan’s Laws

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Riddle #4
1. We are siblings.
2. We are of the same parentage
3. We have almost identical looks.
4. Our chemical properties do not differ.
5. If we do step on a weighing scale one after the other no two of us are likely to register the same
weight.
6. Our differences stem from the different number of neutrons we possess in our respective nuclei.
Who are we?
ANSWER: Isotopes

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