Random Science
A group of flamingos is called a "flamboyance." What is a group of jellyfish called?
A smack (also accept: bloom or swarm)
A clock reads 3:15. What is the angle between the hour and minute hands?
7.5 degrees
In the Roller Coaster event, teams build a track to guide a ball from start to finish. What is the ONLY energy source the ball is allowed to use?
Gravity / gravitational potential energy — no motors, springs, or anything else!
If you fold a piece of paper in half 10 times, roughly how thick would it be — the width of your hand, the height of a house, or the length of a football field?
About the height of a house
You have a 3-liter jug and a 5-liter jug and need to measure exactly 4 liters. How?
Fill the 5L, pour into 3L until full (leaves 2L in 5L), empty the 3L, pour the 2L in, fill the 5L again, pour into 3L until full — leaves exactly 4L in the 5L jug
In the Glider event, teams assemble a model airplane on-site at the tournament — without using any glue or adhesives. What are they trying to achieve?
Maximum time aloft
True or false — archaeologists have found 3,000-year-old honey in Egyptian tombs and it was still edible.
True! Honey never expires thanks to its low water content and natural hydrogen peroxide.
A snail travels 3 meters per hour. How many hours does it take to cross a 1km road?
~333 hours (about 14 days — poor snail)
In Thermodynamics, teams must construct an insulated device prior to the tournament that is designed to retain heat, AND complete a written test on thermodynamic concepts. Name one thing your device needs to do well to win.
Retain heat / minimize heat loss (insulation!)
This element has the chemical symbol "Au" — and pirates love it.
Gold
How many seconds are in a day? You have 30 seconds to calculate it.
86,400 (60 × 60 × 24)
In Food Science, participants answer questions on food chemistry with a focus on sugars, and also build a hydrometer capable of measuring sugar solutions. What is a hydrometer used to measure?
The density (or sugar concentration) of a liquid
This is the scientific term for a brain freeze.
Sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia
This famous ratio, approximately 1.618, appears in nature, art, and architecture. Name it.
The Golden Ratio (phi, φ)
In Botany, participants demonstrate their knowledge of plant life and general botany principles. This process, used by plants to convert sunlight into food, is the subject of many Botany questions — name it AND the molecule in plant cells that makes it possible.
Photosynthesis, and chlorophyll