Question for March 18, 2010

X is a mythical sea monster of gargantuan size, said to have dwelt off the coasts of Norway and Iceland. The sheer size and fearsome appearance attributed to the beasts have made them common ocean-dwelling monsters in various fictional works. The legend may actually have originated from sightings of real giant squid that are variously estimated to grow to 13–15 m (40–50 ft) in length, including the tentacles. These creatures normally live at great depths, but have been sighted at the surface and reportedly have "attacked" ships. The name X is a Scandinavian word designating an unhealthy animal, or something twisted. In modern German, X means octopus.

A representative early description is given by the Swede Jacob Wallenberg in his book Min son på galejan ("My son on the galley") from 1781:

... X, also called the Crab-fish, which [according to the pilots of Norway] is not that huge, for heads and tails counted, he is no larger than our Öland is wide [i.e. less than 16 km] ... He stays at the sea floor, constantly surrounded by innumerable small fishes, who serve as his food and are fed by him in return: for his meal, if I remember correctly what E. Pontoppidan writes, lasts no longer than three months, and another three are then needed to digest it. His excrements nurture in the following an army of lesser fish, and for this reason, fishermen plumb after his resting place ... Gradually, X ascends to the surface, and when he is at ten to twelve fathoms, the boats had better move out of his vicinity, as he will shortly thereafter burst up, like a floating island, spurting water from his dreadful nostrils and making ring waves around him, which can reach many miles. Could one doubt that this is the Leviathan of Job?

Identify X.

Younger than π

The number X is, compared to π, a relative newcomer on the mathematics scene. The first approximation to X was found by Jacob Bernoulli, who while looking at the problem of compound interest found that the number must lie between 2 and 3.

The notation that we use for the number today was given by a great mathematician, who some claim derived the notation from the first letter of his name. Others say that the claim is ridiculous. The mathematician is also responsible for a lot of other notation we use.

In its IPO filing in 2004, Google announced its intention to raise X billion dollars, rounded to the nearest dollar.

On 2010 February 21 we knew 500,000,000,000 digits of X.

What number is X? Who is the mathematician?

Question for March 16 - PS

Who's patent is this?

Question for Mar 15

The "Self-Operating Napkin" (refer visual) is activated when the soup spoon (A) is raised to mouth, pulling string (B) and thereby jerking ladle (C) which throws cracker (D) past parrot (E). Parrot jumps after cracker and perch (F) tilts, upsetting seeds (G) into pail (H). Extra weight in pail pulls cord (I), which opens and lights automatic cigar lighter (J), setting off skyrocket (K) which causes sickle (L) to cut string (M) and allow the pendulum with the attached napkin to swing back and forth, thereby wiping chin.

Identify the inventor.

Question for 12th March, 2010

X was originally composed by Y as "A Time for Tony", a lullaby for the Y's son Tony. X has been heard since 1964 and has now inserted itself into popular culture. X is often used at baseball stadiums when the manager goes out to the pitcher's mound to discuss a replacement, or during instant replay reviews, or at short-track races when officials are trying to ascertain the cause of an accident which may result in a penalty. On numerous shows, including The Jerry Springer Show and Boston Legal, X (or some variation thereof) is heard when a choice has to be made or a result is being awaited. Y estimated that the X earned him royalties of over $70 million.

What's X? Bonus points for identifying Y.

Map again! March 11th 2010

What does this map represent? Be as specific as you can.

Question for Mar 10, 2010

The term X entered the Oxford Dictionary in 1990, though the term was known for more than a decade prior to that. In 1976, Doug Bower and Dave Chorley conceived X as a prank, and in 1978, using planks, rope, hats and wire as their only tools, created X. When this did not receive significant publicity, they repeated it in 1981. When it was claimed that X was due to natural phenomena, the two created more and more complex versions of X. Others created their own versions of X, which led to groups of people attributing extra-terrestrial or other paranormal activity as the source of X, even in the face of documented proof of a human hand in X. In 1999, a researcher studied X, and concluded that 80% of all X were man-made, but could not account for the remaining 20%. The controversy over its origin continues to rage.

Identify X.