Pinnacle
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1129
Registered: 06-10-2004
IP: Logged

What is an octothorpe?



P.S. If you're going to add something, PLEASE make sure it's true.



[Edited by Pinnacle on 06-16-2004 at 04:56 PM GMT: added P.S.]

[Edited by Pinnacle on 06-16-2004 at 05:12 PM GMT: Added something]

____________________________
Once (adv.): Enough.
Twice (adv.): Once too often.
~Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary

gamer_extreme_101
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1939
Registered: 03-07-2004
IP: Logged

True or False

Lion attacks are the most common animal attack in Africa.



[Edited by gamer_extreme_101 on 06-16-2004 at 05:09 PM GMT]

____________________________
--That guy with a million different aliases since he doesn't like this name anymore.

eytanz
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2708
Registered: 02-05-2003
IP: Logged

Really? I'd assume it'd be mosquitos or something.

____________________________
I got my avatar back! Yay!

gamer_extreme_101
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1939
Registered: 03-07-2004
IP: Logged

Animal...not insect, unless you really want to get technical.


____________________________
--That guy with a million different aliases since he doesn't like this name anymore.

masonjason
Level: Smiter

Rank Points: 349
Registered: 12-29-2003
IP: Logged

Insects are animals, but let's not get too pedantic.
My random (fairly) useless fact:
A quarter of the 2^25 Lights Out configurations on a 5 * 5 grid are solvable, and those which are solvable each have four solutions.


____________________________
Eighty people came to the bazaar.

The_Red_Hawk
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 783
Registered: 09-02-2003
IP: Logged

The capital of Brunei is Bandar Seri Begawan.

Mosquitoes always stay on your skin at least a minute before biting you.

SO2 + H20 = H2SO4

____________________________
Slashing, whirling, diving, twirling,
Snapping, turning, rising, swirling,
Screeching, flipping, gliding, sliding,
The red hawk's dance of death.

.....the king of the skies.....

masonjason
Level: Smiter

Rank Points: 349
Registered: 12-29-2003
IP: Logged

Where did that extra oxygen atom come from?

____________________________
Eighty people came to the bazaar.

The_Red_Hawk
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 783
Registered: 09-02-2003
IP: Logged

That's what I learned in school. I don't know. It's the chemical equation for acid rain.

____________________________
Slashing, whirling, diving, twirling,
Snapping, turning, rising, swirling,
Screeching, flipping, gliding, sliding,
The red hawk's dance of death.

.....the king of the skies.....

masonjason
Level: Smiter

Rank Points: 349
Registered: 12-29-2003
IP: Logged

SO3 + H2O -> H2SO4

____________________________
Eighty people came to the bazaar.

Watcher
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 902
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

If n is a factor of 4294967295 (2 ^ 32 - 1), it is possible to construct a regular n-gon using only a ruler and a compass. No other odd numbers are known for which this is possible.

[Edited by Watcher on 06-16-2004 at 09:58 PM GMT: Wrong term used]

____________________________
Today the refrigerator, tomorrow the world!

agaricus5
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1838
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

The_Red_Hawk wrote:
SO2 + H20 = H2SO4

Which was corrected...

masonjason wrote:
SO3 + H2O -> H2SO4

However, there is an intermediate step you forgot.

2SO2 + O2 <-> 2SO3

It's an important reaction in the formation of acid rain and in the Contact Process to form sulphuric acid industrially.

In the Contact Process, sulphur trioxide is dissolved in concentrated sulphuric acid to form oleum.

SO3 + H2SO4 -> H2S2O7

Oleum is then dissolved in water to make more sulphuric acid.

H2S2O7 + H2O -> 2H2SO4

____________________________
Resident Medic/Mycologist

eytanz
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2708
Registered: 02-05-2003
IP: Logged

agaricus5 wrote:

The_Red_Hawk wrote:
SO2 + H20 = H2SO4

Which was corrected...

masonjason wrote:
SO3 + H2O -> H2SO4

However, there is an intermediate step you forgot.

2SO2 + O2 <-> 2SO3

So, strictly speaking, isn't it really (from a point of view of what it takes to make acid rain):

2SO2 + O2 + 2H20 = 2H2SO4?

Just curious, I'm about as ignorant about chemistry as it gets...

Eytan

____________________________
I got my avatar back! Yay!

Mikko
Level: Master Delver
Rank Points: 276
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

Watcher wrote:
If n is a divisor of 4294967295 (2 ^ 32 - 1), it is possible to construct a regular n-gon using only a ruler and a compass. No other odd numbers are known for which this is possible.

What about 3? (or 5 or 15 or 17)

Watcher
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 902
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

Mikko wrote:
What about 3? (or 5 or 15 or 17)

My bad. The correct term is "factor". In Danish, the term is "divisor", so I just used that one without thinking about it.

____________________________
Today the refrigerator, tomorrow the world!

eytanz
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2708
Registered: 02-05-2003
IP: Logged

I think the point is that if n is a factor of 15, it is possible to construct a regular n-gon using only a ruler and a compass.

I'm pretty sure 15 is an odd number...

____________________________
I got my avatar back! Yay!

Watcher
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 902
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

eytanz wrote:
I think the point is that if n is a factor of 15, it is possible to construct a regular n-gon using only a ruler and a compass.

I'm pretty sure 15 is an odd number...

Bloody ambiguous sentences. I meant that the factors of 2 ^ 32 - 1 are precisely those odd numbers for which it is possible to construct a regular n-gon with ruler and compass. The second sentence referred to the property of an n-gon being constructible. I thought the repeat of "possible" made that clear, but I guess not.

____________________________
Today the refrigerator, tomorrow the world!

DiMono
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1181
Registered: 09-13-2003
IP: Logged

If 2^p - 1 is prime, then the factors of n = (2^p - 1) * 2^(p-1) will add to 2n. This is called a Perfect Number.

i.e. p=5
2^5 - 1 = 31
2^(5-1)=16
31*16=496
factors are 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 31, 62, 124, 248, 496

496
248
124
 62
 31
 16
  8
  4
  2
  1
---
992

The math-savvy can go here for an in-depth explanation of why this works.

____________________________
Deploy the... I think it's a yellow button... it's usually flashing... it makes the engines go... WHOOSH!

leroy00
Level: Master Delver

Rank Points: 155
Registered: 09-30-2003
IP: Logged

Now you've opened a can of worms, Hawk.

eytanz wrote:

So, strictly speaking, isn't it really (from a point of view of what it takes to make acid rain):

2SO2 + O2 + 2H2O = 2H2SO4?

Just curious, I'm about as ignorant about chemistry as it gets...

Eytan

Well, yes. But also

SO2 + H2O = H2SO3.

Both H2SO3 and H2SO4 are strong acids. In the air, SO2 and SO3 exist alongside each other.

(Perhaps) useless facts about acid rain: All rain is acidic due to dissolved carbon dioxide, as
CO2 + H2O = H2CO3,
carbonic acid. Therefore, acid rain is defined to be limited to rain with a pH less than 5.6. Acid rain mobilises heavy metals which would otherwise not dissolve in water. Nitrogen compounds, the infamous NOx family, are also a cause of acid rain.
Fill in the blank:

--leroy



____________________________
You can hear happiness staggering on down the street -- footless, dressed in red.
-Jimi Hendrix, "The Wind Cries Mary"

agaricus5
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1838
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

leroy00 wrote:
Now you've opened a can of worms, Hawk.

eytanz wrote:

So, strictly speaking, isn't it really (from a point of view of what it takes to make acid rain):

2SO2 + O2 + 2H2O = 2H2SO4?

Just curious, I'm about as ignorant about chemistry as it gets...

Eytan

Well, yes. But also

SO2 + H2O = H2SO3.

Both H2SO3 and H2SO4 are strong acids. In the air, SO2 and SO3 exist alongside each other.

Cool. I didn't know about that. What do you call 2O = H2SO3 then?

(Perhaps) useless facts about acid rain: All rain is acidic due to dissolved carbon dioxide, as
CO2 + H2O = H2CO3,
carbonic acid. Therefore, acid rain is defined to be limited to rain with a pH less than 5.6. Acid rain mobilises heavy metals which would otherwise not dissolve in water.

It also dissolves limestone in a way that allows it to cause water hardness and be deposited somewhere else if heated. Normally, acids added to carbonates form salts, water and carbon dioxide:

2HCl + CaCO3 -> H2O + CO2 + CaCl2.

However, carbonic acid, itself containing a CO3 2- ion, instead reacts with the carbonate to form hydrogencarbonate:

H2CO3 + CaCO3 -> Ca(HCO3)2.

Hydrogencarbonate can then be decomposed by heating to leave carbonate on surfaces, which is what we call "limescale":

Ca(HCO3)2 -> H2O + CO2 + CaCO3

Nitrogen compounds, the infamous NOx family, are also a cause of acid rain.
Fill in the blank:

Click here to view the secret text

×NO2 + H2O = H2NO3

--leroy

Huh? I thought nitrogen has a valency of 3 or 5, not 4, so the NO3 ion has a 1- charge (You can also get NO2 ions with 1- charges as well, due to the difference in oxidation state).

I'm sure nitric acid has a formula of HNO3, not H2NO3



____________________________
Resident Medic/Mycologist

Nillo
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 548
Registered: 01-04-2004
IP: Logged

Some random, useless facts about words:

"TYPEWRITER" can be typed using only the top row of letters on a standard keyboard.

"STEWARDESSES" can be typed using only the left hand

Longest word in the english language:
PNEUMONO­ULTRA­MICRO­SCOPIC­SILICO­VOLCANO­CONIOSIS (45 letters)
= a lung disease caused by breathing in particles of siliceous volcanic dust.

If chemical terms are allowed, this is the longest word:
ACETYL­SERYL­TYROSYL­SERYL­ISO­LEUCYL­THREONYL­SERYL­PROLYL­SERYL­GLUTAMINYL­PHENYL­ALANYL­VALYL­PHENYL­ALANYL­LEUCYL­SERYL­SERYL­VALYL­TRYPTOPHYL­ALANYL­ASPARTYL­PROLYL­ISOLEUCYL­GLUTAMYL­LEUCYL­LEUCYL­ASPARAGINYL­VALYL­CYSTEINYL­THREONYL­SERYL­SERYL­LEUCYL­GLYCYL­ASPARAGINYL­GLUTAMINYL­PHENYL­ALANYL­GLUTAMINYL­THREONYL­GLUTAMINYL­GLUTAMINYL­ALANYL­ARGINYL­THREONYL­THREONYL­GLUTAMINYL­VALYL­GLUTAMINYL­GLUTAMINYL­PHENYL­ALANYL­SERYL­GLUTAMINYL­VALYL­TRYPTOPHYL­LYSYL­PROLYL­PHENYL­ALANYL­PROLYL­GLUTAMINYL­SERYL­THREONYL­VALYL­ARGINYL­PHENYL­ALANYL­PROLYL­GLYCYL­ASPARTYL­VALYL­TYROSYL­LYSYL­VALYL­TYROSYL­ARGINYL­TYROSYL­ASPARAGINYL­ALANYL­VALYL­LEUCYL­ASPARTYL­PROLYL­LEUCYL­ISOLEUCYL­THREONYL­ALANYL­LEUCYL­LEUCYL­GLYCYL­THREONYL­PHENYL­ALANYL­ASPARTYL­THREONYL­ARGINYL­ASPARAGINYL­ARGINYL­ISOLEUCYL­ISOLEUCYL­GLUTAMYL­VALYL­GLUTAMYL­ASPARAGINYL­GLUTAMINYL­GLUTAMINYL­SERYL­PROLYL­THREONYL­THREONYL­ALANYL­GLUTAMYL­THREONYL­LEUCYL­ASPARTYL­ALANYL­THREONYL­ARGINYL­ARGINYL­VALYL­ASPARTYL­ASPARTYL­ALANYL­THREONYL­VALYL­ALANYL­ISOLEUCYL­ARGINYL­SERYL­ALANYL­ASPARAGINYL­ISOLEUCYL­ASPARAGINYL­LEUCYL­VALYL­ASPARAGINYL­GLUTAMYL­LEUCYL­VALYL­ARGINYL­GLYCYL­THREONYL­GLYCYL­LEUCYL­TYROSYL­ASPARAGINYL­GLUTAMINYL­ASPARAGINYL­THREONYL­PHENYL­ALANYL­GLUTAMYL­SERYL­METHIONYL­SERYL­GLYCYL­LEUCYL­VALYL­TRYPTOPHYL­THREONYL­SERYL­ALANYL­PROLYL­ALANYL­SERINE (1185 letters)
= Tobacco Mosaic Virus, Dahlemense Strain.
This word has appeared in the American Chemical Society's Chemical Abstracts and is thus considered by some to be the longest real word.

Although some say SMILES is the longest word because there is a MILE between the first and last letters...

____________________________
“Folks say that if you listen real close at the height of the full moon, when the wind is blowin' off Nantucket Sound from the nor' east and the dogs are howlin' for no earthly reason, you can hear the awful screams of the crew of the 'Ellie May,' a sturdy whaler Captained by John McTavish; for it was on just such a night when the rum was flowin' and, Davey Jones be damned, big John brought his men on deck for the first of several screaming contests.”

agaricus5
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1838
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

Nillo wrote:
If chemical terms are allowed, this is the longest word:
ACETYL­SERYL­TYROSYL­SERYL­ISO­LEUCYL­THREONYL­SERYL­PROLYL­SERYL­GLUTAMINYL­PHENYL­ALANYL­VALYL­PHENYL­ALANYL­LEUCYL­SERYL­SERYL­VALYL­TRYPTOPHYL­ALANYL­ASPARTYL­PROLYL­ISOLEUCYL­GLUTAMYL­LEUCYL­LEUCYL­ASPARAGINYL­VALYL­CYSTEINYL­THREONYL­SERYL­SERYL­LEUCYL­GLYCYL­ASPARAGINYL­GLUTAMINYL­PHENYL­ALANYL­GLUTAMINYL­THREONYL­GLUTAMINYL­GLUTAMINYL­ALANYL­ARGINYL­THREONYL­THREONYL­GLUTAMINYL­VALYL­GLUTAMINYL­GLUTAMINYL­PHENYL­ALANYL­SERYL­GLUTAMINYL­VALYL­TRYPTOPHYL­LYSYL­PROLYL­PHENYL­ALANYL­PROLYL­GLUTAMINYL­SERYL­THREONYL­VALYL­ARGINYL­PHENYL­ALANYL­PROLYL­GLYCYL­ASPARTYL­VALYL­TYROSYL­LYSYL­VALYL­TYROSYL­ARGINYL­TYROSYL­ASPARAGINYL­ALANYL­VALYL­LEUCYL­ASPARTYL­PROLYL­LEUCYL­ISOLEUCYL­THREONYL­ALANYL­LEUCYL­LEUCYL­GLYCYL­THREONYL­PHENYL­ALANYL­ASPARTYL­THREONYL­ARGINYL­ASPARAGINYL­ARGINYL­ISOLEUCYL­ISOLEUCYL­GLUTAMYL­VALYL­GLUTAMYL­ASPARAGINYL­GLUTAMINYL­GLUTAMINYL­SERYL­PROLYL­THREONYL­THREONYL­ALANYL­GLUTAMYL­THREONYL­LEUCYL­ASPARTYL­ALANYL­THREONYL­ARGINYL­ARGINYL­VALYL­ASPARTYL­ASPARTYL­ALANYL­THREONYL­VALYL­ALANYL­ISOLEUCYL­ARGINYL­SERYL­ALANYL­ASPARAGINYL­ISOLEUCYL­ASPARAGINYL­LEUCYL­VALYL­ASPARAGINYL­GLUTAMYL­LEUCYL­VALYL­ARGINYL­GLYCYL­THREONYL­GLYCYL­LEUCYL­TYROSYL­ASPARAGINYL­GLUTAMINYL­ASPARAGINYL­THREONYL­PHENYL­ALANYL­GLUTAMYL­SERYL­METHIONYL­SERYL­GLYCYL­LEUCYL­VALYL­TRYPTOPHYL­THREONYL­SERYL­ALANYL­PROLYL­ALANYL­SERINE (1185 letters)
= Tobacco Mosaic Virus, Dahlemense Strain.
This word has appeared in the American Chemical Society's Chemical Abstracts and is thus considered by some to be the longest real word.

Actually, I'd think that to be completely wrong. What you have written is actually just the names of the amino acid components of some protein stuck together in a semi-chemical format. Since many proteins can be hundreds to thousands of amino acids long, written in this way, they would contain several thousand letters.

However, I have no idea if this is actually an accepted way of writing the full name of a protein or not, so I guess this is not really true.

Plus, each amino acid has a much longer chemical definition, so if each amino acid was translated into its chemical counterpart, it would be much longer. For example, glycine, the shortest amino acid found in nature, has a structure like this:

    H   H   O
     \\  |  //
      N-C-C
     /  |  \\
    H   H   O-H

CH2NH2COOH (I think)

Its proper name is 2-aminoethanoic acid, which is much longer than its special name.

____________________________
Resident Medic/Mycologist

mrimer
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 5058
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

"Strengths" is the longest one syllable word in the English language.

____________________________
Gandalf? Yes... That's what they used to call me.
Gandalf the Grey. That was my name.
I am Gandalf the White.
And I come back to you now at the turn of the tide.

eytanz
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2708
Registered: 02-05-2003
IP: Logged

Except, of course, for "Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!"

____________________________
I got my avatar back! Yay!

The_Red_Hawk
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 783
Registered: 09-02-2003
IP: Logged

mrimer wrote:
"Strengths" is the longest one syllable word in the English language.

Also the longest one with only one vowel.

____________________________
Slashing, whirling, diving, twirling,
Snapping, turning, rising, swirling,
Screeching, flipping, gliding, sliding,
The red hawk's dance of death.

.....the king of the skies.....

RoboBob3000
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1978
Registered: 10-23-2003
IP: Logged

I think the title of longest word with only one vowel belongs to "psychorhythms", but only if you're not counting the y.

____________________________
http://beepsandbloops.wordpress.com/

RoboBob3000
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1978
Registered: 10-23-2003
IP: Logged

That last fact was found from this interesting site, which also makes this claim:

"DORD is a non-existent word entered into the second edition of Webster's New International Dictionary by mistake."

If only it had been DROD.

____________________________
http://beepsandbloops.wordpress.com/

Stuwy
Level: Master Delver

Rank Points: 212
Registered: 04-10-2003
IP: Logged

No piece of square dry paper can be folded more than 7 times.

The only 15 letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is "uncopyrightable".

Bat's only turn left when they exit a cave.

Peanut Butter is the main ingredient of dynomight.

Zmann
Level: Master Delver

Rank Points: 241
Registered: 04-21-2003
IP: Logged

Stuwy wrote:
No piece of square dry paper can be folded more than 7 times.

That's of course if you do it with just your hands. You can fold it more than 7 times if you use a vise or pliers.

RoboBob3000
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1978
Registered: 10-23-2003
IP: Logged

I can fold a piece of paper with my hands 7 times. Just not in half every time.

____________________________
http://beepsandbloops.wordpress.com/

Zmann
Level: Master Delver

Rank Points: 241
Registered: 04-21-2003
IP: Logged

Yes... I think he means this:

You cannot fold a square piece of paper in half more than seven times only using your hands.

I've heard this before, but I don't know how true it is.

If a really strong man (or woman) tried to do it, I'm sure he/she could... I dunno.

[Edited by Zmann on 06-18-2004 at 03:52 AM GMT]