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Answers to Trivia
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December...
Question 1: Sequential Differential
What is the next number in this sequence?
1, 11, 21, 1211, 111221, 312211, 13112221, __?
A- 1113213211
After the first item in the list, the following entries simply describe the previous entry. The second entry describes the first: “one 1”, the third describes the second: “2 ones”. The fourth describes the third: “one 2, one 1”, etc. So to describe the last entry in the list we would say: “one 1, one 3, two 1’s, three 2’s, and one 1” – or as a pure number: 1113213211
Courtesy of AutomationDirect.com
Question 2: Visual Conundrum
HINT: A fictional Christmas character
A- The Grinch
November...
Question 1: Halloween Hex
How many people can understand 'hex', IF only you, your math teacher, and DEAD people can understand hex?
A- 57007
The trick is that the word DEAD represents a number in hexadecimal. That number in base 10, plus one to include yourself, and another to include the math teacher, is: 57005 + 1 + 1 = 57007.
Courtesy of AutomationDirect.com
Question 2: Visual Conundrum
HINT: A wiring mistake
A- Reverse Polarity
October...
Question 1: IO, IO, It’s off to Work We Go
A PLC system contains 36 I/O modules and a total of 100 I/O points. All the input modules are 4 point, and all the output modules are 2 point – except for one 6 point input and one 4 point output. Can you discern the number of input vs. output modules in the system?
A- There are 12 input modules and 24 outputs in the system
Let i = the number of input modules in the system, the total number of output modules will be 36-i
We can total the I/O points thusly:
4(i - 1) + 6 + 2(36 - i - 1) + 4 = 100
Solve for i: i=12 input modules, and so the number of output modules must be 24
Courtesy of AutomationDirect.com
Question 2: Visual Conundrum
HINT: The effects of a decision or event
A- Fallout
September...
Question 1: Fuse Ruse
An automation supplier (who shall remain nameless) sells fuses in strange quantities. Boxes of fuses are available containing 16, 17, 23, 24, 39, and 40 fuses respectively, but they will not sell them any other way – nor will they break a box. A customer wished to order exactly 100 fuses. Were they able to fill the order exactly? They have ample quantities of all box sizes.
A- They shipped four boxes of 17 and two boxes of 16 = 100 fuses
Courtesy of AutomationDirect.com
Question 2: Visual Conundrum
HINT: An Australian Animal
A- Platypus
August...
Question 1: A line is drawn from the top left corner to the bottom right corner of the outermost rectangle. Area A and B are two rectangles. Which area is larger?
A- Both are equal
Since the diagonal line intersects the junction of all the rectangles, areas C and D are equal, as well as areas E and F. Therefore areas A and B are equal.
Courtesy of AutomationDirect.com
Question 2: Visual Conundrum
HINT: An Australian Rock Band
A- Crowded House
June...
Question 1: This set of diagrams follows a certain logic. What should replace the question mark?
A- 7
The difference between bottom left and sum of other corners.
Courtesy of Mensa 'Test Your Logic'
Question 2: Visual Conundrum
HINT: A mathematical concept
A- Square Root
May...
Question 1: What was the name of the first robot put into production in industry and how was it controlled?
A- UniMate, controlled via Drum Sequencer
Special thanks to Adam Germano from WestWater Enterprises for this trivia question.
Question 2: Visual Conundrum
HINT: A common phrase
A- Right between the eyes
February...
Question 1: Fill in the blanks. Use each of the numbers 1 – 9 to fill-in the blanks and complete a valid pair of equations:
A- 17 x 4 = 68 + 25 = 93
AutomationDirect would like to credit an 1800th century mathematician – Henry Ernest Dudeney (10 April 1857 – 24 April 1930) for this trivia question.
Question 2: Visual Conundrum
HINT: A deadly poison with historical significance, supposedly used by Ancient Greeks such as Socrates.
A- Hemlock
January...
Question 1: Recently the PLC Tenors' Association's 7 members gave a concert at the city tradeshow. Each tenor sang a duet with every other tenor. How many duets were there?
A- 21
Tenor 1 sings with tenors 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 = 6 duets. Tenor 2 has already sung with tenor 1 = 5 more duets. And so the remaining duets decrease in steps of 4, 3, and 2, to 1.
Trivia question and answer adapted from 'Think!' by John Pinkney
Question 2: Visual Conundrum
HINT: A well-known location in Western Australia
A- Cable Beach
December...
Question 1: What is the inrush current for a single 220W LED High-Bay pendant light which draws 1 Amp of steady state current?
A) 1 Amp
B) 10 Amps
C) 50 Amps
D) 100 Amps
Information courtesy of https://www.ametherm.com/blog/inrush-current/inrush-current-protection-led-lighting-retrofits/
Question 2: Visual Conundrum
HINT: A common type of alternating current used in electricity generation, transmission, and distribution.
A- 3 phase
November...
Question 1: How many I/O modules can the Productivity1000 connect to?
A- The Productivity1000 can connect up to 15 I/O modules.
Question 2: Visual Conundrum
HINT: An open client/server protocol, supported by Productivity1000 PLCs
A- Modbus
October...
Question 1:
What year was the first Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) introduced and into which industry?
A- The first PLC was introduced in 1969 by Bedford Associates as a solution to a proposal issued by the Automotive Industry (specifically General Motors)
This month's trivia question supplied by Adam Germano from Westwater Enterprises.
Question 2: Visual Conundrum
HINT: Name of a geographical location along the rim of the Pacific Ocean known for its volcanic activity.
A- Ring of Fire
September...
Question 1
You are in a race and overtake the person in third position. What position are you now in?
A- 3rd position
Question 2: Visual Conundrum
HINT: A storage device...
A- Hardrive
June...
Question 1
A snail climbs a 12 meter tower. During the day, it ascends 1 meter but at night it drops 40cm. How many days will it take the snail to reach to top of the tower?
A- 20 days (snail travels .6m each day. Height of tower divided by distance = days)
Question 2: Visual Conundrum
HINT: A Dostoevsky novel...
A- Crime and Punishment
May...
Question 1
What does PID stand for?
A- Proportional-integral-derivative
Question 2: Visual Conundrum
HINT: An analog variable in PID control loop theory
A- Setpoint
April...
Question 1
"I've never been much good at arithmetic,' admitted Professor Pulza. 'In fact, the only mathematical rule I remember from school is that EIGHT NINES EQUAL 1125.'
How did Pulza reach that curious mathematical conclusion??
A- 9 + 9 + 9 + 99 + 999 = 1125
Q2: Visual Conundrum
HINT: Name of the mathematical formula adopted by artists and designers to achieve beauty, balance and harmony.
A- Golden Ratio, also known as the golden section, golden mean, divine proportion or Fibonacci sequence.
February...
Question 1
Q- Each Wednesday a bunch of coworkers meet at a cafe for lunch. Although each eats a differently-priced meal, they share the bill equally.
This particular day, it resulted in one man paying $1 less than he should, another $3 more, another $4 less and the last paid $4.
What was the original price of each meal?
A- $5, $1, $8 and $2
Q2: Visual Conundrum
HINT: Shakespearean phrase from Othello, meaning to be vulnerable.
A- Wear my heart upon my sleeve
January...
Question 1
Q- If you were trying to detect a stainless object, using a AC1-xx-1x sensor, what would be the stainless sensing distance?
- Sensor's sensing distance = 0.8mm
- Stainless correction = 0.63
A- Stainless sensing distance = 0.8mm X 0.63 = 0.504mm
So the maximum sensing distance for a AC1-xx-1x sensor, detecting a stainless object, is 0.504mm.
Q2: Visual Conundrum
HINT: To give a definite form
A- Crystalise
December...
Question 1
Q- How many lords a-leaping in the '12 Days of Christmas' carol?
A- 10 Lords a-leaping
Q2: Visual Conundrum
HINT: Place in Western Australia
A- Exmouth
November...
Question 1
Q- What does MQTT stand for?
A- Message Queuing Telemetry Transport
Q2: Visual Conundrum
HINT: Name of a common plug & play device
A- USB (Universal Serial Bus)
October...
Question 1
Q- What is the name given to the pleasant smell that frequently accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather?
A- Petrichor
Q2: Visual Conundrum
HINT: Famous Australian Landmark
A- Devils Marbles or Karlu Karlu
September...
Question 1
Q- What is the main difference between sonar and radar?
A- Both are sensor systems which use the transmission and reception of return signals to function. Radar systems operate using radio waves primarily in air, while sonar systems operate using sound waves primarily in water (Minkoff, 1991).
Q2: Visual Conundrum
HINT: An intense localised eruption in the Sun's atmosphere
A- Solar Flare
July...
Question 1
Q- How long is a nanosecond?
A- C) One billionth of a second.
A nanosecond (ns) is an SI unit of time equal to one billionth of a second, that is, 1⁄1 000 000 000 of a second, or 10−9 seconds. (Wiki)
Q2: Visual Conundrum
HINT: Set of rules for a programming language.
A- Python Syntax
June...
Question 1
Q- ViewMarq Industrial LED displays offer 6 models. How many have built-in Ethernet?
A- All 6 models have built-in Ethernet.
These industrial text message displays utilize both serial and Ethernet networks and can be connected to a PLC, PC, or any device capable of serial ASCII, Modbus RTU, or Modbus TCP communication.
Q2: Crack the Code
Use the number clues to determine the names of all 4 children.
A- 1652 = LISA, 0231 = CARL, 5429 = SEAN, 3854 = ROSE
C L A R E S I M O N
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
March...
Question 1
Q- Who invented Network Time Protocol (NTP?)
A- NTP was designed by David L. Mills in 1985. NTP (and variations) are still in use today.
A quick Wikipedia reference- The Network Time Protocol (NTP) is a networking protocol for clock synchronization between computer systems over packet-switched, variable-latency data networks. NTP is intended to synchronize all participating computers to within a few milliseconds of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). It uses the intersection algorithm, a modified version of Marzullo's algorithm, to select accurate time servers and is designed to mitigate the effects of variable network latency. NTP can usually maintain time to within tens of milliseconds over the public Internet, and can achieve better than one millisecond accuracy in local area networks under ideal conditions.
Many PLCs feature NTP or a less complex implementation SNTP (Simple Network Time Protocol.
Q2: Visual Conundrum
A common idiom/ saying
A- Barking up the wrong tree
January...
Question 1
Q- Starting with 'B', which collective noun for bees is also a mode of transport?
A- BIKE
Question 2
Q- ABCDE X 4 = EDCBA
A=? B=? C=? D=? E=?
A- 21978
There is a number in math that when multiplied by 4, the opposite will appear.
This number is: 21978
So A = 2, B = 1, C = 9, D = 7, E = 8
2021
December...
Trivia
Q- According to the song, what did my true love give to me on the fifth day of Christmas?
A- 5 GOLDEN RINGS
Visual Conundrum
An Australian Colloquialism
Answer- Fair Crack of the Whip
November...
Trivia
Q- In cybercrime, what does DDoS stand for?
A- Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack
Visual Conundrum
This week we gave you three letter/number puzzles to solve. Did you get them all?
Answers
A) Backward glance B) H20 (H to O) C) Two degrees below zero
October...
Trivia
Q- Which element has the atomic number 12?
A- Magnesium
Helium (2), Carbon (6)
Visual Conundrum
Hint- Famous Australian Landmark
Answer- Great Ocean Road.
September...
Trivia
Q- Annular, total, partial and hybrid are all types of what? (Astronomy)
A- Solar Eclipses
Total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon completely covers the Sun, as seen from Earth.
Partial solar eclipse happens when the Moon only partially covers the disk of the Sun.
Annular solar eclipse occurs when the New Moon covers the Sun's center, leaving its outer edges to form a “ring of fire” or annulus.
Hybrid solar eclipse is a rare form of a solar eclipse, which changes from an annular to a total solar eclipse, and vice versa, along its path.
Total Eclipse of the Heart- song released by Bonnie Tyler in 1983 and still has one of the weirdest film clips of all time.
Visual Conundrum
Hint- Name of a Famous Scientist/ Mathmatician
Answer- Ada Lovelace
Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace (née Byron; 10 December 1815 – 27 November 1852) was an English mathematician and writer, chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage's proposed mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine. She was the first to recognise that the machine had applications beyond pure calculation, and to have published the first algorithm intended to be carried out by such a machine. As a result, she is often regarded as the first computer programmer.
Source: Wikipedia
August...
Trivia
Q- Seth is smaller than Sam, but taller than Slim. Stan is smaller than Sam but larger than Seth. Who is the tallest?
A- Sam is the tallest
Visual Conundrum
Hint- an expression of disgust or agony
Answer- Grimace
The image on the right is ACE or the Advanced Composition Explorer which observes and measures magnetic fields and particles in space, from a vantage point approximately 1/100 of the distance from Earth to the Sun. Lauched in 1997, The ACE spacecraft was designed and built at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, in Laurel, MD. The structure has two octagonal decks, 5.25-feet across and 3.2-feet high, with an overall wingspan of about 27 feet. The spacecraft, which rotates at five revolutions per minute, is stabilized with the spin axis pointing from the Sun to Earth. Using four deployable solar panels and a nickel-cadmium battery, the spacecraft has a peak power of 443 watts ⎯ similar to the power consumption of a fridge.
ACE orbits the L1 Lagrange point, which is a point of gravitational equilibrium between Earth and the Sun, about 900,000 miles from Earth and 92 million miles from the Sun. This orbit affords ACE a prime location in the solar wind flow that heads toward Earth.
ACE launched with nine instruments ⎯ eight of which are still operating ⎯ designed to observe the wide range of particles in space, differentiating between various elements, energies, and charges.
-
SWIMS ⎯ solar wind ion mass spectrometer
-
SWICS ⎯ solar wind ion composition spectrometer
-
ULEIS ⎯ ultra-low-energy isotope spectrometer
-
SEPICA ⎯ solar energetic-particle ionic charge analyzer
-
SIS ⎯ solar isotope spectrometer
-
CRIS ⎯ cosmic-ray isotope spectrometer
-
SWEPAM ⎯ solar wind electron, proton, and alpha monitor
-
EPAM ⎯ electron, proton, and alpha particle monitor
-
MAG ⎯ magnetometer
(Info from https://www.nasa.gov/advanced-composition-explorer/spacecraft-and-instruments)
The dude on the left is waiting for Godot.
June...
Trivia
Q- What is the meaning of this German word? Flughafenbegrüßungsfreude
A- (b) Childish delight at being greeted at the airport.
Visual Conundrum
Hint- Faced with two dangerous alternatives
Answer- Between the devil and the deep blue sea.
May...
Trivia
Q- How much memory did the computer on the Apollo 11 (AGC) have?
A- 15-bit wordlength + 1-bit parity, 2048 words RAM (magnetic-core memory), 36,864 words ROM (core rope memory)
The Apollo Guidance Computer (AGC) is a digital computer produced for the Apollo program that was installed on board each Apollo command module (CM) and Apollo Lunar Module (LM). The AGC provided computation and electronic interfaces for guidance, navigation, and control of the spacecraft.
The AGC has a 16-bit word length, with 15 data bits and one parity bit. Most of the software on the AGC is stored in a special read-only memory known as core rope memory, fashioned by weaving wires through and around magnetic cores, though a small amount of read/write core memory is available. (Information from Wikipedia)
Visual Conundrum
Hint- Title of a book by famous Brisbane (Australian) author.
Answer- Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton.
Published in 2018 and set in Brisbane. The novel has also been developed into a play, Presented by Queensland Theatre, Brisbane Festival and Queensland Performing Arts Centre.
According the the ABC (2019), Dalton's bestselling saga Boy Swallows Universe won four ABIAs: Book of the Year, Literary Book of the Year, the Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year and Audio Book of the Year (Wavesound, narrated by Stig Wemyss). 'It is the first time all four major prizes have gone to the same author in the history of the ABIAs, which are voted on by an academy of more than 250 figures from the publishing industry'.
April...
Trivia
Q- What is the name given to the smallest unit of time successfully measured and recorded??
A- Zeptosecond
A zeptosecond is a thrillionth of a billionth of a second. That's a decimal point followed by 20 zeroes and a 1.
0.000 000 000 000 000 000 001.
According to the BBC, a group of scientists at Goethe University in Germany successfully recorded the zeptosecond. They measured how long it takes for a photon to cross a hydrogen molecule- around 247 zeptoseconds- making this measurement the shortest time span ever recorded.
Visual Conundrum
Clue- Place
Hint- Famous Australian Landmark
Answer- The Great Australian Bight
March...
Trivia
Q- Where would you be if you were at Lake Forgetfulness?
A- The Moon
Visual Conundrum
Clue- Common Phrase
Hint- Something you should never throw
A- Never throw caution to the wind
