Quiz: What Happens Behind the Scenes

updated 10-14-07

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Quiz: What Happens Behind the Scenes
Quiz #A2

Copy the questions below (highlight the text, then press the CTRL key plus "c", or use the Edit menu at top and choose "Copy") In your email program start composing an email and paste the questions (not pictures) to your email (use CTRL-V to paste or use Edit menu and choose "Paste"). Email your quiz answers to the instructor at costello107@chemistryland.com. Note: If your answers are far afield, I will give you some tips on what to restudy and you can do the questions again.
Question 1: They make big chunks of cheese in Germany.(a) How wide does this block of cheese appear? (b) How wide do you think it really is? (c) What kind of lens was used to make the illusion?

	Question 2: This poster for an early Clint Eastwood movie used photography that used the same kind of lens as the image above. What was the purpose of using that lens? (Roll cursor over image to see another poster image).
	Question 3: Most shows have commercial breaks. Some shows make it easier to let the commercials continue during the show by the way of product placement. In Top Chef the chefs have to use stoves and ovens. The brand is shown prominently throughout the show. Even the kitchen where they cook is named after the brand name. Using your favorite search engine (Google, Yahoo, etc.) find out what that brand is.
	We are all guilty of being accomplices for product placement. When we buy "to-go" drinks at fast food restaurants, service stations, or coffee shops, we bring to work or home a cup with the name of that store's brand name displayed prominently on the cup. We are inadvertently advertising for the company using product placement (placement outside its normal advertising space). Question 4: What stores are you frequently advertising with the cups you bring to work or home?
...	Question 5: (a) Which of these two drawings has the word "Liar" in it? (left or right image?) (b) Which of these has the saxophone player in it?
Video of Rivalry between Uri Geller (left) and James Randi	We've all heard the phrases, "It takes one to know one." or "It takes a thief to catch a thief." That's why a magician is a good person to expose those who claim "real" magic. Uri Geller claimed he could do real magic, such as bending spoons with a light touch. Magician James Randi was skeptical. A YouTube video gives some background on what happened. The video also shows some footage of a faith healer James Randi exposed (mentioned in tutorial). Click link under photo to watch it. Question 6: Name three parts of the video that involve the Power of Suggestion and/or Art of Hiding (explain why)?
When I was in college, I thought Uri Geller's spoon and key bending performances looked real. I even went to one of his events. Nowadays I'm lot more skeptical and am 99% sure that he didn't have that power. Below is a demo by Theodore Gray (resident scientist at popsci.com) using a low melting alloy to make a spoon. Metal alloys can be made to melt at body temperature. This is one way Uri Geller could have made a spoon bend by just rubbing it. Question 7: From the picture how can you tell this is a low melting metal alloy?
Photo by Charles Shotwell
Below is the follow up spoon gag. Notice the spoon is melting in the hot water. Question 8a: Do a search for low melting alloys and find which metals are commonly used. Name at least four. Question 8b: Which of the ways of fooling the mind listed in the tutorial is this a good example of?
Photo by Charles Shotwell (For more interesting experiments visit Theordore Gray PopSci Column)
	Question 9: Tell me about James Randi's million dollar challenge. Besides tempting unknown psychics with a million dollars, James Randi also publicly challenges popular psychics like John Edward of the TV show Crossing Over to come and prove their capabilities.
	Question 10: Math challenge with Challenge Butter. The whipped version costs $3.19 for 8 oz (1/2 lb). The unwhipped version costs $3.99 for 16 oz (1 lb.) Question 10a: How much money per oz is the whipped version? Question 10b: How much money per oz is the unwhipped version? Question 10c: Instead of buying a pound of whipped butter, you buy a pound of unwhipped butter and whip air in it yourself. How much money would you save?
When I receive your answer via email, I will record it's been received on the progress sheet. (That's updated about once a day) After grading it, I will email your answers back with my comments. If there are any missed, I will ask for you to redo them; that way you can get 100% on every quiz.

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