Math Fun

Raytheon has created a web site, MathMovesU.com for middle school kids to brush up on your math skills.  It has games, fun facts, flash card, quizzes and more.  If you create an account it will save your progress and score.   Brag about what a math genius you are in the comments.  Can you complete the entire site before I do?  High schoolers, can you beat the site too?

(link)

Your quiz grade

If you said B. the rock would fall to the ground, you’re correct.  Extra credit goes to Debbie, who says “otherwise, the Moon wouldn’t have any rocks to pick up in the first place.”

The main point is that objects with mass attract one another, which, in the scientific parlance, is called gravitation.  The Moon has mass, and therefore, it has gravity, though only about 1/6 that of Earth.  Still, 1/6 of Earth’s gravity is plenty – even if you threw the rock as hard as you could, it would still fall to rest on the Moon.

I’m pleased to report that 7 out of 8 serious answers to the quiz were correct.  We did much better than the college students I mentioned; to see the whole sordid tale of ignorance this quiz is based on, check out http://www.phys.ufl.edu/~det/phy2060/heavyboots.html.

For Lord of the Rings fans

The other day I found a Legolas poster (like the one at left but door-size) and thought “We should give this away on the blog.”

So, if you’d like a chance to win it, just answer the questions below. I’ll put the name of everyone who submits good answers into a hat and will draw a winner on May 7th. Pick up of the poster will be at Main Library. Only people in grades 6-12 are eligible.

Question 1: What makes the Lord of the Rings series special to you?
Question 2: What other books would you recommend to LOTR fans and why?

–Mari

Pop quiz

I read something interesting today that suggested a lot of college students got the answer to this question wrong.  Do you know the answer?  Put your answer in the comments.  If you must, put your arguments in the comments, but please, do not berate people you perceive as having gotten it wrong.

If you’re standing on the Moon holding a rock, and you let go, will it:

A. Float away
B. Fall to the ground
C. Float where it is?

Thanks for participating.  Watch for the explanation next week.

–Ian

Flashback Friday: 90s Music Quiz

Here are the first lines of some songs of of the 1990s. If you know the artist and title of the song–no search engines, please–put your answers in the comments. We’ll cross off the first lines as you guess them correctly.

1. Saying I love you/Is not the words I want to hear from you
2. A lonely mother gazing out of her window
3. Son, she said, have I got a little story for you
4. You and me/We used to be together
5. There used to be a graying tower alone on the sea.
6. Sell the kids for food/Weather changes moods
7. And I’d give up forever to touch you
8. So close, no matter how far/Couldn’t be much more from the heart
9. I don’t want another heartbreak/I don’t need another turn to cry
10. You say I only hear what I want to
11. I heard you crying loud,/all the way across town
12. It’s been three weeks since you’ve been looking for your friend
13. Sorry I’ve never told you all I wanted to say
14. Yo, I’ll tell you what I want, what I really really want
15. Sometimes I feel/Like I dont have a partner

Good luck!–Mari

Flashback Friday: 1980s Music Quiz

I got the idea for this from Niki Lee who set our little corner of Facebook abuzz with this type of quiz. Here’s how it works: below are the first lines from songs of the 1980s. You need to guess the artist and title WITHOUT using any search engines. As you get them right, we cross them off.

1. Your eyes tell me how you love me
2. Swaying room as the music starts
3. Moving on the floor now babe you’re a bird of paradise
4. I walked along the avenue.
5. So what are you doing back?
6. Jitterbug, jitterbug, jitterbug, jitterbug
7. Tongue-tied, (I’m) short of breath, don’t even try
8. Turnaround, every now and then…
9. I never meant to cause you any sorrow.
10. Highway run Into the midnight sun
11. Oh – thinkin’ about all our younger years
12. When it feels like the world is on your shoulders
13. A few stolen moments is all that we share
14. I once thought of love as a prison a place I didnt want to be.
15. Born down in a dead mans town
16. One man come in the name of love
17. They put a parking lot on a piece of land
18. Poor old Johnny Ray sounded sad upon the radio
19. Its close to midnight and something evil’s lurking in the dark
20. Now look at them yo-yos thats the way you do it

Good luck! –Mari

Flashback Friday: ’80s Music Video Quiz

Here are 10 shots from music videos from the 80s—can you identify the video?

I got a 90% (9 out of 10). *shakes angry fist at RunDMC* – Katie

Books Vs. Donuts

On November 24th, Dunkin’ Donuts* will open at Main Library. Do you think the availability of donuts will increase the number of people visiting the library? And now for the hard question: in your lifetime so far, have you consumed more books or more donuts? Leave your guesstimates in the comments.

–Mari (whose donut to book ratio is around .38)

*The library doesn’t own the donut shop; its owners lease the space from the library. It’s a separate entity.

Flashback Friday: 80’s Cartoon Quiz

I got 100% which is odd because I didn’t even watch most of these cartoons. What was your favorite childhood cartoon?

via Mental Floss

Test Your Reaction Time

Try this simple little test of your reaction time. I averaged 0.215 seconds. Can you beat that?