The Science Quiz: 370 years since the ‘problem of points’…
The Hindu
The Science Quiz: 370 years since the ‘problem of points’…
Questions:
1. Two people are playing a game of chance in rounds. They have equal chances of winning each round. They also contribute equally to a pot that the winner who wins n number of rounds will take. If the game is stopped before the nth round, how should the pot be split? In July 1654, two French mathematicians, X and Y, provided the first reasoned answer to this question. Name X and Y.
2. The system of reasoning X and Y (from Q1) developed laid the basis for modern ___________ theory. Fill in the blank with the name of a field considered to be the mathematical foundation for statistics.
3. Name the hypothesis (in Latin) attributed to Aristotle, and later supported by René Descartes among others, that X (from Q1) overturned in experiments involving liquid mercury and air pressure in 1647.
4. Y (from Q1) is very famous for a theorem he proposed but didn’t prove. The British mathematician Andrew Wiles finally solved it in 1994 with what has since been called the “proof of the century”. Name the theorem.
5. Y (from Q1) gave his name to a famous principle that states that a ___ of _____ takes the path to travel between two points that takes the last time. Fill in the blanks.
Visual:
What began as a routine one-week mission for astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule quickly escalated into an unexpected eight-month stay in space. After a successful launch in June 2024, their mission faced multiple technical failures, including thruster malfunctions and helium leaks, making it too risky to return using the Starliner. NASA’s solution? Delay their return until early 2025 aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule. Despite the extended mission, Williams and Wilmore remained resilient, continuing their work on the ISS as NASA worked to resolve the situation.
The story of the first-of-its-kind collaboration between award-winning Indian couturier Rahul Mishra and Italy’s multimillion-dollar fashion house Tod’s goes back to 2017 when their paths crossed in Paris. The latter reached out to Rahul — who had created waves in the industry with his couture edits at platforms like Paris Fashion Week — for a limited-edition handcrafted capsule of bags and shoes, which provoked his fiercely creative mind to take up the challenge. Made with absolute luxury of time and embroidered with intricate details, the Rahul Mishra X Tod’s has been launched today, during London Fashion Week, at Tod’s Bond Street Boutique.