52 | New Scientist | 9 November 2019
The back pages Puzzles
Cryptic crossword #18 Set by Wingding Quick quiz #28 Puzzle set by David Bodycombe
#29 How many strips?
How many 3x1 strips, like the
example pictured, can be cut
out of this piece of wood?Answer next week#28 A well-timed nap
Solution
One hour is 60 minutes for the minute hand,
and 1 hour is one-twelfth of a circle (i.e. 30°)
for the hour hand. In other words, if the time
is “m” minutes past the hour, then the hour
hand has travelled through ½m degrees
past the hour.Suppose that when I go to sleep, the angle
between the minute and hour hand = m. If
the minute hand is ahead of the hour hand,
this means (30 – ½m) = m. This is only true
for m = 20, meaning the time is 3.20 pm. It
is also possible that the minute hand is more
than one hour segment ahead of the hour,
i.e. 30 + (30 – ½m) = m, meaning m = 40,
and the time is 6.40 pm.If the minute hand were even further ahead,
m = 60 + (30 – ½m) means m = 60, but we
call “60 minutes past 9” 10 o’clock. And if
the minute hand isn’t ahead of the hour
hand, then m = ½m (midnight or midday,
but neither can apply here) or m = (30 + ½m)
and all solutions are m = >60 again.So I fell asleep at 3.20 pm and woke at
6.40 pm, having slept for 3 hours and
20 minutes.1 Which chemical element is
“missing” from the universe,
with far less of it apparently
about than the big bang
theory says there should be?2 The individual antennas of
the Square Kilometre Array,
planned to be the world’s
largest radio telescope, will
be built in Australia and
South Africa. Where is the
project’s headquarters?3 In terms of cross-section,
Hang Sѫn Đoòng near
Vietnam’s border with Laos
is the world’s largest what?
4 What are the longest
and shortest bones in
the human body?5 Agreeableness, openness
to experience, extroversion,
conscientiousness and
what other factor make
up psychologists’ Big Five
personality traits?Answers belowQuick
Crossword #44
AnswersACROSS 1 Littoral, 5 Uremia,
10 Holes, 11 Subscript,
12 Esperanto, 13 EPROM,
14 Mosaic, 15 Gas main,
18 Eyelids, 20 Acinus, 22 Eosin,
24 Brown Kiwi, 25 Imaginary,
26 Imide, 27 Medusa,
28 Beat-em-upDOWN 1 Lehrer, 2 Telephone,
3 Observation bias, 4 Arsenic,
6 Rocket scientist, 7 Meier,
8 Antimony, 9 Oblong,
16 Aluminium, 17 Selenium,
19 Subway, 20 Anodyne,
21 Bilerp, 23 ShardQuick quiz #28
AnswersLithium 1Jodrell Bank Observatory 2in Cheshire, UKCave. It is some 200 metres 3high and 150 metres wideThe femur (thigh bone) and 4the stapes (stirrup) in themiddle earNeuroticism 5 ACROSS
1 Satellite destroyed –
it’s punk! (7)
5 Insignificant quantities of
iodine, oxygen, tantalum
and sulphur (5)
8 Almost moon-shaped
function with rising
amplitude (9)
9 Some whale intestine
worn around the neck (3)
10 Small, competent
marten (5)
12 Crush odd Tory politician
covered in beer (7)
13 Organic compounds derived
from virus or sick baronsaround freezing
temperature (13)
15 Smear picture, a point
of no return? (7)
17 Speaker’s to bring legal
action against Native
Americans (5)
19 Fish in French station,
we hear (3)
20 Planet high in alien
lifeforms, originally,
like a kangaroo (9)
22 Grass-like plant found
on southern border (5)
23 A dry ram somehow
makes a reference for
solar observations? (7)Answers and the next quick crossword next week.DOWN
1 Dismisses neuroscience
writer (5)
2 Consume American
energy (3)
3 Reported novel and
obvious type of power (7)
4 Inner city geek, when
moving, has this? (7,6)
5 Italian swamp with a
psychedelic plant (5)
6 Type of lens provided
by Dorothy’s companion
hugging large animal –
not ant (9)7 Wife puts on jeans back to
front, then slowly at first,
turns around (7)
11 Cried like a seal? (9)
13 Seeks food, taking
a long time (7)
14 Regret swallowing key
with Russian saviour (7)
16 Crow met her regularly
for cheese (5)
18 Plant tissue can be
extracted from sexy
lemmings (5)
21 Pascal holding up
one drink (3) Get in touch
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