52 | New Scientist | 7 March 2020
The back pages Puzzles
Cryptic crossword #26 Set by Wingding Quick quiz #41 Puzzle set by Catriona Shearer
#49 The tree in
the snow globeI have a snow globe that is a hollow
hemisphere. At its highest point, it is
10 centimetres tall, and in the centre
stands a tree that is 6 cm tall. How
far away from the centre can the tree
be moved and still stand upright?Answer next week#48 Seeing red
Solution
If I see a green traffic light, I should ease
off as I will miss the light. If I see a red light,
I should accelerate. The actual speed/
distance doesn’t affect the answer, but
suppose I am riding at 4 metres per second.
The lights are then 60 metres away when
I first see them.If they are green, then I can speed up by at
most 25 per cent to 5 m/s, but there is really
no point - I will certainly miss the green light
by at least 10 metres. That’s life, so there is
no point in getting upset.If they are red, then the best strategy is to
go at 5 m/s for just 4 seconds. That way
I will be 40 metres away, close enough for
when the lights change to green. If the lights
change during those 4 seconds when I have
bothered to speed up, then I will be “really
upset” because I am still too far away. The
total lights sequence takes 100 seconds,
so on average, that is going to happen on
4 per cent of my journeys.1 What is the heaviest
living reptile?2 Physicists give what
name to hypothetical
theories that explain all the
fundamental forces except
gravity – that is, the strong
and weak nuclear forces
and electromagnetism?3 Which data storage
medium is read using laser
light with a wavelength of
405 nanometres emitted
by gallium nitride diodes?4 The maxilla – where
do you find it?5 What name is given to
latitudes between about
30 and 35 degrees north
and south of the equator,
known for their equable, if
not equine, temperament?Answers belowQuick
Crossword #52
Answers
ACROSS 1 Coccus, 5 Pnictide,
9 Nagasaki, 10 Fibula,
11 Shooting star, 13 Talc,
14 Bat bombs, 17 Scalable,
18 Okra, 20 Capricorn One,
23 Diodes, 24 Acidosis,
25 Decimals, 26 EyelidDOWN 2 Oval, 3 Classical,
4 Shadow, 5 Printable organs,
6 Infinity, 7 Tubes, 8 Dollarbird,
12 Saccharide, 15 Ozone hole,
16 Abscissa, 19 Cosine,
21 Radii, 22 KiwiQuick quiz #41
AnswersThe saltwater crocodile 1Grand Unified Theories, 2or GUTsBlu-ray Discs, the “blu” 3referring to the (really ratherviolet) colour of the laser lightIn your face. It is the static 4andible upper jaw bone – the movable lower oneis the mHorse latitudes. They are 5subtropical regions of generallylow wind and precipitation ACROSS
1 I made a mistake putting
health agency before
surgical procedures (6)
4 Me, the best looking?
That’s what’s reported
in questionnaire (2,4)
9 Ungulate expert having
a look (7)
10 Jelly-like image (5)
11 Plants putting gallium
in drink (5)
13 Take ore liberally, a source
of building material (3,4)14 Cutting ends, vaguely injure
circulatory vessel (7,4)
18 Turning over, I sleep with
German drums (7)
20 Energy getting into French
city is relative (5)
21 It helps to hear security
number not applicable (5)
22 Awake a lot, puts on
a cloud? (7)
24 Fake tigers at zoo’s
centre (6)
25 Holiday without Virginia -
that’s positive (6)Answers and the next quick crossword next week.DOWN
1 Trap next to river that
feeds a stream? (6)
2/17 Less busy time for fans
of SEO, strangely (3,6)
3 Plain sheet of gold (7)
5 Cheese particle (5)
6 Knowledge of old sprite,
addled by drug (9)
7 News provider you
can’t live without? (6)
8 Horrible carnivorous
disease (11)12 Starters of green onion,
udon and rice from
upmarket food store -
who shops there? (9)
15 Pod and half of bean
inside house (7)
16 Small movement reported
on grassland (6)
17 See 2
19 Perhaps Lovelace
starts physical training
to get fitter (5)
23 African country removing
leader, a fighter (3)Our crosswords are
now solvable online
Available at
newscientist.com/crosswords6 cm10 cm