Why the Rush? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Venus

While the Earth takes about 24 hours to complete an orbit, the neighbouring planet Venus rotates incredibly slowly in the opposite direction. It takes Venus approximately 243 Earth days to complete one single rotation. This is longer than the planet's orbit around the Sun, which takes about 225 Earth days.

As a result, the planet has a peculiar day-night cycle, with a Venusian day lasting longer than a Venusian year. The fastest rotating planet in our solar system is Jupiter. Jupiter completes one full rotation on its axis in just under ten hours, making it the speediest rotator among the major planets.

Answer: American Woodcock

The peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) is not only the fastest bird but also the fastest animal on earth when in a stoop or hunting dive. Peregrine falcons have been recorded reaching speeds of up to 240 miles per hour (386 kilometres per hour) when stooping.

On the other hand, the slowest bird is the American woodcock (also known as the "timberdoodle"). It flies at about five miles per hour (eight kilometers per hour) during courtship displays. Woodcocks have relatively short and rounded wings compared to birds built for rapid flight. These wing characteristics, along with their robust build, are designed for maneuverability at slow speeds.

Answer: 160 trillion times the age of the Universe

Tellurium-128 (Te-128) is one of the isotopes of tellurium, a chemical element with the symbol Te and atomic number 52. Te-128 decays into xenon-128 by double beta decay with a half-life of, 2.2×10^24 (2.2 septillion) years or 69x10^30 seconds - 160 trillion times greater than the age of the universe (which is 4.35×10^17 seconds).

Answer: "Organ˛/ASLSP (As Slow as Possible)" by John Cage

John Cage composed "Organ˛/ASLSP (As Slow as Possible)" in 1987. The piece is characterised by its open-ended duration which allows for an extremely slow performance. The score lacks specific instructions regarding tempo or duration, except for a suggestion by Cage himself that the piece could be performed for 20-70 minutes.

The arguably most famous rendition of "Organ˛/ASLSP" is held in St. Burchardi Church in Halberstadt, Germany. The Halberstadt performance is an ongoing artistic experiment. It began on 5 September 2001 with a rest lasting until 5 February 2003. On this day the first chord was played (one-lined G-sharp, one-lined B, two-lined G-sharp). This sound lasted 518 days until the transition to the next chord. The final note of the piece is scheduled to be played in the year 2640.

A special organ was built for the Halberstadt performance, designed to withstand the test of time. The organ's construction includes features such as a weighted bellows system to regulate air pressure, ensuring that the music continue to play without human intervention.

Answer: 12 days

The Beijing-Tibet Expressway Traffic Jam took place in August 2010 and stretched for over 100 kilometres (60 miles) on the Beijing-Tibet Expressway, which connects Beijing to the Inner Mongolia region. The jam was caused by a combination of factors, including a sharp increase in traffic due to coal truck deliveries to Beijing, ongoing road construction and maintenance work, and a high volume of vehicles travelling in the same direction.

The traffic jam slowed down thousands of vehicles and lasted for 12 days. Numerous drivers couldn't advance their cars by more than 1 kilometre (approximately 0.6 miles) per day, and there were reports of drivers being stuck for up to five days. Drivers and passengers faced extreme hardship, including food and water shortages and limited access to restroom facilities.

Answer: Equatorial Guinea

Eric Moussambani is a swimmer from Equatorial Guinea who came to international attention at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. He became famous for his performance in the 100-metre freestyle swim, which he competed in despite limited training and experience.

His slow and cautious swim, which took him 1 minute and 52.72 seconds to complete the race, made him a symbol of determination and perseverance in the face of adversity. Moussambani's Olympic debut and unique story earned him the nickname "Eric the Eel" and made him a beloved figure in the world of sports.

Answer: Namib Desert

Welwitschia mirabilis is a unique and fascinating plant species native to the Namib Desert in southwest Africa, particularly found in Namibia and Angola. It is renowned for its unusual appearance and its ability to thrive in one of the world's harshest desert environments.

Welwitschia mirabilis is known for its exceptional longevity. Some specimens are estimated to be over 2,000 years old, making it one of the oldest living plants on Earth. Despite their age, they continue to grow slowly and adapt to their arid environment. The leaves of a mature plant can be several metres long and continue to elongate grow throughout the plant's life.

Answer: one drop every decade

Angel Falls in Venezuela has a free fall, uninterrupted descent of water that drops approximately 2,648 feet (807 metres). The water falls at a speed of approximately 89.3 metres per second, which is quite fast for a waterfall. This incredible speed contributes to the majestic beauty and awe-inspiring nature of Angel Falls.

However, the average speed of the pitch in the Pitch Drop Experiment is extremely slow. The experiment was initiated in 1927 by Professor Thomas Parnell at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. Parnell filled a glass funnel with pitch, a substance derived from tar or bitumen. The pitch was heated and poured into the funnel to create a solid pitch cone. It took about eight years for the first drop to form and fall, and subsequent drops have occurred very infrequently. In fact, only nine drops have fallen in the first 95 years of the experiment, making the pitch one of the slowest flowing substances ever observed in a scientific experiment.

Answer: 2 trillion years

Arthur Ganson, an American artist born in 1955, is renowned for his 1992 creation "Machine with Concrete". This kinetic sculpture was intentionally designed to operate at an exceptionally slow pace. Essentially, it comprises a gear mechanism consisting of twelve sets of worms and gears, each of which progressively slowing down the rotational motion by a factor of 1/50. The input shaft is consistently driven at a constant speed of 200 revolutions per minute (rpm), causing the output shaft to rotate at a speed equal to 1/50th of that speed raised to the power of 12.

As Ganson humorously notes, this means that "it will take well over two trillion years before the final gear completes a single rotation". The twist lies in the fact that the ultimate gear is firmly encased within a solid block of concrete, yet the machine continues to operate flawlessly.

Answer: 7 hours 20 minutes

"Ambiancé" is an experimental film directed by Swedish filmmaker Anders Weberg. The film had an intended total running time of 720 hours, which is the equivalent of 30 days. Please note that the term "intended" is used because the film had not been released in its entirety at that time, and it was planned to be screened as 72-minute teaser in 2014, followed by a 7-day screening in 2020, and the final, 30-day screening in 2020-2021.

The movie's extreme length was part of its artistic concept. Although Ambiancé was scheduled to screen on 31 December 2020, this never happened.

However, a trailer was released in 2016: 7 hours and 20 minutes in one take without any cuts.