Six Geese Study Science Trivia Quiz

Answer: Perfect

The definition of a perfect number, from the Encyclopaedia Britannica, is 'a positive integer that is equal to the sum of its proper divisors'. Six can be divided by 1, 2 and 3, which also add up to six. The next perfect number is 28, which can be divided by 1, 2, 4, 7 and 14.

The knowledge of the existence of perfect numbers dates back to at least early Greek history, with Euclid referring to them in 300 BC.

Answer: Ayurveda

The literal translation of Ayurveda is 'knowledge of life' and the philosophy underlying the system is that humans should live in harmony with nature. Among the concepts are gunas, referring to qualities which can be observed by using our senses, dravyas, which are the elements of ether, fire, water, earth and air, and doshas, relating to movement or lack of movement.

The main purpose of Ayurveda is the promotion of healthy living, by remaining in balance with your innate qualities. Any imbalance will cause illnesses, which can be cured by re-balancing the system.

Answer: Butterfly cluster

The star cluster, which is visible to the naked eye, was given its popular name by the American astronomer Robert Burnham, who noted its resemblance to a butterfly with open wings. It is usually recorded as having been discovered in 1654 by Giovanni Battista Hodierna, who recorded its location.

It has been suggested, by Robert Burnham, that Ptolemy may have seen it in the first century, since Ptolemy did identify its near neighbour, Messier 7, known as the Ptolemy cluster.

Answer: Normal

Quarks, along with leptons, are the basic particles which form matter. The six quarks identified in the model accepted in the early twenty-first century are up, down, top, bottom, charm and strange. The hypothesis was put forward in 1964 by two men, George Zweig and Murray Gell-Mann, who had been working independently. Zweig named the particles 'aces' but Gell-Mann's more quirky name of 'quarks', taken from James Joyce's novel 'Finnegan's Wake', was the one that became accepted.

Answer: True

Apollo VI was launched in 1968 as a test of the Saturn V rocket and was the final mission in the programme before astronauts were sent into space. The first manned flight in the Apollo programme took place in 1968, with Apollo 11 becoming the first mission to land men on the moon, and Apollo 17 becoming the final moon landing mission, in 1972.

The next two planned missions, 18 and 19, were abandoned for cost reasons, while Saturn V was used to launch the Skylab space station in 1973.

Answer: Magenta

If you've ever changed the ink cartridges in a printer, the names of cyan, yellow and magenta should be familiar, since these are the colours used to create all the various other shades used when we print. The RGB colour wheel is used mainly for electronic equipment.

Answer: Senary

All of the answer options are the names of different numerical systems. Duodecimal is based on the number twelve, while quinary is five and ternary is three. The name of senary comes from the Latin word senarius, meaning 'consisting of six'. The use of the senary system is not widespread, but several sources refer to Ndom, a language used in Papua New Guinea, to be one that relies on this numbering system.

Answer: Roseola

Roseola affects mostly children under the age of two and causes a fever followed by a skin rash. It is not usually serious, nor contagious and patients recover in around a week. The illness is caused by a virus, human herpesvirus 6, which is why the condition is sometimes named sixth disease.

Answer: Rhea

Rhea is also known as Saturn V, as it is the fifth closest to Saturn. It was discovered by Cassini in 1672, although he named it, along with the other moons he identified, in honour of King Louis XIV of France. The name of Rhea was not allocated until 1847, suggested by John Herschel. Saturn's largest moon is Titan, which is also the second largest moon of the solar system after Ganymede, one of Jupiter's moons.

Answer: Carbon

One of the most abundant elements, by mass, in the universe, carbon also forms a large part of the human body, although it is not found in its pure form, only in compounds. It is an essential part of the formation of proteins, carbohydrates and fats, and humans breathe out carbon dioxide during respiration. Carbon can be found in various allotropes, i.e. different ways in which the atoms are bonded, meaning that soft graphite and hard diamond are both forms of carbon.