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General Category => Members Lounge => NZLWN Quiz => Topic started by: gabba on September 20, 2012, 08:19:38 PM

Title: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on September 20, 2012, 08:19:38 PM
Hi all

Thought I would kick off a "Pub Quiz" for everyone to have a go at. I'll do my best to post a question each day that has a weather related theme, and everyone can get a go at answering it. Like all good pub quizes it should create some discussion, and a few creative answers, so don't be shy. First off though some rules:

(a) I don't have a ready list of questions. If anyone wishes to pm me some questions, then I would be grateful, or start your own pub and quiz!
(b) Similarly, and like all good pub quizzes, I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the answers. I'll do my best to get the answer right, but if I'm wrong, don't shoot the quiz master. Most of the questions will come off the internet, which as we all know is the absolute source of all truth in this world

Finally and most importantly, don't be a smartalec, and look up the answers on google etc. Everyone will be able to tell, you will get laughed out of the pub for doing it (or at least told to shout a round), and you won't make any friends with those who are genuinely wanting to enjoy the pub quiz experience.

So that's it, pull up a comfy chair, pour yourself a pint, open some crisps and learn something!

Q1: Which band did Ringo Starr belong to before joining the Beatles?
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on September 21, 2012, 06:49:07 PM
Ok, there was one rule I forgot to mention:

YOU GUYS HAVE TO TAKE PART!!!

It's going to get mighty depressing if I end up answering all my own questions!

Answer to last nights question:
A: Rory Storm and the Hurricanes

Ok - hopefully an easier question tonight to get you all in the mood

Q: Explain the relationship between Pressure, Volume and Temperature for a fixed quantity of gas such as air.
ie If volume changes, what happens to pressure for fixed temperature
If volume changes, what happens to temperature for fixed pressure
If pressure changes what happens to temperature for fixed volume
If pressure changes what happens to volume for fixed temperature
If temperature changes what happens to pressure for fixed volume
If Temperature changes what happens to volume for fixed pressure

Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Deano on September 21, 2012, 07:38:39 PM
Great questions!
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Suezy on September 21, 2012, 08:20:17 PM
Very good questions Andrew - but more for someone that is proficient with the weather - I only have L plates here and also loaned out my weather books to a 9 year old boy that is studying weather at school last Monday so I cant even cheat by looking them up.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on September 21, 2012, 09:05:33 PM
Ahh yes - that's a good point. Feel free to do your own research if you have the resources - just not the internet. That would make things far too easy! So offline resources are fine, or just have a guess!

Suezy - I'll put a question for you up tomorrow night ;-)
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: TokWW on September 21, 2012, 09:25:32 PM
The combined gas law states:

P1xV1/T1 = P2xV2/T2  which is a combination of Boyle's law, Charle's Law, Avogadro's Law and other's (Boltzman's constant etc).

I'll let folks have a go with that for the various prepositions:

ie If volume changes, what happens to pressure for fixed temperature ?
If volume changes, what happens to temperature for fixed pressure ?
If pressure changes what happens to temperature for fixed volume ?
If pressure changes what happens to volume for fixed temperature ?
If temperature changes what happens to pressure for fixed volume ?
If Temperature changes what happens to volume for fixed pressure ?
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on September 21, 2012, 10:13:25 PM
Well done Tokww. Thats one round to you. Bonus rounds for those that want to have a go at the remaining questions!
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: beteljuice on September 22, 2012, 01:50:58 AM
Out of the top of the beteljuices bald pate ...

Constant Temp
Constant Pressure
Constant Volume
Constant Pressure

It's been a loooong time since I did transposition of formulae.

If I remember correctly isn't the same relationship applied to transformer theory, fluid dynamics and thermal conductivity ?
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on September 22, 2012, 03:22:05 PM
Congratulations beteljuice. A Pint of Lager for you!

Today's question:

Who is this gentleman?

(http://www.webworkshop.net.nz/152px.jpg)

Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: TokWW on September 22, 2012, 03:48:25 PM
Clue - NZ or International??

I bet I get this right - it's someone's Grandfather!!
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: TonyC on September 22, 2012, 05:18:25 PM
Has the look of a retired Academic or maybe an author .............
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Mark on September 22, 2012, 05:50:54 PM
Is he still alive?.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Mark on September 22, 2012, 07:28:05 PM
I will have a go is his last name Lovelock. (not the runner)
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on September 22, 2012, 07:40:28 PM

Nope - sorry. And he's not my Dad!
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: iomkiwi on September 22, 2012, 07:59:22 PM
Is it Galbraith? - I think a Professor but of what I don't know
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on September 22, 2012, 08:26:21 PM

Nope - okay this one is a bit of a stretch, since the person is not strictly known for meteorological endeavors. However he is well known  for his endeavors in another field we talk alot about on this forum.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Mark on September 22, 2012, 08:39:37 PM
Charles Francis Richter.
 i did have to look it up.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on September 22, 2012, 09:03:48 PM
Ah, well done. A pint goes to Mark!
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on September 23, 2012, 06:07:35 PM
Tonights question is one for all you movie buffs

Q: What is the name of the boat central to the story / movie "Perfect Storm"
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Suezy on September 23, 2012, 06:32:00 PM
Have the book Andrew and read it years ago - but cant see to find it.  Very gripping book too.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Deano on September 23, 2012, 07:57:14 PM
Is it "something" Rose?
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Suezy on September 24, 2012, 01:47:09 PM
It had two names and think the last one was "Gaill" or something similar.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on September 24, 2012, 02:44:49 PM

...Thats on the right track
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on September 24, 2012, 08:12:28 PM
Ok - no winners on that one. The name of the boat was the "Andrea Gail". Incidentally, the Perfect Storm  was an extratropical low that occurred on October 30 1991. You can read more about it here:

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/satellite/satelliteseye/hurricanes/unnamed91/unnamed91.html

Tonights question:
What did Lewis Fry Richardson have to do with the science of Meteorology?
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: TokWW on September 24, 2012, 08:51:04 PM
Now we're going to have to start using Google... LOL!!!
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: OhauitiWeather on September 25, 2012, 01:00:14 AM
Not good at History but wasn't he a Mathematician, among other things.  I think I remember a friend of mine who was a Secondary Maths Teacher using his name to answer a question in a teams Quiz event a few years back.  As for what he did for the science of Meteorology I have no idea but I guess it was something to do with recording, although there does not seems to be anything named after him, or forecasting?

Kind regards
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: beteljuice on September 25, 2012, 01:55:10 AM
First to apply mathematical reasoning to predicting the weather, but it took an impossible amount of time to do the calculations until computers came along !
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on September 25, 2012, 08:58:58 AM
That's correct beteljuice. Turns out our man was a busy guy:
Quote
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Fry_Richardson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Fry_Richardson)
Lewis Fry Richardson, FRS[1] (11 October 1881 - 30 September 1953) was an English mathematician, physicist, meteorologist, psychologist and pacifist who pioneered modern mathematical techniques of weather forecasting, and the application of similar techniques to studying the causes of wars and how to prevent them. He is also noted for his pioneering work on fractals and a method for solving a system of linear equations known as modified Richardson iteration.

In my research I read somewhere that it took him 6 weeks to produce a 6 hour forecast manually. (The result was initially inaccurate until smothing techniques were taken into account in the calculations, making the forecast surprisingly accurate). It wasn't until he got his hands on an an Eniac computer that this was reduced to a 24 hour forecast in 24 hours
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: iomkiwi on September 25, 2012, 10:32:01 AM
Quote
In my research I read somewhere that it took him 6 weeks to produce a 6 hour forecast manually

So by the time he finished the forecast was 5 weeks 6 3/4 days old?  ;D
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on September 25, 2012, 10:58:54 AM
Thats what I thought, but the idea was to pick a day, take measurements at a particular point in that day, and then use mathematical calculations to see if a forecast could be generated for 6 hours in advance.

Obviously by the time the mathematical calculations were finished (Wikipedia suggests it was a part time effort as he was on "Ambulance Duty" in France at the time), the point in the day that the forecast was being generated for was well and truly passed. However by taking measurements also at that point, it meant that the mathematical results could be compared with the actual results

Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: TokWW on September 25, 2012, 11:28:14 AM
Thanks Gabba - very interesting! And now we have Tom Ehrensperger performing it automatically on our weather PC's with his software (Wxsim) say 6 times a day (in about 3 minutes) looking out up to 7 days ahead!!!  http://wxsim.com/ (http://wxsim.com/)
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on September 25, 2012, 04:48:29 PM
Okay this one I just had to ask :)

Q: Aside of the amusing reference popularized by Frank Zappa, what is the usual cause of a large-scale 'yellow snow' weather effect seen in certain parts of the world?
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on September 26, 2012, 09:42:34 PM
Last nights answer is:
Pollen

Tonights question is an easy one:

"Bring Me Sunshine" is a song, made famous by which English comedy duo. Bonus points if you can sing a demo and put it up on Youtube!
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Te Puke Weather on September 26, 2012, 09:49:47 PM
Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise from the UK TV show Morecambe and Wise
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on September 26, 2012, 09:57:13 PM
Haha - well done Brendan. So we are all now waiting to see you singing on You tube!!!!
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Te Puke Weather on September 26, 2012, 09:58:25 PM
Hmm may give that one a pass  :D
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on September 27, 2012, 09:14:13 PM
Here's tonights question:

What's the difference between hail, sleet, and graupel?
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: iomkiwi on September 27, 2012, 10:19:24 PM
The density?
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Rwood on September 27, 2012, 10:34:30 PM
Ice-water ratio?
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: OhauitiWeather on September 27, 2012, 11:26:11 PM
The degree of freezing?
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: beteljuice on September 28, 2012, 01:19:40 AM
I'm with Rwood (Ice / water ratio)
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Deano on September 28, 2012, 07:09:57 AM
Is it weight?
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Weather Display on September 28, 2012, 07:24:26 AM
graupel is also called ice pellets

its rain that has frozen near the ground

I think
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Mark on September 28, 2012, 08:38:40 AM
As far as i under stand it Hail is rain drops that have been frozen.
sleet is snow that is melting as it goes though air this is above freezing.
graupel is sleet that-has refrozen as it falls though a layer of air colder than 0c.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: beteljuice on September 28, 2012, 11:10:07 AM
Grauple is snow (crystal) around which (hoar) frost has grown. ie. it has a 'soft' center.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on September 28, 2012, 08:57:49 PM
Some good answers. Here is the one I had from the NOAA website:
Quote
The different ways precipitation is formed determines what type of precipitation it becomes. Hail is larger than sleet, and forms only in thunderstorms. Hail formation requires air moving up (thunderstorm updraft) that keep the pieces of ice from falling. Drops of supercooled water hit the ice and freeze on it, causing it to grow. When the hailstone becomes too heavy for the updraft to keep it aloft, or it encounters downdraft air, it falls. Sleet forms from raindrops that freeze on their way down through a cloud. Snow forms mainly when water vapor turns to ice without going through the liquid stage. There is no thunderstorm updraft involved in either of these processes
Unfortunately it didn't mention graupel, but the trusty glossary on the NOAA site says:
Quote
GRAUPEL - A small white ice particle that falls as precipitation and breaks apart easily when it lands on a surface. Also called soft hail or snow pellets, graupel retains a soft structure and surface, and forms when snow flakes partially melt on falling into warmer air and then re-freeze on passing back into colder air.

After all those pints things are starting to get messy, so for this round, pints (points) for all.

Q for tonight - Which characters in Shakespeares Macbeth, say the following famous lines:

When shall we three meet again
In thunder, lightning, or in rain?

When the hurlyburly's done,
When the battle's lost and won.

“Fair is foul, and foul is fair:
Hover through the fog and filthy air.”
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Deano on September 28, 2012, 09:02:23 PM
The witches!
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: beteljuice on September 28, 2012, 10:00:50 PM
The three witches (aka Weird Sisters)

Witch #1
"When shall we three meet again
In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"

Witch #2
"When the hurlyburly's done,
When the battle's lost and won."

All three
“Fair is foul, and foul is fair:
Hover through the fog and filthy air.”
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on September 28, 2012, 10:39:13 PM
Ah - well done guys but the pints go to Deano this time!
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on September 29, 2012, 08:45:03 PM
Last night was too easy. Have a go at this one:

Q: What is a Derecho?

Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Weather Display on September 30, 2012, 08:27:13 AM
they had a big one recently in the USA
its like a conglomeration of thunderstorms
will start out as a squall line, which has a bow echo in font
which then gets larger and stronger
and can last a long time
has destructive straight line winds....outflow winds in front of the squall line

something like that
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on September 30, 2012, 06:46:22 PM
Well done Weather Display!

Answer to last nights question:

A derecho is a widespread thunderstorm wind event caused when new thunderstorms form along the leading edge of an outflow boundary (a surface boundary formed by the horizontal spreading of thunderstorm-cooled air). The thunderstorms feed on this boundary and continue to reproduce themselves. Derechos typically occur in the summer months when complexes of thunderstorms form over the plains and northern plains states. Usually these thunderstorms produce heavy rain and severe wind reports as they rumble across several states during the night. The word "derecho" is of Spanish origin and means "straight ahead". They are particularly dangerous because the damaging winds can last a long time and can cover such a large area.

Tonights question:
"The Wind in the Willows" is a classic of children's literature by Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908.
Name the 4 main characters that make up this story.

Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: TokWW on September 30, 2012, 07:43:39 PM
Christopher Robin, Piglet, Pooh Bear and Eee-Yore? I think... :)
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on September 30, 2012, 09:39:28 PM

Haha - my kids could come up with that answer - but that's because we watch lots more pooh than wind :P
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: TokWW on October 01, 2012, 01:04:25 PM
There was Tigger as well, perhaps more... ;)
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Derek on October 01, 2012, 02:41:56 PM
Tonights question:[/b]
"The Wind in the Willows" is a classic of children's literature by Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908.
Name the 4 main characters that make up this story.
Sorry, wrong book...
Here we are talking Toad, Mole, Rat and Badger. 
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: TokWW on October 01, 2012, 03:00:57 PM
Got me!! :)
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on October 01, 2012, 07:04:41 PM
Well done Derek O:-)

Sent from my Ideos using Tapatalk 2
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on October 01, 2012, 08:12:05 PM
Ok - here's tonights puzzler. There are multiple questions:

Qa: What is considered the worst air pollution event in London's history, and when did it occur
Qb: What was the cause of this event, both physically and meteorologically
Qc: How many people is it estimated to have killed (a reasonable guess or range would be okay here)

Answers to one or all of the above are acceptable - or have a guess! Have fun!
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Rwood on October 01, 2012, 09:15:08 PM
It was the great smog event of December 1952. Presumably there was  a very stable inversion lasting several days.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on October 02, 2012, 08:11:51 AM
That's right RWood - I thought that one was going to be a tough one! I'll post some interesting info about it later on.

Anyone want to have a guess at the number of people it was estimated to have killed?
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: hbweather on October 02, 2012, 09:10:38 AM
Approximately 12000 died through direct or indirect causes, the single worst air-pollution event London's ever seen. The banning of open fires in the greater London area was one measure resulting from this event...

George
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Rwood on October 02, 2012, 09:20:20 AM

Even worse, there was an initial attempt to keep the death toll lower by not counting later deaths which were clearly due to the event. At least decisive actions followed as above.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on October 02, 2012, 07:12:30 PM
Yes the following articles make interesting reading, and I've provide some extracts below:

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/education/teens/case-studies/great-smog (thanks Beetlejuice)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Smog

The Great Smog of '52 or Big Smoke was a severe air pollution event that affected London during December 1952. A period of cold weather, combined with an anticyclone and windless conditions, collected airborne pollutants mostly from the use of coal to form a thick layer of smog over the city. It lasted from Friday 5 to Tuesday 9 December 1952, and then dispersed quickly after a change of weather.

Although it caused major disruption due to the effect on visibility, and even penetrated indoor areas, it was not thought to be a significant event at the time, with London having experienced many smog events in the past, so called "pea soupers". However, medical reports in the following weeks estimated that 4,000 people had died prematurely and 100,000 more were made ill because of the smog's effects on the human respiratory tract. More recent research suggests that the number of fatalities was considerably greater at about 12,000.

It is considered the worst air pollution event in the history of the United Kingdom, and the most significant in terms of its effect on environmental research, government regulation, and public awareness of the relationship between air quality and health. It led to several changes in practices and regulations, including the Clean Air Act 1956.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on October 02, 2012, 07:14:51 PM
Tonights question

Which mascot has the catch phrase "Only You Can Prevent Wildfires"?

Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: hbweather on October 02, 2012, 08:03:11 PM
Smokey the Bear, of course... :)
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Deano on October 02, 2012, 08:16:35 PM
Smarter than the average bear!
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on October 02, 2012, 10:51:06 PM
....and who is he the mascot for?

Sent from my Ideos using Tapatalk 2

Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: TokWW on October 03, 2012, 07:21:41 AM
the National Park Rangers...?
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on October 03, 2012, 09:07:42 PM
Smokey the Bear, Old Smokey, or just plain Smokey is the mascot for the United States Forest Service. You can read all about him here:

http://www.smokeybear.com/

Congrats to hbweather - but only a half pint for you since you only got half the question right ;-)

Tonights question: What is a Hadley Cell and where would you see the effects of one?
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: TonyC on October 04, 2012, 09:02:43 AM
Hadley Cell.....

A collective noun for the family of Christchurch cricketers ....?

Dredging the memory banks I seem to recollect it had something to do with wind or clouds, bit like sea currents. but up in the air.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Weather Display on October 04, 2012, 01:40:14 PM
I think it refers to the semi permanent high pressure cells/zones that exist between the tropical low pressure belt and the procession of lows in the roaring forties
i.e there is one to the west of south america and another over the azores
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on October 04, 2012, 07:29:29 PM
Well done weather display. A picture says a thousand words, in fact this one answers most of the questions I had lined up for you guys:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuw8wOhAjOg&feature=endscreen&NR=1

Tonights question(s): What is a hygrometer, who made the first one , and what year?
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on October 05, 2012, 10:05:43 PM
Finally - one to the quiz master at last!

Last nights answers were:
(a) A device for measuring humidity
(b) Leonardo Da Vinci
(c) For the year I would have accepted any year in the 1400's

Tonights question:
In the States they are called chinook winds. Where else in the world are these winds found, and what causes them?
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Rwood on October 05, 2012, 10:38:28 PM

Foehn winds in Europe and NZ (among other places - called Chinook in Canada as well as the US) - moist air ascends over a mountain range, dries out after precipitating most or all of the moisture and descends on the other side, warming at the (dry) adiabatic rate, which is faster than the lapse rate involved in the ascent. Therefore the air is warmed considerably by the time it has descended.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on October 06, 2012, 08:31:12 PM
Well done RWood. Of course in NZ the Southern Alps creates the foen wind, heavy rainfall on the west coast and dry warm temperatures on the east coast - and of course the Nor West Arch. It's actually one of my earliest memories of weather observation - I remember our teacher telling us about how unique it was while I was in primary school!

Tonights question (this one might create a few arguments!)

Q: Where is the wettest place in the world?
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: iomkiwi on October 06, 2012, 09:15:20 PM
The Ocean?  ;D
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on October 06, 2012, 10:22:14 PM

Sorry to clarify I should ask what is the wettest regularly measured place in the world ;D
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Weather Display on October 06, 2012, 10:41:28 PM
something like either kurrangupai (spelling!) in the foot hills of the himalayas, Nepal/India bordeder
or, is it resolution island in the indian ocean
OR
the main island of hawaii (upslope side)
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Rwood on October 06, 2012, 10:44:56 PM
The Ocean?  ;D

Sorry to clarify I should ask what is the wettest regularly measured place in the world ;D
[/quote]

Quibdo, Colombia is generally agreed upon. However there are undoubtedly wetter 'unmeasured" places, including some NZ areas (the Cleddau valley near Milford is already estimated to get at least 13,000mm in parts, and it's possible some areas upwind of about Mt Cook (probably at about the 950m -1000m mark) get as much as 16,000mm.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on October 06, 2012, 11:12:35 PM
 Quibdo, Columbia once recorded 781.06”/19839 mm in a single year, 1936. However it's not listed on my source as the wettest place in the world. Have another go
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: cupoteacoast on October 06, 2012, 11:15:58 PM
Gee I recall seeing that man's photo ... in a book or newspaper somewhere, but just cannot recall his name ... yet.  Met Service?
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: beteljuice on October 07, 2012, 02:19:06 AM
Beside the lower area of Victoria Falls, but I assume you really want a precipitation event rather than permanent 'mist' ?
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Rwood on October 07, 2012, 08:13:45 AM
Mt Waialeale in Hawaii and Mawsynyram ?sp) in India are also often quoted, but their claims are rather doubtful. I think there is simply no clear winner among regularly measured places.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on October 07, 2012, 08:30:29 AM
Well Done - another one goes to RWood

According to my source Mawsynram, Meghalaya State, India is the wettest place in the world ( 467.35”/11871 mm) based on annual average precipitation

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/weatherhistorian/comment.html?entrynum=74

Quote
Mawsynram (population about 350, elevation approximately 4,600’) and Cherrapunji (population about 10,000, elevation 4,309’ and also known as Sohra) are both located in the Khasi Hills on the Shillong Plateau of Meghalaya, India and are about 10 miles from one another. These are generally considered the wettest locations in the world for which there is measured data.

The Khasi Hills, wettest location in the world, are famous for the spectacular waterfalls that fall to the plains below. Photo source Wikipedia, photographer not identified.

The Khasi hills catch the full brunt of the southwest monsoon blowing off the Bay of Bengal between May and October. About 90% of their rain falls during this period. July alone averages over 120”/3050 mm, the highest monthly average rainfall in the world. Variability from one monsoon to another can be tremendous

Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Weather Display on October 07, 2012, 10:53:26 AM
but that what I said (I just did not get the spelling correct),for Cherrapunji
i.e
Quote
something like either kurrangupai (spelling!) in the foot hills of the himalayas, Nepal/India bordeder
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Rwood on October 07, 2012, 12:31:25 PM
something like either kurrangupai (spelling!) in the foot hills of the himalayas, Nepal/India bordeder[/quote]

Cherrapunji is considerably "drier" than these other locations though - "only" 9000 or so mm/year.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on October 07, 2012, 07:17:10 PM
Who is this (Actors name), what is he doing, and what movie is this from

(http://www.webworkshop.net.nz/smfweather/quizimages/srain.jpg)

Bonus points if you can name the characters name in the movie
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: JennyLeez on October 07, 2012, 07:25:50 PM
Gene Kelly
Singin' in the Rain
He was singing and tap dancing in the rain.
Movie has same name I think.
Debbie Reynolds played lady lead ( I think )
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on October 07, 2012, 08:12:01 PM
Haha - thought that one would go quickly. I'm going to have to think of some harder ones. Well done Jenny!
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: JennyLeez on October 07, 2012, 08:27:44 PM
Was one of my Dads favourites thats why I knew. He fancied Debbie Reynolds legs :)
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on October 08, 2012, 08:57:55 PM
The South pole is the southern most point of land on the earth. Where is the most northern most point on land?

 
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: bett on October 08, 2012, 09:04:02 PM
top of Russia or Alsaka???
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Te Puke Weather on October 08, 2012, 09:15:35 PM
 Kaffeklubben Island, north of Greenland... I think that how you spell it.....
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on October 09, 2012, 08:13:55 PM
Yep I'll accept that - but the answer I had was the following:

Quote
Kaffeklubben Island, east of Greenland (83°40′N 29°50′W)
Various shifting gravel bars lie further north, the most famous being Oodaaq

If I hunt around on Oodaaq this is what I find:

Quote
Oodaaq or Oodap Qeqert is a bank of gravel and silt northeast of Greenland that has been considered by some to be the most northerly point of land on earth.
Oodaaq lies at 83°40′N 30°40′WCoordinates: 83°40′N 30°40′W, only 705 km south of the North Pole and 1,360 metres north of Kaffeklubben Island, lying near the northeast tip of Greenland. When discovered it measured a mere 15 metres by 8 metres.
It was discovered in 1978 when a Danish survey team led by Uffe Petersen landed a helicopter on Kaffeklubben to confirm that it did indeed lie further north than the tip of Greenland. Having confirmed the fact, a member of the team spotted a dark spot to the north and they flew over to the bank, naming it Oodaaq after the Eskimo who accompanied Robert Peary on his historic journey to the North Pole.
Gravel banks such as this are generally considered not to qualify for the title of world's most northerly point of land as they are rarely permanent. In fact several subsequent expeditions have claimed that Oodaaq has now disappeared beneath the ocean.
In July 2001, the Return to the Top of the World Expedition, led by Theresa Baker, John Jancik, and Ken Zerbst, confirmed that the previously-discovered island and permanent land feature ATOW1996, is indeed the northernmost point of land on earth.
In July 2003 American explorers led by Dennis Schmitt found a 35-metre-long bank at 83°42'N. Debate continues as to whether the bank is permanent.
In late 2004, the Eighth Edition of the National Geographic World Atlas was released. It clearly shows Oodaaq as the northernmost landmass on Earth.
In July 2007, Dennis Schmitt discovered a 'new' northernmost island on Earth at 83°40'30" N (named Stray Dog West by Holly Wenger).


So I'm going with Kaffeklubben even though it sounds like a disco that sells only coffee at the bar.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on October 09, 2012, 08:25:02 PM
Tonights Question:

What is a Tempest Prognosticator and what was one of it's key components?

Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: hbweather on October 10, 2012, 08:59:25 AM
This was a weird gadget invented in 1851 by Dr George Merryweather (well named). It claimed to be able to forecast coming storms, based on the behaviour of captive leeches in glass jars. As pressure fell, the leeches would climb to the top of their jars, to escape, thus triggering a bell as an audible warning of incoming bad weather.

One of its key components were, of course, the unfortunate leeches.... :-\

Merryweather claimed to have considerable success, and lobbied the British government to adopt his invention for coastal use, but they adopted Admiral Fitzroy's Storm Glass instead.

George
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on October 10, 2012, 09:17:39 PM
Well done hbweather - I thought I was safe picking that one, so I'll have to find something a bit trickier

Meanwhile, and easy one to mull over

In the Northern hemisphere (particularly North America) what is important meteorologically about February 2nd?
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Rwood on October 10, 2012, 10:22:25 PM

Groundhog day, antics at Punxsutawney, Philadelphia, related to "arrival" of spring depending on whetehr the sun/the grounhog's shadow is seen that day (opposite to "common" sense - no shadow is the good version).
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on October 11, 2012, 07:49:49 PM
haha - well done Rwood. Hunting around I found there were all sorts of animals with their own names that did the same job as Punxsutawney Phil. Interestingly enough taken over a longish period of time, the sum total of their accuracy was 37%, which is not statistically significant over the 33% of what a random guess would be. Hardly surprising really, but all good fun!

OK the next night or so I'm going to be fairly busy, so may not get to post questions. So here are a few with a theme to keep you entertained:

Q: What is the lowest recorded pressure in New Zealand in an Extra tropical storm, where and when did it occur
Q: What is the lowest recorded pressure in the southern hemisphere in an Extra tropical storm - where and when did it occur
Q: What is the lowest recorded pressure in the northern hemisphere in an Extra tropical storm - where and when did it occur
Q: What is the lowest recorded pressure in the world - where and when did it occur
Q What is the highest recorded pressure in the world - where and when did it occur

Remember no cruising the internet for the answers, but you are welcome to look up any other reference material you may have, or just have a guess. Would be great to see some new faces taking part so don't be shy!

Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Rwood on October 11, 2012, 09:13:42 PM

My guess is based on (sort of) recalling an entry in a very old Guinness Book of Records, so it's probably out of date by now - record highest reading being a pressure of 1083.8 (or near to that) somewhere in Siberia - no idea of place or date. Also have a vague recollection of a pressure of about 865? (sounds much too low I think)  at/near Luzon? in the Philippines.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on October 15, 2012, 09:10:42 PM
Q: What is the lowest recorded pressure in New Zealand in an Extra tropical storm, where and when did it occur
954mb on 16 Jan 1939 at Taiaroa Head, Otago Peninsula

Q: What is the lowest recorded pressure in the southern hemisphere in an Extra tropical storm - where and when did it occur

Barometric records for the many intense storms that develop in seas surrounding Antarctica are hard to come by and difficult to assess for accuracy. Blair Trewin of the Australian Bureau of Meteorology relates a value of 919 mb (27.14”) from Casey station on the Windmill Islands (just outside the Antarctic Circle) on Vincennes Bay (66°17’S 110° 31’ E) on August 8-9, 1976. However, this is considerably lower than any other value on record and may very well be an instrument fault although he states “the values are internally consistent with readings below 940 mb from 1600 local time on August 8th to 0700 on August 9th”.

Aside from this remarkable figure the lowest other readings from the region include 934 mb (27.59”) at Halley Bay, Antarctica on Aug. 11, 1994, 942 mb (27.82”) at Grytviken on South Georgia Island (54° 16’S 36° 30’W) sometime between 1929-1964, and 945.1 mb (28.17”) at Campbell Island located about halfway between New Zealand and Antarctica (52°S 69°W) on July 18, 1982.

Q: What is the lowest recorded pressure in the northern hemisphere in an Extra tropical storm - where and when did it occur
There are apparently two contenders for the record lowest pressure established in the northern hemisphere. 1) Storm of January 10, 1993 deepened to a central pressure of 912-915 mb (26.93”-27.02”) between Iceland and Scotland near 62°N 15°W and, 2) Storm of December 15-16, 1986 deepened to at least 916 mb south-east of Greenland near 62°N 32°W. A ship in the vicinity actually made a measurement of 920.2 mb on December 15th while still some distance from the center of the storm. The British Meteorological Office assessed the central pressure of the storm at this time as being 916 mb (27.05”) but the West German meteorological service proposed a pressure possibly as low as 912-913 mb

Q: What is the lowest recorded pressure in the world - where and when did it occur
Of course (aside from estimates from tornadoes) the lowest pressures observed on earth have occurred during tropical cyclones, mostly those that have formed in the Western Pacific. The most commonly accepted figure as the world record is that observed during the peak intensity of Super Typhoon Tip when a reading of 870 mb (25.69”) on October 12, 1979 when the storm churned in open waters near the island of Guam.

Q What is the highest recorded pressure in the world - where and when did it occur
Highest air pressure ever recorded(above 750 meters) : 1084.4 mb (32.03 inHg); Tosontsengel, Khövsgöl Province, Mongolia, 19 December 2001. This is the equivalent sea-level pressure; Tosontsengel is located at 1,300 metres (4,300 ft) above sea level. The highest adjusted-to-sealevel barometeric pressure ever recorded (below 750 meters) was at Agata, Evenhiyskiy, Russia [66°53’N, 93°28’E, elevation: 261 m (856.3 ft)] on 31 December 1968 of 1,083.3 hectopascals (31.99 inHg). The discrimination is due to the problematic assumptions (assuming a standard lapse rate) associated with reduction of sea level from high elevations


Tonights Question:
Q: According to a law "made a distant moon ago here, July and August cannot be too hot, and there is a legal limit to the snow", "the winter is forbidden till December" and "the rain may never fall till after sundown". Where is this magical place?
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on October 16, 2012, 08:03:10 PM
Ok - rather than give you the answer, I'm going to open this one up to googleing, so get those fingers tapping and we'll see who comes up with the answer first
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Deano on October 16, 2012, 08:28:56 PM
Camelot
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Rwood on October 16, 2012, 08:33:09 PM

Yes, so would I - I recall fancying all of her (so to speak) as a teenager. Also liked Sandra Dee.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on October 16, 2012, 10:44:21 PM

Well done Deano!
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on October 17, 2012, 09:28:52 PM
Ok - Tonights question:

Who sang the following songs? (original recording)
    a. Crying in the rain
    b. Blue eyes crying in the rain
    c. Who'll stop the rain
    d. Rain
    e. Riders on the storm
    f. Weather with you
    g. Sunny Afternoon
    h. Like a hurricane
    i. Heatwave
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Rwood on October 17, 2012, 10:11:58 PM

(a) Everly Bros (e) Doors (f) Split Enz (i) Many artists
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: OhauitiWeather on October 18, 2012, 01:43:30 AM
Who sang the following songs? (original recording)
    a. Crying in the rain - The Everly Brothers
    b. Blue eyes crying in the rain - Roy Acuff, later by Willie nelson
    c. Who'll stop the rain - Credence Clearwater Revival
    d. Rain - The Beatles
    e. Riders on the storm - The Doors
    f. Weather with you - Crowded House
    g. Sunny Afternoon - The Kinks
    h. Like a hurricane - Neil Young
    i. Heatwave - Ethel Waters

Most I knew although I had to look up a couple, not Google, and My Wife helped out with b and i.  She has a BA Mus and teaches singing in three Western Bay of Plenty Secondary Schools.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: TokWW on October 18, 2012, 07:08:19 AM
Very impressive!!
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on October 18, 2012, 07:55:19 PM
Yes - well done!

The last one was a bit tricky. The answer that was given was "Martha and the Vandellas", but on closer inspection their song was actually called (Love is Like a) Heat Wave. The song Heat Wave was actually an Irving Berlin written song,  and appeared in the 1933 musical "As Thousands Cheer" sung by Ethel Waters!

Tonights question:

Q: Jim and Hilda Bloggs are the doomed couple in which tragic film?
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: OhauitiWeather on October 18, 2012, 08:37:05 PM
Thanks Gabba.  I almost made the same mistake until wifey corrected me.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: beteljuice on October 19, 2012, 03:51:26 AM
"Q: Jim and Hilda Bloggs are the doomed couple in which tragic film?"

They were the only 'people' in an animation called "When The Wind Blows".
Subject matter was (Cold War) nuclear escalation and their experience of 'The Bomb' and their ultimate end in an isolated country cottage.

Voices by Sir John Mills and Dame Peggy Ashcroft.

Many people at the time were 'stung' and upset by the apparent futility of it all - although it did pave the way for stronger stuff to be produced and aired (much had been suppressed until then)

Slightly earlier (and I felt more frightening) QED - The Nuclear War: A Guide To Armageddon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70P2cueuECw

... and just for 'fun': http://www.nuclearsecrecy.com/nukemap/  :o
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on May 19, 2014, 11:13:04 PM
Ok time to kick this off again. Sorry but a tricky one to start with. Remember the answer is weather related, and no googling to make it fair(ish).

What is the common name for the following condition

Horripilation

Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Babs on May 20, 2014, 08:06:24 AM
Lots of horrid weather?
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: TokWW on May 20, 2014, 08:38:54 AM
A mixture of hail and rain with a storm condition - just a guess...
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: TonyC on May 20, 2014, 10:08:04 AM
From my vague recollection of Latin, Horridus is something to do with being frightened....
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Babs on May 20, 2014, 12:14:55 PM
Could we have a clue please
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on May 20, 2014, 12:30:52 PM
LOL you can't eat it. Common name for this condition is actually two words
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Babs on May 20, 2014, 02:40:26 PM
Cats & dogs?
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on May 20, 2014, 07:33:04 PM
Lol there are many people in this world who could eat cat or dog. This you definately can't eat.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Babs on May 20, 2014, 08:25:55 PM
Dang back goes on the thinking cap
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on May 21, 2014, 12:58:02 PM
Ok Big clue time

This is more a result of a weather condition (cold) than specifically a weather type answer. The first word is an animal similar but not the same as a moose

Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Babs on May 21, 2014, 01:27:40 PM
Deer rain

Elk weather

Goose hail
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on May 21, 2014, 03:51:48 PM
Last one has the first word right (a white peg in Mastermind!).

It's a condition that people get, not a weather condition
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Babs on May 21, 2014, 04:46:31 PM
All I can think of is googe bumps

( you would have thrown me off your team by now!)
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Mark on May 21, 2014, 05:49:22 PM
don't know
 :)
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on May 21, 2014, 07:18:08 PM

I'll take that especially as I don't know what google bumps are like. They sound horrible

Answer: goose bumps

Next question, and entirely unrelated to weather, to be fair

What colour are polar bear hairs, and can you explain why they appear to be white( so the hint here is that White would be the wrong answer)
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: TokWW on May 21, 2014, 07:26:44 PM
They are clear - colourless.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on May 21, 2014, 07:34:13 PM

Correct, so why do they appear white?
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Babs on May 22, 2014, 07:56:11 AM
Reflection?
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: TokWW on May 22, 2014, 10:01:09 AM
They are hollow tubular fur fibres and the inside surfaces capture light and reflect it back out to appear as light - emitting white light.  I think...
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on May 22, 2014, 05:32:05 PM
Correct and well done TokWW.

Next question

How heavy was the heaviest hailstone ever recorded, and where did it fall?
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Babs on May 22, 2014, 05:47:22 PM
48 kgs in Japan ( that was one wild guess)
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on May 22, 2014, 06:04:04 PM
Hmmm a sack of cement falling from a typical height of a cb would be impressive but no. Sorry.

It is a round figure and country of landing will do just fine!
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Babs on May 23, 2014, 09:17:45 AM
America, everything big lands there
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on May 23, 2014, 10:43:02 AM

haha - I did think of mentioning that it wasn't in Texas ;-)
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Babs on May 23, 2014, 11:47:41 AM
so was I right?
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on May 23, 2014, 12:43:56 PM
no no no no no noooo!

Actually it was in a place that I wouldn't have immediately thought of - at a guess it's probably the country along with China, and maybe greater Russia, that has the most extreme conditions, especially so given it's size. There is an ocean named after the country
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: David on May 23, 2014, 01:03:48 PM

From memory the heaviest hail ever recorded was in Bangladesh. Though there is no ocean named after Bangladesh as far as I know!
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Babs on May 23, 2014, 01:44:06 PM
Got me stumped
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Babs on May 23, 2014, 03:26:41 PM
Siberia?
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on May 23, 2014, 06:39:58 PM

Close. Bangladesh sits on what Ocean?

Your source might be more recent than mine so if you give me a weight more than the one I have then i will take your answer!
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: David on May 23, 2014, 07:41:55 PM

From memory the heaviest hail ever recorded was in Bangladesh. Though there is no ocean named after Bangladesh as far as I know!

Close. Bangladesh sits on what Ocean?

Your source might be more recent than mine so if you give me a weight more than the one I have then i will take your answer!
[/quote]

Indian Ocean  :)
The hail stone in Bangladesh apparently weighed 2.25 pounds = 1.02 kg
NWS: Hailstone a record-breaker - weather.com (http://www.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/news/articles/hailstone-may-set-record_2010-07-27?page=2)
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on May 23, 2014, 09:29:19 PM
Yeah I'll accept that. That was the answer I had, but having par taken too much in the Inns liquid refreshments I seem to have got the country wrong lol.

I can't imagine what a 1 kg hailstone would do to something when it landed

Next question

Okta is a unit of measurement of what?
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: beteljuice on May 23, 2014, 11:37:55 PM
Observed Cloud cover (on a scale upto 8)
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on May 24, 2014, 08:53:04 AM
Well done beteljuice

Here's one that is sure to create some debate. My source may not be that reliable but it's an interesting stat!

Of the people struck by lightning, what percentage of them are male?
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: TokWW on May 24, 2014, 09:11:35 AM
I would say fairly high, as in general in stormy conditions, it is still the male out there either working, playing golf or just plain inquisitive while the wife and feminine types seek shelter or are at home.  I would guess at 82% male... stupid males... LOL!
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: beteljuice on May 24, 2014, 09:58:41 AM
... but ....

Historically the female of the specie is more likely to take to unsuitable (conductive) cover to protect their hairdo, which may have had hair-grips or even metal rollers !
All tucked underneath a metal framed umbrella.
They also would be more likely to push metal objects (prams, shopping trollies, etc.)

So the beteljuice is going to say 60% female / 40 male.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: TonyC on May 24, 2014, 11:56:44 AM
I was going to say 100%, but I'll go for 99%

TC
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Babs on May 24, 2014, 12:42:57 PM
I agree with Too only men are daft enough to go looking at lightening so I go for 159%
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on May 25, 2014, 10:15:35 PM
Tokww is correct. One sample suggests that 82% of people struck by lightning are male, but interesting enough if you are in that remaining 18% of females who are struck, then you are more likely to die from your injuries.

Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: TokWW on May 26, 2014, 12:14:07 PM
82% was total guess, I am usually way off the mark!  Just applying a bit of guessed logic...
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on May 26, 2014, 09:35:21 PM
Tonights question:

Treasure Island author Robert Louis Stevenson's father was responsible for what significant weather-related invention?
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: beteljuice on May 27, 2014, 01:12:32 AM
He was a star of lighthouses and .... screen  ;)
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: TokWW on May 27, 2014, 07:05:17 AM
The sealed glass jar weather barometer.  It had a composite mix of liquid waxes and a solvent etc and would indicate low air pressure, a cold front and a range of other weather conditions with different states of "clouds" etc inside.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Babs on May 27, 2014, 08:49:59 AM
The Stevenson Screen
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on May 27, 2014, 07:53:00 PM
Points to Beteljuice and Babs. TokWW - I just don't know what to say!!

OK - tonights question

In a double rainbow, name the colours from inside the arc to the outside. In total I'm looking for 13 to 14 colours.



Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Babs on May 28, 2014, 06:06:08 PM
Sung twice over, red and yellow and blue and green, orange and purple and blue, I can sing a rainbow so can you, sorry best I can do surely worth half a point!
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: TokWW on May 28, 2014, 06:30:06 PM
Sorry Gabba - I was on th wrong track...

Vice-Admiral Robert FitzRoy RN (5 July 1805 – 30 April 1865) was a career officer of the Royal Navy and a scientist. He achieved lasting fame as the captain of HMS Beagle during Charles Darwin's famous voyage, FitzRoy's second expedition to Tierra del Fuego and the Southern Cone. He was a pioneering meteorologist who made accurate weather forecasting a reality and created systems to get weather information to sailors and fishermen for their safety. He was an able surveyor and hydrographer. As Governor of New Zealand, serving from 1843 to 1845, he tried to protect the Maori from illegal land sales claimed by British settlers.

Storm glass - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storm_glass)

Storm glass as it was properly known was a weather barometer of mixed chemicals:

2.5 g potassium nitrate
2.5 g ammonium chloride
33 ml distilled water
40 ml ethanol
10 g camphor

Some stuff there sounds positively dangerous...  although in not much quantity.

(http://www.strangeapparatus.com/images/stormglass_lo_res_8yxh.jpg)

Sorry theres a good question gone begging ... :)  I think it may have been mentioned on here in the past in another quiz...
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on May 28, 2014, 08:54:41 PM
That's really interesting. Thanks for that! Looks a bit like an icky mess, but definitely cloud like.

 The description storm glass made me think if a storm in a teacup, and that lead to tonight's question...

What is the origin of the term "storm in a teacup"?

Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on May 28, 2014, 08:59:40 PM
And the answer to last nights question

For a normal rainbow, violet is on the inside curve of the rainbow, s from inside to outside it is violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, red, or vibgyor

I'm told that for a double rainbow the colours are reversed on the inside rainbow, so the pattern will bee from inside to out

Roygbivvibgyor

Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Babs on May 29, 2014, 11:30:17 AM
Storm in a teacup is something or some event that has been exaggerated
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on May 29, 2014, 01:35:33 PM
Yes, but where was the expression derived from?
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Babs on May 29, 2014, 02:27:32 PM
I dunno its just a fuss about nothing, probably two old ladies years ago were having a cuppa and one got her knickers in a twist over some trivial bit of their conversation, and the other old dear said ' Maud you are like that sailor who came to see you years ago and you said, after he had gone, that he was a bit like a storm in a teapot!'
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on May 29, 2014, 06:16:39 PM
....sort of..... :)
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Babs on May 29, 2014, 07:28:31 PM
Or kind of..........
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: beteljuice on May 29, 2014, 10:18:25 PM
It's the apparent magnitude of the 'ripple' when the tea cup (which used to be more like a deep dish) is disturbed.
Looking into the cup the waves seem large and significant, but taking a visual step back it's much ado about nothing.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Babs on May 30, 2014, 01:01:14 AM
It came from the days of round boating racing and one of the boats was called Teacup and was racing one called Teabag when they both got caught in a huge storm. A huge whirlpool developed and the Teacup got caught in it and the sailors on the Teabag were unable to save them and warned future sailors not to end up like the Teacup who got caught in a storm hence the name of the race that was dedicated to the lost boat and crew, the Storm in a Teacup trophy!
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on May 30, 2014, 08:21:07 AM
Lol loving the creative answers, but unfortunately not right. I'll post the answer up tonight
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Babs on May 30, 2014, 11:48:54 AM
There were these two guys who frequented their local hostelry called, you guessed it, The Windy Saucepan, ( fooled weren't you!). One dark and stormy night and to get out of doing the dishes, they set off to their local for a well earned beer or three, they were walking as it wasn't far away.

When they arrived there was a huge kerfuffle going on as the brewery owners were trying to change their local tipple plus the name of the pub itself. Buxom Bess the barmaid calmed things down by suggesting to the brewery representative that they hold a competition for the name change, this was agreed to and the customers were given three weeks to come up with a suitable name.

Our two lads were all for this and ended up imbibing far more than they should have that night and arrived home to their respective partners to have tea cups flying passed their ears.

Three weeks passed and everyone gathered in the pub the hear the results of the competition. Much to their surprise but not to ours, the two lads won with their entry called The Storm in a Teacup which came about from the stormy greeting they had both got on arriving home previously plus the teacups that were thrown at them!
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on May 30, 2014, 05:32:35 PM
....close but not quite

Quote
Tempest in a teapot
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Storm in a Teacup (disambiguation).


Carl Guttenberg's 1778 Tea-Tax Tempest, with exploding teapot
Tempest in a teapot (American English), or storm in a teacup (British English), is an idiom meaning a small event that has been exaggerated out of proportion. There are also lesser known or earlier variants, such as tempest in a teacup, storm in a cream bowl, tempest in a glass of water, storm in a wash-hand basin,[1] and storm in a glass of water.


Etymology
Cicero, in the first century BC, in his De Legibus, used a similar phrase in Latin, possibly the precursor to the modern expressions, "Excitabat enim fluctus in simpulo ut dicitur Gratidius", translated: "For Gratidius raised a tempest in a ladle, as the saying is".[2] Then in the early 3rd century AD, Athenaeus, in the Deipnosophistae, has Dorion ridiculing the description of a tempest in the Nautilus of Timotheus by saying that he had seen a more formidable storm in a boiling saucepan.[3] The phrase also appeared in its French form "une tempete dans une verre d'eau" (a tempest in a glass of water), to refer to the popular uprising in the Republic of Geneva near the end of the 17th century.[4]

One of the earliest occurrences in print of the modern version is in 1815, where Britain's Lord Chancellor Thurlow, sometime during his tenure of 1783–1792, is quoted as referring to a popular uprising on the Isle of Man as a "tempest in a teapot".[5] Also Lord North, Prime Minister of Great Britain, is credited for popularizing this phrase as characterizing the outbreak of American colonists against the tax on tea.[6] This sentiment was then satirized in Carl Guttenberg's 1778 engraving of the Tea-Tax Tempest (shown above right), where Father Time flashes a magic lantern picture of an exploding teapot to America on the left and Britannia on the right, with British and American forces advancing towards the teapot. Just a little later, in 1825, in the Scottish journal Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, a critical review of poets Hogg and Campbell also included the phrase "tempest in a teapot".[7]

The first recorded instance of the British English version, "storm in teacup", occurs in Catherine Sinclair's Modern Accomplishments in 1838.[8][9] There are several instances though of earlier British use of the similar phrase "storm in a wash-hand basin".[10]
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Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Babs on May 30, 2014, 06:45:20 PM
Bit like Flash in a pan or Much ado about nothing!

That answer was so boring my last explanation was much better lol
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on May 30, 2014, 07:26:16 PM
Ahem, agree with that!

Tonights question., something to ponder over while you relax over the weekend.

What process occurs to make bubbles in beer?
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Babs on May 30, 2014, 11:06:41 PM
Fermentation otherwise known as Great Uncle Phil's bubble machine
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on May 31, 2014, 07:57:26 AM
Sorry, no. Remember this is a quizz about weather related topics ( loosely!). I don't imagine fermentation occurs in the atmosphere, but the answer to this question does :)
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Babs on May 31, 2014, 08:43:51 AM
Atmospheric gases like carbon dioxide
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on May 31, 2014, 09:23:09 AM
nope - this is a natural process that also occurs in a glass of beer, to form the bubbles. I am worried if Great Uncle phils bubble machine is the natural process involved
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: intrepid on May 31, 2014, 12:21:47 PM
Bubbles appear in beer because someone oopens the bottle/can and the sudden drop in air pressure is what causes the bubbles to get large enough to appear, at which point they then rise to the top of the beer.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Babs on May 31, 2014, 12:50:11 PM
Yeah what he said! I don't have a technical/mechanical/weather related brain like you guys do so sometimes could we have an easy question or two pleaseeeeeeee
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Babs on May 31, 2014, 01:02:34 PM
There were these two old codgerrs who had been trying to make a good drop of ale for years. Each brew turned out foul and got given to the cows to drink.

One day a neighbour called out to them that there was a new guy in town who was a whizz at making a good brew so they got in their trusty truck and high tailed it down to Phil's brewing shop.

He patiently listened to what they had been doing and gave them a few hints on what to do to solve the problem of the flat ale.

That night there was a huge explosion and the sky lit up for miles. People thought aliens were attacking but no it was our two brewers.

Back they went to Phil with singed eyebrows and hardly any hair and told him that they had followed his instructions and look what had happened. Phil put his head in his hands and when he had stopped laughing told the brewing pair that he had told them use carbon dioxide very sparingly but they thought the more the better!

So now you will find them attending brewing classes at Phil's brewing house and apart from pumping air bubble into their beer with a bicycle pump when their brew looks a bit flat, they are behaving themselves.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on May 31, 2014, 08:41:00 PM

Thats a reasonable answer but not the one I was looking for. The large enough to appear bit isn't exactly clear enough. Babs, as always you are so close but not quite...

Apparently the forming of bubbles in beer is exactly the same as the formation of raindrops in a cloud - that is to say that the common process is condensation. Keep in mind here that many of the physical attributes observed in liquids are also observed in atmospheres, and in fact equations used in atmospheric physics also equally applies to liquids in motion.

So how do the bubbles form? Here's the answer I had
Quote
In both cases the bubbles ( in the case of beer and the droplets in the case of clouds) form around impurities, or tiny particles, such as a dust particle in the air or impurity in the beer. So, if both the beer and the atmosphere were completely free of impurities, they wouldn’t have anything to form around, and we wouldn’t have the bubbles and particles.

The nucleation(condensation) sites for beer bubbles are actually microscopic cracks in the wall of the bottle. 

Something to ponder over when you imbibe in your next bubbly tipple
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on May 31, 2014, 09:10:01 PM
Tonights question, I thought I had better make it easy, and give you the answer!

Which of the following is not effected by wind chill, and why?

        a. person         b. dog         c. car radiator         d. bird
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Babs on May 31, 2014, 11:34:09 PM
A bird as they fly high above it
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: beteljuice on June 01, 2014, 01:47:02 AM
C/ Car radiatior - it is an inanimate object and has no 'feelings'.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on June 01, 2014, 08:06:26 AM
Beteljuice is correct , although the reason why goes back to the definition of wind chill , being the apparent temperature felt on skin. As a radiator has no skin then windchill is not a relevant measurement.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on June 01, 2014, 08:22:03 AM
Intrepid was up this morning and was fogged in. But what type of fog was it? How many types of fog do you know of and can you provide a definition of each? ( there are at least 6).

Meteorological answers please, so answers like "foggy head after night out on the town" are not what I am after here! Winner is the person who can provide the most definitions.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: intrepid on June 01, 2014, 09:45:04 AM
Well my fog was just when the dew point had just been reached about 5m above where we are. Not very thick but enough to create a halo around the street lights.

As for the other fog, I guys it depends on what brings out about. Temperature, pressure or wind speed, which is related to pressure, I guess.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: JennyLeez on June 02, 2014, 01:42:37 AM
well I'll be......
Of recent I was scolded for using the word fog and advised there was no such thing, only low cloud  :-\

Also just for interest's sake, Hamilton is supposedly one of the foggiest areas in the world.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: intrepid on June 02, 2014, 06:54:57 AM
Who told you off?

On another note...there is also brain fog, which Barbara and I are most familiar with! Nothing to do with weather though...

So my list ogf fogs are:

sea fog
ground fog
mist
hill fog
???
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on June 03, 2014, 07:14:09 PM
Points to interpid this time round. Here are the ones I had

Types of Fog (http://www.crh.noaa.gov/jkl/?n=fog_types)

(a) Evaporation or mixing fog
(b) Radiation fog
(c) advection fog
(d) upslope fog
(e) ice fog
(f) freezing fog

Is anyone interested in more questions, or do you want to give it a rest? Was kinda hoping a few more might join in....
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Babs on June 03, 2014, 07:48:10 PM
More questions would be nice thanks
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on June 04, 2014, 08:22:47 PM
What is the difference between mist and fog?
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: JennyLeez on June 23, 2014, 09:26:09 AM
Fog is only low cloud. Fog is the only type of cloud that touches the ground.
Mist moisture, water, droplets same as steam.
Fog is thicker.
(I think )
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on June 23, 2014, 12:20:27 PM
Well done!

From Wikipedia (and I think NOAA have a similar definition)

The only difference between mist and fog is visibility.[1] This phenomenon is called fog if the visibility is one kilometre (1,100 yards) or less (in the UK for driving purposes the definition of fog is visibility less than 100 metres (UK Highway Code rule 226),[2] for pilots the distance is 1 kilometre). Otherwise it is known as mist.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on June 23, 2014, 12:29:47 PM
Today's question:

What is minus 40 degrees Farenheit expressed as degrees Centigrade?
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Rwood on June 23, 2014, 09:02:40 PM

-40 as well!
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on June 24, 2014, 08:48:23 AM
Correct!

Today's question

What is an analemma and where would you normally find one?

Hint: this has something to do with the sun
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Babs on June 24, 2014, 01:56:39 PM
I had to Google this is that OK?


Its curve where you can see that sun every part of the day or something like that
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on June 24, 2014, 09:20:19 PM
Googling is cheating a bit, as otherwise it would be a competition as to who can google the fastest :-)

It wasn't an easy one though!

That said, where would you often find one. Further bonus points if you can explain why it is the shape it is
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: beteljuice on June 25, 2014, 11:23:33 AM
It may be a gnoman like a misshapen egg timer, or it may be an equally odd figure of 8 along the the 'hour' lines of a sundial.

It is a mechanical means of applying "The equation of time" which is a correction for the apparent wobble of the Earths orbit around the Sun.

When applied to a correctly constructed sundial it is possible not only to tell the time, but by the tip of the shadow touching the curve you can also tell the date.

In an alter-ego in the era when our pubs weren't open "all day", I used to hand out credit card sized cardboard ones with opening and closing times on - LOL
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Rwood on June 26, 2014, 07:14:27 AM
Two main factors affect the length of the solar day (varies by up to +30 and -17 seconds from 24 hours, from memory): the dominant one due to the 23.5deg inclination of earth's rotation equator to the "solar plane" - a lesser one is the non-circular orbit of the earth around the sun.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on June 26, 2014, 08:19:44 AM
Hi

We'll done everyone. Bit short of time this morning so will post a bit more on this tonight. In the meantime today's ponder

Ice freezes at 0celcius. If I measured thes temperature of ice in the Antarctic, and the temperature had been a consistent -5celcius for some time, what would the temperature of the ice be, and can you support your answer with scientific reasoning?

Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on June 28, 2014, 01:19:27 AM

Here's the link I was going to post about the analemma
Why Our Analemma Looks like a Figure 8 – Starts With A Bang (http://scienceblogs.com/startswithabang/2009/08/26/why-our-analemma-looks-like-a/)

Interesting that the analemma looks different depending on where on the Earth you are, and that on most planets, it's not the shape of a figure 8
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Wolfie33 on June 28, 2014, 09:35:37 AM
Hi Gabba
Love this section, many thanks for your efforts, interesting & informative.

I'll start off the ice poser. I recall that sea water freezes at a slightly lower temp, some 3/4 degrees I think, & I would guess that once frozen it would continue to cool somewhat due to surrounding cond's, something like convection. No idea what temp the ice would be, but for a stab I'd say -10. Not exactly scientific huh.

Still getting my head around the mist v fog one. Typical of authorities to make it all so complicated. How far can I see? Am I driving or flying? Conceivably possible to be doing both, but not in my wagon  ;) For the sake of personal sanity I think I'll stick to fog descends & mist rises.

And I'm just soooo happy that bubbles do form when you crack the top off a beer!!

Cheers
Pat
 
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on June 30, 2014, 07:48:39 PM
Thanks for that Wolfie33. Time allowing as long as people answer the questions I'll keep em coming.

Yes there are some really cool things that happen to water as it freezes. Aside from that tho, you have the right answer. -10c is correct. Any objects at differing temperature will move to a state of equilibrium.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Wolfie33 on June 30, 2014, 11:03:44 PM
You're welcome Gabba, credit where credit is due & all that. :)
Had to chuckle at "some really cool things happen to water as it freezes." lol

Cheers
Pat
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on July 01, 2014, 08:01:36 AM
Today's puzzler.

What is the maximum allowable wind speed for setting athletic sprinting and jumping records?

Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: TonyC on July 01, 2014, 08:34:46 AM
The figure of 4mph comes to the memory surface for some reason.
That was in the days of the likes of Roger Bannister running the 4 minute mile.......

No doubt it's in Kmh now.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on July 01, 2014, 12:44:37 PM
close (ish). The answer I have is in m/s. If they used 4mph these days there would definitely be a protest lodged!
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Wolfie33 on July 02, 2014, 08:58:45 PM
I recall watching some athletics meeting a few years ago where a record was disallowed in the 100 mtr dash. Can't recall exactly, but have a feeling it was 1.4 m/s.


Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Mark on July 02, 2014, 09:25:34 PM
I don't do sprints but would think 1.8m/s tail wind.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Wolfie33 on July 03, 2014, 06:40:02 PM
Since my last input, been thinking that 1.4 m/s is too high, thought the figure had .4 or .6 in it, so now thinking its 0.6 m/s.

I don't do sprints (anymore) either Mark, more like the 10 mtr rush, trip & hobble these days.  ::)
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on July 05, 2014, 12:20:56 AM
Some good guesses. The answer is 2 m/s or approx 4.473 mph in the old language.

That one goes to Tony.

Today's question. We all know the value and the role ozone plays in the atmosphere. How is ozone created and  What other uses does ozone have?

Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Wolfie33 on July 09, 2014, 08:45:24 PM
been waiting for someone else to have a go, but its not happening . . .

I consultated Mr Collins dict. 1987 edition which states:
a colourless gas with a chlorine like odour, formed by electric discharge  in oxygen, formula O3, a strong oxidizing agent, used in bleaching sterilizing water, purifying air.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on July 22, 2014, 10:31:56 PM
Sorry I missed this. It's the correct answer as well. Ozone is used for sterilisation

Ok easy one. How many sides has a snowflake?
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Wolfie33 on July 26, 2014, 08:21:41 AM
Come on people . . . . !!
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: beteljuice on July 26, 2014, 09:35:31 PM
6 .... but if you count the inside 7  ;)
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: gabba on July 27, 2014, 10:46:13 PM

Haha don't forget top and bottom, but six seems to be the commonly accepted answer. We'll done.
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Wolfie33 on December 10, 2017, 10:30:18 PM
I recently came across mention of the Gunning Fog Index.

What do you reckon that is ??
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: JennyLeez on April 14, 2018, 10:53:56 PM
I am bumping this up. Anyone have an answer to wolfie's question?



I recently came across mention of the Gunning Fog Index.

What do you reckon that is ??
Title: Re: NZLWN Quiz
Post by: Rwood on April 15, 2018, 08:59:40 AM
Apparently it was devised as an indicator of how difficult a passage of text is to read by giving it a score relating to the number of years of (US) education. But the formula is too simple-minded to assess all words properly, it seems. So nothing to do with weather (which I thought it might do before searching)  :)