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Valencia Fall Tournament

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These questions are from the Delta Burke Invitational 1991.

Round 1 | Round 1 Bonuses | Round 2 | Round 2 Bonuses | Reset Answers

In the 16th century, this mathematician, the Baron of Merchiston, simplified the processes of multiplication and division by creating logarithms.  Name this man, FTP, known for his logarithm calculating device, which is referred to as his “rods” or “bones.”

His most famous work in mathematics, his day job, was refining the Venn diagram by enclosing it to represent the universal set. However, he was also an early photographer with a penchant for shooting sensuous photos of young girls. Name this man, FTP, whose fondness for one such girl led him to write fantastic tales, such as Through the Looking Glass.

The only four floating pontoon bridges in the U. S. are located in this state.  It entered the union in 1889, and two of its most famous natives are Bing Crosby and Jimi Hendrix.  FTP, name this home to the cities of Bellingham and Yakima, nicknamed the Evergreen State.

From 1960 to 1983, it was defined as 1,650,763.3 times the wavelength of orange light emitted when a gas consisting of the pure krypton isotope of mass number 86 was excited in an electrical discharge. It is currently defined as the distance light travels in a vacuum in roughly one three-hundred thousandth of a second. Name this unit of distance, FTP, which is more commonly reckoned as equivalent to 39.37 inches.

This musical form is based on the contrapuntal principal of imitation, and has a few fixed rules: the subject, or tune, is expected to outline the three basic harmonies of the key; the answer, or counterpoint, enters with the same tune but at a different pitch level, and the third voice enters on the same notes as the first.  FTP name this classical form perfected by Bach, often played after one of his toccatas.

It was formed in New York in 1848, and its foremost aim was to stop the extension of slavery into the new U. S. territories.  Its candidates didn’t do well in the elections of ‘48 and ‘52, despite the support of former President Martin van Buren.  FTP name this defunct political party which merged into the Republican party in 1854, and which despite its name has little to do with cheap land.

This novel’s protagonist is annoyed by people who don’t whistle well.  After running off from his private school, he goes to New York where he is briefly reunited with his ex-girlfriend, Sally Hayes.  Later that night, he assumes his former teacher, Mr. Antolini, makes a pass at him.  FTP put on your trusty hunting cap and name this novel featuring Holden Caulfield.

Its technical name is arachnodactyly, meaning “spider-limbed.”  An inherited degenerative disease of the connective tissue, it can lead to chest deformities, scoliosis, and an arm span which exceeds height.  Name this genetic disease, FTP, from which Abraham Lincoln is thought to have suffered.

He won his ninth track and field World Championship gold medal in August, surpassing Carl Lewis’s record of eight.  He didn’t, however, run the 200 meters in Seville, prompting some to wonder if he was avoiding fellow American Maurice Greene. Nonetheless, FTP, who is this golden-shoed sprinter who lowered the 400-meter world record to 43.20 seconds?

Three Selims, six Mehmeds, and three Mustafas held the throne of this former power.  The first to hold it was Osman, who began the empire in 1281, and the last was Mehmed the Sixth, who lost power in 1922.  FTP what empire, centered in Asia Minor and nicknamed the “sick old man of Europe” in the 20th century, was headed by these men?

His painting “Nocturne in Black and Gold: The Falling Rocket,” led the critic John Ruskin to accuse him of throwing a “pot of paint in the public’s face.”  His late 19th century paintings verge on expressionism, and he was one of the first western artists to be greatly influenced by Japanese painting.  FTP name this painter of “Arrangement in Black and Gray,” commonly referred to as his “Mother.”

For a quick ten points, find the derivative with respect to x of the hyperbolic sine of 2x.

As a nautical term, it refers to a depth of two fathoms, which many riverboats found to be barely safe for navigation. Otherwise this two-word term is associated with works such as “The Old Ram” and “Letters from the Earth.” FTP give the two words which provide the pseudonym of the author of “Puddn’head Wilson” and “Innocents Abroad.”

It is the conceptual basis of the radar guns used by police to apprehend speeders. Radio waves are transmitted from the gun, bounce off the targeted vehicle, and the difference between their frequencies is measured. Name this effect, FTP, named for its German observer, more often associated with the change in pitch made by moving objects as they pass a stationary object.

As a group, they do not welcome outsiders to their coastal or island enclaves. They are descendants of freed slaves with their own distinct language, a combination of various African tongues and English that resembles none of these predecessors very closely. FTP name these tight-knit residents of coastal South Carolina.

Between the 13th and 18th centuries, this small nation passed through German, Swedish, and finally Russian rule.  Strategically important because of its access to the Baltic Sea, it was first granted independence under the treaty of Brest-Litovsk in 1918, though the Hitler-Stalin non-aggression pact of 1938 placed it firmly under Soviet control.  In 1991 it became the second of the Baltic states to declare independence.  FTP name this country with capital at Riga.

A subset of the opiod group, related to opiates, they too have pain-killing and euphoria-inducing capabilities.  Unlike opiates, however, these chemicals are created by the human body.  FTP what are these chemicals, the beta variety of which are released by intensive exercise?

There were really two separate types or races of these creatures in Greek mythology.  Three of them--Argus, Steropes, and Brontes--worked in the forge of Hephaestus and were considered generally good.  Others, such as Polyphemus, were considered ill-mannered and violent.  FTP name these creatures defined by their single eye.

Jane, the only known female to serve in this position, entertained Mary the First.  Richard Tarleton served Elizabeth I, and Will Somers worked for Henry VIII.  Feste and Touchstone, though fictitious, also worked in this profession.  FTP what was the common trade of these supposedly humorous entertainers?

A former medical student, he established a radical newspaper called “The Friend of the People” after the French Revolution.  His virulent views often provoked hatred, and an itchy skin condition led to his spending a lot of time soaking in baths.  Name this radical, FTP, who was fatally stabbed by Charlotte Corday, a demise depicted in a famed painting by Jacques-Louis David (dah-veed).

It contains the tomb of famed Seminole Chief Osceola, who was incarcerated there until his death.  It is overshadowed by famous neighbor Fort Sumter, which is often considered the site of the first engagement in the Civil War.  FTP, name this Fort from which Fort Sumter was bombarded by troops under P. T. Beauregard.

 

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