Problem 297: Pop quiz

June 1, 2007
This month, we invite you to visit motionsystemdesign.com and try your hand (or mouse) at our interactive trivia quiz. Questions will be accessible from

This month, we invite you to visit motionsystemdesign.com and try your hand (or mouse) at our interactive trivia quiz. Questions will be accessible from the “Pop Quiz” link in our Knowledge FAQtory. If you can prove you're “smarter than a fifth grader,” you might even win a prize! Go online to answer these questions:

  1. A series of superconducting dipole magnets at CERN, Geneva, Switzerland will soon allow the conveyance of high electric currents without energy loss — to force protons around a 27-km circular path at nearly the speed of light. At the end of April, the last of how many of these magnets was lowered into place?
  2. A new vibration sensor developed by JILA measures the space between a tiny, wiggling gold beam and an electrically conducting point just one atom wide. The new sensor will allow scientists using scanning electron microscopes to watch the vibrations of atoms in real time by detecting what?
  3. Newton's laws state what?
  4. Researchers at the University of Washington have recently developed a crawling robot that uses electric motors and sensors to do what?
  5. In autumn 1975, American astronauts in space calculated critical course-correction maneuvers to meet Russian colleagues on what device?

Win a copy of Maple 10 software

The winner of this month's problem receives a copy of Maple 10 math analysis software from Maplesoft, of Waterloo Maple Inc., Waterloo, Ontario. The tool solves mathematical problems, creates interactive technical applications, and changes math from a burden to an enabling competitive advantage. For more information, visit maplesoft.com.

  • Combines numeric and symbolic calculations, explorations, mathematical notation, documentation, buttons and sliders, as well as graphics and animations

  • Math Equation Editor allows users to create textbook-quality equations in natural mathematical notation

  • More than 1,000 symbols, equation numbering, context-sensitive menus, templates and interactive task assistants

  • Automatically generates C, Fortran, Java, MATLAB or Visual Basic code

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