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Games, Puzzles and Quizzes

Blazing goIITian

Joined:	5 Nov 2007
Post:	507

14 Jan 2008 11:41:39 IST

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681

Think out of the box !!!

None

A)How will you measure the height of a building using a barometer?

B)How will you determine the distance between the sun and the Earth?

Give answers as unconventional as possible...but they should be practical!!!

Rates for all valid answers:-)

SHS students are encouraged not to answer!!!

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Comments (7)

Vivek Sarda

Scorching goIITian

Joined: 21 Oct 2007

Posts: 271

14 Jan 2008 11:47:35 IST

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yaar i dunno whether rite or wrng bt i thnk

get the pressure at the top of the building..
density of air =p
pgh = pressure at top..
g is assumed to be const 4 small heights!!

Akshay Bansal

Scorching goIITian

Joined: 30 Mar 2007

Posts: 223

14 Jan 2008 11:59:21 IST

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Drop the barometer from the top of the building and measure the time it takes to reach the ground. Then find the height of the building using second equation of motion.

( this has been already posted in the community shelf )

Learner .

Blazing goIITian

Joined: 5 Nov 2007

Posts: 507

14 Jan 2008 16:27:42 IST

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sorry,I was unaware that its already there in community shelf...

Both of you are right,but I'd like more wacky and unconventional answers!!!

No takers for the second one?

Waiting..

Bhaskar Tetarbe

Scorching goIITian

Joined: 15 Jul 2007

Posts: 245

15 Jan 2008 16:19:16 IST

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For the second one,
by making observations of Venus in the sky, one can determine the point of greatest elongation. One can also measure the angle between the Sun and Venus in the sky at the point of greatest elongation. Now, using the trigonometry, one can determine the distance between Earth and Venus in terms of the Earth-Sun distance:

distance between Earth and Venus = a * cosine(e).
Suppose Earth , Venus and Sun make a right triangle. (Assuming orbits to be spherical)

Now, the distance to Venus can be measured by radar measurements, where a radio wave is transmitted from Earth and is received when it bounces off Venus and comes back to Earth. By measuring the time taken for the pulse to come back, the distance can be calculated as radio waves travel at the speed of light. Once this is known, the distance between Earth and Sun can be calculated.

Gaurav |spideyunlimited| Ragtah

Moderator

Joined: 16 Dec 2006

Posts: 3373

15 Jan 2008 16:50:05 IST

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B) by posting it in the expert community on goIIT :D

Learner .

Blazing goIITian

Joined: 5 Nov 2007

Posts: 507

19 Jan 2008 15:06:28 IST

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On the same lines as spidey,

A)Go to the building's caretaker and say, "Tell me the height of the building and I'll give you a nice barometer"!!!

lol!

suhail

Cool goIITian

Joined: 23 Mar 2008

Posts: 69

7 Jun 2008 21:05:39 IST

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the barometer question was asked to niels bohr n he gave a multitude of answers. one of them is to take a tense rope and use the barmeter-rope system as a pendulum and find da time period. then use da formula T=2pi root l/g

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