University challenge style bonus questions (Easy)

The use of the Greek letter Pi

The most traditional use of the lowercase letter pi is to represent the ratio of any circle's diameter to what length?

Also in mathematics, the capital pi is used to represent the what of a sequence?

In mathematical economics, the lowercase pi is used to represent what quantity, calculated in some models as the dot product of the price vector and the output vector for a firm?

1994 films

Directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Tom Hanks, this film tells the story of man with a low IQ who accomplishes a lot in his life and is randomly involved in many historical events.

Directed by Peter Farrelly and starring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels, this film tells the story of two men whose stupidity is quote: 'really indescribable'?

Directed by Frank Darabont and starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, this film tells the story of a man who is wrongfully sent to prison where he comes to be admired by the other inmates for his integrity and sense of hope.

Fathers of fields: for each person name the field they are considered the father of

The polymath and mathematician Charles Babbage.

The New Zealand physicist Ernest Rutherford.

The Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus.

Shakespeare plays: for each play state if it is a tragedy, comedy or history

Romeo and Juliet

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Richard III

Cricket fielding positions

This position behind the wicket keeper on the offside is usually 45 degrees to the wicket and on the boundary.

A fielder anywhere in the space between point and mid-off is given this name. A second fielder in this area is 'extra...'.

This fielding position on the leg side is also taken by the second umpire.

Series of books: given the first three books, name the series

The Magician's Nephew, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe and The Horse and His Boy.

A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords.

The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King.

Premier League winning back 4s: name the team in each case

Dennis Irwin, Steve Bruce, Gary Pallister and Paul Parker in 1992/93.

Andrew Robertson, Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Trent Alexander-Arnold in 2019/20.

Danny Simpson, Wes Morgan, Robert Huth and Christian Fuchs in 2015/16.

Theatre

This pantomime concerns the title character and his pet cat on their quest for fame and fortune in London.

This play written by Arthur Miller tells the story of the Salem Witch Trials. It is an allegory of the second Red Scare in America in the later 1940s and 50s. It shares its name with the theatre where the World Snooker Championship takes place annually.

This musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber concerns a disfigured musical genius who haunts the Paris Opera House.

State religions: name the state religion of each country

Nigeria

Ghana

India

Shipping forecast areas

This area off the southwest tip of England is named after a city in Devon which shares its name with the location of the pilgrim ship the Mayflower's landing spot.

This area on the eastern coast of England is named after the river which flows through the city Kingston-upon-Hull.

This area off the coast of Portugal was the location of an 1805 battle in which Admiral Nelson defeated Napoleon. The battle is commemorated by a square in England.

Bones of the human body: for each common name, give the anatomical name

Upper jaw bone.

Collarbone

Heel bone

Band members: name the band

Benny Andersson, Agetha Faltskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Bjorn Ulvaeus.

Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, AJ McLean and Kevin Richardson.

John Deacon, Brian May, Freddie Mercury and Roger Taylor.

French artists

The Father of Impressionism; works included Water Lilies, Field with Poppies and The Beach at Trouville.

This impressionist born in Limoges painted Umbrellas, Moulin de la Galette and Madame Charpentier and Her Children. His son Jean became a notable film director.

This French post-impressionist painted The Vision after the Sermon, Tahitian Women and La Seine au Pont d'lena.

Elements of the periodic table

This metallic liquid was named after France. It has atomic number 31.

This radioactive element with atomic number 43, is a result of the decay of molybdenum. It is put to use in medicine.

This gas named after the sun with atomic number 2 is notable as the second most abundant element in the universe.

Mathematicians

The Greek mathematician who wrote Elements. He is considered a father of geometry; fields of geometry are split into the ones which obey his rules and those which don't.

This philosopher wrote Principia Mathematica in collaboration with AN Whitehead. He also devised an important paradox of Georg Cantor's set theory by considering the set of sets which are not members of themselves.

This physicist wrote another book called Principia in which he described the new field of calculus. He is also considered the father of classical mechanics.

Pre-Euro currencies: name the currency used by each country before the Euro

Netherlands

Portugal

Belgium

Toys and games

This toy was invented by Ole Kirk Kristiansen.

This board game was invented Anthony Pratt, with characters including Colonel Mustard and Miss Scarlett.

This type of puzzle was invented by John Spilsbury.

A particular board game

For all three answers, name all the properties in the red set of properties on the original UK Monopoly board.

 

 

UK counties by cities and towns

Stoke-on-Trent, Tamworth and Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Reading, Slough and Bracknell.

Ipswich, Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds.

Physics

Maxwell's equations are partial differential vector equations which describe what type of fields?

The Dirac equation is a relativistic wave equation which described particles for which, what quantity equals 1/2?

Whose field equations, in the form of a tensor equation, relate the geometry of spacetime to the distribution of matter within it?

The hymn Jerusalem by Hubert Parry

What 3 word phrase, in the 3rd line of the hymn is referred to multiple times in the Book of Revelation? It is also an alternative name for Christ

In the second verse, what 3 word phrase is also the name of a 1981 Best Picture winning film about British athletes at the Olympic games?

At which Test Cricket venue is the hymn regularly sung before play begins?

Videogames

Spartan Strike was a 2015 release in which videogame series from the military science fiction genre?

One of the developers behind Halo, W!Games, also contributed to which show jumping game for the Nintendo Wii, DS and Windows?

My Horse and Me was released in 2007. What specific shooter videogame was DICE Game of the Year that year?

The annual event: Crufts

The National Exhibition Centre in which English city has hosted the 4 day show annually since 1991?

What 3 word term is given to the winner of Crufts?

What breed of dog has been best in show the most times according to the Crufts website?

Eric Cantona

Which major rival of Manchester United did Cantona play for before he joined United? The game between these two clubs is called the Roses Derby.

One of Cantona's most famous moments was his violent attack on a supporter after being sent off in a Premier League game. At which stadium did this occur?

In 2019, Eric Cantona's speech at the Champions League draw baffled many. Which Shakespeare play did he quote at the beginning?

Indian-style curries invented outside of India

What curry was invented in Birmingham in the 1970s, when Pakistani residents created a fusion dish inspired by traditional recipes but cooked in appeal to Western tastes?

What curry was invented in Glasgow in the 1970s by a Bangladeshi chef who added a mild tomato-cream sauce to an existing recipe? It is now considered the national dish of the UK.

What curry is believed by some to have originated in India, but by others to come from Turkey, Azerbaijan and Persia? Its name comes from the Turkish Qavirma.

Steven Spielberg

Spielberg has made more films about which archaeologist than any other character? First in 1981 and most recently in 2008.

In the 1993 film Jurassic Park, what sentence is written on the side mirrors on the car when it is being chased by a T-Rex?

Which 2022 film was Spielberg's most recent? It is a film about film-making and it was nominated for several Oscars including Best Picture.

US states

Which state's most populated cities are Bridgeport, Danbury and Waterbury?

Which state's most populated cities are Anchorage, Juneau and Sitka?

Which state's most populated cities are Milwaukee, Madison and Waukesha?

Comedy sketches starring Rowan Atkinson

When Mr Bean sits a maths exam, he realises he has revised the wrong topic, but at the end of the exam discovers questions on the topic he had revised on the other side of the paper. Name both the topic he did and didn't revise.

In a 1980 sketch, Rowan Atkinson plays a gorilla with what name, which has been taught to speak and act like a human?

In another sketch, Atkinson plays a student being told off by the headmaster. The audience thinks he is being told off for starting every essay with 'My aunt, who I live with, has a parrot called...', when actually he is told off for a grammatical error in this line. What is the corrected version?

Films with titles containing demonyms

Which 2000 film directed by Mary Harron concerns an investment banking executive who hides his psychopathic alter ego from his co-workers?

Which 1971 film directed by William Friedkin concerns narcotics detective 'Popeye' Doyle's hot pursuit of a heroin-smuggling operation? It won Best Picture.

Which 1996 film directed by Anthony Minghella concerns a Hungarian map maker who falls in love with a woman called Hana? It also won Best Picture.

Functional groups in chemistry

Which are hydrocarbons in which the carbon atoms are held together by single bonds? Their general formula is CnH2n+2 for molecules which don't contain ring structures.

Which groups consist of a hydroxyl and a carbonyl bonded to a single carbon atom?

Which aromatic functional group is characterised by a ring of six carbon atoms, bonded by alternating single and double bonds?

Swords in fiction

What is the name of the sword in the Harry Potter series of books which is capable of destroying Voldemort's horcruxes? It is named after one of the Hogwarts houses.

What is the name of the sword that belonged to first Bilbo Baggins and then Frodo Baggins in the works of Tolkien? It gets its name from the exclamation of a spider stabbed by Bilbo in The Hobbit.

Which sword in Arthurian legend was given to King Arthur by the Lady of the Lake? It is not to be confused with the sword in the stone.

British celebrities relating to cooking

Which British TV Chef rose to fame after she won the Great British Bake Off in 2015? She is known for the books Simple Spices and Family Favourites.

Which chef is most well-known for his series about school dinners in which he challenged the junk-food culture?

Which TV chef is known for his shows from around the world and his show since 2016 called Long Weekends?

Colleges of the University of London

Which college is the second-largest university in the UK by enrolment and largest by postgraduate enrolment? Its closest tube station is Euston Square.

In 1836, which college became one of the two founding colleges of the University of London? It was established by royal charter in 1829 by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington.

Which social sciences institution, usually shortened to a 3 letter acronym, was founded in 1895? Its closest tube station is Holborn.

Members of England's 1966 World Cup winning team

What was the name of the goalkeeper, whose club career involved Chesterfield, Leicester City, Stoke City and Fort Lauderdale Strikers?

What was the name of the final hat-trick scorer, whose club career involved West Ham United, Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion?

What was the name of England's other goalscorer in the final, who played for West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur, Norwich City and Sheffield United?

Film music composers

Which American composed music for Jaws, Superman, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park and Harry Potter?

Which Italin composed music for The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, Django Unchained and Kill Bill?

Which German composed music for Gladiator, The Dark Knight and the Pirates of the Caribbean series?

Properties of addition as a binary operation

What property of addition means that elements can be grouped in any way when they are added? i.e. a+(b+c) is the same as (a+b)+c

What property of addition means that elements can be added in any order? i.e. a+b is the same as b+a

What number is the identity of addition? This is the real number for which leaves any real number unchanged when the operation is undergone.

Restaurant chains

Which fast food chain was led by entrepenuer Ray Kroc whose story is told in a 2016 film starring Michael Keaton?

Which fast food chain with headquarters in Louisville is the world's second-largest chain after McDonalds?

Which UK-based chain offers fish and chips and claims to be 'Britain's longest established restaurant chain'?

Capital cities spelt using symbols of chemical elements

Which European capital's name can be spelt using the symbols for beryllium and radon?

Which Asian capital's name can be spelt using the symbols for barium, potassium and uranium?

Which African capital's name can be spelt using the symbols for calcium, iridium and oxygen?

Codenames of recurring James Bond characters

 

What is the codename of the character who gives Bond his missions? He was played by Bernard Lee, then Robert Brown, and then as a woman by Judi Dench.

What is the codename of the woman who works for MI6 that Bond regularly sees? She usually works outside M's office.

What is the codename of the scientist who gives Bond his weapons and gadgets? He famously makes modifications to Bond cars and is known for the quote: 'I never joke about my work 007'.

Albert Einstein

Which year is known as Einstein's 'annus mirabilis' or 'miracle year' in English due to the many papers he published that year?

'God does not play dice' is a quote from Einstein's argument with which Danish physicist about the correct interpretation of quantum mechanics?

Einstein's special theory of relativity has 2 key postulates: the first is that the laws of physics are invariant in all inertial reference frames. Which other physicist first devised this postulate in his theory of relativity?