2018 Sun God Invitational Specific Question Request and Discussion

[Jason Cheng]

Request to see and discuss specific questions here; general comments go in the other thread.

[naan/steak-holding toll]

A few preliminary notes:

- Bela Fleck was probably one or clues too early in the banjo tossup, will probably address that. Was my bad in editing there.
- The leadin of the mesons tossup has been altered to be more player friendly, to emphasize as to how the use of the Gell-Mann-Okubo formula varies for mesons compared to other hadrons:

Uniquely, the [emphasize] square of these particles’ masses, rather than the normal mass, is typically used when calculating their mass with the Gell-Mann–Okubo formula, reducing the error to about 3 to 5 percent.

[Judson Laipply]

RE the sterile neutrinos bonus part: As someone who knows what Mini-BooNE and Ice Cube are (neutrino detectors) and someone who knows what a type of matter that only interacts through gravity is (dark matter), I should be able to say either neutrino or dark
Matter and get prompted. I decided to say dark
Matter and was not prompted.

Not only would I have pulled sterile neutrino but I already thought that was the answer before the clue that basically said “we want you to say dark matter mmmmkay”

This definitely needs to be remedied before other mirrors and once I have the set I should have some more comments on science.

[Jason Cheng]

We’re not currently allowing uncontrolled copies of the set to be sent out, but if you want, you can request specific questions and content in this thread.

We’re currently working on our answerline instructions, especially with science where things can get tricky—I don’t have any input on dark matter/sterile neutrinos since that’s Aseem/Will’s wheelhouse, but please keep them coming if you know of any and I’ll make sure they’re fixed ASAP

[naan/steak-holding toll]

RE the sterile neutrinos bonus part: As someone who knows what Mini-BooNE and Ice Cube are (neutrino detectors) and someone who knows what a type of matter that only interacts through gravity is (dark matter), I should be able to say either neutrino or dark
Matter and get prompted. I decided to say dark
Matter and was not prompted.

Not only would I have pulled sterile neutrino but I already thought that was the answer before the clue that basically said “we want you to say dark matter mmmmkay”

This definitely needs to be remedied before other mirrors and once I have the set I should have some more comments on science.

Whoops, sorry about that! Considering the next part in the bonus is dark matter, that's really bad. Will definitely add that.

Another small note or two:
- I forgot to move down the clue about the fake hepatitis B vaccine in Pakistan - meant to put that out of power and swap with the next clue but forgot to in the last couple of days
- We're taking the word "thistle" out of the Scotland tossup in finals 2. Apparently they're the national flower of Scotland - one of our playtesters pointed this out, but we weren't sure it was a bit deal, so we just took out "synthetic English" from the tossup to hope to not narrow the answerspace. However, upon further feedback, we think it's probably best to take that one particular word out

[VSCOelasticity]

Can I see the tossup on electrochemical cells? I was a dummy and said cathode instead of electrode at the voltammetry clue, but was confused when the answer wasn't electrode.

[naan/steak-holding toll]

Can I see the tossup on electrochemical cells? I was a dummy and said cathode instead of electrode at the voltammetry clue, but was confused when the answer wasn't electrode.

17. A simple equation for modeling transport in these systems can be derived by applying a Laplace transform to Fick’s laws and choosing boundary conditions to represent semi-infinite linear diffusion. A common analytic setup uses three of these things, one of which is working, one of which is the counter, and one of which uses calomel as a standard reference. More energy is required to drive these systems than would normally be thermodynamically predicted when an (*) overpotential is present. Two dissimilar metals may form one of these systems, resulting in corrosion, when they are placed near each other in solution. A salt bridge usually connects the components of these systems, which can be measured using the Nernst equation. For 10 points, identify these cells that use chemical reactions to produce electrical energy.
ANSWER: voltaic cells [or galvanic cells or electrochemical cells or electrodes; prompt on partial answer; accept voltaic or galvanic after “cell” is read; prompt on battery or potential; anti-prompt on fuel cells by asking “can you be less specific?”]

Also, upon further research, I'm not 100% sure I screwed up the clue about time translation symmetry in the Noether's theorem clue for the energy conservation tossup. Does anyone have any feedback here? Think I could probably find a better wording for vis-viva:

3. Banks, Susskind, and Peskin claimed to have found a paradox in a paper arguing that either locality or this result cannot hold due to quantum decoherence. A direct consequence of assuming this result in astrophysics is the vis-viva (“viss-VEE-vuh”) equation. This result can be proven using the Euler–Lagrange equations by setting the partial derivative of the Lagrangian with respect to time equal to zero; similarly, it results from time (*) translation symmetry by Noether’s (“NUR-tuh’s”) theorem. In classical mechanics, this result does not hold for friction, but does hold for all forces for which the path taken does not affect the total work done, such as gravity. For 10 points, give this principle which states that a quantity with “kinetic” and “potential” forms cannot be created or destroyed.

[VSCOelasticity]

Can I see the tossup on electrochemical cells? I was a dummy and said cathode instead of electrode at the voltammetry clue, but was confused when the answer wasn't electrode.

17. A simple equation for modeling transport in these systems can be derived by applying a Laplace transform to Fick’s laws and choosing boundary conditions to represent semi-infinite linear diffusion. A common analytic setup uses three of these things, one of which is working, one of which is the counter, and one of which uses calomel as a standard reference. More energy is required to drive these systems than would normally be thermodynamically predicted when an (*) overpotential is present. Two dissimilar metals may form one of these systems, resulting in corrosion, when they are placed near each other in solution. A salt bridge usually connects the components of these systems, which can be measured using the Nernst equation. For 10 points, identify these cells that use chemical reactions to produce electrical energy.
ANSWER: voltaic cells [or galvanic cells or electrochemical cells or electrodes; prompt on partial answer; accept voltaic or galvanic after “cell” is read; prompt on battery or potential; anti-prompt on fuel cells by asking “can you be less specific?”]

Ah ok, it is in the answerline. It seems kind of weird to me to clue voltammetry and also accept electrochemical cells because electrodes are part of an electrochemical cell, but not the same thing.

[yeah viv talk nah]

Could I see the tossup on Shanghai? I think there was a clue about "the Mercedes-Benz Arena" that led me to buzz with "Stuttgart". There are several Mercedes-Benz Arenas so maybe it would be better to clarify that it is a non-European city or something along those lines.

Also, could I see the bonus on coconuts / (don't remember) / pūjās ? From what I recollect, there was a clue for the first part about the couple holding the objects in their hands together during kanyādān (I may be wrong though). If so, I don't think this is unique; in my experience, flowers and uncooked rice grains are also held hand-in-hand during the ceremony.

The moderator told me that there were no alternate answerlines given for the last part, but "vrata(m)" should be listed as an alternative answer for the bonus part on pūjās; the Satyanārāyana Pūjā is very commonly known as a vrata.

[Judson Laipply]

Could I see the tossup on Shanghai? I think there was a clue about "the Mercedes-Benz Arena" that led me to buzz with "Stuttgart". There are several Mercedes-Benz Arenas so maybe it would be better to clarify that it is a non-European city or something along those lines.

Definitely need to clarify here with non-euro/non-american. Me and at least two other people in the room were thinking of the two american football stadiums sponsored by mercedes-benz on that list.

[A Dim-Witted Saboteur]

May I see the tossup on the Han Dynasty? It confused me because the leadin referenced the Forbidden City, which wasn't built until over a milennium after the Han fell.

[Judson Laipply]

Can I see the velocity question? I had no idea what that distance ladder clue was at the start and I'm also curious as to how there were so many negs and such low conversion. Velocity is an answerline that would fly in middle school so there must have been a very stingy giveaway.

[a bird]

Let's see the _chemical potential_ tossup from packet 15. I was confused by a few parts, but I don't remember the details.

[Votre Kickstarter Est Nul]

May I see the tossup on the Han Dynasty? It confused me because the leadin referenced the Forbidden City, which wasn't built until over a milennium after the Han fell.

12. A ruler of this dynasty spent much of his time sexual roleplaying with the more than 20,000 concubines he kept in the Forbidden City. Intrigue during this dynasty involving scholars and the students who supported them, called dangren (“dahng-run”) or “partisans,” prompted a civil liberties crackdown that was lifted by Emperor Ling. A succession struggle during this dynasty between Empress He (“huh”), her brother He Jin (“huh jeen”), and a faction of eunuchs allowed Dong Zhuo (“dong jwoh”) to come to power. A group called the (*) Celestial Masters emerged late in this dynasty and led the Five Pecks of Rice rebellion. This dynasty ended with the abdication of Emperor Xian (“sh’yen”) to Cao Pi (“tsao pee”), whose father was a warlord who contended with Sun Quan (“sun ch’wen”) and Liu Bei (“lyoh bay”). For 10 points, name this dynasty whose collapse gave way to the Three Kingdoms period.
ANSWER: Han dynasty [or Hàn cháo]

Can I see the velocity question? I had no idea what that distance ladder clue was at the start and I'm also curious as to how there were so many negs and such low conversion. Velocity is an answerline that would fly in middle school so there must have been a very stingy giveaway.

4. A rung on the distance ladder sets 1.33 times the log of a parameter that characterizes the distribution of this quantity, plus a constant, equal to the log of the angular diameter D. Spider diagrams consist of lines with equal values for this quantity. Measuring both a “half-light” quantity and this quantity for members of a cluster allows you to calculate the cluster’s mass by the virial theorem. The M–sigma relation for black hole mass is analogous to the (*) Faber–Jackson relation, which relates luminosity to the fourth power of this quantity’s dispersion. The term “winding problem” refers to the anomaly in which this quantity is similar for stars at both the center and edge of a galaxy. This quantity is plotted on the y-axis against radius on galactic rotation curves. For 10 points, name this quantity that, for the Earth’s orbit around the Sun, is about 30 kilometers per second.
ANSWER: velocity [accept radial velocity or orbital velocity or velocity dispersion]

Let's see the _chemical potential_ tossup from packet 15. I was confused by a few parts, but I don't remember the details.

20. This quantity is equal to the negative average of the ionization energy and electron affinity. The Ehrenfest classification is based on the derivatives of this quantity with respect to temperature and pressure. For a real gas, this quantity is equal to its standard state variety plus RT times the fugacity. According the Gibbs phase rule, since the phases are in thermodynamic (*) equilibrium, this quantity must be equal for both phases. The Gibbs–Duhem equation expresses changes in this quantity with respect to temperature and pressure. This quantity is formally defined as the partial derivative of internal energy with respect to the component. For 10 points, name this quantity, symbolized mu, that represents the change in energy when particles are added or released in a reaction.
ANSWER: chemical potential

EDIT: edited to include bolding for powers

[naan/steak-holding toll]

May I see the tossup on the Han Dynasty? It confused me because the leadin referenced the Forbidden City, which wasn't built until over a milennium after the Han fell.

Yeah so I was confused about this as well but my reference source talked about it. It may have just been using it as a metonym for the Palace, but I need to clear that up for sure.

[Ciorwrong]

Can I see the bonus where optimization was the first part? I think second order conic optimization was the second part and PSD was the last part. The PSD clues seemed really hard to parse at game speed and I missed it despite me knowing what PSD is from my grad econometric class. What was easy, medium, hard here?

I'd also like to see the tossups on _LM_ curve, _QED_ and _Nirvana_ because my teammate negged this with "becoming a Buddha."

I recall one bonus part saying that Martinique was a French colony in the Indian Ocean, (I believe this was Round 2) but it is possible I misheard this.

Thanks.

[Votre Kickstarter Est Nul]

Can I see the bonus where optimization was the first part? I think second order conic optimization was the second part and PSD was the last part. The PSD clues seemed really hard to parse at game speed and I missed it despite me knowing what PSD is from my grad econometric class. What was easy, medium, hard here?

I'd also like to see the tossups on _LM_ curve, _QED_ and _Nirvana_ because my teammate negged this with "becoming a Buddha."

I recall one bonus part saying that Martinique was a French colony in the Indian Ocean, (I believe this was Round 2) but it is possible I misheard this.

Thanks.

12. When constraints in these problems cannot be satisfied simultaneously, the problem is said to be infeasible. For 10 points each:
[10] Identify these problems in mathematics and computer science that find the best value or set of values for a decision variable based on the objective function and the set of constraints that it is subject to.
ANSWER: optimization problems [or optimizing or word forms; or maximization or minimization problems]
[10] This class of convex optimization models named for a shape constrains the norm of an affine transformation of the decision variable to be less than or equal to the dot product of the design variable and constraint vector, plus a constraint constant.
ANSWER: second-order cone programming [or SOCP; or SOC; or conic quadratic optimization; prompt on conic optimization or convex cone optimization or convex optimization]
[10] A more general class of convex optimization models, including second-order cone programming, are named for this property. A matrix M has this property if, for any nonzero vector x, x-transpose times M times x is non-negative.
ANSWER: positive semidefinite [or PSD; prompt on semidefinite or semidefinite programming or SDP; do not accept or prompt on “positive definite”]

16. In a 2003 paper, Milton Friedman’s son Benjamin noted the “disappearance” of this construct in recent models, citing Clarida, Gali, and Gertler’s Neo-Keynesian framework that does not use this construct, but does incorporate the long-run aggregate supply. This construct can be derived by taking the basic velocity equation, which represents transactions demand, then adding a term to represent speculative demand, then replacing the demand for real balances with an equilibrium condition; thus, this (*) curve has a [emphasize] positive slope, since transactions demand is positively correlated with both income and the interest rate. This curve is combined with a curve that represents the goods market in the Hicks–Hansen model, in which it represents equilibrium points between liquidity preference and the money supply. For 10 points, name this curve paired with the IS curve.
ANSWER: LM curve [or liquidity preference-money supply curve before “liquidity”; prompt on IS-LM model or Hicks–Hansen model by asking “which component of that model?”; prompt on money demand curve or monetary demand curve; do not accept or prompt on “demand curve”]

9. In the context of this theory, the Bloch–Nordsieck (“block NORD-zeek”) cancellation is used to remove a divergence that inhibits calculation of the S-matrix. Perturbative calculation of the coupling constant in this theory only exhibits a Landau pole at energy scales far higher than any observed interactions. This theory accurately predicts that the g-factor does not exactly equal two. Dynamical effects in this theory vanish as the (*) fine-structure constant, which is that coupling constant, goes to zero. This theory accurately predicts the value of the anomalous magnetic moment; it also explains vacuum polarization and the self-energy of its gauge boson, the photon, via generation of virtual electron–positron pairs. Schwinger, Feynman, and Tomonaga developed, for 10 points, what field theory that describes the electromagnetic force?
ANSWER: QED [or quantum electrodynamics; prompt on partial answer; prompt on quantum field theory or QFT; do not accept or prompt on “QCD” or “quantum mechanics”]

10. A philosophical work by the bhikkhu Ñāṇananda (“NYAH-nuh-NUN-duh”) that espouses the free nature of dhamma is titled after this concept. The sutra named after this concept expounds upon the Buddha-nature and is central to the Shinnyo-en (“sheen-nyoh-en”) school. The Bhagavad Gita defines the goal of human life as achieving a version of this concept that involves forming a relationship with the Supreme, or Brahman. The Vimalakirti Sutra dismantled the belief present in several sutras that this concept was inaccessible to (*) women. When preceded by the prefix pari, this term refers to the final death of the body. This concept is named by analogy to extinguishing an oil lamp. It is similar to the concepts of mukti and moksha and can be described as the “end of suffering.” For 10 points, name this Buddhist term for the release from samsara, or the cycle of rebirth.
ANSWER: nirvana [or nibbana; accept moksha or mukti before “mukti”; accept Nibbana-The Mind Stilled or Nirvana Sutra]

5. Wikileaks exposed British and American conversations which concluded that establishing this archipelago as a Marine Protection Area was the “most effective long-term way to prevent” its indigenous community from resettling. For 10 points each:
[10] Name this archipelago whose largest island, Diego Garcia, was forcibly depopulated to make room for a US naval base.
ANSWER: Chagos (“CHAY-guss” or “CHAH-gose”) Archipelago
[10] The Chagos Archipelago often features in the politics of this country. Since its independence, it has been led by multiple generations of the Ragnauth and Ramgoolam families.
ANSWER: Mauritius
[10] Diego Garcia was originally settled by this European country, which still controls the Indian Ocean island of Martinique as one of its overseas departments.
ANSWER: France [or French Republic]

I can only really speak to the last one but yes it did indeed say that I apologize; it's a silly mistake we should have caught. I hope it did not throw anybody who played it off.

EDIT: really need to remember to bold powers the first time

[Ciorwrong]

questions

I doubt anyone was confused by the France easy part it seemed like no big deal.

Hate to bother you further, but could you edit this post with the Nirvanna tossup included? I also wanted to say the bonus on Taleb was my favorite bonus all year and I was extremely sad we didn't get to hear it.

[a bird]

20. This quantity is equal to the negative average of the ionization energy and electron affinity. The Ehrenfest classification is based on the derivatives of this quantity with respect to temperature and pressure. For a real gas, this quantity is equal to its standard state variety plus RT times the fugacity. According the Gibbs phase rule, since the phases are in thermodynamic (*) equilibrium, this quantity must be equal for both phases. The Gibbs–Duhem equation expresses changes in this quantity with respect to temperature and pressure. This quantity is formally defined as the partial derivative of internal energy with respect to the component. For 10 points, name this quantity, symbolized mu, that represents the change in energy when particles are added or released in a reaction.
ANSWER: chemical potential

I buzzed on the first clue with electronegativity, since the the Mulliken electronegativity is equal to the (positive) average of ionization energy and electron affinity. I realize this is sort of equivalent to minus chemical potential for electrons, but why would you expect someone who knows about Mulliken electronegativity to buzz with chemical potential instead of electronegativity at that point in the question? (The minus sign seems far too subtle to really figure out at game speed.)

The next clue is also problematic: as far as I can tell, the Ehrenfest classification is normally defined in terms of free energy rather than chemical potential. My go-to stat mech book defines it in terms of G (and notes that it also works for mu). Many sources only refer to free energy in their definition, while some use the chemical potential. Of course it the classification works for both as they will have the same discontinuities, but "chemical potential," "Gibbs free energy," just "free energy," and probably "Helmholtz free energy" are all equally correct for this clue.

These issues speak to the biggest problems I had while playing the science in this set. Many early clues were a bit confusing and, while they might be technically specific to the answerline, and deeply related to several other concepts, making it hard to narrow down to the correct answer. I liked a lot about the science in this set, but I think there are some lessons to learn from the above issues.

[Wartortullian]

Also, upon further research, I'm not 100% sure I screwed up the clue about time translation symmetry in the Noether's theorem clue for the energy conservation tossup. Does anyone have any feedback here? Think I could probably find a better wording for vis-viva:

3. Banks, Susskind, and Peskin claimed to have found a paradox in a paper arguing that either locality or this result cannot hold due to quantum decoherence. A direct consequence of assuming this result in astrophysics is the vis-viva (“viss-VEE-vuh”) equation. This result can be proven using the Euler–Lagrange equations by setting the partial derivative of the Lagrangian with respect to time equal to zero; similarly, it results from time (*) translation symmetry by Noether’s (“NUR-tuh’s”) theorem. In classical mechanics, this result does not hold for friction, but does hold for all forces for which the path taken does not affect the total work done, such as gravity. For 10 points, give this principle which states that a quantity with “kinetic” and “potential” forms cannot be created or destroyed.

The Nother's theorem clue is entirely correct, as is the preceding Euler-Lagrange clue (see section 7.6 of Taylor for a full derivation).

[vinteuil]

Is it true that this tournament had a bonus part on fucking Rupi Kaur?

[Jason Cheng]

Yeah, but I fail to see why “poetry a lot of people know about and shapes discourse” makes for a particularly objectionable (single) bonus part, even if it’s bad.

[vinteuil]

Yeah, but I fail to see why “poetry a lot of people know about and shapes discourse” makes for a particularly objectionable (single) bonus part, even if it’s bad.

Jason, what's your position on the distinction between "academic" material and "trash"? (This is a serious question, not sarcasm.)

Let me assume that you think it's possible to make such a distinction, and understand why we don't ask about some material in academic tournaments (EDIT: "academic distributions" would be better; I would be just fine with this in a CE, trash, or "other" bonus), despite it being very well-known and shaping discourse. Then you wouldn't write a non-trash film question on, I dunno, The Avengers—and I fail to see how this is any different.

[Jason Cheng]

6. A Molly Fischer profile of this poet in which she spends most of the time discussing book design was discussed in a Deadspin article titled this poet “Seems Utterly Uninterested In Reading Books.” For 10 points each:
[10] Name this Instagram poet of Sikh ancestry behind the collection Milk and Honey. She was dubbed the “Queen of the Instapoets” by Rolling Stone.
ANSWER: Rupi Kaur
[10] The New York Times called Kaur a mix between Cat Power and this author of Notes from a Dirty Old Man, who created Henry Chinaski for his novels Ham on Rye and Post Office.
ANSWER: Charles Bukowski
[10] This Kenyan-born Somali poet, who wrote “for women who are ‘difficult’ to love” and released the collection Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth, was dubbed the “laureate” of the social media poets by the New Yorker. Her work was featured on Beyoncé’s visual album Lemonade.
ANSWER: Warsan Shire
<Misc. Lit, EL>

In general, people spent two years approaching Rupi Kaur as “poetry” and it shaped literary discourse of poetry for a while—I’ve seen countless thinkpieces and discussion of the subject and of social media poetry. In general, I found it unproductive to decide whether something was “literature” based on its “merits,” since that’s obviously a subjective judgment.

Rupi Kaur is marketed as poetry despite being really bad at it; The Avengers is clearly not marketed as art film. What’s more, the bonus positions itself by talking about the merits and values of social media/pop culture adopting viral poetry—it’s not like we’re quoting lines and asking you to recognize X two line poem from Milk and Honey. This strikes me as an unquestionably literary subject worth asking about a subcategory I carved out for this specific purpose, among other things.

[gimmedatguudsuccrose]

6. A Molly Fischer profile of this poet in which she spends most of the time discussing book design was discussed in a Deadspin article titled this poet “Seems Utterly Uninterested In Reading Books.” For 10 points each:
[10] Name this Instagram poet of Sikh ancestry behind the collection Milk and Honey. She was dubbed the “Queen of the Instapoets” by Rolling Stone.
ANSWER: Rupi Kaur
[10] The New York Times called Kaur a mix between Cat Power and this author of Notes from a Dirty Old Man, who created Henry Chinaski for his novels Ham on Rye and Post Office.
ANSWER: Charles Bukowski
[10] This Kenyan-born Somali poet, who wrote “for women who are ‘difficult’ to love” and released the collection Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth, was dubbed the “laureate” of the social media poets by the New Yorker. Her work was featured on Beyoncé’s visual album Lemonade.
ANSWER: Warsan Shire
<Misc. Lit, EL>

In general, people spent two years approaching Rupi Kaur as “poetry” and it shaped literary discourse of poetry for a while—I’ve seen countless thinkpieces and discussion of the subject and of social media poetry. In general, I found it unproductive to decide whether something was “literature” based on its “merits,” since that’s obviously a subjective judgment.

Rupi Kaur is marketed as poetry despite being really bad at it; The Avengers is clearly not marketed as art film. What’s more, the bonus positions itself by talking about the merits and values of social media/pop culture adopting viral poetry—it’s not like we’re quoting lines and asking you to recognize X two line poem from Milk and Honey. This strikes me as an unquestionably literary subject worth asking about a subcategory I carved out for this specific purpose, among other things.

I assume that not deciding whether something was “literature” based on its “merits” also led to the inclusion of Shel Silverstein and Black Beauty in this set.

[Jason Cheng]

I don’t generally find combative discussion of sets productive, but while we’re at it:

1) The tossup has two sentences on horses about Black Beauty
2) Black Beauty is barely, if at all, lowbrow or bad—it’s a novel a lot of people read in formative times of their lives which has a role adjacent to Little Women or Anne of Green Gables and Alice in Wonderland, invented one of the bestselling genres in English literature (pony novels), and has sold fifty million copies
3) similar arguments for Shel Silverstein.

Also, these total for about 4 clues across all of the literature distribution, so you’ll have to excuse me if I’m at a loss to explain the blanket condemnations of entire distributions based on them

[vinteuil]

Also, these total for about 4 clues across all of the literature distribution.

Thanks for contextualizing this!

so you’ll have to excuse me if I’m at a loss to explain the blanket condemnations of entire distributions based on them

Did anybody do that? (I asked about one question and meant it only as a question about that question.)

[vinteuil]

May I see the tossup on the Han Dynasty? It confused me because the leadin referenced the Forbidden City, which wasn't built until over a milennium after the Han fell.

12. A ruler of this dynasty spent much of his time sexual roleplaying with the more than 20,000 concubines he kept in the Forbidden City.

Aside from the obvious issue with the the "Forbidden City," this leadin is basically unbuzzable, since "spending too much time with innumerable concubines" is one of the dominant tropes in Chinese historiography when it comes to "bad" emperors, e.g. Xiang Sheng's pleasure palace for Yangdi.

[Jason Cheng]

Sorry, I was responding to Kai and to the general sentiments I’ve been hearing trickle from him and other folks—I apologize for my generally combative tone, Jacob. Your feedback and general help during set production was useful, especially with my general directive to get as much feedback and variety of clue types/questions in our attempt to ask content in ways that reflect enjoyment and engagement with knowledge/subjects

EDIT: As an addendum, Shel Silverstein was actually in an Other category, not in literature, in a tossup on sidewalks which clued a variety of social science and literature (urban planning, Baudelaire’s flaneur)

[naan/steak-holding toll]

Admittedly there certainly are better lead-ins available, so I see no reason not to replace it with another one:

An emperor of this dynasty tried to dissuade discontent by having the engineer Bi Lan construct a chain-pump water delivery system in the capital.

Some people in the Discord mentioned "terrible history common link ideas." Would like to discuss this - which of the history common links do you think were bad?

[vinteuil]

EDIT: As an addendum, Shel Silverstein was actually in an Other category, not in literature, in a tossup on sidewalks which clued a variety of social science and literature (urban planning, Baudelaire’s flaneur)

Could this tossup be posted here? I'm led to believe that the flâneur clue was in the first line (!!!) and that it was added against the writer's express wishes (because it's way misplaced as a leadin).

EDIT: Moreover, it seems like the current leadin is wrong: it both butchers the quote about "botanizing on the asphalt" and misattributes it to Baudelaire, when it's in fact from The Arcades Project, J82a,3 (p.372 in the Eiland/McLaughlin translation). It looks like this quotation has been floating around the Internet in butchered form for a while, but still I personally would want to find the original if I were cluing a quotation, rather than trusting the New York Magazine article cited on some Wikipedia page.

[A Dim-Witted Saboteur]

Some people in the Discord mentioned "terrible history common link ideas." Would like to discuss this - which of the history common links do you think were bad?

Hidalgo is an obvious example. Hidalgos and Miguel Hidalgo are completely different things that it doesn't make a whole ton of sense to ask about in one question; in addition, the combination of "title" and "surname" in the tossup makes it a bit too easy to fraud without knowing that the clues refer specifically to Father Hidalgo. This tossup would have been far better executed as just a tossup on Father Hidalgo.

[naan/steak-holding toll]

Some people in the Discord mentioned "terrible history common link ideas." Would like to discuss this - which of the history common links do you think were bad?

Hidalgo is an obvious example. Hidalgos and Miguel Hidalgo are completely different things that it doesn't make a whole ton of sense to ask about in one question; in addition, the combination of "title" and "surname" in the tossup makes it a bit too easy to fraud without knowing that the clues refer specifically to Father Hidalgo. This tossup would have been far better executed as just a tossup on Father Hidalgo.

The point of the question was to ask about Spanish hidalgos and then fill out the rest of the question with accessible clues. I originally had half the clues about hidalgos in Spain but, after testing that on several good history players whose opinions I respect, I realized that the field likely would have very little knowledge about this topic (as opposed to boyars, another European history answerline in similar vein, which I think more people have more knowledge about). So, I made the rest of the clues about Father Hidalgo. It was basically a vehicle to ask a social history topic that would have been pretty awkward to executive with an answerline like "Spain" i.e. I can't come out and give full information like "Bourbon reforms" or pecheros for the latter to help players buzz with full context. If the argument is that "people are widely aware that the title of hidalgo exists but the knowledge base about the social implications of that title is rather shallow" then that's a pretty understandable argument.

Addendum: I don't think that the fact that Hidalgo's surname is hidalgo is something we should overlook here. Sure, there were lots of criollos who had other surnames, but I think the fact that he was a distinctly marked as a member of the upper classes by, among other things, his last name, makes his role as a historical leader of native peasants who were looked down upon by that class more notable. The common link is somewhat artificial, sure, but not in an "inauthentic" manner if you will.

If this question didn't play well, I'm fine replacing it and have some ideas for replacements. It looks like only one person powered it across the JHU and UIUC sites, and only one person negged it. It doesn't seem like a ton of people are frauding this for power.

[naan/steak-holding toll]

EDIT: As an addendum, Shel Silverstein was actually in an Other category, not in literature, in a tossup on sidewalks which clued a variety of social science and literature (urban planning, Baudelaire’s flaneur)

Could this tossup be posted here? I'm led to believe that the flâneur clue was in the first line (!!!) and that it was added against the writer's express wishes (because it's way misplaced as a leadin).

For what it's worth, only two of 21 rooms to hear this tossup powered it

[vinteuil]

Let's say you hear a tossup on Socrates, and the first line drops "this teacher of Plato."

Do you buzz? My guess is you don't: you think the tossup is somehow tricking you or that you must have misheard it. You may even suppress any urges to buzz with Socrates on later power clues.

Now obviously this flâneur clue isn't nearly as egregiously misplaced as my example. But the situation is almost worse in cases like these when the clue isn't quite so clear-cut. Then you have to factor in "it couldn't just be ___...right?" and the suppression of willingness to buzz with that answerline on later clues is even greater.

When a player buzzes, it's because they "trust" the question: they trust that it won't be flat-out wrong or hose them. If a clue is so egregiously misplaced/transparent, it weakens that trust and makes it harder to buzz. (And this effect can be compounded if the same thing happens with multiple questions in the same set.)

[Borrowing 100,000 Arrows]

Can I see the Russell tossup? I remember a lot of the clues seeming like they could also apply to Frege and early Wittgenstein.

[A Dim-Witted Saboteur]

While I'm at it, the two different questions describing people who are very much not known primarily as historians as "this historian" were somewhat grating, at least for me. Theodore Roosevelt especially cliffed a bit when the question decided to stop describing him as a historian. I'm not sure how accurate describing The Condition of the Working Class in England as a historical work is, thus making the accuracy of classifying Engels as a historian at all mildly dubious in my book. I, for one, was somewhat thrown by the pronoun in both of these cases.

[gimmedatguudsuccrose]

When a player buzzes, it's because they "trust" the question: they trust that it won't be flat-out wrong or hose them. If a clue is so egregiously misplaced/transparent, it weakens that trust and makes it harder to buzz. (And this effect can be compounded if the same thing happens with multiple questions in the same set.)

This was my thought process on many tossups, but most notably on the "logistic function" tossup. Upon hearing Verhulst, I was absolutely convinced that the answer could not be logistic, as no reasonable question would ever include his name before a pre-FTP clue, but then they gave the exact differential that the logistic equation is derived from so I buzzed. To my amusement, I somehow still received power! I'm honestly completely unsure where this tossup went - if it all went to carrying capacity clues or whatnot then this tossup was far too bottom heavy even for an upper difficulty high school set.

[a bird]

Do we primarily think of Yoko Ono as a "Fluxus artist?" I realize she participated in some Fluxus activities, but I found this description really confusing. I remember discussing Cut Piece in class with no mention of Fluxus.

[Smuttynose Island]

Do we primarily think of Yoko Ono as a "Fluxus artist?" I realize she participated in some Fluxus activities, but I found this description really confusing. I remember discussing Cut Piece in class with no mention of Fluxus.

I'm not sure about "primarily," but she is certainly discussed as a Fluxus artist frequently. Here's a MOMA write up on the women of Fluxus that treats Yoko explicitly as a Fluxus artist: https://www.moma.org/interactives/exhib ... meninflux/

[gimmedatguudsuccrose]

Do we primarily think of Yoko Ono as a "Fluxus artist?" I realize she participated in some Fluxus activities, but I found this description really confusing. I remember discussing Cut Piece in class with no mention of Fluxus.

Looking at this specific question, I would argue that Yayoi Kusama and Takashi Murakami are more challenging than than dropping "cut piece." Perhaps this was a bit of a misplaced clue.

[YungBrownie]

Thanks for writing this set, I had a great time! Could I please take a look at the tossups on t-distribution and Paul Dukas? Thanks!

[Gemistus Pletho]

Thanks for writing this set, I had a great time! Could I please take a look at the tossups on t-distribution and Paul Dukas? Thanks!

A McNemar test can be used as an alternative to methods that use this distribution when studying so-called “related measures.” When methods using this distribution are applied to a sample with inhomogeneous variance, Welch’s correction can be used to improve accuracy. This distribution can be derived by dividing a similar distribution by the square root of the quantity [read slowly] “chi-squared of v, divided by v,” where v equals the number of (*) degrees of freedom. This distribution is generally chosen to improve robustness when estimating variables within a small sample because its tails are larger than the similar normal distribution. It is alternatively known by W. S. Gosset’s (“GOSS-it’s”) pseudonym of “Student.” For 10 points, name this distribution used in tests that are employed as alternatives to z-tests.
ANSWER: Student’s t-distribution [accept Student’s t-distribution before “Student”]

This composer used both 3/4 (“three-four”) and 9/8 (“nine-eight”) time in the Allegro spiritoso finale of his three-movement Symphony in C. His only piano sonata is in E-flat minor and is dedicated to Camille Saint-Saëns (“kuh-MEE san-SAWNS”). In a tone poem by this composer, three bassoons introduce a bouncy F minor theme in 3/8 (“three-eight”) time consisting of two long notes “F, high C,” followed by short notes rising from low C to F. Another passage from that tone poem by this composer features the glockenspiel and uses cymbal clashes to depict the axe strokes of a boy who desperately tries to (*) stem the flooding of a workshop. A tone poem by this composer, subtitled “Scherzo after a ballad by Goethe,” was illustrated in Fantasia by Mickey Mouse animating broomsticks to life. For 10 points, name this French composer of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.
ANSWER: Paul Dukas (“due-KAHSS”)

[Mike Bentley]

Do we primarily think of Yoko Ono as a "Fluxus artist?" I realize she participated in some Fluxus activities, but I found this description really confusing. I remember discussing Cut Piece in class with no mention of Fluxus.

Looking at this specific question, I would argue that Yayoi Kusama and Takashi Murakami are more challenging than than dropping "cut piece." Perhaps this was a bit of a misplaced clue.

Yayoi Kusama has probably the most famous art exhibition of the last 10 years. I think that a general audience is much more likely to encounter her than to know about Ono's Cut Piece.

[zeebli123]

Could I see the tossup on bells?

[The Sawing-Off of Manhattan Island]

Could I see the tossup on light from round 3, and the tossup on helices?

A couple other small nitpicks from what I remember:
EAS seemed like a difficult answerline for this difficulty (and advanced stats seem to bear that out).
The tossups on "Don't Ask Don't Tell" and "Kublai Khan" seemed somewhat fraudable/transparent; the latter seemed to drop an important detail about Inivisible Cities in power, which seemed very early.
More subjectively, I felt that the bonus on "positive semi-definite" could use a more clear indicator that the value of the matrix product could be 0; at game speed it felt frustrating to lose the points for misparsing rather than not knowing the concept.

I was pretty happy about the specificity of the promptlines on the wave-particle duality tu in finals 2, and thought that more generally the physics was very player-friendly in that regard.

[Votre Kickstarter Est Nul]

Could I see the tossup on bells?

8. Steve Reich’s Clapping Music is based on a pattern named for these objects found in African music. These objects name a [emphasize] compositional style exemplified by a slow F major piece in 6/4 time in which the right hand repeats rising second-inversion broken triads, usually “C F A,” while the left hand alternates longer notes of the tonic above and below that. That compositional style named for these objects is exemplified by a piece dedicated to an 18-year-old daughter, Für Alina, as well as (*) Spiegel im Spiegel (“SHPEE-gul im SHPEE-gul”). Some of these objects in the Kremlin provide the nickname of a prelude in C-sharp minor by Sergei Rachmaninoff. A Latin word for the sound of these objects names a minimalist style created by the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt (“pairt”) known as tintinnabuli. For 10 points, identify these objects that are rung to make music at churches.
ANSWER: bells [accept African bell pattern or “The Bells of Moscow”; accept tintinnabuli or tintinnabula or tintinnabulum before “tintinnabuli” is read; do not accept or prompt on “mirrors”]
<Classical Music/Opera, WA>

[Votre Kickstarter Est Nul]

Could I see the tossup on light from round 3, and the tossup on helices?

A couple other small nitpicks from what I remember:
EAS seemed like a difficult answerline for this difficulty (and advanced stats seem to bear that out).
The tossups on "Don't Ask Don't Tell" and "Kublai Khan" seemed somewhat fraudable/transparent; the latter seemed to drop an important detail about Inivisible Cities in power, which seemed very early.
More subjectively, I felt that the bonus on "positive semi-definite" could use a more clear indicator that the value of the matrix product could be 0; at game speed it felt frustrating to lose the points for misparsing rather than not knowing the concept.

I was pretty happy about the specificity of the promptlines on the wave-particle duality tu in finals 2, and thought that more generally the physics was very player-friendly in that regard.

1. This phenomenon triggers LOV domains to bind to flavin mononucleotides, causing an increase in the concentration of calcium ions. The CONSTANS gene produces a zinc finger transcription factor in response to this phenomenon. CRY1 and CRY2 mediate a response to this phenomenon, which inhibits hypocotyl elongation. After receiving electrons generated as a result of this phenomenon, (*) pheophytin transfers them to quinone. The phytochrome system was developed to respond to one form of this phenomenon. P680 and P700 help capture this phenomenon, which causes auxins to move toward the shaded side of the plant, promoting elongated cell growth. For 10 points, identify this phenomenon absorbed by chlorophyll molecules in plants to catalyze photosynthesis.
ANSWER: light [or sunlight; prompt on radiation; accept specific colors of light]

13. Wenxiang (“wun-sh’yong”) diagrams are used to determine if protein chains will adopt this structure in certain environments. One of these structures with repeating proline residues is commonly used as a molecular ruler. Over 25 percent of protein structures following this motif terminate with Schellman loops. Cro repressors often form DNA binding motifs that contain two of these structures around a turn. (*) Transmembrane proteins often adopt this structure since no polar groups are exposed within the plasma membrane. Methionine and alanine residues help stabilize this structure, while glycine residues destabilize it. The X-ray crystallography image of Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin elucidated one type of this structure. For 10 points, DNA has a double form of what structure that forms a class of secondary structures in proteins?
ANSWER: helices [or helix; accept double helix or alpha helix or protein helices or DNA helices]
<Biology, RRP>

As to the other stuff:
The stats back you up on Khubilai Khan (13/9/1 in 15 rooms)
On the other hand people went 0/22/5 in 15 rooms on Don't Ask Don't Tell. That doesnt mean it was necessarily not fraudable but nobody frauded it for power at the very least.
(I will update these stats when the combined stats are back to I believe 22 games but I think this is across 3 fields right now and that's somewhat indicative I'd think of how the stats overall will bear out).

Here is the DADT TU:

5. A speech against this policy described equality as the “prime rib of America.” Violations of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act in enforcing this policy were alleged in McVeigh v. Cohen. Advocates of eliminating this policy cited the fact that it necessitated the firing of dozens of qualified Arabic linguists, including Daniel Choi. The act that repealed this policy was implemented by Mike Mullen and (*) Leon Panetta. This policy, which was challenged in Log Cabin Republicans v. United States, was officially motivated by an “unacceptable risk” to “high standards of morale, good order, and discipline.” The Clinton administration created, for 10 points, what policy under which the US military forbade discrimination against closeted LGBT people, but did not let them serve openly?
ANSWER: “Don’t ask, don’t tell” [or DADT; prompt on any answers that refer to anti-LGBT discrimination] (The speech referred to was given by Lady Gaga in Maine.)
<US History, WA>

I'd argue the only real "fraudable" line in there is the one about Arabic linguists but even then, at least for me, alot of the reason it seems that way to me is that I know the answer. I recall in playtesting realizing that my initial reaction about its fraudability was largely based on hindsight bias. I don't mean to say that's the case with you or anyone else just my own personal experience playing this question. I think in general "this policy" questions feel fraudable after you hear them even when they aren't (though that could be a personal thing).

I am unfortunately beyond unqualified to discuss the rest.

EDIT: stats

[Good Goblin Housekeeping]

EAS seemed like a difficult answerline for this difficulty (and advanced stats seem to bear that out).

Hey, so this is great example of why you can't always try to argue stuff with empirical evidence from stats. People are not good at chemistry!
That being said, electrophilic aromatic substitution is a major subject in literally every single intro level organic class. In all honesty it's content people are more likely to buzz on than like, various chromium containing compounds

[zeebli123]

These objects name a [emphasize] compositional style exemplified by a slow F major piece in 6/4 time in which the right hand repeats rising second-inversion broken triads, usually “C F A,” while the left hand alternates longer notes of the tonic above and below that.

I assume this clue is talking about Spiegel im Spiegel, but it confused me a bit when I played it—looking at the score, the broken chords that the right hand plays are not always second-inversion triads. For example, the fourth measure contains the notes "B flat F G," which doesn't form a triad at all. I could be reading the clue wrong, but it seems to imply that the notes that the right hand plays are always second-inversion broken triads that are usually "C F A." In addition, the left hand plays C's, A's, G's quite often, alternating between C and F in the first few measures, as opposed to just the tonic. Also, was there a specific reason why the solo part in the piece isn't mentioned? I feel like it would help make the clue a lot more buzzable, since it's a pretty major part of the piece.

But anyway, thanks for writing this! I loved playing the set, and found the arts especially fun.