Answers to Questions you never asked! [Part-1]

05 Jun 2021

Article also published in Medium.

Yes, you have read the headline correctly. There are times when you think you know everything. But that’s not the case pal. There are always questions you never explored. In this article, I’ll share some of my favorite questions :)

• The first country that successfully held elections during Covid19 is?: South Africa. Later Singapore became the second nation to do that in 2020.

• Do you know why Ig Nobel Prize is awarded for?: It’s an unusual award that is given to people whose contributions “first make people laugh, and then make them think”. The award honors people in quite a sarcastic way. Andre Geim from Russia won both the Ig Nobel prize in 2000 and the actual Nobel prize in 2010.

Ig Nobel Prize (Source: CS Monitor)

• Why is it difficult to get pictures of moons of Mars — Phobos, and Deimos?: The reason is their surface is made up of carbonaceous chondrite which absorbs light and hence makes it difficult to click pictures.

Phobos and Deimos (Source: AAS Nova)

• Have you heard of the Mach number?: It is the ratio of the speed of moving object/ speed of sound. The Mach number is generally used as a comparison to test the speeds of missiles. Missiles having a Mach number greater than 1 are called supersonic.

• Where is the HQ of G-7 Nations?: They do not have any headquarters.

M.K Gandhiji (Source: New Indian Express)

• From which station was Gandhiji thrown out of the train?: The station was Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Gandhiji was nominated 5 times for the Nobel prize.

• Name India’s supreme court which deals with cases related to the environment?: It’s called National Green Tribunal. There are only 3 such courts as of now across the world, in India, Australia, New Zealand.

• Which Article gives the power to Supreme Court to issue Suo Moto notice for its contempt?: Article 129 grants this power. Similarly, Article 215 grants the same power in the case of the High Courts of India. It was implemented under the Contempt of Courts Act 1971.

• Name the first Arab country to send a rocket to Mars?: UAE. It was an orbiter mission. Though UAE took help from the Soyuz rocket of Russia. UAE is also the first Arab country to establish its own nuclear plant, named Barakah in Abu Dhabi.

UAE (Source: CNN)

• Which zone in space is the zone where maximum sunlight can reach?: It’s called the interstellar zone which is around 50au (astronomical units).

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