Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Answer to ABDC Blowup Contest Week 9: Sass x7

 There were only 4 correct entries this week! Last week, commenters were complaining that there were too many people with perfect scores, so the Week 9 was INTENDED to thin the herd! 

The blownup crew was Sass X7. Here's the picture we posted:

Here's the original photo, from the Season 2 Finale:
 The clue was a cryptic and was meant to be tricky. though one reader got the answer through the clue alone. It read:"Fractured science pop quiz: the crew with the most protons." The phrase 'fractured science' are carefully worded to tell you that it won't be straight science but  will use scientific terms in a cryptic fashion.  The scientific terms associated with protons are the atomic symbols (e.g., O=oxygen). Only 4 crew names could be broken into atomic symbols (I know because I tried!). Sass can be broken into 2 sulfur and one arsenic. AND -- you have x7, or multiplied by 7 (if you figured out the atomic symbol clue, the multiplier would be a red flag). So, the crew name is [2S (16 protons each) + 1AS (33 protons)] x7=455 protons.  This is tricky but I know we have some math/science jocks who I thought might enjoy the puzzle. And you could always solve by brute force and look for the picture on MTV.com!


Tomorrow's picture will also be grayscale. So, there is a good chance that many who didn't solve this week could still be tied for the prize. Don't give up hope!