Random trivia

Yes, but the situation was as following: Alexander came to the oracle, but he was told he can not see the priestess today because of something. However, Alexander in spite of being told not to, went inside and forced the Priestess by virtually dragging her over to the alter to receive a prophecy. At that point Pytthia astonished by his resolutness, said "Son, you are unstoppable", on which Alexander happily let her go saying that was the only prophecy he needed.
 
Thats a really funny situation. Good ol' Alexander the Great.

Here's an easy one for all science buffs. What does the mnemonic OILRIG stand for?
 
Natalie said:
Thats a really funny situation. Good ol' Alexander the Great.

Here's an easy one for all science buffs. What does the mnemonic OILRIG stand for?
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Oxidation is Loss.  Reduction is gain.

It refers to the processes of Oxidation and Reduction, chemical processes that can be summarised thus;

When a substance is oxidised, it gains oxygen, loses hydrogen.  More accurately, it loses electrons (which causes it to either gain Oxygen or lose Hydrogen, due to the fact that a positive Ion will attract a negative Oxide ion and repel a positive Hydrogen ion).  The inverse is also true.  If a substance gains electrons, it is reduced, as it may repel oxygen (losing it), or attract Hydrogen.  The strictly true summary is that of electrons, as Oxygen and Hydrogen are not always present.

GCSE chemistry was fun, but AS level is nasty...naming organic compunds anyone?*

*i.e. things like 3,2,4-bromochloromethylpentan-1-ol.  If someone can give me a structural formula for this, I'd consider my Trivia question answered. :P
 
Hmm, I thought I was being ignored, but maybe it's a stupid question then. It's kind of a tenuous link, but if you can't get it, Perun, then maybe no-one will. ;)

I'll post the answer, if nobody else has any objections.
 
I do know the answer to this, but only after I researched it to find out - and as it's just not cricket to Google and post an answer, it may be best to just simply spare our misery and give us the answer. :D
 
Close, but no. :D The answer is: Josephus, who was a Jewish historian and who played an active role in the Jewish War as a general. He survived a mass suicide in Galilee and gave himself up to the Romans. Somehow he managed to last until only he and one other man were left, and he persuaded the other to make a pact and both stayed alive.

Anyway, there's a maths/computer science problem called the Josephus Problem after him. Since I won't be able to explain it very well, I'll let Wikipedia:

There are n people standing in a circle waiting to be executed. After the first man is executed, k − 1 people are skipped and the k-th man is executed. Then again, k − 1 people are skipped and the k-th man is executed. The elimination proceeds around the circle (which is becoming smaller and smaller as the executed people are removed), until only the last man remains, who is given freedom.

The task is to choose the place in the initial circle so that you survive (are the last one remaining), given n and k.
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Sorry if it was a bad question. The next question is to work out the problem. ;)
 
Recall everything you ever read/found out about retorics and quickly come up with a speech that will persuade the rest to change their minds about committing mass suicide.

I'm not very good with mathematics. 
 
Hmm... noone seems to be able to answer that one. Mind if I ask a new question?

What is the biggest church in the world?
 
What do you mean, African or European swallow the largest Church organisation, or the largest Church building?
 
Raven- building.

Nush- if it were that obvious, I wouldn't bother asking the question :P
 
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