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Question of
In many Asian countries, the number 4 is considered an unlucky number.
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In many Asian cultures, the number 4 is considered unlucky because it sounds similar to the word for "death" in several languages, including: Chinese (Mandarin/Cantonese): "Sì" (四, four) sounds like "sǐ" (死, death). Japanese: "Shi" (四, four) is also associated with "shi" (死, death). Korean: "Sa" (사, four) resembles "sa" (사, death). Because of this, many buildings (especially hospitals and hotels) in countries like China, Japan, and Korea skip the 4th floor, similar to how some Western buildings skip the 13th floor.
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Question of
Pi is a rational number.
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Pi (π) is an irrational number, meaning it cannot be expressed as a simple fraction, and its decimal digits continue infinitely without repeating.
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Question of
Zero is the only number that does not have its own Roman numeral.
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The Roman numeral system (I, V, X, L, C, D, M) has no symbol for zero—it was developed for counting and commerce, where zero wasn't needed. The concept of zero as a number arrived later through Indian mathematics.
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Question of
The gram is the official basic metric unit of mass.
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The gram is a metric unit for measuring mass, but the official base unit is actually the kilogram (kg). Think of it like this: while we often use grams for small measurements (like ingredients in a recipe), scientists use kilograms as the standard starting point.
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Question of
The mathematical name for the pound sign (#) is an octothorpe.
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The pound sign (#) is mathematically called an octothorpe. The weird name "octothorpe" comes from: "Octo-" meaning eight (for its 8 points) and "thorpe" possibly from an old joke about athlete Jim Thorpe! It was first used in phone systems, not social media—and now we call it a hashtag! #CoolHistory
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Question of
A convex shaped curve faces inward.
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A convex curve bulges outward (like the outside of a ball or a smile 😊). A curve that faces inward is called concave (like a cave or a frown ☹️). Convex lenses (outward-curved) make things look bigger (like magnifying glasses 🔍), while concave lenses (inward-curved) make things look smaller! 👓
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Question of
An improper fraction is always greater than 1.
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An improper fraction has a numerator (top number) equal to or greater than its denominator (bottom number), so it's always ≥ 1. If the numerator is smaller than the denominator (like 2/5), it’s a proper fraction (< 1).
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Question of
Any letter or number to the power of zero is equal to 0.
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Any non-zero number or variable raised to the power of zero (x⁰) is actually equal to 1, not 0.
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Question of
-20 is the only temperature that is the same in Fahrenheit and Celsius.
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The temperature where Fahrenheit and Celsius scales intersect is actually -40 degrees. -40°F = -40°C is the only point where the two scales agree. It’s so cold that antifreeze freezes, and exhaled breath turns to ice crystals!
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Question of
An icosahedron has 16 equal sides.
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An icosahedron has 20 equal sides (faces), not 16. The name comes from Greek: "Eikosi" = 20 "Hedra" = faces It’s one of the five Platonic solids (perfect 3D shapes with identical faces). Soccer balls (⚽) are often based on truncated icosahedrons—with 20 hexagons and 12 pentagons! In nature, viruses (like the common cold) sometimes have icosahedral shells! 🦠 Bonus: A 16-faced shape is called a hexadecahedron (but its faces aren’t necessarily equal).
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Question of
The square root of two is known as the Pythagoras’ Constant.
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The square root of 2 (√2 ≈ 1.414213...) is indeed called Pythagoras' Constant. It was the first number proven to be irrational (cannot be written as a simple fraction) by the ancient Greeks, linked to Pythagoras or his followers.
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Question of
EVERY position of Rubik’s Cube can be solved in twenty moves or less.
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This is known as "God's Number", a term mathematicians use for the maximum number of moves needed to solve any scrambled Rubik's Cube. In 2010, it was proven that every possible position can be solved in 20 moves or fewer (using half-turn metric, or 26 moves if counting quarter-turns separately). Fun Facts: 35 CPU-years of calculations were needed to prove this! 💻 Most positions can be solved in 15–18 moves—only a tiny fraction require all 20. The record for fastest human solve is under 3.5 seconds (but they don’t always use the minimal moves!). ⚡ Bonus: A Rubik's Cube has 43 quintillion possible positions, but just 20 moves max to fix any of them! 🤯
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Question of
In modern Roman numerals, the letter D represents the number 1000.
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In modern Roman numerals: D = 500 M = 1000 Roman Numeral Cheat Sheet: Symbol Value I =1 V =5 X =10 L =50 C =100 D =500 M =1000
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Question of
A “jiffy” is an actual unit of time. It is equal to 1/100th of a second.
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While a jiffy is a real unit of time, its definition varies by context and is not universally 1/100th of a second. Here’s the breakdown: Actual Definitions of a Jiffy: In computing, a jiffy is 1/60th or 1/50th of a second (the time between power supply cycles in some systems). In quantum physics, it’s the time light takes to travel one femtometer (≈ 3.3 × 10⁻²⁴ seconds)!
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Question of
The symbol of division is called an obelus.
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The division symbol (÷) is indeed called an obelus. It was first used in 1659 by Swiss mathematician Johann Rahn in his algebra book. Today, the obelus is less common in advanced math, where fractions (/) or horizontal bars are preferred.
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