-----Original Message-----
From: Iftikar, Ahamath (IE10)
[SMTP:IAhamath@meghadoot.hiso.honeywell.com]
Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 1999 12:03 PM
To: quiznet@egroups.com
Subject: [quiznet] Answers of the WhoAmI Quiz

I sent the answers on Friday. But haven't got an echo as the co mail sever was down for the last couple of days. Presuming this mail didn't reach.

The WhoAmI Quiz...
1) I devised an ingenious, easy, and secure method to encode and decode messages. I had relied primarily on messengers to hand-carry sensitive letters, but codes became an essential part of my correspondence since European postmasters opened and read all letters passing through their command. Although I apparently abandoned use of this device, it was "re-invented" just prior to World War I and used by the United States Army and other military services. Who am I or what did I invent?

Answer: Thomas Jefferson invented the wheel cipher. For info on this multi-faceted prez of US visit http://www.monticello.org/Matters/Fact_toc.html For info and pic of wheel-cipher...http://www.monticello.org/Matters/interests/wheel_cipher.html #Hits: 0 Most common answer for Q1. Morse code. Hamming codes and Caesar ciphers also featured in the answer.

2) I am best known for my invention, which appears in my book The Whetstone of Witte (1557). I was educated at Oxford and Cambridge. I became physician to King Edward VI and Queen Mary. I served for a time in Ireland as 'Comptroller of Mines and Monies'. I virtually established the English school of mathematics and first introduced algebra into England. Who am I or what did I invent?

Answer: The 'equals' symbol '=' appears in Robert Recorde's book The Whetstone of Witte published in 1557. He justifies using two parallel line segments "bicause noe 2 thynges can be moare equalle". http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Recorde.html

3) I was named after an American ornithologist and author of the book entitled 'Birds of the West Indies.' My parents were killed in a climbing accident. Who am I?

Answer: Our very own James 007 Bond. Parents: Andrew Bond and Monique Delacroix. Can anyone furnish more details on the parents climbing accident. I am also enclosing a pic of the cover of 'Birds of the West Indies' by American ornithologist James Bond. The name caught Fleming's attention when he noticed the book sitting on his coffee table at Goldeneye, his house in the West Indies. <>

4)There are 3 new years. The Shehanshahis, who comprise about 75% of the population observe it in August while the Kadimis, who constitute 15% have their new year in July and the Faslis observe it in March. Who are we?

Answer: Parsis. I have also given credit to Zarathushtis and Zorastrians, assuming that they are one and the same. Also Sudev Rajah points out that one of the sects is shahenshai and not shahenshahi

5) I am a bollywood actress with a graduate in criminal psychology. My first words on screen were "Are you a virgin?" Who am I?

Answer: Preity Zinta. Looks like the first words funda is wrong. Sorry!

6) I have a number 0. People who have collaborated with me on scientific papers have a number 1. People who have collaborated with people who have collaborated with me have a number 2 Ex: Einstein has number 2, since he wrote a paper with Ernst Straus, and Straus wrote many papers with me. If you have written any paper you have a number 7. Incase you haven't written a paper, you have a number infinity. Who am I or what are these numbers named after me?

Answer: Paul Erdos (pronounced Airdish). Erdos Numbers. Supposedly the most prolific mathematician of all time more than Euler as far as writing papers are concerned. Colloborated with over 493 people on 1,475 papers. For info on the Edos Number Project http://www.acs.oakland.edu/~grossman/erdoshp.html #Hits:2, Rajarshi Gupta and Suresh Ramasubramanian only.

7)"Sometimes in dream, I have violence or am meeting women. Then in dream I remember, 'I am monk'. Never in dream do I remember I am ________. ________ is not important." Fill in the blanks. Both blanks are one and the same. For ex: "...I remember I am Laloo Prasad. Laloo Prasad is not important."

Answer: Dalai Lama (in a recent interview)

8)My mother was on the school board. I was on my way to MIT to study computer engineering but choose otherwise. My girlfriend is Jada Pinkett, who starred in 'Set It Off' and 'The Nutty Professor.' Who am I?

Answer: Will Smith. CS Vijay pointed out that Jada Pinkett may probably be married to The Big Willie coz she has changed her name to Jada Pinkett-Smith. I picked this question up from newspaper more than a year back. So the marriage development may have happened in the meantime. But isn't it possible that she changed her name to Jada Pinkett-Smith and still lives-in just as his girl-friend ;-) Does anybody have any info on her?

9)I have 7 children, Nurul Hana (aged 7), Nurul Izzah (18), Nurul Iman (9), Nurul Nuha (15), Nurul Ihsan (14) and Nurul Illham (12). Who am I?

Answer: Former deputy premier of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim. #Hits:1, Sudev Rajah.

10)I was named after my mother's favourite song, a Judy Collins' cover of a Joni Mitchell song. Who am I?

Answer: Chelsea Clinton. #Hits:1, Satya Simha. Name of the Hillary's fav song: Chelsea Morning. The song appeared on Joni Mitchell's Clouds album.
For Lyrics of the song:Go to http://www.jonimitchell.com and then click on "Writings" and you'll find all the lyrics to the clouds album. For info on judy collins...http://www.judycollins.com/
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Scores:

6
Sudev Rajah

5
Kaushal Mahajan

4
Madhav Nair
Vidya Murthy
Anil Sanaga
Ravindra Bhangale

3
Sumant Kowshik
Navneet Bal
Suresh Ramasubramanian
Mihir Jayaraman
Rajarshi Gupta
Lalitha Raman
C.S. Vijay
Gaurav Sabnis
Karen Remedios
Zarky

2
Bantval S Prabhu
Anirban Gongopadhyay
Satya Simha
Ajith Mathew Thannickal
Sankalpa Bhattacharjya
Bedobani Chaudhuri
Abhirami Arumbakkam

1
Abhishek Singh
Chandrashekhar Bhide
Suresh Raithatha
Kunal Vaed
Kowshik S
Shankar S M
Rajula Selvaraj

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Iftikhar Ahamath B.
Honeywell India Software Operation Pvt. Ltd.

Once the impossible has been eliminated, whatever remains however improbable must be the Truth - S. Holmes
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