"Duel" final question wins $1,795,000 spoiler

[omnibus]

The question "Which is heavier?"
A. A gallon of water
B. A gallon of crude oil
C. A gallon of salad oil
D. They all weigh the same

The answer is A

The used car salesman rationalized that the crude is thicker, therefore heavier. Too late, he realized that oil floats on water

[jpwoof]

i guess i dont know my science well enough.... i thought they all weigh the same because they're all "a gallon!" :(

[LoadStar]

i guess i dont know my science well enough.... i thought they all weigh the same because they're all "a gallon!" :(

Gallon is a measurement of volume, not weight. (You were probably thinking it was one of those trick questions, like "which weighs more, a ton of feathers or a ton of bricks?" I thought the same for a moment. However, in that case, "ton" is a measurement of weight.)

One could possibly argue that the question did not provide enough information: "crude oil" is presumably "crude petroleum oil" but that isn't said. Nor did the question give a temperature at which the weight is being measured... the density of a fluid is not constant at all temperatures, and there might be a temperature at which water does not have the highest density.

[stalemate]

One could possibly argue that the question did not provide enough information: "crude oil" is presumably "crude petroleum oil" but that isn't said. Nor did the question give a temperature at which the weight is being measured... the density of a fluid is not constant at all temperatures, and there might be a temperature at which water does not have the highest density.Yes, IIRC water is actually one of the few (maybe the only?) liquids that becomes less dense as it freezes. Is that right? I'm not sure if it would be more or less dense when it was cold enough to still be considered "water" instead of "ice" or if it would even matter compared to the other two choices.

[kdmorse]

One could possibly argue that the question did not provide enough information: "crude oil" is presumably "crude petroleum oil" but that isn't said. Nor did the question give a temperature at which the weight is being measured... the density of a fluid is not constant at all temperatures, and there might be a temperature at which water does not have the highest density.

Well, in order to be considered 'water', we're obviously comparing the substances at a temperature between 0C and 100C. Near 4C, water has a density of about .999, and average crude oil has a density of about .975, .980 tops, and would float. At the other end, at it's boiling point of 100C, water has a density near .950, and crude oil around .933, and still floats. So across the board, water is denser. And that's for fairly think crude, most are much less dense.

"Vegetable Oil" is a bit vague itself, but most vegetablish oils I can find data for are far less dense than water, even more so than crude oil. (Would vegetable oil float in crude oil? - now that's a question worthy of 1.5 million..)

So unless we go out of our way to find an exotic form of specially crafted crude oil, or some very special vegetables to squeeze - water is universally heavier at the temperatures and pressures at which water is, in fact, water.

Hell of a way to end the game though. It was nice to see a question at the end that I immediately knew the answer to - Unlike "Whose marriage lasted the longest", "Who was on the cover of Sports Illustrated", etc..

-Ken

[kdmorse]

Oh, and always remember kids!

Thirty days has September, <something>, <something>, and November. And then there's February. So 7 months have 31 days :). This fact also worth money on "Are you smarter than a 5th grader" recently.

-Ken

[Kamakzie]

Oh, and always remember kids!

Thirty days has September, <something>, <something>, and November. And then there's February. So 7 months have 31 days :). This fact also worth money on "Are you smarter than a 5th grader" recently.

-Ken

April, June

[Kilarney]

Doesn't the title of this thread have a spoiler?

[LoadStar]

Well, in order to be considered 'water', we're obviously comparing the substances at a temperature between 0C and 100C. Near 4C, water has a density of about .999, and average crude oil has a density of about .975, .980 tops, and would float. At the other end, at it's boiling point of 100C, water has a density near .950, and crude oil around .933, and still floats. So across the board, water is denser. And that's for fairly think crude, most are much less dense.

"Vegetable Oil" is a bit vague itself, but most vegetablish oils I can find data for are far less dense than water, even more so than crude oil. (Would vegetable oil float in crude oil? - now that's a question worthy of 1.5 million..)

So unless we go out of our way to find an exotic form of specially crafted crude oil, or some very special vegetables to squeeze - water is universally heavier at the temperatures and pressures at which water is, in fact, water.

Hell of a way to end the game though. It was nice to see a question at the end that I immediately knew the answer to - Unlike "Whose marriage lasted the longest", "Who was on the cover of Sports Illustrated", etc..

-Ken

Heh - good call. I tried doing some research into it, and found some density measurements of oil and water, but none that showed the variation over a temperature scale.

[JLucPicard]

I'd be willing to bet that in the context of this game show they were, for the moment anyway, leaving out all the complex physics of varying degrees of (insert colorful noun here) and going with the layman's definitions for ease of fitting it into a limited time frame and to avoid the "ah, yes, but the question was referring to their density state at zero gravity (or their boiling point, or whatever)". Took all of three posts to start going down that road. :rolleyes:

[getreal]

Here is a clear explanation re: oil and water/ice densities. (http://broadband.discoverychannel.ca/discovery/?vid=18747)

[balboa dave]

Oil floats on water. It's not more complicated than that.

[JETarpon]

Oh, and always remember kids!

Thirty days has September, <something>, <something>, and November. And then there's February. So 7 months have 31 days :). This fact also worth money on "Are you smarter than a 5th grader" recently.

-Ken


I know that rhyme, but I usually use the knuckle method.

Make one hand into a fist, and then move along the hills and valleys of your knuckles, saying the name of the months in order. When you get to the pinky, turn around and go back the other way, touching the pinky knuckle twice. Hills have 31 days.

JAN, feb, MAR, apr, MAY, jun, JUL, AUG, sep, OCT, nov, DEC

[trainman]

Make one hand into a fist, and then move along the hills and valleys of your knuckles, saying the name of the months in order. When you get to the pinky, turn around and go back the other way, touching the pinky knuckle twice. Hills have 31 days.

Or make both hands into fists, and put them next to each other. (The space between the two hands doesn't count as a valley.)

[JETarpon]

Or make both hands into fists, and put them next to each other. (The space between the two hands doesn't count as a valley.)

But then you don't have an index finger available to run along the knuckles.

[getreal]

But then you don't have an index finger available to run along the knuckles.

That's what makes it scientific. :p

[mattack]

This was probably the stupidest (i.e. easiest) high value question since the original "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" million dollar winner. (Spoiler: I'm not going to look up the exact word for word question.. but it was approx: What President/presidential candidate appeared on "Laugh In" and said "Sock it to me". The contestant used the "phone a friend" and called his parents to say that he didn't need help and he was going to win a million dollars.. because everybody knows the freaking answer: Richard Nixon.)

[JLucPicard]

Maybe if you happened to be a Laugh-In fan. Personally, I couldn't stand the show and had no idea what the answer was.

[Dssturbo1]

This was probably the stupidest (i.e. easiest) high value question since the original "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" million dollar winner. (Spoiler: I'm not going to look up the exact word for word question.. but it was approx: What President/presidential candidate appeared on "Laugh In" and said "Sock it to me". The contestant used the "phone a friend" and called his parents to say that he didn't need help and he was going to win a million dollars.. because everybody knows the freaking answer: Richard Nixon.)

well it wasn't as much how hard the question was as it was just a bad choice for the used car salesman not to cover all four spots if he didn't know, especailly it being the first question.

oprah wasn't a junior miss america?? LOL

[bengalfreak]

This was probably the stupidest (i.e. easiest) high value question since the original "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" million dollar winner. (Spoiler: I'm not going to look up the exact word for word question.. but it was approx: What President/presidential candidate appeared on "Laugh In" and said "Sock it to me". The contestant used the "phone a friend" and called his parents to say that he didn't need help and he was going to win a million dollars.. because everybody knows the freaking answer: Richard Nixon.)

Actually, I would have played it exactly the same way as the used car salesman and I would have easily made it to the final four (not taking into account the nervousness/pressure factor that the contestants feel. Its a whole lot easier answering in the comfort of my living room I'm sure.)

[DevdogAZ]

Doesn't the title of this thread have a spoiler?
Not really. The amount of the final payout wasn't really supposed to be a secret. Besides, that amount included the personal winnings the winner had previously banked by winning individual duels, so you wouldn't be able to tell they were on the final question just because they got to that amount. And finally, if you're watching the show and there's 3 minutes left in your recording, you can safely assume this will be the last question anyway, so nothing has really been spoiled by the title of this thread.

[milo99]

This was probably the stupidest (i.e. easiest) high value question since the original "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" million dollar winner. (Spoiler: I'm not going to look up the exact word for word question.. but it was approx: What President/presidential candidate appeared on "Laugh In" and said "Sock it to me". The contestant used the "phone a friend" and called his parents to say that he didn't need help and he was going to win a million dollars.. because everybody knows the freaking answer: Richard Nixon.)

maybe obvious for those people that were alive during that time period. I never even heard of laugh in, let alone knew who was on it.

and i'm 30 years old, so it's not like i'm a little kid.

that's the other thing i hate about some of these shows. Current event stuff for people from the 50s or 60s. Come on. Historically significant stuff fine. History is good. But not obscure stuff that only someone alive during that time would know about, that's just not fair.

[getreal]

Current event stuff for people from the 50s or 60s. Come on. Historically significant stuff fine. History is good. But not obscure stuff that only someone alive during that time would know about, that's just not fair.

Entertainment trivia from the 50s or 60s is not "current events" but "pop culture". And Nixon appearing on Laugh-In in 1968 was an historic event at the time, as no other presidential candidate had appeared on anything other than news clips at the time, I believe.

[vman41]

I probabably would have played it safe and picked both A and B. From coverage of all the oil spills, I was sure that crude oil floats on sea water, but I had a 5% uncertainty about whether it was less dense than fresh water. C, and therefore D, where right out.

[MitchO]

Feels like I say this in every trivia based show thread:

What may seem like common knowledge to you, isn't common knowledge to all. I'll never forget the person I saw lose on the $100 question on Millionaire because he never heard of One Fish ,Two Fish Red Fish, Blue Fish.

For the record -

I'm 37, Laugh In was off the air before I watched TV like that ... and I knew it was Richard Nixon without even seeing the choices. It's a big deal in the history of TV.

The "winning" question here wasn't specifically designed to be a million dollar winner, it was the opening one of a "duel". They range up and down in choices, and some of them are designed to specifically have potential multiple answers to use up the chips.

[mattack]

Maybe if you happened to be a Laugh-In fan. Personally, I couldn't stand the show and had no idea what the answer was.

Well, I'm not old enough to remember Laugh In as it originally aired. I suspect that most game show contestants (and viewers) are trivia buffs, and this is something that has aired on a zillion 'clips' shows of old comedy and various retrospectives.

[bengalfreak]

Not to mention reruns of LaughIn on TV Land.

[MauriAnne]

The one question on this show that bugged me was the one where it asked about the color of Bush's eyes. The correct answer was blue (according to the show) but they looked either green or hazel in all the pictures I found on the web.

I wonder what color his momma says they are.

[LoadStar]

The one question on this show that bugged me was the one where it asked about the color of Bush's eyes. The correct answer was blue (according to the show) but they looked either green or hazel in all the pictures I found on the web.

I wonder what color his momma says they are.

Huh, you're right. Google image search "president bush" and filter only Extra Large images for the best results.

Now I've spent more time than I'd like to admit staring deep into the President's eyes... :D

[vman41]

Eye color can be subjective? When I got my passport, I had to take off my glasses to convice the postal worker that my eyes were green like the application said. In reality, my irises are a light green with blue on edge and freckles.