Joe asks:
Hi Drew! I have a question ...
How do the Fibonacci Numbers work?
Drew sez:
The Fibonacci numbers are a sequence of summable numbers. For example, this is the beginning part of the sequence:
1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55 ...
You just add the last two numbers together to get the next number!
The Fibonacci numbers appear many times in nature.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Rainiest places
Catie asks:
What city (in all of the world) gets the most rain every year?
Drew sez:
That depends! The city that has the highest yearly rainfall is Tutunendo, Colombia, which gets 463.4 inches of rain every year. That is 38.6167 feet of rain!
Kauai, Hawaii has the most rainy days with up to 350 rainy days each year!
Cherrapunji, India gets more than 400 inches of rain a year mostly during the monsoon season. In 1860-1861, they got over 900 inches of rain. That is almost 75 feet of rain! But they don't have enough drinking water there because of pollution and other problems, so they have to walk miles just to find water to drink.
What city (in all of the world) gets the most rain every year?
Drew sez:
That depends! The city that has the highest yearly rainfall is Tutunendo, Colombia, which gets 463.4 inches of rain every year. That is 38.6167 feet of rain!
Kauai, Hawaii has the most rainy days with up to 350 rainy days each year!
Cherrapunji, India gets more than 400 inches of rain a year mostly during the monsoon season. In 1860-1861, they got over 900 inches of rain. That is almost 75 feet of rain! But they don't have enough drinking water there because of pollution and other problems, so they have to walk miles just to find water to drink.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
World's Oldest Board Game
Emma asks:
Hi Drew! I like your blog. I was wondering: what's the world's oldest board game?
Drew sez:
The world's oldest board game is Senet. It was made at least as long ago as 3500 BCE in Egypt. We think the Egyptians believed that if you were good at Senet, you were under the protection of the Egyptian gods. Some people were even buried with their Senet boards!
Senet boards were found in King Tut's tomb! Some people think it's the ancestor of modern backgammon.
Here are two sets of rules people might have used to play Senet.
Hi Drew! I like your blog. I was wondering: what's the world's oldest board game?
Drew sez:
The world's oldest board game is Senet. It was made at least as long ago as 3500 BCE in Egypt. We think the Egyptians believed that if you were good at Senet, you were under the protection of the Egyptian gods. Some people were even buried with their Senet boards!
Senet boards were found in King Tut's tomb! Some people think it's the ancestor of modern backgammon.
Here are two sets of rules people might have used to play Senet.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Breeds of cats
Becca asks:
Drew, how many breeds of cats are there in the world? Which are the
most popular?
Drew sez:
That depends who you ask! If you ask the Cat Fanciers' Association, there are 41, but if you ask other people, there are 73!
There are over 500 million domestic cats in the world!
Drew, how many breeds of cats are there in the world? Which are the
most popular?
Drew sez:
That depends who you ask! If you ask the Cat Fanciers' Association, there are 41, but if you ask other people, there are 73!
There are over 500 million domestic cats in the world!
First woman to run for president
Kathy asks:
Who was the first woman to run for President of the United States and when?
Drew sez:
The first woman candidate for President of the United States was Victoria Woodhull. She ran for president in 1872 as a member of the Equal Rights Party, which was also known as the People's Party, the Cosmo-Political Party and the National Radical Reformers. She was for women's rights, and the right to vote for women. She was also opposed to slavery.
Some people do not think her running for president was legal, because her name was not on the ballot and because she was too young. Women were not allowed to vote until August of 1920.
Who was the first woman to run for President of the United States and when?
Drew sez:
The first woman candidate for President of the United States was Victoria Woodhull. She ran for president in 1872 as a member of the Equal Rights Party, which was also known as the People's Party, the Cosmo-Political Party and the National Radical Reformers. She was for women's rights, and the right to vote for women. She was also opposed to slavery.
Some people do not think her running for president was legal, because her name was not on the ballot and because she was too young. Women were not allowed to vote until August of 1920.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
What is the smallest country in Africa?
Dolly asks:
What is the smallest country in Africa?
Drew sez:
This is sort of a trick question, because I don't know if you mean size or population! But whichever way, it's Seychelles. Seychelles has only 70,000 people and is only 453 square miles.
... unless you're talking about mainland Africa. The smallest country in mainland Africa is Gambia, which has 11,300 square miles.
What is the smallest country in Africa?
Drew sez:
This is sort of a trick question, because I don't know if you mean size or population! But whichever way, it's Seychelles. Seychelles has only 70,000 people and is only 453 square miles.
... unless you're talking about mainland Africa. The smallest country in mainland Africa is Gambia, which has 11,300 square miles.
Newest countries
Quazie asks:
Drew,
What is the newest country in the world to gain its independence?
How many countries have gained their independence since you were born?
Drew sez:
Hm, let's take the second question first. Three countries--Montenegro, Kosovo, and Serbia--have declared independence since I was born in August of 2002. It's actually kind of interesting, though, because is 2006, Montenegro gained its independence, then two days later, Serbia became its own country. Then, less than two years later, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia (February 17, 2008). So that's the answer to the first question: Kosovo!
Drew,
What is the newest country in the world to gain its independence?
How many countries have gained their independence since you were born?
Drew sez:
Hm, let's take the second question first. Three countries--Montenegro, Kosovo, and Serbia--have declared independence since I was born in August of 2002. It's actually kind of interesting, though, because is 2006, Montenegro gained its independence, then two days later, Serbia became its own country. Then, less than two years later, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia (February 17, 2008). So that's the answer to the first question: Kosovo!
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