| Author | Message | ||
| Dukhsan (Dukhsan)
New member Username: Dukhsan Post Number: 2 Registered: 3-2011 |
New here! I'll start with this puzzle, originally tested on the XKCD fora in late 2008. A man was killed by nitrogen gas. How did he die? (For the chemically inclined and as a general reminder, this is dinitrogen, N2.) | ||
| Doriana (Doriana)
New member Username: Doriana Post Number: 846 Registered: 12-2010 |
Hey and welcome to the LTPF (: A man - H/A/M? (I'm not sure if you're familiar with our abbreviations, H/A/M stands for human/adult/male} Did somebody intend to kill him? Was it an accident? Did other people die too? Did he inhale the gas? Did he die of asphyxiation? Decompression sickness relevant? Is it important where he was when he died? | ||
| Dukhsan (Dukhsan)
New member Username: Dukhsan Post Number: 3 Registered: 3-2011 |
Any moderator - I forgot to add the [Dukhsan] to the title of this post. Could someone edit this in? My apologies, I must have been overly zealous about my first puzzle :D Thanks for the welcome, Doriana. (: A man - H/A/M? Yes, a human adult. Did somebody intend to kill him? No. Was it an accident? Yes. Did other people die too? Irrelevant. Did he inhale the gas? No. Did he die of asphyxiation? No. Decompression sickness relevant? No. The 'bends' is a fine guess, but too easy :D Is it important where he was when he died? Yes. | ||
| Gregoryuconn (Gregoryuconn)
New member Username: Gregoryuconn Post Number: 896 Registered: 9-2010 |
Welcome. What's XKCD? Did he kill himself? Or did someone else kill him? Or did it happen due to a factor beyond anyone's control? Was he on Earth when he died? On land? At sea? Underwater? Inside? Outside? In a gas chamber? | ||
| Dukhsan (Dukhsan)
New member Username: Dukhsan Post Number: 4 Registered: 3-2011 |
Hey there. XKCD is a nerdy webcomic with fora for discussion of (mostly) intellectual matters. Check it out. Did he kill himself? No. Or did someone else kill him? Irrelevant. Or did it happen due to a factor beyond anyone's control? Yope. Was he on Earth when he died? Yes. On land? Yes. At sea? No. Underwater? No. Inside? Outside? Yope to both. In a gas chamber? No. | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 12667 Registered: 4-2010 |
Was the nitrogen gas in a tank? In the atmosphere? Was it pure nitrogen? Nitrogen mixed with something else? | ||
| Dukhsan (Dukhsan)
New member Username: Dukhsan Post Number: 6 Registered: 3-2011 |
Was the nitrogen gas in a tank? No. In the atmosphere? No. Was it pure nitrogen? Yes-ish. Nitrogen mixed with something else? See previous answer. | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 12672 Registered: 4-2010 |
Was there a lot of nitrogen? A little? Is pure nitrogen flammable? Either way, relevant? | ||
| Dukhsan (Dukhsan)
New member Username: Dukhsan Post Number: 8 Registered: 3-2011 |
Was there a lot of nitrogen? A little? Enough to kill him. Amounts of chemicals, especially gases, are hard to give in these terms. Is pure nitrogen flammable? Nitrogen is largely an inert gas, and it doesn't burn. It makes up 80% of our atmosphere; think about what would happen if it reacted with the other ~20%, oxygen. >:D Either way, relevant? No. | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 12677 Registered: 4-2010 |
Was he asphyxiated? | ||
| Dukhsan (Dukhsan)
New member Username: Dukhsan Post Number: 11 Registered: 3-2011 |
Was he asphyxiated? See Doriana's post; no. We've now eliminated the two common causes of death by inert gas. | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 12681 Registered: 4-2010 |
Was the gas pumped? Into him? | ||
| Dukhsan (Dukhsan)
New member Username: Dukhsan Post Number: 15 Registered: 3-2011 |
Was the gas pumped? No-ish. This may warrant further questions, but probably not now. Into him? No. | ||
| Rbruma (Rbruma)
New member Username: Rbruma Post Number: 1446 Registered: 9-2009 |
He died in the sense of physically losing life, correct? Did he die during an experiment? Is his profession relevant? His nationality? Did he have a relevant medical condition? Did he die in an explosion? | ||
| Sundowner (Sundowner)
New member Username: Sundowner Post Number: 697 Registered: 6-2003 |
Was he exposed to a unusually high concentration of nitrogen? an unusually low concentration? liquid nitrogen? (Did he attempt to drink liquid nitrogen? -- with a reference to "Solaris") Was he exposed to nitrogen for a long time? For many years? Did the exposure cause a disease which, in the end, killed the man? | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 354 Registered: 2-2011 |
did he die laughing? was he having dental treatment? | ||
| Dukhsan (Dukhsan)
New member Username: Dukhsan Post Number: 18 Registered: 3-2011 |
He died in the sense of physically losing life, correct? Yup. Did he die during an experiment? No. Is his profession relevant? His nationality? Neither. Did he have a relevant medical condition? No. Did he die in an explosion? No. Though it would be funny to say "He died as he lived: in an explosion" at someone's funeral. Was he exposed to a unusually high concentration of nitrogen? Strictly speaking, no. an unusually low concentration? No. liquid nitrogen? It is in the gaseous form. (Did he attempt to drink liquid nitrogen? -- with a reference to "Solaris") Huh. Afraid not. Was he exposed to nitrogen for a long time? No. For many years? Other than existing in an atmosphere of 80% nitrogen, no. Did the exposure cause a disease which, in the end, killed the man? No. did he die laughing? No. was he having dental treatment? You might be thinking of nitrous oxide. No. | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 12687 Registered: 4-2010 |
Was he exposed to the nitrogen? All at once? Over a long period of time? Was the nitrogen in his blood? Was there a gas embolism? | ||
| Rbruma (Rbruma)
New member Username: Rbruma Post Number: 1447 Registered: 9-2009 |
Did he die by drinking nitrogenated beer? :-) Did the inhaling of the gas cause his death? Did he discover some unlawful / hazardous activity related to the use (production, storage, selling, use, etc) of nitrogen? | ||
| Kalira (Kalira)
New member Username: Kalira Post Number: 620 Registered: 2-2009 |
Hey there. XKCD is a nerdy webcomic with fora for discussion of (mostly) intellectual matters. And raptors... don't forget the raptors. ;-) Was he killed by the gas directly (e.g. it was delivered into his respiratory/digestive system/brain, etc. and he died)? or indirectly (e.g. he was in a giant plastic bubble that got introduced into liquid nitrogen and crushed him when it contracted due to the cold temperature)? Is liquid nitrogen relevant in any way? Cryogenics? | ||
| Dukhsan (Dukhsan)
New member Username: Dukhsan Post Number: 23 Registered: 3-2011 |
Was he exposed to the nitrogen? Yes-ish. All at once? Yes. Over a long period of time? No. Was the nitrogen in his blood? No. Was there a gas embolism? No. Did he die by drinking nitrogenated beer? :-) That doesn't sound particularly hazardous. Did the inhaling of the gas cause his death? No. Did he discover some unlawful / hazardous activity related to the use (production, storage, selling, use, etc) of nitrogen? No. XKCD does have raptors, but Dr. McNinja has one named Yoshi. Was he killed by the gas directly (e.g. it was delivered into his respiratory/digestive system/brain, etc. and he died)? No. or indirectly (e.g. he was in a giant plastic bubble that got introduced into liquid nitrogen and crushed him when it contracted due to the cold temperature)? Not your guess, but indirectly. Is liquid nitrogen relevant in any way? No. Cryogenics? I repeat, the nitrogen is gaseous. Also, it is not cold regardless of its state of matter. | ||
| Sundowner (Sundowner)
New member Username: Sundowner Post Number: 702 Registered: 6-2003 |
Was the man in a vehicle? in an aircraft? Did the nitrogen get in contact with the man's body? Was the nitrogen in a container? Did the container explode? implode? Did a device break that was in contact with the nitrogen? Filling of tires with nitrogen instead of air relevant? Were any animals involved in the man's death? or other people? Was the man aware that nitrogen could kill him? Did somebody make a stupid mistake? | ||
| Dukhsan (Dukhsan)
New member Username: Dukhsan Post Number: 27 Registered: 3-2011 |
Was the man in a vehicle? Yes. in an aircraft? No. Did the nitrogen get in contact with the man's body? The gas itself did not. Was the nitrogen in a container? Yes. Did the container explode? No. implode? No. Did a device break that was in contact with the nitrogen? No. Filling of tires with nitrogen instead of air relevant? No. Were any animals involved in the man's death? or other people? Both are irrelevant. Was the man aware that nitrogen could kill him? Probably not. Did somebody make a stupid mistake? Possibly. | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 12696 Registered: 4-2010 |
Was the nitrogen in the same vehicle as the man? Was it in the gas tank? Did the vehicle even have a gas tank? | ||
| Dukhsan (Dukhsan)
New member Username: Dukhsan Post Number: 30 Registered: 3-2011 |
Was the nitrogen in the same vehicle as the man? Yes. Was it in the gas tank? No. Did the vehicle even have a gas tank? Yes. | ||
| Rbruma (Rbruma)
New member Username: Rbruma Post Number: 1448 Registered: 9-2009 |
Was the vehicle a flying machine? If so: helicopter? air balloon? Some kind of a boat? A car? train? tram? subway? bus? | ||
| Dukhsan (Dukhsan)
New member Username: Dukhsan Post Number: 31 Registered: 3-2011 |
Was the vehicle a flying machine? If so: helicopter? air balloon? Some kind of a boat? A car? train? tram? subway? bus? It is a car. | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 12697 Registered: 4-2010 |
Was the nitrogen in a container inside the car? Was it in a nitrogen tank? | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 365 Registered: 2-2011 |
did he get hit by the nitrogen container? | ||
| Dukhsan (Dukhsan)
New member Username: Dukhsan Post Number: 32 Registered: 3-2011 |
Was the nitrogen in a container inside the car? Yes. Was it in a nitrogen tank? No. did he get hit by the nitrogen container? Yes. | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 367 Registered: 2-2011 |
is that what killed him? | ||
| Dukhsan (Dukhsan)
New member Username: Dukhsan Post Number: 36 Registered: 3-2011 |
Is that what killed him? Yes. | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 12699 Registered: 4-2010 |
Was the nitrogen in a bottle? In something metal? Was he transporting the nitrogen in his car? Did he stop suddenly? Was the nitrogen not secured? And it flew forward and hit him? | ||
| Dukhsan (Dukhsan)
New member Username: Dukhsan Post Number: 38 Registered: 3-2011 |
Was the nitrogen in a bottle? No. In something metal? No. The metal might be heavy enough to kill him on its own, if so. Was he transporting the nitrogen in his car? Yes-ish. Did he stop suddenly? Yes-ish. Was the nitrogen not secured? No. And it flew forward and hit him? No in connection to the last question, but this sounds ~vaguely~ relevant on its own. | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 12700 Registered: 4-2010 |
Was the nitrogen container highly pressurized? | ||
| Dukhsan (Dukhsan)
New member Username: Dukhsan Post Number: 39 Registered: 3-2011 |
Was the nitrogen container highly pressurized? This is somewhat of a first: I don't entirely know how pressurized. Let's go with 'probably yes, and this idea is relevant.' | ||
| Doriana (Doriana)
New member Username: Doriana Post Number: 863 Registered: 12-2010 |
Was the nitrogen container made out of [LTPF list of materials]? The [LTPF lists of...] are imaginary lists of all things that fall into a category so that you don't have to ask about each one seperately. | ||
| Dukhsan (Dukhsan)
New member Username: Dukhsan Post Number: 42 Registered: 3-2011 |
Was the nitrogen container made out of [LTPF list of materials]? Fabric, perhaps woven from plastic material. | ||
| Biograd (Biograd)
New member Username: Biograd Post Number: 1572 Registered: 6-2008 |
Is it in an airbag? | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 370 Registered: 2-2011 |
was he wearing a seatbelt? did he break his neck? | ||
| Dukhsan (Dukhsan)
New member Username: Dukhsan Post Number: 43 Registered: 3-2011 |
Is it in an airbag? Yes. was he wearing a seatbelt? No. did he break his neck? Yes. Well, that does it for this one. Nice work! ***************SPOILER***************** The man crashed his car while going at a high speed and the airbag deployed. He was not wearing a seatbelt, and the sudden thrust of the airbag snapped his neck, killing him instantly. Airbags generate nitrogen gas by one of several pyrotechnic reactions. This fills the airbag within several hundredths of a second. | ||
| Doriana (Doriana)
New member Username: Doriana Post Number: 865 Registered: 12-2010 |
Nice and clever puzzle, thumbs up! | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 373 Registered: 2-2011 |
thanks Dukhsan, and well done Balin - I knew as soon as I saw your question that you'd got it right | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 12708 Registered: 4-2010 |
But it wasn't me, Shez...'twas Biograd. Nice puzzle, Dukhsan! | ||
| Dukhsan (Dukhsan)
New member Username: Dukhsan Post Number: 48 Registered: 3-2011 |
Thanks for the feedback! I'll have another puzzle up sometime soon. :D | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 380 Registered: 2-2011 |
oops, my bad. sorry Biograd - genius | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 389 Registered: 8-2001 |
Very nice! Also, any fan of XKCD is an internet friend of mine! Welcome! |
