1)
OK, first things first. What is your highest level of qualification in mathematics?
No qualifications
GCSE / school
A-level / college
Undergraduate degree
PhD
Post doc / lecturer
Professor
2)
How many maths books do you own?
None
1 to 5
6 to 10
11 to 15
16 to 20
More than 20
3)
Do you read your maths books in your free time (as opposed to studying for exams and so on)?
I haven't got any maths books.
No way, I've got better things to do.
Only if I'm bored.
Sometimes.
Yes, every day.
It's the first thing I do when I get up in the morning.
4)
5)
If you make your own notes, do you use different coloured pens?
I don't have books / read them / make notes.
No, just one pen.
One pen, and a pencil for diagrams.
Two different pens plus pencil.
Three different pens plus pencil.
Four or more different pens plus pencil.
6)
Do you talk about maths to other people?
No, never.
Occasionally, if the other person seems interested.
Yes, even if the other person doesn't seem interested.
Yes, even if everyone else seems bored senseless.
I can clear a pub in 30 seconds flat.
7)
Do you have a maths-related desktop background, screensaver or at least one such username/password on your computer?
No, none of these.
Yes, one of them.
Yes, two of them.
Yes, screensaver, desktop and one username/password.
Screensaver, desktop and more than one username/password.
Everything about my computer is maths related.
8)
When you hear the word "field", what do you think of?
A place where a farmer grows his crops.
A recreation ground / sports field.
The act of fielding a ball in cricket or baseball.
A gravitational / electostatic / magnetic field.
Groups, rings, and all that.
Other.
9)
To how many decimal places do you know the value of pi?
Less than 3
3 to 5
6 to 8
9 to 11
12 to 15
More than 15
10)
To how many decimal places do you know the value of e?
What is e?
Less than 3
3 to 5
6 to 8
9 to 11
12 to 15
More than 15
11)
How many proofs of Pythagoras' theorem do you know?
What is Pythagoras' theorem?
None
1
2 or 3
4 to 6
7 to 10
More than 10
12)
Do you know what the Riemann Hypothesis says?
I've never heard of it.
I've heard of it, but I don't know what it is.
I know the statement, but have no understanding of it.
I understand it at a basic level.
I have good understanding of it.
I've tried to prove it.
I spend every waking moment trying to prove it.
13)
Do you know how to prove the irrationality of the square root of 2?
Er, what?
No.
I've seen a proof, but I don't know it off the top of my head.
I know a proof.
I know more than one proof.
I've constructed my own proof.
14)
For this question, the use of a calculator is NOT allowed.
4
-2
1/4
-1/3
-1/4
No idea.
15)
Which of the following is a factor of x^3 - 5x^2 - 2x + 24 ?
x + 1
x + 2
x + 3
x + 4
x + 5
No idea.
16)
With regard to the previous question:
I answered "No idea".
I went through each possible answer in turn, and evaluated the given expression for appropriate values of x.
I factorised the expression fully.
I went through each possibility in turn, got the right answer, then decided to find the other factors just for the fun of it.
17)
A circle has equation x^2 + y^2 + 2gx + 2fy + c = 0, where g, f and c are given constants. What are the coordinates of the circle's centre?
(-g, -f )
(f, -g)
(g, -f)
(g, f)
(f, g)
No idea.
I can't be bothered to work it out.
Can I have some harder questions please?
18)
Do you want to do some trigonometry questions?
Yes
Yes
19)
OK, here we go. sin 2x is identically equal to:
2 sin x
2 cos x
2 sin x cos x
sin x cos x
2 cos 2x
I hate trigonometry.
20)
What is cosec pi/6 ?
2
1/2
2/ (sqrt 3)
1 / (sqrt 3)
sqrt 3
Didn't I just say that I don't like trigonometry?
21)
Do you want to do some calculus questions?
Yes.
Yes please, that would be lovely.
22)
What is the derivative of x^x?
x^x - log x
x^x (1 - log x)
x^x (1 + log x)
2x^x log x
x^x log x
branch x
leaf x
I'm going to put some logs on the fire.
23)
With regard to the previous question:
I just knew the answer.
I worked it out using implicit differentiation.
I worked it out by writing x^x in an equivalent form.
I Googled it / looked in a book (ie. cheated - slap on wrist).
Didn't know / guessed.
Put logs on the fire.
24)
The region between the curve y = sin x and the x-axis, from x = 0 to x = pi is rotated completely about the x-axis. What is the volume of the solid formed?
pi/2
(pi^2)/2
(pi^2)/4
(pi^3)/4
(pi^3)/8
It's a big fat solid.
25)
With regard to the previous question:
I just knew the answer, and went straight onto this question.
I worked it out, then went straight onto this question.
I worked it out, then worked out the volume formed upon rotation about the y-axis as well, just for the heck of it.
As for the previous answer, but also the surface areas formed.
And the arc length of the curve.
The solid was big and fat.
26)
A group is a set with an operation that satisfies which axioms?
Closure, identity, associativity, commutativity.
Identity, inverses, associativity, commutativity.
Closure, inverses, commutativity, distributivity.
Closure, identity, inverses, associativity.
Closure, associativity, commutativity, distributivity.
Can I have a harder question please?
Can I have an easier question please?
Can I have an easier question please, like what is 1+1?
Group theory sucks.
27)
What is a cyclic group?
One in which every subgroup is normal.
One which is generated by every non-identity element.
One which is generated by at least one element.
One whose order is a prime number.
A bicycle shop.
28)
I have a square matrix whose determinant is zero. Which of the following statements is definitely true?
One of its eigenvalues is 1.
Its trace is 0.
It is singular.
It is invertible.
The matrix of minors has no real eigenvalues.
The numbers in the matrix are all very big.
The numbers are all very small.
It needs hitting over the head with one of those logs from earlier.
I have a nice collection of matrices.
29)
OK, nearly there, only two more questions. What is n if the number of questions remaining is e^(i pi) + n ?
0
1
2
3
4
pi
i
30)
What is the next number in this sequence?
4
5
6
7
I don't know.
Why couldn't all the questions have been like this?
