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Michael Smith Science Challenge


Michael Smith Science Challenge 2004

Last modified on 2016-01-08


A large population of beetles in thought to be in Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium for a gene with two alleles, a dominant allele for black colour, and a recessive allele for brown colour. If 4% of the animals are found to be brown, what percent are expected to be heterozygotes?
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4776 views 3636


Michael Smith Science Challenge 2005

Last modified on 2016-01-08


Gold leaf is a very thin sheet of gold metal (Au) and has been used for centuries in many cultures to decorate buildings, statues and other works of art. Gold leaf made today is about 1 x 10-7 m thick. If you assume that a single gold atom is a sphere of diameter 3 x 10-10 m and that the gold atoms in such ?leaf? were touching each other much as piled-up baseballs might do, how much area could you cover with 100 g of gold leaf?
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Michael Smith Science Challenge 2006

Last modified on 2016-01-08


A person walks normally at a constant speed in the positive x direction. Sketch a graph of the position x of the person?s left foot as a function of time t:
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10191 views 3174


Michael Smith Science Challenge 2007

Last modified on 2016-01-08


Estimate, roughly, how many molecules of H2O fell on Canada last year in the form of snow and rain. Show your work and what assumptions you make.
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16159 views 7199


Michael Smith Science Challenge 2008

Last modified on 2016-01-08


The graph shows changes in a community of plants following a disturbance at time zero. The quantity of each species is measured in tonnes per hectare. Just from looking at the graph, suggest a plausible general explanation as to why tree species 1 and 2 disappear. Please answer in two or three sentences.
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2024 views 1434


Michael Smith Science Challenge 2009

Last modified on 2016-01-08


How many cubic millimetres are there in a cubic metre? Show how you arrived at your answer. Suppose you have 512 of these one-mm cubes and are free to combine them into any shape you see fit. What is the minimum surface area your shape could have? What is the maximum surface area your shape could have? Leave your answers in mm2.
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6139 views 7846


Michael Smith Science Challenge 2010

Last modified on 2016-01-08


A hypothetical ecosystem contains only 1 bird, and some number of insects and trees, which form a food chain. Using what you know about ecology, estimate the biomass of each species. Roughly how many insects and trees are in this system? Remember that living things are composed primarily of water.
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15302 views 3709


Michael Smith Science Challenge 2011

Last modified on 2016-01-08


In North America, wind farms kill approximately 200 000 birds per year. By way of comparison, estimate as best you can how many birds are killed by cats each year in North America. Hint: If you do not have an outside cat of your own, you may wish to consider that one of the authors of this contest has a family of five people and two cats, one of which kills about 10 birds per year.
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6962 views 6711


Michael Smith Science Challenge 2012

Last modified on 2016-01-08


Consider the measuring cups below: Which measuring cup appears to be the most trustworthy? Explain your choice in no more than 60 words.
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4609 views 6115


Michael Smith Science Challenge 2013

Last modified on 2016-01-08


H2CO3 is an ingredient in pop that makes it carbonated, or ?fizzy?. It undergoes a decomposition reaction to produce the desired carbonation, or ?fizziness?.
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8938 views 4678