TCS - The Nerdity Test

The Nerdity Test
(version 2.1: March 12th, 1992)

by Don Singleton
Tulsa Computer Society
From the August 1998 issue of the I/O Port Newsletter

INTRODUCTION:

All persons are assumed to be initially 0% nerd up until the time that the Nerdity Test is taken. If someone is asked to take the Nerdity Test and refuses for any reason (especially if trying to preserve their 0% nerd status) that person's score should then be altered to 100% (you'd have to be really nerdy to be that anti-social.)

For each question on the exam that you answer yes to, add 0.5% (200 questions total). We recommend that you merely make dashes on a piece of paper for each question you answer affirmatively too. Count these hash marks and divide by two. This is your percent nerdity.

Some questions have examples listed after them in parenthesis. These are to be taken as examples and not an all inclusive list. **ALL** technicalities count.

Also, since nerdity is NOT a permanent condition, some of the questions reflect this. Anything labelled "are you currently.." "do you know.." as opposed to "have you ever.." etc. should be taken in the context of when the test is actually being given. Thus, if you know something nerdy now, and forget it by the time you take this test again, your nerdity score will go down.

For maximum enjoyment, it is also reccomended that each person participating respond out loud. Anyone else taking the test with you is permitted to ask for details concerning your answer, but please treat such information confidentially, as nerdity is not something that people want others to know about.

Please use only a number two pencil. Mark all answers in your blue book. Show all work. A table of useful formulas is included at the end. You may begin ... NOW!

SECTION 1: education and knowledge

1. Have you ever taken a "higher" math course? (Trig, Calculus)
2.     at the college level?
3.     and received an A (3.7 grade point)?
4. Have you ever taken a science course? (Biology,Physics,Chemistry)
5.     at the college level?
6.     and received an A (3.7 grade point)?
7. Are you still capable of doing things you learned in the"higher" math course?
8. Do you still know information you learned in the science course?
9. Have you ever majored in the "hard sciences"? (engineering, physics, chemistry, etc. but excluding psychology, economics, etc.)
10. Have you ever taken Latin?
11. Have you ever asked a question in lecture?
12. Have you ever answered a question asked in lecture?
13. Have you ever corrected a professor in lecture?
14. Have you ever answered a rhetorical question?
15. Do you sit in the front row more than 20% of the time?
16. Have you ever had a "perfect attendence record"?
17. Do you take notes in more than one color?
18. Have you ever tutored someone else?
19. Have you ever done homework on a Friday night?
20. Have you ever pulled an all-nighter?

DO YOU KNOW...

21. ...BASIC?
22. ...PASCAL?
23. ...FORTRAN?
24. ...assembly language?
25. Can you count in binary? (up to decimal 10)
26. Can you count in hexadecimal? (up to decimal 20)
27. Do you know Maxwell's equations? (integral or differential form)
28. Do you know Schroedinger's Equation?
29. Have you ever solved Schroedinger's Equation?
30. Do you know the right-hand-rule for cross-products?
31. Do you know the Latin name (genus and species) for anything? (humans, fruitfly, etc.)

The next few questions deal with physical constants. Mark yes for
any that you can give the value (2 or more significant digits) for.

Knowledge of the units attached is NOT necessary, just the numeric portion.

32. gravitational constant? (G)
33. earth's gravity? (g)
34. mass of an electron?
35. charge of an electron?
36. speed of light?
37. planck's constant? (h or h-bar)
38. permitivity of free space? (epsilon naught)
39. permeability of free space? (mu naught)
40. Avogadro's number?
41. molar gas constant?
42. pi? (exception: more than 5 digits for a true answer)
43. e? (exception: more than 5 digits for a true answer)

Can you give the conversion factor between... (2 or more sig. digits)

44. ...centimeters and inches?
45. ...kilometers and miles?
46. ...joules and electron-volts?
47. ...atomic mass units and kilograms?
48. ...celsius and kelvin?
49. ...celsius and fahrenheit?
50. Can you briefly outline the biological processes that occur due to alcohol?
51.     while drunk?
52. Have you ever interpolated?
53. Have you ever extrapolated?
54. Do you know the difference between interpolation and extrapolation?
55. Have you ever used the word "asymptotic"?
56. Have you ever referred to something as an L.E.D.?
57. Have you ever referred to a ruler as a "straight-edge"?
58. Have you ever said "quartz crystal"?

Which of the following acronyms do you know the meaning of...

59. ...RADAR?
60. ...MODEM?
61. ...DNA?
62. ...ATP?
63. ...NADP?
64. ...CRT?
65. ...CRC?
66. ...NORAD?
67. ...NASA?
68. ...LED? (see question 56)
69. Have you ever created an acronym in order to simplify your writing?

SECTION 2: lifestyle and possessions

70. Have you ever used a computer?>
71.     for more than 4 hours continuously?
72.     for more than 8 hours continuously?
73.     past 4 a.m.?
74.     on Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the same weekend?
75.     with someone you were physically attracted toward?
76.     for money?
77.     as a source of entertainment? (computer game)
78.     in the last three months?
79.     in the last three weeks?
80. Have you ever programmed a computer?
81.     to write a computer game?
82.     to write a computer virus?
83. Do you still own any computer with less than 512k or RAM?
84. Have you ever used a modem?
85.     to gain access to a system you had no authorization on?
86.     to call a government computer? (NASA, FBI, NORAD)
87. Did you watch more than 4 hours of TV on any given day in the last week?
88. Can you name more than 5 shows on PBS? (including A&E, Discovery Channel)
89. Have you ever watched a PBS documentary?
90.     in the last three weeks?
91. Have you ever watched Dr. Who?
92. Can you name or discuss the plots of more than 10 Star Trek episodes?

Can you whistle, hum, sing or snap the theme songs to...

93. ...Gilligan's Island?
94. ...Flintstones?
95. ...The Brady Bunch?
96. ...The Jetson's?
97. ...The Addam's Family?
98. ...Dobbie Gillis?
99. ...I Dream of Genie?
100. Do you know most of the words to "The Lumberjack Song" by Monty Python?
101. Have you ever played a non-sexual role-playing game? (D&D)
102.     since leaving high school?
103. Have you seen all of the Star Wars movies?
104.     in one 24 hour period?
105. Have you seen all of the Star Trek films?
106.     in one 30 hour period?
107. Have you ever owned a pair of Spock ears?

Have you ever read anything by...

108. ...Douglas Adams?
109. ...Isaac Asimov?
110. ...Robert H. Heinlein?
111. ...Piers Anthony?
112. ...J.R.R. Tolkein?
113. ...TSR Hobbies? (i.e. a novel published by the D&D people)
114. Have you ever read -Innumeracy-?
115. Have you ever read -Cultural-Literacy-?
116. Do you own an encyclopedia?
117. Have you ever read an encyclopedia entry that you weren't researching?
118. Do you own an almanac? (World, Farmer's)
119. Do you own an atlas?
120. Do you own a globe?
121.     and have it on display? (on a desk, bookshelf...)
122.     that has bumps corresponding to mountain ranges?
123. Have you ever used a chemistry set?
124.     since the age of 13?
125. Have you ever used a rare earth element?
126. Have you ever dissected something?
127.     while not involved in a biology class?
128. Have you ever bought something from Radio Shack?
129. Have you ever used an oscilloscope?
130. Have you ever used a microscope?
131. Have you ever used a telescope?
132. Do you own a voltmeter?
133. Do you own any remote controlled vehicals?
134. Can you program the time on a VCR?
135. Can you understand the owner's manual for electronic equipment?
136. Have you ever faxed something?
137. Do you own a cellular phone? (car phone)
138. Do you own a non-standard calculator? (scientific, programmable)?
139. Do you have a slide rule?
140.     and know how to use it?
141. Do you own a pencil case?
142. Do you own a mechanical pencil?
143.     and have refills for it?
144. Do you own a laboratory notebook?
145.. Do you own any graph paper? (quadruled)
146. Do you own any log or semi-log paper?
147. Do you own a table of integrals?
148. Do you play chess?
149. Were you ever on a chess team?
150. Were you ever on a math team?
151. Were you ever on a debate team?
152. Did you ever try out for a "trivia team"? (college bowl, JEOPARDY)
153. Were you ever in a science fair?
154.     that you placed in the top three?
155. Have you ever made a technical joke?
156.     that no one around you understood?
157.     that everyone around you understood?
158. Do you own a slinky?
159. Have you ever analyzed a slinky physically?
160. Do you own a Rubik's cube?
161. Are you able to solve Rubik's Cube?
162.     without using the book?
163.     in less than two minutes?

SECTION 3: clothing and personality

164. Do both of your socks match?
165. Do you own a digital watch?
166.     that plays music?
167.     that's currently set to chime on the hour?
168.     that has a calculator built in?
169. Do you have acne?
170. Do you have greasy hair?
171.     without realizing it?
172. Do you own any clothing with scientific knowledge printed on it? (t-shirts with Maxwell's equations)
173. Are your pants too short?
174. Is your outfit coordinated? (have someone else evaluate this)
175. Have you ever worn a button-down shirt and left the tails hanging out?
176. Are you socially inept?
177. Do you have a tough time remembering people's names?
178.     but no trouble with their numeric data? (phone#, SS#, address)
179. Are you taking this test alone?
180. Did you NOT go to your Senior Prom?
181. Did you go stag to your Senior Prom?
182. Do you talk to yourself?
183.     when other people are around?
184. Do you talk to imaginary people?
185. Have you ever found a grammatical error in a published book?
186. Have you ever contemplated the meaning of life/existance of God?
187.     while not drunk?
188.     while alone?
189. Do you wear glasses?
190. Is your vision worse than 20/40? (in either eye)
191. Is your vision worse than 20/80? (in either eye)
192. Are you legally blind? (in either eye)
193. Do you own a pocket protector?
194.     and are wearing it?
195. Was your SAT math more than 300 above your verbal?
196. Did you score higher than 1200 combined on the SAT?
197. Is your IQ greater than your weight?
198. Is your purity test score higher than your nerdity test score?
199. Have you asked for a technical clarification of anything on this test?
200. Have you ever thought of a question that belongs on this test?

***Please send it to: fritzi1@worldnet.att.net

Please put your pencils down. That's it, hope you enjoyed.



For more information on the Tulsa Computer Society click here


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Tulsa Computer Society 1/23/99
Don Singleton, President
djs@ionet.net