Packet 10: Bonus 4
Answer the following about unusual types of matter you may find in a neutron star. For 10 points each:
[10h] Much of a neutron star’s interior consists of this type of degenerate matter, which contains tube-, sheet-, and bubble-like structures classified in analogy to types of food. It is thought to be the strongest material in the universe.
ANSWER: nuclear pasta [prompt on nuclear spaghetti or nuclear lasagna or nuclear gnocchi; reject “pasta” or types thereof alone]
[10e] The cores of neutron stars might contain a “quark-gluon” analogue of this state of matter in which color charges are unbound. Stars like our Sun are made of this ionized fourth state of matter.
ANSWER: plasma
[10m] This quark’s namesake “matter,” which may be more stable than ordinary matter per the Bodmer–Witten hypothesis, might also be found in the cores of neutron stars. This third-lightest quark has somewhat less mass than the charm quark.
ANSWER: strange quark [or s quark or sideways quark; accept strange (quark) matter]
<Physics — June Yin> | SHOW-ME Four Packet 10
| Heard | PPB | E % | M % | H % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | 16.11 | 100% | 44% | 17% |
Conversion
| Team | Opponent | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Total | Parts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASCA (Ava, Sean, Chris, and Aiden) | (not so) Evil Empire | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 | E |
| Copilot, give me a witty team name for an online quizbowl tournament | ccny potato salad | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 | E |
Summary
| Tournament | Edition | Match | Heard | PPB | E % | M % | H % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rube Goldberg XIX | 11/20/2025 | ✓ | 15 | 17.33 | 100% | 53% | 20% |
| SHOW-ME Four Nationwide HS | 11/20/2025 | ✓ | 2 | 10.00 | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| SPOOKY IX | 11/20/2025 | ✓ | 1 | 10.00 | 100% | 0% | 0% |