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University Challenge

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Reply 380

The Clare captain's quite fit... :p:

Reply 381

Original post
by Bezzler
The Clare captain's quite fit... :p:


I'll relay that on :smile:

Reply 382


The way that guy from Clare Cambridge knew the wife carrying question...priceless.

Reply 383

Original post
by around
I'll relay that on :smile:


...Thanks.

I had so much fun telling one member of last year's Magdalen team things people were saying about him on here, though.

Also, some good buzzes so far! Though I'll be unhappy if you beat Worcester, I have a friend on that team.

Reply 384

I mae a horrific ****up, I know. Things were getting really tense at that point and my brain just kind of stopped working.

Reply 385

Just going to iplayer the ep now.

Reply 386

Original post
by around
I mae a horrific ****up, I know. Things were getting really tense at that point and my brain just kind of stopped working.


What are you talking about? You got some really good ones (though, the guy next to you was a machine).
Was there even one maths question?

You're the mathematician from abingdon, right?
If so, excellent. A fellow oxonian (obviously not university wise).

Reply 387

Original post
by around
I mae a horrific ****up, I know. Things were getting really tense at that point and my brain just kind of stopped working.




I thought you were really good, if not the best, on your team :smile:
(edited 14 years ago)

Reply 388

Original post
by around
Maybe :smile:. I study maths and go to Cambridge...


Cool. Hopefully I'll be doing that too this October providing I've done much, much better in STEP than I think I have. :tongue:

You were the one on the far left, yeah? Your lot are my favourite team of the series so far anyway.

Reply 389

Oh, how I love University Challenge! I even smiled when the Physics questions were asked to Clare College - Cambridge.

190-180, brilliant result! One of the most interesting episodes of UC ever.

Reply 390

Original post
by Perseverance
I thought you were really good, if not the best, on your team :smile:



Original post
by ben-smith
What are you talking about? You got some really good ones (though, the guy next to you was a machine).
Was there even one maths question?

You're the mathematician from abingdon, right?
If so, excellent. A fellow oxonian (obviously not university wise).



Well, my friends aren't letting me live it down :smile:

@Perseverance: it's a team thing, really. We all chipped in at crucial points. And I made that howler :>

@ben-smith: there was the sum of two primes question, but I am truly shocking at mental arithmetic and I'm even worse under pressure. I don't know why my captain said 16 though. 9 isn't even a prime!

@everyone: thanks for your kind comments :>

Reply 391

Tonight's match was exciting; "University Challenge" has always been a favourite of mine, even before becoming a university student. I rarely watch TV now, but I only switch on for that show. I would like to see a non-Oxbridge team win the final for once (Manchester University won in 2009 by disqualification when an ineligible player who left university half-way through represented the winning team, not the actual final contest in that year).

Reply 392

Original post
by around
Well, my friends aren't letting me live it down :smile:

@Perseverance: it's a team thing, really. We all chipped in at crucial points. And I made that howler :>

@ben-smith: there was the sum of two primes question, but I am truly shocking at mental arithmetic and I'm even worse under pressure. I don't know why my captain said 16 though. 9 isn't even a prime!

@everyone: thanks for your kind comments :>


How cool is it that you can just come onto TSR after the programme and chat with the contestants! Was it recorded ages ago, so it's all old-hat to you and you have to remember back?

Reply 393

OK, I want to settle this. Are the UC questions generally biased towards the Arts?
It certainly feels like that...

Reply 394

Original post
by ben-smith
OK, I want to settle this. Are the UC questions generally biased towards the Arts?
It certainly feels like that...


I don't think so - they generally have a balance and there are a lot of hard questions from things like microbiology, genetics, physics and so on. If you watch the show often you notice that teams from colleges that specialise in either a science or a humanity field tend to do a little less well, as your team needs to have broad knowledge areas to win.

Reply 395

Original post
by emmanottinghil
I don't think so - they generally have a balance and there are a lot of hard questions from things like microbiology, genetics, physics and so on. If you watch the show often you notice that teams from colleges that specialise in either a science or a humanity field tend to do a little less well, as your team needs to have broad knowledge areas to win.


From what I recall, there wasn't, for example, a single maths question yesterday (By which I mean real maths, not silly primary school mental arithmetic) yet I'm sure there were multiple questions on english literature.

Magdalen Oxford won last year with a grand total of zero scientists on their team. I don't know how that plays into your breadth theory.

Reply 396

Original post
by ben-smith
From what I recall, there wasn't, for example, a single maths question yesterday (By which I mean real maths, not silly primary school mental arithmetic) yet I'm sure there were multiple questions on english literature.

Magdalen Oxford won last year with a grand total of zero scientists on their team. I don't know how that plays into your breadth theory.


I didn't know Magdalen had no scientists last year, but they must nevertheless have answered a lot of science questions - i remember the final - presumably it's on YouTube still as well to check. I was being general - obviously there are going to be teams that have breadth without being on specific courses. I was thinking particularly of teams from colleges like Imperial or SOAS for example where you would expect distinct biases in knowledge.

Reply 397

Original post
by emmanottinghil
How cool is it that you can just come onto TSR after the programme and chat with the contestants! Was it recorded ages ago, so it's all old-hat to you and you have to remember back?


Of course, watching the episode again jigs your memory somewhat :>

Original post
by ben-smith
OK, I want to settle this. Are the UC questions generally biased towards the Arts?
It certainly feels like that...


In the sense that there is a specialised music round, yes. It's also well known that the other team's bonuses are always easier than your own :wink:

Reply 398

Original post
by emmanottinghil
I didn't know Magdalen had no scientists last year, but they must nevertheless have answered a lot of science questions - i remember the final - presumably it's on YouTube still as well to check. I was being general - obviously there are going to be teams that have breadth without being on specific courses. I was thinking particularly of teams from colleges like Imperial or SOAS for example where you would expect distinct biases in knowledge.


The final last year had questions on the people mentioned in Bohemian Rhapsody :biggrin:

Reply 399

Original post
by AspiringGenius
The final last year had questions on the people mentioned in Bohemian Rhapsody :biggrin:


I s'pose that's a Humanity?

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