Question #1 - Shirley in the Museum

 
Shirley is in a hall full of Nobel laureates, and finds a mother-daughter duo that each won for Chemistry in separate years-- 1911 and 1935! She counts each year from 1911 until 1935 inclusive, taking as many seconds as the largest power of 2 which …

Shirley is in a hall full of Nobel laureates, and finds a mother-daughter duo that each won for Chemistry in separate years-- 1911 and 1935! She counts each year from 1911 until 1935 inclusive, taking as many seconds as the largest power of 2 which divides that year.
For example, if a year is odd, she takes 1 second. If a year is divisible by 2 but not by 4, she takes 2 seconds. If a year is divisible by 4 but not by 8, she takes 4 seconds.

How long does it take her to count all of the years?

Bonus Trivia Question: Who were the mother-daughter Nobel Prize winners?

The answer is:
181 seconds

Video Solution


Bonus Trivia Question: 
Who were the mother-daughter Nobel Prize winners?

Answer: Marie Curie and her daughter, Irene!

Marie Curie is one of GAIM's featured women for 2019! She won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1903, and again for Chemistry in 1911. Her daughter Irene won for Chemistry in 1935. 

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Catherine Lennon