# "Contiguous" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 30, 2016, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743 "2016-06-30T00:05:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![denquixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@denquixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/denquixote)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/1 "2016-06-30T00:05:43Z")
The “Final Jeopardy” question this evening required the names of two contiguous, coastal states that had elevation changes within their own state that were over 14,000 feet. Now you may know that Washington and California both meet the requirements but are they contiguous? I have never used the word to mean nearby and I have never heard it used this way. The dictionary provides “near” as one meaning though not the primary one. Has anyone ever heard or seen contiguous used to refer to items that were not touching? Is Jeopardy right, wrong or just pedantic? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/2 "2016-06-30T00:10:27Z")
Do you have the exact wording of the clue? I was watching and I didn’t get the sense that the two states were themselves contiguous, but that the two states they were looking for were among the contiguous states (i.e., not including Alaska and Hawaii). ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/3 "2016-06-30T00:19:48Z")
[CONUS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contiguous_United_States), to exclude the obvious Alaska. If the wording was exactly as you describe then it is confusing. If “contiguous US” was used, it is less ambiguous as it doesn’t imply contiguous to each other. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/4 "2016-06-30T00:33:42Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > [CONUS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contiguous_United_States), to exclude the obvious Alaska. Alaska is obvious, and Hawaii is [pretty damn close](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauna_Kea). ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/5 "2016-06-30T00:38:08Z")
Fun fact: Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain in the world, not Everest. To claim otherwise is like saying that I could become the world’s tallest man simply by climbing to the top of a radio tower. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/6 "2016-06-30T01:09:22Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > Fun fact: Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain in the world, not Everest. To claim otherwise is like saying that I could become the world’s tallest man simply by climbing to the top of a radio tower. Why can’t Everest be measured from the ocean floor? ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/7 "2016-06-30T01:19:58Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > Why can’t Everest be measured from the ocean floor? Because its hundreds of miles from the coast. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/8 "2016-06-30T01:22:55Z")
As a former and future resident of Hawaii, I can tell you **boffking** is correct, as every resident worth his salt knows. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/9 "2016-06-30T01:35:53Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > Because its hundreds of miles from the coast. So? Seems unfair to me why not measure from the mantle? ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/10 "2016-06-30T01:50:22Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > So? Seems unfair to me why not measure from the mantle? In that case, [Chimborazo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimborazo) is the tallest mountain. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/11 "2016-06-30T01:56:30Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > Fun fact: Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain in the world, not Everest. To claim otherwise is like saying that I could become the world’s tallest man simply by climbing to the top of a radio tower. [Quote=octopus] > [@](#): > > Why can’t Everest be measured from the ocean floor? Because its hundreds of miles from the coast. [/quote] So? That’s like saying a grown man is only 3’1" because he’s surrounded by a bunch of kindergartners and dozens of feet from bare floor. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/12 "2016-06-30T02:03:05Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > So? Seems unfair to me why not measure from the mantle? If you measure the slope of the mountain to the plain from which it rises (sometimes called a mountain’s prominence), there are many mountains taller than Everest. Denali has something like 16,000’ of prominence, which rather beats the pants off of Everest. And Mauna Kea’s prominence could be measured from the plain from which rises, which is the sea floor, though I believe prominence is measured by the shortest ascent – kind of how the proper way to measure a penis is along its dorsal spine, which is almost always shorter than its ventral length. ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/13 "2016-06-30T02:06:37Z")
Everest doesn’t start at the ocean floor. The base is on a plateau over 15,000 ft above sea level. Mauna Kea does start at the ocean floor. Islands a significant distance from shore tend to be undersea mountains that rise above the water. Mauna Kea goes from -20k at the base to 13,000 feet at the summit. ---
**Author:** ![Chihuahua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dec6dc/32.png) [@Chihuahua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chihuahua)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/14 "2016-06-30T02:06:56Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > – kind of how the proper way to measure a penis is along its dorsal spine, which is almost always shorter than its ventral length. Thank you for that. My life is now complete. ---
**Author:** ![yearofglad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b782af/32.png) [@yearofglad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yearofglad)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/15 "2016-06-30T02:40:05Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Do you have the exact wording of the clue? I was watching and I didn’t get the sense that the two states were themselves contiguous, but that the two states they were looking for were among the contiguous states (i.e., not including Alaska and Hawaii). The exact wording: Of the contiguous states, these 2 coastal states have elevation changes within them of more than 14,000 feet ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/16 "2016-06-30T03:12:48Z")
Everest is the _highest_ mountain, based on its elevation. It’s standing on the shoulders of giants, as it were. But Mauna Kea is the _tallest,_ measured from its base to its summit. And the _Jeopardy!_ clue was worded correctly. ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/17 "2016-06-30T03:41:46Z")
> [@yearofglad](#): > > The exact wording: > > Of the contiguous states, these 2 coastal states have elevation changes within them of more than 14,000 feet That’s an acceptable wording. “The contiguous states” are the 48 connected ones. And that’s different from saying “two contiguous, coastal states” which I’m not sure what exactly it would mean. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/18 "2016-06-30T04:33:16Z")
> [@CurtC](#): > > That’s an acceptable wording. “The contiguous states” are the 48 connected ones. And that’s different from saying “two contiguous, coastal states” which I’m not sure what exactly it would mean. It would mean two coastal states which touch one another. Washington and Oregon are contiguous coastal states. Washington and California are not. ---
**Author:** ![denquixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@denquixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/denquixote)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/19 "2016-06-30T04:54:30Z")
> [@yearofglad](#): > > The exact wording: > > Of the contiguous states, these 2 coastal states have elevation changes within them of more than 14,000 feet Thank you for that. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/20 "2016-06-30T11:09:55Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > Everest doesn’t start at the ocean floor. The base is on a plateau over 15,000 ft above sea level. Mauna Kea does start at the ocean floor. Islands a significant distance from shore tend to be undersea mountains that rise above the water. Mauna Kea goes from -20k at the base to 13,000 feet at the summit. If Everest didn’t start on the ocean floor, how could it’s summit be composed of marine limestone? Huh? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743.md?page=2)