# Jeopardy Reruns This element's symbol HELP ME **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 14, 2014, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-reruns-this-elements-symbol-help-me/695538 "2014-08-14T18:49:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-reruns-this-elements-symbol-help-me/695538/21 "2014-08-15T16:01:43Z")
I’m sort of reminded of the fact that the last name of a person is usually enough… but if it’s “what president”, then “Adams”, “Harrison”, “Roosevelt”, or “Bush” isn’t enough. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-reruns-this-elements-symbol-help-me/695538/22 "2014-08-15T16:21:48Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > A hypothetical for those who feel that the name and the symbol are synonymous. Suppose the clue had been _“This element’s symbol is Ag.”_ Would you accept _“What is Ag?”_ as an acceptable response? Of course not. That would be a tautology. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-reruns-this-elements-symbol-help-me/695538/23 "2014-08-15T16:22:56Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’m sort of reminded of the fact that the last name of a person is usually enough… but if it’s “what president”, then “Adams”, “Harrison”, “Roosevelt”, or “Bush” isn’t enough. Of course. There was more than one of each. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-reruns-this-elements-symbol-help-me/695538/24 "2014-08-15T16:40:28Z")
Writing is all symbols. “Silver” is just as much a symbol for silver as “Ag” is. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-reruns-this-elements-symbol-help-me/695538/25 "2014-08-15T16:58:22Z")
> [@Kamino\_Neko](#): > > The only way to exclude either ‘Ag’ or ‘Silver’ is to include the exact letter string to be excluded, because otherwise they are 100% exact synonyms. > > Ag means Silver, Silver means Ag, they both refer to a metallic element that is a sort of shiny grey colour and very valued for making jewellery and coinage. There is no different shading in their meanings, no ambiguity to what either means in the context of ‘this element’, nobody with any sort of science education would fail to recognize either - the only difference in the two is how long they take to write. I agree that this is true virtually all of the time. If the question had been something like _“The United States minted their last circulating coin in this metal in 1970”_ or _“Some people end up turning blue from drinking a solution of this metal”_ then Ag or silver both would have been acceptable answers. But there are rare occasions when the two terms cannot be used interchangeably. The question I gave above was one example. And I think that the Jeopardy question was another. The way the question was worded made a distinction between the name of the element and the symbol of the element and asked for the name. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-reruns-this-elements-symbol-help-me/695538/26 "2014-08-15T17:01:22Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > You can parse the question two different ways: > > “…(this element)'s symbol is…” > > or > > “…this (element’s symbol) is…” > > Under the first parsing, it’s asking for the element. Under the second parsing, it’s asking for the element’s symbol. Either parsing is justifiable, so even if one does not take “silver” and “Ag” to be exactly synonymous, either answer can be correct. I was in the “silver” camp until your post and now I agree with you. > [@Sean\_Factotum](#): > > Why are we doing this again? The right answer (or answers) are determined by the judges off stage, and no amount of complaining months after the taping are going to change anything. It will when I finish my time machine. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-reruns-this-elements-symbol-help-me/695538/27 "2014-08-15T17:03:10Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > Answering “Ag” to your question doesn’t demonstrate that I have any idea what I’m talking about. Answering “Ag” to the Jeopardy question, on the other hand, does. Not necessarily. I pointed out last time that a person might remember that Ag and Au are the symbols for gold and silver but not remember which was which. So answering Ag was a way to conceal the fact that he wasn’t sure which element was the correct answer. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-reruns-this-elements-symbol-help-me/695538/28 "2014-08-15T17:12:08Z")
> [@Sean\_Factotum](#): > > Why are we doing this again? The right answer (or answers) are determined by the judges off stage, and no amount of complaining months after the taping are going to change anything. True story. I was on a quiz show once and the question asked was “Who was the first President to have been impeached?” I answered Andrew Johnson. The judge insisted the correct answer was Andrew Jackson. Now the rules for the show said the judge’s decision was final. So I can accept that Andrew Jackson was the scoring answer. But Andrew Johnson was still the correct answer. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-reruns-this-elements-symbol-help-me/695538/29 "2014-08-15T17:14:57Z")
Oh, right, I knew I was forgetting a repeated Presidential surname! There were two Johnsons, too. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-reruns-this-elements-symbol-help-me/695538/30 "2014-08-15T17:22:04Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Now the rules for the show said the judge’s decision was final. So I can accept that Andrew Jackson was the scoring answer. But Andrew Johnson was still the correct answer. You let them get away with it?!? :eek: I’d’ve slapped them with a lawsuit for much more than the prize money, which would have guaranteed a huge out-of-court settlement! ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-reruns-this-elements-symbol-help-me/695538/31 "2014-08-15T17:42:17Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > The way the question was worded […] asked for the name. It did nothing of the sort. To ask for the English common name to the exclusion of the symbol, it would have had to actually say ‘this is the name of the element’, or include the symbol in the clue (and not be a Stupid Answers clue). Asking for ‘this element’ makes both 100% acceptable. ---
**Author:** ![Monocracy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monocracy/32/4493_2.png) [@Monocracy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monocracy)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-reruns-this-elements-symbol-help-me/695538/32 "2014-08-17T18:26:52Z")
Plug the answer back into the statement: “Of the element symbols that don’t match the element’s English name, Ag’s symbol is alphabetically first.” It is incorrect. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-reruns-this-elements-symbol-help-me/695538/33 "2014-08-17T18:31:56Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > You let them get away with it?!? :eek: I’d’ve slapped them with a lawsuit for much more than the prize money, which would have guaranteed a huge out-of-court settlement! I suspect you’re joking. But if not, this was a quiz show run by my college television station. I think the grand prize was a pizza. ---
**Author:** ![Snifit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5fc32e/32.png) [@Snifit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snifit)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-reruns-this-elements-symbol-help-me/695538/34 "2014-08-17T18:35:24Z")
No, it isn’t incorrect. Ag’s symbol is alphabetically first. ---
**Author:** ![Monocracy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monocracy/32/4493_2.png) [@Monocracy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monocracy)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-reruns-this-elements-symbol-help-me/695538/35 "2014-08-17T18:41:58Z")
> [@Snifit](#): > > No, it isn’t incorrect. Ag’s symbol is alphabetically first. There is no symbol for Ag. Ag IS the symbol. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-reruns-this-elements-symbol-help-me/695538/36 "2014-08-17T18:44:10Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Now the rules for the show said the judge’s decision was final. So I can accept that Andrew Jackson was the scoring answer. But Andrew Johnson was still the correct answer. > [@terentii](#): > > You let them get away with it?!? :eek: I’d’ve slapped them with a lawsuit for much more than the prize money, which would have guaranteed a huge out-of-court settlement! > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I suspect you’re joking. But if not, this was a quiz show run by my college television station. I think the grand prize was a pizza. if you lost in court the judge would tell you to cough it up. ---
**Author:** ![Snifit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5fc32e/32.png) [@Snifit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snifit)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-reruns-this-elements-symbol-help-me/695538/37 "2014-08-17T19:35:10Z")
Ag is silver. They refer to the same thing. Silver’s symbol is “Ag”. Ag’s symbol is “Ag”. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-reruns-this-elements-symbol-help-me/695538/38 "2014-08-17T19:44:51Z")
Jackson WAS the first censured President. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-reruns-this-elements-symbol-help-me/695538/39 "2014-08-17T21:02:37Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > True story. I was on a quiz show once and the question asked was “Who was the first President to have been impeached?” I answered Andrew Johnson. The judge insisted the correct answer was Andrew Jackson. > > Now the rules for the show said the judge’s decision was final. So I can accept that Andrew Jackson was the scoring answer. But Andrew Johnson was still the correct answer. If this had occurred on _Jeopardy_, there would have been a retraction later. Since there was no retraction, the ruling allowing “Ag” was and is correct. And **Monocracy** , I think you’re making up a rule that doesn’t exist. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-reruns-this-elements-symbol-help-me/695538/40 "2014-08-17T21:18:00Z")
> [@Snifit](#): > > Ag is silver. They refer to the same thing. Silver’s symbol is “Ag”. Ag’s symbol is “Ag”. Is silver’s symbol silver? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-reruns-this-elements-symbol-help-me/695538.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-reruns-this-elements-symbol-help-me/695538.md?page=3)