Question
Successfully performing this task at exactly noon during the Dragon Boat Festival brings good luck for the coming year. For 10 points each:
[10h] Name this task, which is performed in China during Lìchūn at the start of spring. An American fad was inspired by the nonsense idea that this task is easiest to perform on the vernal equinox, when the earth is axially aligned with the sun.
ANSWER: balancing an egg on its end [accept equivalents]
[10e] The legend that this man balanced an egg by tapping it to make its end flat inspired a device exhibited by Nikola Tesla at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, which celebrated the 400th anniversary of his best-known feat.
ANSWER: Christopher Columbus [or Cristobal Colon]
[10m] The physicist Ukichiro Nakaya observed that eggs can be balanced at any time, as their shells are not perfectly smooth. Nakaya also studied these objects, whose constituent shapes include needles, columns, and plates.
ANSWER: snowflakes [prompt on ice crystals]
<AW>>
Summary
| 2023 BHSU @ Berkeley | 03/18/2023 | Y | 3 | 13.33 | 67% | 0% | 67% |
| 2023 BHSU @ Maryland | 03/11/2023 | Y | 3 | 10.00 | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| 2023 BHSU @ Northwestern | 02/25/2023 | Y | 4 | 20.00 | 100% | 25% | 75% |
| 2023 BHSU @ Sheffield | 04/15/2023 | Y | 2 | 15.00 | 100% | 0% | 50% |
| 2023 BHSU @ Waterloo | 04/15/2023 | Y | 3 | 16.67 | 100% | 33% | 33% |
Data
| Neg 5! Playing Quizbowl, Liddy Style | Cameron et al. | 10 | 10 | 10 | 30 |
| The Passion According to C.H. | Parth et al. | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| The Vulture's Guide to Buzz | Milan et al. | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 |