Bracket #9 — the answers
The five questions from October 8, 2026, with their answers, the track each ran on, and the bracket that would have scored 90 on it.
The answers
| # | Question | Answer | Track | A tenth of it, on the answer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | How high up does space officially begin, at the Kármán line? | 62 miles | 5 to 1,000, logarithmic | 48 to 81 |
| 2 | What year did Elvis Presley die? | 1,977 | 1,900 to 2,025 | 1,971 to 1,983 |
| 3 | How many inches are in 10 yards? | 360 | 10 to 5,000, logarithmic | 260 to 490 |
| 4 | How much of the air is nitrogen? | 78 percent | 0 to 100 | 73 to 83 |
| 5 | How many people lived on Earth in the year 1800? | 1B | 10M to 100B, logarithmic | 630M to 1.6B |
Question by question
A question scores 100 minus the bracket’s width as a percentage of the track, if the answer is inside it, and nothing if it is outside. The tenth-of-the-track bracket below is the one a confident player was aiming for.
- How high up does space officially begin, at the Kármán line? 62 miles — near the middle of its track (a logarithmic track, so a tenth of it is a tenth of the powers of ten it spans). A bracket from 48 to 81 is a tenth of the track and scores 90; the whole track scores 0.
- What year did Elvis Presley die? 1,977 — near the middle of its track. A bracket from 1,971 to 1,983 is a tenth of the track and scores 90; the whole track scores 0.
- How many inches are in 10 yards? 360 — near the middle of its track (a logarithmic track, so a tenth of it is a tenth of the powers of ten it spans). A bracket from 260 to 490 is a tenth of the track and scores 90; the whole track scores 0.
- How much of the air is nitrogen? 78 percent — in the upper third of its track. A bracket from 73 to 83 is a tenth of the track and scores 90; the whole track scores 0.
- How many people lived on Earth in the year 1800? 1B — near the middle of its track (a logarithmic track, so a tenth of it is a tenth of the powers of ten it spans). A bracket from 630M to 1.6B is a tenth of the track and scores 90; the whole track scores 0.
Previous: Bracket #8 (Wed, Oct 7)
About Bracket
Bracket is Noggin’s estimation puzzle, on the second shelf: five questions a day with a number for an answer, bracketed rather than named, outside the daily line-up. How to play Bracket, or play today’s.