Bracket #39 — the answers
The five questions from November 7, 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 | What year was Newton’s Principia published? | 1,687 | 1,500 to 1,900 | 1,667 to 1,707 |
| 2 | How much does hair grow in a year? | 6 inches | 1 to 30 | 4.6 to 7.4 |
| 3 | How hot is the surface of the Sun? | 9,940 degrees Fahrenheit | 1,000 to 1M, logarithmic | 7,000 to 14,000 |
| 4 | What is 15 squared? | 225 | 100 to 20,000, logarithmic | 170 to 290 |
| 5 | How many feet are in a fathom? | 6 | 1 to 30 | 4.6 to 7.4 |
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.
- What year was Newton’s Principia published? 1,687 — near the middle of its track. A bracket from 1,667 to 1,707 is a tenth of the track and scores 90; the whole track scores 0.
- How much does hair grow in a year? 6 inches — in the lower third of its track. A bracket from 4.6 to 7.4 is a tenth of the track and scores 90; the whole track scores 0.
- How hot is the surface of the Sun? 9,940 degrees Fahrenheit — 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 7,000 to 14,000 is a tenth of the track and scores 90; the whole track scores 0.
- What is 15 squared? 225 — in the lower third of its track (a logarithmic track, so a tenth of it is a tenth of the powers of ten it spans). A bracket from 170 to 290 is a tenth of the track and scores 90; the whole track scores 0.
- How many feet are in a fathom? 6 — in the lower third of its track. A bracket from 4.6 to 7.4 is a tenth of the track and scores 90; the whole track scores 0.
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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.