Record low for Ronnie
QUESTION The maximum break in snooker is 147. Has any player in a major competition scored the lowest possible total clearance of 72?
THEORETICALLY, the lowest (foul-free) possible break in snooker is 44. in this scenario, the player would have to pot all 15 reds in a single shot, then the yellow to take us to 15+2 = 17 points.
he then sequentially pots the yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black: 17 + 27 = 44 points.
it could be argued that the lowest score is 37: in this scenario, the player pots the black, but goes in off with the white, so the black doesn’t count.
But this is unrealistic, so the lowest clearance — 15 reds, 16 yellows, green, brown, blue, pink and black — is considered to be 72. No professional would try to build a break with the yellow unless all the other balls were tied up.
The lowest clearance in tournament professional snooker was ronnie o’Sullivan’s 114 in the quarter-final of the 2018 champion of champions at the ricoh arena last year: 15 reds, three yellows, four greens, two browns, three blues, five pinks and four blacks.
Andy Winers, Sheffield. There are several reasons why the lowest possible break has never happened. The yellow is not a target ball for break-building in professional snooker.
it is used only when nothing else can continue the break or it provides the best opportunity to attain position on the next red during a break.
in break-building, all roads lead to the black. When black is not available, the player targets the next highest available colour, which is pink then blue.
Trying to imagine a scenario of potting 15 reds and 16 yellows followed by all the colours is virtually impossible. all the higher colours would have to be unavailable throughout the frame for the yellow to be targeted. The player would then not have to attempt to bring any of them into play during his break.
achieving the break as a practice exercise would be a formidable task, but not impossible for the likes of ronnie o’Sullivan or Stephen hendry.
Chris Wellham, Bradford, W. Yorks.
QUESTION By torchlight, why do my cocker spaniel’s eyes glow orange, yet my Plummer terrier’s are green?
MAMMALS that forage at night, as well as deep sea animals, have an ocular adaptation called the tapetum lucidum (‘shining layer’ in latin).
This reflective layer of cells provides a second opportunity for photoreceptor stimulation in the retina, improving vision in low light conditions.
it is not present in humans and most primates, but dog and cat owners will be aware of its existence.
The tapetum lucidum is subject to colour variation. The 2011 study Normal colour Variations of The canine ocular Fundus, a retrospective Study in Swedish Dogs reported the colour in 539 pets: 48.4 per cent were yellow-green, 29.7 per cent were orange, 12.2 per cent were yellow, 6.5 per cent were green and 1.3 per cent bluegreen. it was missing in 1.9 per cent.
The distribution varied between breeds. The miniature schnauzer had a high amount of green and blue-green, while the springer spaniel had a high percentage of orange. Brown dogs had a more orange-tinted tapetal area.
Millie Foster, Stafford.
QUESTION Who proposed the idea of a nuclear winter?
THIS is a comparatively new term to enter the english language. Though scientists had been studying the effects of nuclear explosions on climate for many years, it wasn’t until carl Sagan and his four co-authors published a study in the magazine Science in December 1983 that the term ‘nuclear winter’ was first used.
it is generally attributed to carl Sagan, known as the astronomer of the people for his work in popularising science. his coauthors were richard P. Turco, owen Toon, Thomas P. ackerman and James B. Pollack. The paper got its informal title of TTAPS from their surname initials.
The paper studied the theoretical atmospheric consequences of a global nuclear war, resulting from the ejection of large quantities of soot, ash, dust and debris into the atmosphere.
Similar effects resulting from volcanic action or a major meteor/asteroid strike are possible explanations for the sudden extinction of the dinosaurs.
later studies used more complex models of the atmosphere and climate.
There were efforts to discredit the work of the TTAPS group by those in favour of strong nuclear defences, including physicist edward Teller. he went on to work on ronald reagan’s Strategic Defense initiative, known as Star Wars.
in 1990, the TTAPS group paper climate and Smoke: an appraisal of Nuclear Winter gave a more detailed description of the effects of a major atomic war on climate. These included predictions of temperature, light level and rainfall reductions for the first three months after a nuclear war and for one to three years later.
Perhaps the most damaging long-term effect would be the depletion of the ozone layer by up to 70 per cent, which would result in a huge increase in UV radiation. This is known to be responsible for skin cancers, damage to the eyes and supression of the immune system.
Bob Cubitt, Northampton.