What is Mystery: Definition and 913 Discussions

Mystery is a fiction genre where the nature of an event, usually a murder or other crime, remains mysterious until the end of the story. Often within a closed circle of suspects, each suspect is usually provided with a credible motive and a reasonable opportunity for committing the crime. The central character is often a detective (such as Sherlock Holmes), who eventually solves the mystery by logical deduction from facts presented to the reader. Some mystery books are non-fiction. Mystery fiction can be detective stories in which the emphasis is on the puzzle or suspense element and its logical solution such as a whodunit. Mystery fiction can be contrasted with hardboiled detective stories, which focus on action and gritty realism.
Mystery fiction can involve a supernatural mystery in which the solution does not have to be logical and even in which there is no crime involved. This usage was common in the pulp magazines of the 1930s and 1940s, whose titles such as Dime Mystery, Thrilling Mystery and Spicy Mystery offered what were then described as complicated to solve and weird stories: supernatural horror in the vein of Grand Guignol. That contrasted with parallel titles of the same names which contained conventional hardboiled crime fiction. The first use of "mystery" in that sense was by Dime Mystery, which started out as an ordinary crime fiction magazine but switched to "weird menace" during the later part of 1933.

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  1. S

    Uncovering the Mystery of Thompson's Flying Ring

    Can anyone explain how flying ring works? like the demostration whith a magnetic coil connected to AC poer and an aluminum ring. the ring was placed on the top of the coil and althought aluminum is a non magnetic, the ring was thrown to the ceiling. can anyone tell me why there was force on...
  2. P

    Mystery of the Watery Road: A Puzzling Sight

    The other day, when I was traveling in the car, on a really, really, scorching, sunny day, in the distance I noticed that the road looked watery.Anyone knows why that happened? PS:There is no problems in my eyes.Even my Mom,Dad and brother noticed it.
  3. L

    What Is the Largest Integer in a Sum of 31 with Restrictions?

    Homework Statement The sum of 8 positive integers is 31. If no individual integer value can appear more than twice in the list of 8 integers, what is the greatest possible value that one of the integers can have? Homework Equations ? The Attempt at a Solution My answer is 16. I did a lot of...
  4. T

    The Mystery of the ARROW: Can Someone Explain?

    can someone explain to me how did it derived to the ARROW... I am not quite sure how that happened.thanks
  5. E

    Solving the Mystery of Induced Electric Field & Kinetic Energy

    Homework Statement An atomic electron (charge q) circles about the nucleus (charge Q) in an orbit of radius r; the centripetal acceleration is provided, of course, by the Coulomb attraction of opposite charges. Now a small magnetic field dB is slowly turned on, perpendicular to the plane of...
  6. Mentz114

    Solving the Mystery of the Operator: $\partial^2$

    Has anyone come across this operator ? \frac{\partial^2}{\partial_x\partial_y} + \frac{\partial^2}{\partial_x\partial_z} + \frac{\partial^2}{\partial_z\partial_y} I've never seen it until it came up in a field theory context. What can it mean ?
  7. R

    Boiling Point Mystery for Ethyl Alcohol

    Hello everyone! I've encountered a small problem with one of our "special" assignments. Question: The normal boiling point for ethyl alcohol is 78.4 C, S for C2H5OH(g) is 282,7 J/mol*K. At what temperature is the vapor pressure of ethyl alcohol 357 mm Hg? Maybe I'm stupid, but I can't find...
  8. T

    What is the solution to the geodesic equation for a torus?

    Hi , everyone I have a problem with geodesic equation . I know the method of solving it , but I can't understand the solutions . When I tried to solve it for a torus I arrived at : \dot{u} = \frac{k} {{\left( {c + a\cos v} \right)^2 }} \] \[ \dot v = \pm \sqrt { - \frac{{k^2 }}...
  9. B

    Unravelling the Mystery of Cn: How to Find Convergent Sequences

    Sequences HELP! Homework Statement Show that the sequence Cn = [(-1)^n * 1/n!] Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution This is an example in my book but I am not understanding it... It says to find 2 convergent sequences that can be related to the given sequence. 2 possibilities are...
  10. H

    Mystery of Candle Wax: Solving the Liquid to Solid Transition

    I was having a glass of wine over candlelight and I noticed that the liquid wax was completely transparent but turned opaque when when the wax solidified. Why does this happen? Clearly, when the molecules reorganize during the freezing phase transition they begin to interact with the light...
  11. L

    Seaweeds & Light: A Coloring Mystery

    1. Light at the blue end of the spectrum penetrates most easily underwater. Why are seaweeds often yellow-brown in colour? Does anyone know why this phenomena occurs? Thanks
  12. C

    Exploring the Mystery of Coulomb Force

    about coloumb? i wonder why two point charge whose magnitude 0 and +q(or smt different from zero charge) exert a coloumb force to one another .formula says there shoud be no force acting to each other(because of multiplication q1.q2=0) but there is an atraction between them . if this force...
  13. wolram

    Mystery Glue-like Substance in Roasting Tin

    I went to use one of my roasting tins and found a layer of glue like substance in it, the last time i used it was for roasting potatoes and i used vegetable oil, now i may have forgotten to wash it but surely veg oil does not set like glue, i had a devil of a time cleaning this stuff out it...
  14. G

    Unveiling the Mystery Behind White Ice

    Hi, This is my question: why is in the middle of ice, white ? (have you noticed ?) I guess the reason must be that water molecules don't have enough space to expand naturally and form symmerical crystals; and the white colour is because of this disarrangment in water crystals. Is my guess...
  15. Evo

    The Mystery of Global Warming's Missing Heat

    http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=88520025 Interesting, especially when you consider that this winter has been the coldest in over 100 years in many places around the globe.
  16. G

    Solving the Mystery of dl in Integrals

    I'm trying to deal a problem using this formula, but I'm unclear as to what dl represents (Or if it is the same as dx in most integrals, then in that case I don't know what the lowercase L is) {\cal{E}} = \int_{a}^{b} \vec{E} \cdot \vec{dl}
  17. W

    The Mystery of Boiling an Egg: From Liquid to Solid!

    When you boil an egg it turns into a solid. Isn't that kind of wierd?? I thought when you heated a liquid/semi-liquid it will turn into a gas. But on the other hand I get one of my fav. breakfast. HOW?
  18. K

    Unraveling the Mystery of Cooking Steak: Why Oil Matters?

    So, you have steak which you toss on a hot pan. The heat eventually break apart the molecules, making oxygen and hydrogen evaporate and you are left with just carbon, a burnt crust on your steak. My question is, why does this change when you use oil or fat? I have two possible solutions...
  19. S

    Uncovering the Mystery of 5 & 6: A Puzzle

    What relationship do 5 and 6 have that make them unlike any other pair of distinct positive integers under 1000? (1000 was as far as I tested.) WARNING: Don't read the rest of this thread if you want to solve the puzzle for yourself. It's not that hard--my dad got something rather close to...
  20. G

    Solving the Mystery of Moving Charged Rings

    Hello guys I'm a first time poster here and this problem has had me stumped. Homework Statement The figure shows an insulating ring and an infinite straight wire resting on the surface of an infinite plane. The wire is fixed in position, but the ring slides without friction on the surface...
  21. M

    Unravelling the Mystery of Work (W = Force X Distance)

    Hi, I am facing difficulty in trying to prove how the mathematical relation for WORK W = force X distance it might sound strange to a few but I was wondering how it was decided upon that force has to be multiplied by distance and not added or something else! Its understandable that to...
  22. Danger

    Covering a Budgie Cage at Bedtime - Mystery Solved!

    When I bought that useless budgie for W's birthday (she really wanted one), I just automatically started putting a towel over her cage at bed-time (the bird, not W). That's because everyone that I've ever known who had a bird did that. Why do we do that? I know that the thing has a brain the...
  23. D

    Unraveling the Mystery of Electric Fields & Atoms

    Hi all, I am having a hard time understanding the following scenario (I'm quoting from page 305 of the "Electricity & Magnetism" textbook which you can access via Google Books): "Assume a simple model for an atom which consists of a point nucleus (+q) surrounded by a uniformly charged...
  24. Danger

    Unveiling the Mystery of Delayed Phone Ringing

    This has been bugging me for years, but I never thought to ask about it before. I always thought that the 'ring' trigger signal was just sent to the phone from outside and set it going. What I've noticed, though, is that two phones on the same line don't ring at the same time. It's very...
  25. Z

    The Mystery of How All Colors Combine to Create White

    Hello, the question is above...now all I know is that all the colors combine to make white. Can you help? Thanks
  26. T

    What is Number Theory? Unraveling the Mystery

    what exactly is number theory i have heard of it but i don't know what it is
  27. T

    Exploring the Mystery of Fractured Steel Specimens

    A question has been puzzling me: why does a steel specimen feel warmer after it is fractured via applied tensile stress?
  28. T

    Uncovering the Mystery of Graph 2: Analysis & Explanation

    Homework Statement http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/2813/graphmo4.jpg [/URL] Homework Equations Not necessary The Attempt at a Solution The answers that I have up there are correct, but I was wondering why graph 2 did not look something like this...
  29. glondor

    Uncovering the Mystery of the EVO Gun

    Jeez I hope I never get you mad at me. How did you discover antigravity anyway?? http://www.americanantigravity.com/articles/572/1/The-EVO-Gun/Page1.html
  30. M

    Exploring the Mystery of the Electron Cloud

    Simple question here, I know where the protons, neutrons etc. are, but what I can't seem to find anywhere is what I have labeled "X" in my poorly drawn diagram. Everywhere I look it calls it an "electron cloud" is that all it can be described as because we don't actually know exactly what is in...
  31. A

    Unravelling the Mystery of J & l Quantum Numbers

    [SOLVED] Quantum Numbers What is the difference between using J and l for quantum numbers? I have some lecture notes that aren't fully explained. It was talking about rotational transitions for diatomic molecules, and said the energy of a photon going from level J to level J-1 is...
  32. D

    Unravelling the Mystery of the 3 Forms of Double-Angle Formula for Cos 20

    How can there be three forms of the double-angle formula for cos 20?
  33. scupydog

    Solve the Mystery: Find the Switch that Lights the Attic

    In the cellar you have three light switches, one of which turns the light on in the attic. You can only go upstairs once to check the light in the attic. Which switch turns on the light?
  34. glondor

    Mystery Lights Seen in Night Sky: What Are They?

    Do you think this is an effect of the night scopes? or is there some other phenominon going on here. I give the video 100% credability, as it seems several observers see the same thing... what are they seeing. Seems the brightest is over the biggest city.
  35. C

    Exploring the Earth's Formation: A Puzzling Mystery

    Hi, I'm not good enough to contribute answers yet, but I hope to entertain you with questions. Practically all the Earth formation stuff I've read talks about the Earth being molton. That always seems strange to me. If I think of a space body without an atmosphere, I generally think of it...
  36. H

    Exploring the Mystery of the Origin of the Big Bang

    Where did everything that went 'bang' come from ? It would seem to me that even potential must have a source of origin. Accepting that the Big Bang is true, where did it come from ? Where did all the potential of the unified field come from that went 'bang'? What caused all the 'matter' of the...
  37. wolram

    Mystery Objects: Can You Guess What They Are?

    How are you at guessing or even knowing what some of these are? http://puzzlephotos.blogspot.com/2006/01/mystery-objects.html
  38. A

    Unveiling the Mystery of Negative Energy and Transportation

    negative force! can anyone in this world,tell me what is negative energy... how does that help in transportation... heard that if it really existed,we can travel large distances in few seconds please do help folks
  39. A

    Solving the Sound Wave Mystery: A Stone in a Well

    [SOLVED] Sound wave A stone is dropped from rest into a well. The sound of the splash is heard exactly 1.70 s later. Find the depth of the well if the air temperature is 12.0°C. Anything _s is the sound wave, anything _f is the stone falling I tried using these equations: v_s =...
  40. E

    Tackling a Tough Momentum Problem: Solving the Mystery

    I had a test today that was really tough. We just went over conservation of momentum and angular momentum and that stuff. The hardest problem on the test looks like this: http://alexmabee.googlepages.com/problem.jpg/problem-full.jpg I can't for the life of me figure out how to solve...
  41. H

    Solving the Mystery of Drop Out Ride: Find Rev/s Needed for Floor Drop Out

    Homework Statement In a ride called Drop Out, riders are spun in horizontal circles of radius 5.5m, which forces them to the outer wall. When they are spinning fast enough, the floor drops out, and they are suspended by friction. The coefficient of static friction is 0.28, how many rev/s must...
  42. E

    Unravelling the Mystery of Infinite Potential Solutions

    Homework Statement Say I have a potential that is infinite from - infinity to 0, -V_0 from 0 to a, and 0 from a to infinity. Then I have three unknowns, two for the plane wave solution in the finite well and one for the exponential outside the well. But I also have four equations. Two...
  43. U

    The Mystery Behind the Fan's Circular Motion

    Homework Statement Hey just a quick question that bothering me: how come when u stick your finger in the middle of the fan and let it move it goes in a larger circle?
  44. S

    How Do Radio Receivers Isolate Specific Frequencies from a Combined Signal?

    I've been puzzling how it is that you can tune into a signal on a particular frequency. How can it be possible to get rid of all the other signals that are added together? I don't know how much of this makes any sense, but I have tried to specify the problem mathematically. Suppose R_1(t)...
  45. Evo

    Today's Mystery - Can You Guess What It Is?

    Today's "What is it?". Can anyone quess? If you ask, I will give hints. http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/6198/whatisitlc9.jpg
  46. B

    Exploring the Mystery of Space's Cold Temperature

    Heat is the the vibration of molecules in a medium. If this is so, then how is space cold if it is a vacuum. I'm aware that space has very few particles but I don't understand how heat is emitted. I'm guessing that it might have to do with radiation.
  47. B

    Exploring the Mystery of an Infinite Universe

    Say you take pi and keep zooming on on a circle. You keep getting more digits but you never actually hit the end of pi. It has been proven to be infinite. But how exactly is something infinite constructed in our universe. It just doesn't make sense to me. Almost as far as saying that the...
  48. B

    The Mystery of Gas-Powered Heat Pumps

    Are there natural gas powered heat pumps? My friend says yes, but the science is puzzling to me if so. Easy to understand burning gas to make heat, but what economical home system can make cold air from hot burning gas unless the heat turns a dynamo that makes electricity that powers the AC...
  49. Ivan Seeking

    Unravelling the Mystery of "Electric Fog"

    There are a number of similar reports that I've seen about an alleged phenomenon that has been called an "electric fog". One episode is described by a pilot, and another by a tug boat captain, both in the so called Bermuda Triangle. I will dig those up later. I don't mean to say that even if...
  50. Maxwell's Demon

    Uncovering the Mystery of Wave Momentum Transfer

    Apparently what I thought I understood about waves is wrong: there seems to be a net momentum transfer with mechanical waves, as well as photons (it seems they're perfectly analogous). I hope some of the experts on the board can help to clarify this issue; perhaps it’s less surprising to...
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