TED-Ed: Can you solve the dark matter fuel riddle? - Daniel Finkel

The video tutorial presents a scenario where various species race to claim an ancient alien space station. The challenge is to reach the station 23 parsecs away with a ship that holds only 15 units of fuel. The solution involves strategic fuel caching, using dark matter fuel that can be vented and retrieved later. By working backward from the destination, the tutorial explains how to place cache points effectively, allowing the ship to make the journey using as few as two cache points. The key is to manage fuel efficiently, ensuring enough is available at critical points along the route.

What is the main challenge faced by the spaceship in reaching the alien space station?

• Hostile alien species

• Lack of a map to the station

• Malfunctioning navigation system

• Limited fuel capacity

What is the key strategy to solve the problem of limited fuel?

• Using dark matter fuel caching

• Reducing the ship's weight

• Traveling at a slower speed

• Requesting fuel from other ships

How many cache points are needed at a minimum to solve the fuel problem?

• Four

• Three

• Two

• One

At which parsec mark is the first cache point established?

• 5 parsecs

• 3 parsecs

• 10 parsecs

• 8 parsecs

What is the final step to reach the alien space station?

• Returning to the starting point

• Making a 15-parsec jump

• Beaming fuel from deep space

• Refueling at the 8-parsec mark