Warning: This page contains spoilers for the March 26, 2024, game of Jeopardy! — please do not scroll down if you wish to avoid being spoiled. Please note that the game airs as early as noon Eastern in some U.S. television markets.
Here’s today’s Final Jeopardy (in the category Elements) for Tuesday, March 26, 2024 (Season 40, Game 142):
In his “Natural History” Pliny described it as “argentum vivum”
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
David Madden, an academic competition director from Ridgewood, New Jersey
|
Arthur Chu, a writer originally from Cleveland, Ohio
|
MacKenzie Jones, a teacher & Ph.D. student from Tulsa, Oklahoma
|
Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
The Jeopardy Invitational Tournament continues with its middle quarterfinal today, between Arthur Chu, David Madden, and MacKenzie Jones. This is an interesting matchup; the prediction model is a big fan of MacKenzie’s skill on both Daily Doubles and Final Jeopardy, while both David Madden and Arthur Chu were early practitioners of the gameplay strategies later perfected by James Holzhauer. The prediction model, while it shows Arthur as a very slim favorite, probably would have difficulty out-performing random chance on this one. Any of these three players are very capable of advancing to the next round!
Another reminder that I have started a Sunday mailbag column where I answer fan & viewer questions regarding the show. If you have a question, feel free to send it to mailbag@thejeopardyfan.com!
(Content continues below)
Chag Pesach Sameach! The Unofficial Jeopardy! Haggadah supplement, written by many former contestants, is again available for the Passover Seder for Jeopardy! fans worldwide.
My friends over at Geeks Who Drink have introduced a daily trivia game—Thrice! Existing to make daily clever trivia content accessible to a wide audience, it's a daily challenge that tries to get you to the answer via three separate clues. It has a shareable score functionality to challenge your friends and new questions every day will give you a new daily social ritual! You can find it at thricegame.com!
Are you going on the show and looking for information about how to bet in Final Jeopardy? Check out my Betting Strategy 101 page! If you want to learn how to bet in two-day finals, check out Betting Strategy 102!
Are you looking for information on how to stream Jeopardy! in 2024? Find out information here on how to stream from most places in North America!
Do you appreciate the work I do here on The Jeopardy! Fan? Would you like to make a one-time contribution to the site? You may do so here!
You can find game-by-game stats here at The Jeopardy! Fan of all 16 players, now including Cris Pannullo and Ray Lalonde, that have won 10 or more games on Jeopardy!
You can now listen to Alex Trebek-hosted Jeopardy! episodes from TuneIn Radio without leaving The Jeopardy! Fan — listen now!
Correct response: What is mercury?
More information about Final Jeopardy:
(The following write-up is original content and is copyright 2024 The Jeopardy! Fan. It may not be copied without linked attribution back to this page.)
There is a mineral also found in these veins of silver, which yields a humour that is always liquid, and is known as “quicksilver”. It acts as a poison upon everything…all substances float upon the surface of quicksilver, with the exception of gold, this being the only substance that it attracts to itself. Hence it is, that it is such an excellent refiner of gold…
That is a brief description of the element now known as mercury, an element that has been referred to throughout history as “quicksilver” (the “quick” in this case being the same archaic definition of “running” or “flowing” that is used in “quicksand”). Interestingly, while the term “poison” was believed to be used in Pliny’s case to refer to its ability to dissolve many things, modern science has realized that mercury poisoning is a very serious health concern.
As long as our players can make the jump from “argentum vivum” to “quicksilver” and not guess “silver” instead, I think this should be a relatively straightforward Final Jeopardy clue.
We have many new offerings at The Jeopardy! Fan Online Store! Here are our current featured items:
Game Recap & Tonight’s Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Tuesday, March 26, 2024 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:
Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Flat Earth; Pick A Card, Any Card; Mammals; 4-Word TV Synopses; Magazines; Sporty Talk)
Even though it was Arthur who got to play the Daily Double, it was David who led after 15 clues on the strength of four correct at the $1,000 level.
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
David 6 correct 2 incorrect
Arthur 4 correct 1 incorrect
MacKenzie 4 correct 1 incorrect
Today’s interviews:
David travels full time…with parrots.
Arthur bought a Kia and not a Lamborghini.
MacKenzie enjoys responding to clues at home with things in the Bravo universe.
Arthur picked up seven correct after the break to lead at the second set of commercials.
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
Arthur 11 correct 1 incorrect
David 9 correct 2 incorrect
MacKenzie 8 correct 4 incorrect
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Arthur $6,400
David $4,200
MacKenzie $2,200
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Supreme Court Justices; Short Shakespeare; Religious Ranks & Titles; Museums Spread Their Wings; World Star; Feeling Jittery)
This one came down to the Daily Doubles: David picked up $5,000 on his, while Arthur dropped $10,000 on an incorrect response. This led to David holding a runaway going into Final Jeopardy.
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
David 20 correct 2 incorrect
Arthur 19 correct 2 incorrect
MacKenzie 11 correct 9 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 0 (0 today).
Scores going into Final:
David $18,400
Arthur $5,600
MacKenzie $600
Arthur and David both got Final Jeopardy correct; David is a semifinalist!
Tonight’s results:
MacKenzie $600 – $10 = $590 (What is going on? (Hi Tuesday Book Club))
Arthur $5,600 + $0 = $5,600 (What is mercury?)
David $18,400 + $1 = $18,401 (What is mercury (Hi Appy, Gigi & Maui!)) (Semi-Finalist)
Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:
Daily Double locations:
1) FLAT EARTH $800 (clue #3)
Arthur 800 +1000 (MacKenzie 600 David 0)
2) RELIGIOUS RANKS & TITLES $1600 (clue #5)
David 5400 +5000 (MacKenzie 2600 Arthur 7600)
3) FEELING JITTERY $1600 (clue #15, $10800 left on board)
Arthur 13200 -10000 (MacKenzie 2200 David 14000)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: 117
Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:
J! Round:
MacKenzie 3 4
Arthur 4*
David
DJ! Round:
MacKenzie 3 5 3 4
Arthur 4 5 5† 5 5 4 4*
David 4* 3 5 4
† – selection in same category as Daily Double
Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:
David 4.00
Arthur 4.50
MacKenzie 3.67
Unplayed clues:
J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 0 (0.00 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles
Game Stats:
David $15,000 Coryat, 20 correct, 2 incorrect, 29.82% in first on buzzer (17/57), 3/4 on rebound attempts (on 9 rebound opportunities)
Arthur $15,400 Coryat, 19 correct, 2 incorrect, 29.82% in first on buzzer (17/57), 2/2 on rebound attempts (on 9 rebound opportunities)
MacKenzie $600 Coryat, 11 correct, 9 incorrect, 31.58% in first on buzzer (18/57), 1/2 on rebound attempts (on 2 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $31,000
Lach Trash: $11,600 (on 9 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $11,400
Lead Changes: 6
Times Tied: 2
Player Statistics:
MacKenzie Jones, career statistics:
202 correct, 32 incorrect
11/13 on rebound attempts (on 39 rebound opportunities)
33.22% in first on buzzer (203/611)
8/9 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $42,200)
8/11 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $12,800
Arthur Chu, career statistics:
431 correct, 58 incorrect
17/23 on rebound attempts (on 63 rebound opportunities)
43.34% in first on buzzer (413/953)
25/36 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $45,200)
9/17 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $20,365
David Madden, career statistics:
563 correct, 55 incorrect
36/43 on rebound attempts (on 111 rebound opportunities)
37.10% in first on buzzer (502/1353)
46/48 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $82,805)
18/25 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $18,288
Andy’s Thoughts:
- I realize Mira Hayward took the shine out of it, but it’s really okay to bet $0.
- Today’s box score will be linked to when posted by the show.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: David $18,400 Arthur $5,600 MacKenzie $600)
MacKenzie: Bet whatever you like. (Actual bet: $10)
Arthur: Bet no more than $4,399. (Actual bet: $0)
David: Bet no more than $7,199. (Actual bet: $1)
Updated JIT odds:
Matt +400
Larissa +460
Amy +670
Andrew +1000
David +1000
Sam K. +1600
Brandon +1600
Victoria +1900
Ben +2100
Jennifer +2200
Alex +3000
Chuck +3700
Colby +5800
Sam B. +7000
Dhruv +7600
Lilly +10000
Monica +11000
Finals length odds:
2 games: +170
3 games: +110
4 games: +340
Become a Supporter now! Make a monthly contribution to the site on Patreon!
Contestant photo credit: jeopardy.com
When commenting, please note that all comments on The Jeopardy! Fan must be in compliance with the Site Comment Policy.
If you are going to quote any information from this page or this website, attribution is required.
Have you had a chance to listen to our podcast game show, Complete The List, yet? Check it out! It's also available on Apple Podcasts.
I knew this one right away. “Argentum vivum”—Latin for “quicksilver”—as in, cut your nails to the “quick”, or “living”, part—and “quicksilver”, an old name for “mercury”.
Yep, that’s it exactly. In fact, I thought this was too easy for a FJ in a tournament of this nature. I thought it would be a triple get (may actually have been if MacKenzie had gone for an actual answer).
I’m always amazed at how much these early scientists knew 2000 years ago. I was just reading last week how Eratosthenes calculated the circumference of the Earth with remarkable accuracy, within 2%, with such primitive methods. Remember, most people at the time did not even believe Earth was round.
On the Periodic Table of the Elements, mercury’s symbol is Hg = hydroargentum – watery silver!
Will all due respect, it’s hydrargyrum.
Leo – thanks.
I got it on an educated guess, even though I did not know the Latin precisely.
I did know that Latin vivum means “live” and I knew that “quick” also means “live” (as in the Biblical “the quick and the dead”) and that mercury was long called quicksilver, but the “quick = live” memory did not come to me in order to put two and two together.
I was not sure about “argentum.” But I knew “vivum” meant “alive.” I interpreted that as something that is active and dynamic and has motion. In the context of the elements, that led me to a liquid. “Mercury” then was the most likely response.
(You will probably not ever see this, being a couple of days later, but) I’ve been away from home a couple of days and just now catching up. You were definitely on the right track (and “got” it), but I wasted time going in the wrong direction of “elements are from the ground and plants are living things that grow from the ground, so what element would make Pliny think about green plants — which obviously gave me NOTHING!
BTW, JUST AS I started reading your reply, someone on TV said “Mercury Records”!
Hands up, who else fell into the trap and went Ag instead of Hg?
I’m afraid I didn’t even get that far! But Andy’s explanation made perfect sense after I read it.
I saw the Ag and figured it had to be something that had silver in it’s moniker other than just ‘silver’ and worked my way to quicksilver and then mercury.
I did. Didn’t know what to do with the vivum so just ignored it…oops 😬
Andy, for those of us with shorter memories, could you explain your comment, “I realize Mira Hayward took the shine out of it, but it’s really okay to bet $0.” I don’t recall what happened that made you reference that. Thanks.
Mira played in Group 2 of the last Champions Wildcard and was a part of the only two known occurrences of all three players betting $0 in Final Jeopardy.
I think what Andy is really getting at here is the possibility that a player may inadvertently make a wager that, without their knowledge, will have negative connotations (a possibility that, presently, doesn’t apply to a $0 bet). It came up a couple of times last season, in Final wagers by Lloyd Sy and Justin White; in the case of the former, he quoted from his Wagering Strategy 101 guide:
“…times have changed, and various numbers have been co-opted by groups around the world as codes for various things, good and bad. You’re not going to be aware of all of those numbers’ meanings, and what you think is your lucky number may end up having an inadvertent alternate meaning that you don’t learn of until later and don’t want to be associated with.”
This is the second day in a row that my guess after only seeing the category was correct! Although yesterday I didn’t realize I was right when I saw the actual clue. Today I was pretty sure I was.
There were some truly awful clues today. Not the best coming from the writer’s room. Did a big disservice to the players IMO.
I saw a lot of complaining about the “unstrung” DD, but it seemed perfectly reasonable to me. The clean-up hitter question was a triple miss, but it was getable if you noticed Torre’s position on the lineup card.
Maybe the players were having a hard time seeing the monitor?
With all due respect, “unstrung” felt like an amalgam between two more often-used terms: unhinged and high-strung. And the video clue, requiring a player to notice that the violin was literally unstrung? I’m with the crowd on this one.
I think viewers got confused by the cleanup one because the clue wasn’t on screen for them to really pay attention to the independent clauses.
Webster’s defines unstring as “to damage mentally or emotionally” in its own right, so I don’t think it’s an issue that there are similar sounding words with similar definitions.
I will defer to the crowd on the reasonability of noticing the violin was unstrung. I might’ve been helped on this clue by being a huge Diane Keaton fan. 🙂
0 for my last 21 in FJ. Guessed Magnesium. Unfortunately, I’m not Walter White and didn’t know this one.
Retro congrats to David Madden on the win and look forward to seeing you next week in a Semifinal game.
I’m looking forward to seeing Alex Jacob play Jeopardy tomorrow, as I have never seen him play this game. I have only seen him play poker, which he was excellent at.
I knew that Argent was an latin term for silver, and, NOW looking at vivum, that could be read as fast, so silver fast= quicksilver. But that is now, not during the thirty seconds of “Think.” As I said all I had was silver, which is only half of the “question” the Final Jeopardy “answer” called for.