The answer to the meta is a phrase suggested by the four long answers
Don't let the scary physics equations put you off! OK, so a little knowledge of physics might come in handy. Hopefully, you'll be able to work through the required prerequisites, put together the experimental data in the right way, and make an important discovery that just might net you a Nobel Prize down the track. In this case, what you are looking for is a phrase suggested by the four long answers. Answer & explanation: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?p=128777#p128777
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MAY and YOU in the corners, and I still managed to get it wrong on my first guess. I saw the "force + U" pattern while solving and my first thought was "USE ("U"s) THE FORCE.
Very clever. Tried "Use the Force Luke" first, because I thought the instructions said a four-word phrase. Pondered a bit more, and then realized it was just a phrase of indeterminate length. Never did see MAY and YOU in the corners. Fun puzzle -- thanks, Ben!
hoover 2s · 2023-05-02T18:20:20.804Z
I'm yet another one who tried all sorts of variations on USE (THE) FORCE (LUKE) based on the forces and the four four-letter U words.
Laura M 🤓7:06 · 2023-05-02T18:37:29.634Z
Loved it! LOL @Tyrpmom, that was my thought too :-)
Bbaack 🤓10:59 · 2023-05-02T18:46:10.496Z
Nice!
Ergcat 🤓15:12 · 2023-05-02T23:01:24.817Z
What fun! The hint for me was the clue for “ARETOO”! Put me on the right path. That and May 4th is this week! Thank you, Ben!
It hit me like a light saber! There I was trying to see what Strong force, normal force x friction equaled, whether the force was at rest, etc and suddenly my mind said well each force is with a u….wait, what! Now here is an interesting side, when I typed it in the first time my phone decided that the should be thé and Crosshare decided that tea force was not a good answer. I’m reporting it to the Typhoo people! Loved it Ben, and I KNOW MikeyG will too!!!
moron 8s · 2023-05-04T03:25:26.384Z
Really good stuff, me and my friends enjoyed
Dow Jones 3s · 2023-05-04T08:10:20.530Z
Good one, Ben. I should have remembered the Star Wars holiday on 5/4 (DOH !!).
KayW 8:23 · 2023-05-04T13:35:26.062Z
GROAN!!! How appropriate to be nudged to the solution on May the 4th. I submitted FORCE(and FORCES) OF NATURE as incorrect entries earlier, and noted those "U"s, but never made the connection. Very clever, Ben - thanks!
JHSeeman 3s · 2023-05-04T14:06:03.217Z
as a gEEk I loved this one.
Cate C 🤓8:48 · 2023-05-04T14:39:02.544Z
I definitely tried FORCE USER at first, thinking the phrase had to be in the same pattern as the clues, before eventually stumbling into the right answer Nice puzzle!
whimsy 12:34 · 2023-05-04T19:54:24.552Z
I found out that U stands for (potential) energy in science, so like DrTom I was trying to use some sort of physics formula or whatever! :) (Even though that didn't seem to jive with how everyone mentioned what fun it was.)
Today, I returned for the nudges but didn't even need to open a single one -- Just had to see Ben's intro: "It's May 4th, so... "
And did you check out the first nudge? I couldn't resist!
ReB 4s · 2023-05-05T02:13:22.178Z
First I was thinking that the phrase would be FORCE plus a 4-letter word starting with U, but that wasn't working out. Nudge 4 told me that I was looking for a longer phrase, but nothing clicked until I read HeadinHome (#25) saying that the first nudge was all he needed. That triggered "AHA" and I googled for May 4th holidays - and then everything quickly fell into place. Quite a "tour de force" there on your part....
ReB 4s · 2023-05-05T02:21:01.377Z
Or as I said in the comments, that comment "weirdly welded the last link in the catenary that supported the bridge over troubled waters."
too wrapped up in the physics of the forces to think of just using the word itself, hence the need for a nudge. especially embarrassing as I tend to be tuned into dates around this time of year since my birthday is on the 3rd.