Here’s today’s Final Jeopardy (in the category Tech History) for Friday, July 29, 2022 (Season 38, Game 230):
For about 20 years after its invention, it had few practical uses; then suddenly it revolutionized grocery checkouts & home audio
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Luigi de Guzman, an attorney from Arlington, Virginia
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Darin Ciccotelli, an associate professor of rhetoric & composition from Long Beach, California
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Katrina Hill, a non-profit professional from Alexandria, Virginia (1-day total: $27,601)
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Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
Going into the final episode of Season 38, Katrina Hill enters as a 1-day champion. Darin Ciccotelli and Luigi de Guzman are your challengers. Who will get to return in September as champion?
Encore presentations of 30 of Season 38’s best episodes begin on Monday, starting with September 20, 2021—Matt Amodio’s 24th game.
On a more personal note: For the past two and a half years, I have often raised money for the MS Society of Canada through their “Gamers vs. MS” program. This July, Gamers vs. MS is running a month-long fundraising campaign called “Boss Battles.” In an attempt to raise $25,000, the Gamers vs. MS team has designed a “fundraising adventure” to defeat eight evil bosses. (Much like a Mario game might have eight bosses to defeat.) You can get more information about the program at https://www.gamersvsms.ca/bossbattles, and if you’d like to donate, you can do so via Tiltify!
PSA: The best way to keep COVID-19 at bay (and keep Jeopardy! producing new episodes) is for everybody to get their vaccinations as soon as they can, including any boosters as recommended. When wearing a mask, please ensure that your mask covers both your nose and your mouth.
Are you going on the show and looking for information about how to bet in Final Jeopardy? Check out my new Betting Strategy 101 page!
(Content continues below)
Correct response: What is the laser?
More Information About Final Jeopardy:
(The following write-up is original content and is copyright 2022 The Jeopardy! Fan. It may not be copied without linked attribution back to this page.)
The laser, invented in 1960 by Theodore H. Maiman, definitely caught the public’s eye shortly after its invention. However, it was seen to lack practical use for many years after its invention. However, in 1974, a laser scanner was determined to be the most efficient way of reading the newly-introduced Universal Product Code (barcode) being introduced into grocery stores. While it took manufacturers and grocers a number of years to fully introduce the system, its introduction was said to increase the profits of stores overall by about 40%. The second primary usage of the laser—the critical “home audio” part of this clue—are Compact Disc players. In a CD player, an infrared laser beam scans the underside of a recorded Compact Disc to play high-fidelity audio at home. This technology was later expanded to use shorter-wavelength lasers to read more data from DVDs and Blu-ray discs. Both the scanned barcode and CD didn’t become ubiquitous in North American life until the 1980s.
(And, no, I don’t believe “barcode” is correct here—there is undoubtedly zero convincing evidence anywhere of a barcode itself revolutionizing home audio. Remember that a correct response on Jeopardy! needs to satisfy all parts of the clue.)
We have many new offerings at The Jeopardy! Fan Online Store! Proceeds from the sale of the “Doctor Oz’s Fast-Acting Snake Oil Elixir” T-shirt are being donated to The Trevor Project:
Game Recap:
Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Islands & Peninsulas; Governors; Business Abbrev.; Movie Facts; Just Take The L; How Do You Sleep At Night?)
Luigi had the best time on the buzzer in the Jeopardy! round, but it was Katrina who held the lead. Darin’s confidence probably took a hit by a close-but-incorrect response that handed Luigi the first Daily Double.
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
Luigi 7 correct 1 incorrect
Darin 5 correct 1 incorrect
Katrina 2 correct 0 incorrect
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
Katrina 9 correct 0 incorrect
Luigi 12 correct 1 incorrect
Darin 7 correct 1 incorrect
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: History; French Phrases; “C”haracter Study; Mashed-Up Sitcom Titles; Watercolors; Let’s Go Fishing)
Darin got to play both Daily Doubles in Double Jeopardy; he split them for a net $1,000. Luigi was still having the best round, with only an incorrect response on clue #27 keeping him from having a runaway going into Final. All three players had a great game, with everyone over $10,000 going into Final! Luigi had $20,800, Katrina $11,800, and Darin $11,000.
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
Luigi 24 correct 2 incorrect
Katrina 15 correct 1 incorrect
Darin 16 correct 4 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 83 (0 today).
Final Jeopardy! was a triple get; Luigi survived a math error to become Jeopardy! champion over the summer! He’ll be back in September to defend his title!
Tonight’s Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Friday, July 29, 2022 Jeopardy! by the numbers:
Scores going into Final:
Luigi $20,800
Katrina $11,800
Darin $11,000
Tonight’s results:
Darin $11,000 + $2,994 = $13,994 (What is laser technology?)
Katrina $11,800 + $9,001 = $20,801 (What is bar codes? lasers?)
Luigi $20,800 + $2,601 = $23,401 (What is the laser?) (1-day total: $23,401)
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Katrina $7,000
Luigi $6,800
Darin $2,800
Opening break taken after: 15 clues
Daily Double locations:
1) ISLANDS & PENINSULAS $1000 (clue #6)
Luigi 1800 +1800 (Katrina 0 Darin -800)
2) HISTORY $1200 (clue #9)
Darin 7200 -2000 (Katrina 6200 Luigi 9200)
3) “C”HARACTER STUDY $1200 (clue #11, $23600 left on board)
Darin 6000 +3000 (Katrina 6200 Luigi 9200)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: 122
Unplayed clues:
J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 83 (0.36 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles
Game Stats:
Luigi $20,000 Coryat, 24 correct, 2 incorrect, 40.35% in first on buzzer (23/57), 2/2 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
Katrina $11,800 Coryat, 15 correct, 1 incorrect, 26.32% in first on buzzer (15/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Darin $11,200 Coryat, 16 correct, 4 incorrect, 29.82% in first on buzzer (17/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $43,000
Lach Trash: $4,400 (on 4 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $6,600
Katrina Hill, career statistics:
36 correct, 2 incorrect
2/2 on rebound attempts (on 8 rebound opportunities)
28.95% in first on buzzer (33/114)
1/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $2,000)
2/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $16,000
Darin Ciccotelli, career statistics:
17 correct, 4 incorrect
1/1 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
29.82% in first on buzzer (17/57)
1/2 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $1,000)
1/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $11,200
Luigi de Guzman, career statistics:
25 correct, 2 incorrect
2/2 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
40.35% in first on buzzer (23/57)
1/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $1,800)
1/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $20,000
Luigi de Guzman, to win:
2 games: 66.059%
3: 43.638%
4: 28.827%
5: 19.043%
6: 12.580%
Avg. streak: 2.946 games.
Today’s interviews:
Luigi dreams in foreign languages.
Darin studied geography via a John Ashbery poem.
Katrina plays pub trivia, but has never won.
Andy’s Thoughts:
- Link to the box score: July 29, 2022 Box Score
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: Luigi $20,800 Katrina $11,800 Darin $11,000)
Katrina: Standard cover bet over Darin is $10,201. (Actual bet: $9,001)
Darin: If Luigi covers Katrina and is incorrect, he falls to $17,999. Thus, you need to bet at least $7,001. Limit your bet to $9,399, just in case Katrina bets just to cover you. (Actual bet: $2,994)
Luigi: Standard cover bet over Katrina is $2,801. (Actual bet: $2,601)
Contestant photo credit: jeopardy.com
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I got it in a fraction of a second; I am on the engineering faculty, it would have been embarrassing not to get this on this last day of the season.
Have a great summer Andy and fans. I am looking forward to a great next season.
I got it in a couple seconds; all I had to deduce from it was the uses mentioned. Anyway, I’d say it’s been quite the season: a new version of the theme song and a modified set, Mike Richards’ one-week stint as permanent host and later firing as showrunner and replacement with Michael Davies, the superchamps, the Professors’ Tournament and National College Championship, and of course, Ken and Mayim. Definitely excited for Season 39!
Thanks for the succinct summary of the season highlights.
This is also the season where the rest of my family became regular viewers – thanks to Amy and Mattea.
You’re welcome.
As we wrap up Season 38, thanks as always Andy, for the remarkable job you do on this site. I’m probably looking forward to Season 39 as much as any I can remember. Can’t wait for the second chance tournament, and what should be an epic TOC. That may set some ratings records.
Ditto.
I’ve enjoyed this site very much. Thanks!
Thirded!
I was thinking specifically of laser scanning as that was the direction of the hints, but it might not be acceptable?
Were I a judge, I would accept “laser scanning” as a correct answer. Laser by itself is more general, but both checkout stands and disc players use a laser to scan a surface, so I see no reason rule it incorrect.
I’ve been waffling since this morning whether to count it as correct or incorrect, and was on the verge of just deciding to risk erring on the side of accountability and put it in the “Loss” Column 😅 But your encouragement has tipped the scales the other way, so Thanks! 🙂
Current FJ streak: 1W
That puts me at a Poor record for the final week of the season of 2-3 (but better than going 1-4!) and 14-7 for the month.
Since I started keeping track this season, my FJ record is 115W and 84L. I hope I can keep that up next season!
It could go either way; a strict judge may rule against “laser scanning” on the grounds that while the laser was 20 years old, using a laser to “scan” was not. But I’d still accept it.
Thank you Andy for another great year of your posts. Enjoy the rest of summer, everyone.
I was thinking touchscreen technology, for self-checkout stations and personal audio devices (iPod, MP3, and Zune players).
This was a great season and I am looking forward to what’s ahead next season!
I don’t know the history of touchscreen tech, but I rather doubt there was a 20-year lag between its invention and practical uses for it
Andy, I enjoy this site, especially the politeness of the posters! I have been a Jeopardy fan since the Art Fleming days (pre-dating LASER which I missed completely!)
Andy i enjoyed this site as well and it was an honor and a pleasure to see your posts of the jeopardy recaps. I look forward to seeing season 39. I also got laser as my local library had laser printers in there. Good old tech knowledge helped me here. Congrats on a triple solve by the players. Have a great summer Andy and I will see you in September.
Ditto to all the comments. So happy I found this site. Thanks Andy. Can’t wait for the TOC. I guess not ditto to those of you who got the correct answer, I failed as most often
Thank you, Andy! I’m glad that I’ve found this site, it is very informative and great fun.
Here’s an interesting bit of statistics, for the years it was readily available.
Unrevealed clues:
2020 – 381 (2.01 per episode average), 5 Daily Doubles
2021 – 211 (0.92 per episode average), 2 Daily Doubles
2022 – 83 (0.36 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles
Kudos to Mayim and Ken for making the game more satisfying!
Thanks to Andy for a wonderful site. I’ve been a fan of Jeopardy! since the days of Art Fleming and Don Pardo. This site has enhanced my enjoyment of Jeopardy! so I greatly appreciate Andy’s hard work and contributions to everyone’s enjoyment of Jeopardy! Thanks to all the commenters as well, they also contribute to the greater enjoyment.
As for today’s FJ, having lived through the introduction of lasers, it came to me in a flash. Don’t forget their importance in medical advancements as well, e.g., laser eye surgery and many other uses.
I wonder if they would have accepted “King of the Hill” (and BBT) instead of “King of Queens”. I’d have to imagine that they would, as both are valid sitcom titles that fit the mashup.
I thought of King Of The Hill also
Got all the triple stumpers today for the first time ever. Of course, it helped a lot that there were only four of them.
What a coincidence. As I was running this morning in the middle of a record-setting heat wave in Idaho, I wondered how, even though the Sun (always capitalized) is at its farthest point from the Earth this time of year in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s hotter than all get out. It was then, as I became disoriented from heat exhaustion, that it came to me: When he Earth tilts on its axis towards the Sun in Summer (always capitalized), the result is light amplification by [and] stimulated emission of radiation. Eureka! Hey, I’m retired. I have nothing better to do. All I can hope for is deeper insight into this paradox by one of my favorite commentors, who shall remain nameless. In the meantime, peace, love, and soul . . .
I’d like to see some stats on the # of champions this season, which must be a record low, and also the # of triple stumpers also seems low.
Lost in all the talk about lasers is how the FJ wagers were made. All 3 of them made huge errors. Darin didn’t bet enough to cover Luigi if he missed. Katrina didn’t bet enough to cover Darin if he doubled his total and Luigi didn’t bet enough to cover Katrina had she doubled her total. Katrina would have won had she bet it all.