Ballpark
Puzzle #25 · 14 October 2026
The five questions from that day's Ballpark, each with its answer, the fact behind it and a link to the source. Rather play it first? It is in the archive.
1. How much does a Paris 2024 Olympic gold medal weigh?
529 grams
529 g, but only 6 g of it is gold. Each medal also holds an 18 g piece of iron from the Eiffel Tower. Source
Image: National Olympic Committee of Uzbekistan · CC BY 4.0, cropped
2. How many components are in the most complicated watch ever made, Vacheron Constantin's Berkley Grand Complication, unveiled in 2024?
2,877 components
2,877 components and 245 jewels, delivering 63 complications. It took 11 years to develop, with a full year spent on assembly alone. Source
3. What is the fastest tennis serve ever recorded, set by Sam Groth in 2012?
263 km/h
263 km/h (163 mph) at a Challenger event in Busan. The ATP doesn't count it; its official best is John Isner's 253 km/h. Source
Image: Naurumya · CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
4. How much play money comes in a standard US Monopoly set (editions since 2008)?
20,580 Monopoly dollars
$20,580: 30 bills of each of the seven denominations. Sets made before 2008 came with $15,140. Source
Image: Rich Brooks · CC BY 2.0, cropped
5. How much potassium is in one medium banana, according to the US National Institutes of Health?
422 milligrams
About 422 mg, which is only 9% of the 4,700 mg daily value. A cup of orange juice has a little more, at 496 mg. Source
Image: Steve Hopson · CC BY-SA 2.5, cropped