LinkedIn PinpointAnswer & Solution
LinkedIn Pinpoint 593 Answer
LINKEDIN PINPOINT
December 14, 2025
109 = Lise Meitner
107 = Neils Bohr
102 = Alfred Nobel
99 = Albert Einstein
96 = Marie and Pierre Curie (who discovered two others but not this one)
The Solve: A Tale of Wrong Turns
When I first saw the clue "109 = Lise Meitner," my brain didn't immediately jump to chemistry. I actually thought we might be looking at a list of famous historical figures and perhaps the years they were born or some kind of specific award ranking. Lise Meitner is a huge name in physics, but 109 is a pretty high number for most common lists. I initially guessed something broad like "Famous Physicists," but that felt too simple for a Pinpoint puzzle.
Then the second clue, "107 = Niels Bohr," popped up. Now, seeing 109 and 107 together made me think of a sequence. I started wondering if these were years, but 107 and 109 don't make sense as years for these people. That’s when the lightbulb went off—I realized these numbers looked exactly like the bottom section of the periodic table, where the heavy, synthetic elements live. I checked my mental map of the elements and remembered that Bohrium is indeed 107.
By the time I hit "102 = Alfred Nobel," I was 100% certain. Nobelium is element 102. The pattern was undeniable: the number is the atomic number, and the person is the scientist the element was named after. It wasn't just about the scientists themselves, but specifically their place in the periodic table of elements.
The final clues for Einstein (99) and the Curies (96) just served as a victory lap. The extra detail about the Curies discovering "two others but not this one" was a brilliant touch by the puzzle creators. It helped distinguish Curium (named for them) from Polonium and Radium (discovered by them). Once I put all those pieces together, "Periodic table elements named for scientists" was the only answer that fit the data perfectly.
Lessons Learned
Numbers are usually IDs: Whenever you see a puzzle that pairs a person with a specific number, your first thought should be: Is this a year, a ranking, or a scientific ID? In this case, the atomic number was the "ID" that linked the person to the category.
Watch for "The Parenthetical Hint": In Pinpoint, the text inside parentheses is usually the "key" to the whole puzzle. The note about the Curies discovering other elements was there to prevent you from just guessing "Famous Chemists" and forced you to think about the specific naming convention of the elements.
Look for the "Synthetic" Pattern: Notice that all these numbers are quite high (96 and above). These are mostly synthetic elements that were created in labs and named after the greats. If you see high numbers paired with scientists, your mind should immediately go to the later sections of the periodic table.
Contextualize the Names: If you see a group of names that all fit one profession (like physicists/chemists), don't just stop at the profession. Ask yourself *how* they are being honored. Being on the periodic table is one of the highest honors in science, and it’s a favorite topic for these types of puzzles.
Expert Q&A
Why is Lise Meitner included if she never won a Nobel Prize?
Even though she was famously overlooked for the Nobel Prize for her work on nuclear fission, the scientific community honored her by naming element 109 Meitnerium. In many ways, having an element named after you is considered a rarer and more permanent honor than the prize itself.
What does the note about Marie and Pierre Curie discovering "two others" mean?
This refers to Polonium and Radium, which the Curies physically