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  1. It was for me that modern quantization was named, and I'm important to theorists of certain persuasions.
  2. Given a space, I can say I greatly enjoy it!
  3. My companions I'm never far from, and together we labor—though one may oppose me.
  4. I bear the moon near one end, and a tree at the other.
  5. I bend in the middle, but what makes me move are ten of one thing coming from fore of another.
  6. Some would consider my weapon to be weak, but still, it can wound deeply. An insult delivered is never followed by retraction.
  7. The wind blows across your face and I can make a blow on your face, too—but only with my friends.
  8. Life is pointless without me.
  9. Alone or with others of my kind we can compose a feelingless, prickly weed seed.
  10. I take planes into flight and feed hungry babes.
  11. I give ability to athletes as well as the deaf and the blind.
  12. A wave of happiness takes over me from time to time.

What am I?

P.S. This is my first riddle. Please be kind!

Question: When and where do I reveal all, if someone has answered the riddle but people are struggling with all the details of some of the clues?

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  • $\begingroup$ Does this involve "Newton" in any way? :D $\endgroup$
    – Albert Renshaw
    Nov 3, 2015 at 9:22
  • $\begingroup$ Is it the metric system? $\endgroup$
    – Ian MacDonald
    Nov 3, 2015 at 18:52
  • $\begingroup$ @IanMacDonald No, it is not. $\endgroup$
    – ErikE
    Nov 3, 2015 at 18:55
  • $\begingroup$ The following things come to mind: quantum theory, space-time, dark energy, radiation, etc. $\endgroup$
    – warspyking
    Nov 3, 2015 at 20:39
  • $\begingroup$ @warspyking Don't focus on the first clue. You need to look at all of the clues together, as they paint a picture. Also, look at each clue without reference to the others and make guesses, then see if any of the various clues point in the same direction. $\endgroup$
    – ErikE
    Nov 3, 2015 at 22:16

4 Answers 4

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You are a digit

It was for me that modern quantization was named, and I'm important to theorists of certain persuasions.

Digits are used in counting, and ratios of fingers are studied by "digit theorists" (yes, it is a thing). Puzzle creator answer: the whole idea of digital instead of analog is to define discrete steps or islands within the space of infinite variability of a signal or value, then round off the analog values to the nearest island (or “digit”). In a sound wave for example, rounding when done horizontally in time for the purposes of music creation is called quantization, and when done vertically it is what is normally thought of as digitization. Math is a highly theoretical discipline and I’m pretty sure they use digits in it. (Smile!)

Given a space, I can say I greatly enjoy it!

Insert a space, and As Tim Couwelier commented, you can "dig it"

My companions I'm never far from, and together we labor—though one may oppose me.

The thumb opposes the other fingers, and in some simians, one of the toes may oppose the other toes.

I bear the moon near one end, and a tree at the other.

Moon = cuticle(lunula)/nail; Tree = Palm

I bend in the middle, but what makes me move are ten of one thing coming from fore of another.

"Ten"dons come from the hands and feet to allow the digits to move and bend, as well as the "fore" arm.

Some would consider my weapon to be weak, but still, it can wound deeply. An insult delivered is never followed by retraction.

Pointing the finger in some societies is considered rude. Puzzle creator answer: a human's finger nails don't compare to the claws of an animal, but can still scratch hard enough to draw blood. An "insult" delivered by fingernails (a scratched wound) is never followed by retraction of those nails--humans do not have retractable nails.

The wind blows across your face and I can make a blow on your face, too—but only with my friends.

You need your digits to create a fist (or slap).

Life is pointless without me.

You can't point without me (well, you can, but semantics...)

Alone or with others of my kind we can compose a feelingless, prickly weed seed.

~ Numb burrs ("numbers") [Thanks to Fillet]

I take planes into flight and feed hungry babes.

Difficult to do things without your digits.

I give ability to athletes as well as the deaf and the blind.

Athletes generally use their fingers/toes, and so do the blind and deaf (to read).

A wave of happiness takes over me from time to time.

Jazz hands/spirit fingers. Puzzle creator answer: Simply waving at someone you're happy to see is all it takes for a "wave of happiness" to take over your digit(s)!

What am I?

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  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Second clue 'enjoy it' is 'dig it', with the 'space' part being fullfilled. $\endgroup$
    – Tim Couwelier
    Nov 3, 2015 at 13:45
  • $\begingroup$ And oh - you're answer, only partly edited from the one you used as a template, is highly confusing for now. $\endgroup$
    – Tim Couwelier
    Nov 3, 2015 at 13:48
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    $\begingroup$ Odd choice of words. Reminds me of a fist or slap, but why only friends? => Well, if you want to deliver a blow, you use a fist. You need the fingers companions to make said fist. The same companions are referenced in clue number 3 - and indeed they are never far away. $\endgroup$
    – Tim Couwelier
    Nov 3, 2015 at 14:25
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    $\begingroup$ And last one might be 'spirit fingers'. $\endgroup$
    – Tim Couwelier
    Nov 3, 2015 at 14:26
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Feelingless prickly weed seed = Numb Burrs for 8. Numbers are formed from one or more digit. $\endgroup$
    – Fillet
    Nov 3, 2015 at 19:15
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You are

Fingers/arm (some clues seem to refer to one, and some to the other)

It was for me that modern quantization was named, and I'm important to theorists of certain persuasions.

Our current counting system (base 10) came about because people (typically) have 10 fingers.

Given a space, I can say I greatly enjoy it!

People like to stretch out their arms, given the space.

My companions I'm never far from, and together we labor—though one may oppose me.

The fingers are together on the hand, and work together, but the thumb is opposable.

I bear the moon near one end, and a tree at the other.

At one end of the arm is the head (moon), and at the other end are the fingers (tree).

I bend in the middle, but what makes me move are ten of one thing coming from fore of another.

The arm bends in the middle (elbow). The ten fingers come from the fore of the arm.

Some would consider my weapon to be weak, but still, it can wound deeply. An insult delivered is never followed by retraction.

A fist (punch) may not be as powerful as other weapons, but if delivered properly, can cause serious damage. Once a punch is delivered, it can't be taken back.

The wind blows across your face and I can make a blow on your face, too—but only with my friends.

Another reference to a punch.

Life is pointless without me.

You can't point without fingers.

Alone or with others of my kind we can compose a feelingless, prickly weed seed.

I take planes into flight and feed hungry babes.

It would be very difficult to do these things without fingers/arms.

I give ability to athletes as well as the deaf and the blind.

Similarly, athletes without fingers/arms would have a hard time. The deaf and the blind can use their fingers to communicate (sign language/braille).

A wave of happiness takes over me from time to time.

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Are you Carbon Dioxide?

CO2 is used in lasers which is the birth place of quantization in physics. It's a gas so it expands in space. The companions are very close since compounds are bonded. One (Carbon) opposes the other two (Oxygen) CO2 is at the moon and what trees inhale.

CO2 molecular compound bends in structure (http://linoit.com/entry/image/1222890)

The bonds for CO2 is made of 2 free electrons PAIRS on each end of the oxygens (2*2*2 = 8), plus two double bonds (one from each oxygen to the carbon (8+2 = 10)). Coming off of 4 double bonds. (http://www.middleschoolchemistry.com/img/content/multimedia/chapter_4/lesson_6/covalent_bonding_carbon_dioxide_3.jpg)

CO2 isn't that deadly, but a lot of it can be.

CO2 is in the air so when the wind blows, it blows too.

Our lives can't exist without C, CO2, and O2

The rest of your details were added after I answered 🙈

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  • $\begingroup$ I guess I made it too hard? I'll try to clean things up a tad. $\endgroup$
    – ErikE
    Nov 3, 2015 at 8:21
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @ErikE Is that a no? xD $\endgroup$
    – Albert Renshaw
    Nov 3, 2015 at 8:24
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    $\begingroup$ That is a no! :op $\endgroup$
    – ErikE
    Nov 3, 2015 at 8:47
  • $\begingroup$ But still a very nice answer! $\endgroup$
    – JNF
    Nov 3, 2015 at 10:06
  • $\begingroup$ I thought of the chemistry route. Water is a bent, has the 10 protons which give it it's existence, ability to move. It can be forced into all of them I suppose $\endgroup$
    – Allison
    May 11, 2017 at 17:25
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Well I'm not at all convinced by this answer. There seem to be way too many Hmmmms for my liking. But it has some convincing bits too, so I decided to post it, so here it goes...

You are a

Plan(c)k

It was for me that modern quantization was named,

Max Planck gave a solution to the Ultraviolet Catastrophe, introducing the Planck Constant, preempting further quantum work by Einstein, Schrödinger and Heisenberg.

and I'm important to theorists of certain persuasions.

The Planck length and Planck time are important concepts in theoretical Physics

Given a space, I can say I greatly enjoy it!

Possibly a reference to Planking???

My companions I'm never far from, and together we labor—though one may oppose me.

On a building site there are lots of planks, for instance in scaffolding, that work together. Not sure about the "oppose me" bit.

I bear the moon near one end, and a tree at the other.

Hmm...

I bend in the middle, but what makes me move are ten of one thing coming from fore of another.

Planks are often supported at both ends, but bend in the middle. To move a plank, you could use ten fingers from four hands.

Some would consider my weapon to be weak, but still, it can wound deeply. An insult delivered is never followed by retraction.

A plank can give you splinters. Doesn't sound like much, but a deep splinter hurts, and splinters usually get stuck in.

The wind blows across your face and I can make a blow on your face, too—but only with my friends.

If you assemble planks with a slight overhang, you can get a blow to your face, a bit like standing on a garden rake.

Life is pointless without me.

Hmmm...

Alone or with others of my kind we can compose a feelingless, prickly weed seed.

Hmmmm...

I take planes into flight and feed hungry babes.

The first planes were wooden, and from a tree you could get some food

I give ability to athletes as well as the deaf and the blind.

Hmmmm...

A wave of happiness takes over me from time to time.

Hmmmmm...

What am I?

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