# Easy Riddles #5: What thing am I?

Here's an easy riddle for you guys just to pass the time :D

I am in math, in biology, in physics, in coding.

I can kill, can harm, can help people find their way.

I can hold many things: sometimes arguments, sometimes objects.

What am I?

You might be

a vector.

I am in math, in biology, in physics, in coding.

Element of a vector space (mathematics, physics); living thing carrying a disease from place to place (biology); array-like data structure (coding).

I can kill, can harm, can help people find their way.

A mosquito carrying malaria is a (disease) vector and can kill or harm you; a mathematical vector tells you a direction and distance to go in.

I can hold many things: sometimes arguments, sometimes objects.

In computer software, The arguments to a procedure or function may be held in a vector (either an actual vector object, or something conceptually and syntactically treated as one but implemented differently for efficiency). In languages in which some values are called "objects", such objects are typically among the things that can be stored in a vector.

• If this is not the intended solution, I'll be sorely disappointed. Feb 23, 2018 at 1:47
• @Deepak Lol it's okay Feb 23, 2018 at 3:40

You could be

A String

I am in math, in biology, in physics, in coding.

Strings are common in all of these fields as ways of storing data, whether that's cells or formulas.

I can kill, can harm, can help people find their way.

You can hang yourself, tie people up, or use it to mark the way through a forest or a burning building etc.

I can hold many things: sometimes arguments, sometimes objects.

In coding and math, strings can hold arguments. You can also use string to hold objects in place (in the real world).

Slightly less serious:

You are middle management

Because

You exist in all these fields, everywhere, there's no damn escape from you.
You can kill - my motivation, my dreams, my desire, myself.
You can help me find the way - to HR, to a new pit of despair in my life (and I suppose occasionally to the correct solution)
You can hold many things - coffee cups, laptops, ballpoint pens, arguments about my performance, many things.

Joke ruining disclaimer: My managers are actually pretty incredible, the above doesn't reflect on my workplace at all.

For what it's worth,

you could be a student. I, myself, fit your description at one time. I was in math, physics and coding classes. I killed insects, I harmed, helped, gave directions, held arguments, held objects. Sometimes I held parties as well. (Whee!) Yeah, so although "a student" would fit I think I'd like to change the answer to "me, as a teenager".

You are

a map!

I am in math, in biology, in physics, in coding.

Maps exist in all of those subjects, although they mean different things.

I can kill, can harm, can help people find their way.

Maps help people find their way - misleading maps can harm and/or kill people.

I can hold many things: sometimes arguments, sometimes objects.

Maps hold objects in computer science - map is also a function in computer science that takes in arguments.

A function

I am in math, in biology, in physics, in coding.

Functions are everywhere in science.

I can kill, can harm, can help people find their way.

Malfunctions can kill and harm; the navigation function of your phone helps you find the way.

I can hold many things: sometimes arguments, sometimes objects.

For $f(x)$ "$x$" is called the argument. This can be numbers, but in coding it can also be an object: f(Dog fluffy)

• I was thinking this or a method. Feb 22, 2018 at 16:18

A variable

I am in math, in biology, in physics, in coding.

All sciences have variables

I can kill, can harm, can help people find their way.

Hmm not sure, but perhaps setting some variable to 0 or 1000 can be harmful. Like the temperature of a room.

I can hold many things: sometimes arguments, sometimes objects.

Variables in programming do that

• Close, but not quite. After someone posts the correct answer you'll have the Aha! moment, as everything fits perfectly. You're "killing harming" solution doesn't quite fit, but still very close! +1 Feb 22, 2018 at 6:00
• @NL628 do you also help to find Polaris?
– pbhj
Feb 24, 2018 at 22:04
• @pbhj sorry, I don't understand Feb 24, 2018 at 22:05

You could be

Reason

I am in math, in biology, in physics, in coding

Well, quite obviously, without rationality there is no science, but of course it is not the only ingredient, so it is just "in"

I can kill, can harm, can help people find their way.

Murderers and nations at war can use reason to deduce their subjective necessity for killing out of their egoistic unfair goals. Telling somebody the rational truth can hurt her. Wayfinding is a chain of rational decisions.

I can hold many things: sometimes arguments, sometimes objects.

The noun reason has a multitude of meanings, most of them related to arguments. However without objects to apply arguments to reason is just form without function or practical relevance. But its purpose gives reason its right for existence.

OR (Edit)

You could be

Recursion

Because in math...

we have many instances of recursion (fractals, induction theorem, Gödel's incompleteness theorem); in biology: I guess morphogenesis and DNA transcription are somehow assumed to be recursive; in physics we have recursion in closed-loop systems, especially resonance phenomena, in Quantum Field Theory (computation of cross sections, Feynman-Graph); in coding: well, obvious, isn't it?

...kill...

On infinite recursion your process will eventually be killed. This can do harm to data being corrupted. Recursion is the easiest way to find your way through a tree data structure.

... hold many things ...

Arguments: real life arguments are almost always potentially recursive since they reliy on a lot of assumptions the proof of which is beyond the scope of consideration. Objects: hm, that one is not so easy, I'd say that recursion constitutes the objects it describes an thereby holds it.

And maybe...

somebody will once find out: reason is nothing but recursion and recursion is nothing but reason.

Are you

The Letter x

I am in math, biology, physics and coding

X is used as a common variable

I can kill, can harm, can help people find their way.

XXX can mean poison, but x marks the spot

I can hold many things: sometimes arguments, sometimes objects.

It could mean words that start with x or has a x. Or something to do with Gen X

• Regarding the last line, I was thinking perhaps, (ROT13) gur jbeq "rkgbegvba" fvapr vg fgnegf jvgu na K fbhaq. Be Trarengvba K creuncf? Gur frpbaq yvar pbhyq nyfb vapyhqr ubj gur fxhyy naq obarf / pebffobarf / wbyyl ebtre znxrf na K funcr jvgu gur obarf oruvaq gur fxhyy va vgf ybtb. Aug 16, 2018 at 1:13
• Hmm, I didn't think of those things! Thanks :D Aug 16, 2018 at 1:16
• No problem. Glad to help :) Aug 16, 2018 at 1:16

You could be

Array

I am in math, in biology, in physics, in coding

Arrays are present in all of those fields

I can kill, can harm, can help people find their way.

Arrays sound very very similar to Arrows, that are known to kill people, and also point to certain directions, hence the path-finding part of your question

I can hold many things: sometimes arguments, sometimes objects.

arrays are known to hold all possible types of data: arguments, objects, functions, numbers, strings, you name it!

I think you are

an Arrow.

Fits well with

I am in math, in biology, in physics, in coding.

and

I can kill, can harm, can help people find their way

Just not sure on the holding other objects or arguments

• An arrow could hold an object to the wall, and could put an argument on hold by piercing one of the arguers. Feb 22, 2018 at 21:02

My interpretation:

A class

I am in math, in biology, in physics, in coding.

Maths, biology, and physics are all classes. Classes are templates for creating objects in programming.

I can kill, can harm, can help people find their way

Not sure about the first two bits, but classes can help educate people and hence "find their way"

I can hold many things: sometimes arguments, sometimes objects.

As mentioned earlier, classes are a template for initialising objects. When initialising an object, you can pass through arguments, but you can also pass through arguments in the methods defined in the class.

You are

Logic

It's in STEM, obviously.

You hold arguments, but also kill/harm opposing arguments.

• I'm not sure if this really works with the kill/harm part ... Feb 22, 2018 at 12:38
• @Randal'Thor well there are many examples of sociopaths who have killed and/or harmed people, though seem to be completely rational, logical, normal people. GEHFG ABOBQL Aug 16, 2018 at 1:15