Christmas Science
When Santa is travelling very quickly, which downwards force stops him from flying off into space?
Gravity
One of the gifts the 3 Wise Men brought to the baby Jesus was gold. What is the chemical symbol for the element gold?
Au
Santa Claus, as well as all real-bearded people, have natural beards that are chemically of what material or substance?
Keratin or Protein
The 3 kings (Magi) used camels for transport. What is a camel’s hump filled with?
Fat, storage for the long journey
In the Christmas story, Mary is described as being a virgin. Virgin births are possible due to the modern science of IVF, what do the initials IVF stand for?
In-Vitro Fertilization
Which gas is most likely to make up the majority of the Star of Bethlehem?
Hydrogen
Brussel sprouts contain a chemical called Sulforaphane which has the formula C6H11NOS2. How many different elements are there in Sulforaphane?
5
What Asian country are reindeer native to?
Eurasia (Northern China, parts of Russia)
It has been worked out that on Christmas Eve, Santa has 32 hours to deliver all the presents. Give a reason why he has longer than a day.
Santa travels from East to West with the sun (to maximise darkness), rotation of the Earth
Reindeer are ruminants (just like cows). How many chambers do their stomach’s have?
4
In which part of the plant does a Christmas tree (fir tree) store its seeds?
In the cones (pine cones)
Which of Santa’s reindeer is named after another animal?
Vixen (fox)
Assuming five sugar cookies (113 kcal per cookie) and one cup of hot chocolate per household (194 kcal). How many calories would Santa consume if he had this at every house in Nonthaburi?
(there are 701,932 households in Nonthaburi according to the last census)
(250+58)x108,085 = 33290180
A Christmas candle releases energy as both heat and light but what form was the energy in originally, before the candle was lit?
Chemical or chemical potential
Mary travelled to Bethlehem on which animal, a species that is closely related to a horse?
Donkey
What Christmas decoration is inspired by spider webs?
Tinsel, coming from a Ukranian story about spiders decorating for Christmas, realizing the children didn't like their decoration, and Father Christmas coming and turning it into silver and gold.
Which Christmas plant has Latin name Phoradendron and is poisonous?
Mistletoe
Currants, raisins and sultanas are dried fruits often found in Christmas cakes. What fruit were they before they were dried?
Grapes
In the song ‘The 12 days of Christmas’, how many different species of birds are mentioned?
6 (Partridge, Colly Bird, Dove, French Hen, Swan, Geese)
Misa de Gallo is the Midnight Mass celebrated in Spain and many former Spanish colonies on Christmas Eve and sometimes in the days immediately preceding Christmas. What animal is this mass for?
Rooster, the first one that crowed when Jesus was born.