History of Physics
Who is considered the "father of modern physics"?
Galileo Galilei
What is the difference between speed and velocity
Velocity includes direction; speed does not
What is the acceleration due to gravity on Earth?
9.8 m/s2
What superhero famously defies gravity using repulsor technology?
Iron Man
What is a light-year a measure of?
Distance — the distance light travels in one year (~9.46×10¹² km).
What scientist developed the three laws of motion?
Isaac Newton
When a ball is thrown straight up, what is its velocity at the highest point?
0 m/s
What fundamental force holds electrons around the nucleus?
Electromagnetic force
In Back to the Future, the DeLorean needs to reach what speed to time travel?
88 mph
This is the name for the boundary around a black hole beyond which nothing, not even light, can escape.
Event Horizon
What famous experiment did Michelson and Morley perform in 1887?
If an object moves at constant speed in a circular path, is it accelerating? Why or why not?
Yes — because its direction (and therefore velocity) is constantly changing.
These nearly massless particles were first proposed by Wolfgang Pauli to explain missing energy in beta decay — and billions of them pass through your body every second without you noticing.
Neutrinos
The lightsabers in Star Wars are said to be made of what fictional energy?
Plasma (or kyber crystal–powered plasma blades)
What percentage of our universe does visible matter make up?
~5%
What physicist unified electricity and magnetism into a single theory?
James Clerk Maxwell
Why do astronauts appear weightless in orbit even though gravity still acts on them?
They are in continuous free fall around Earth.
Name the four fundamental forces of nature
Strong Nuclear, Electromagnetic, Weak nuclear, Gravitational
In Interstellar, who helped ensure the black hole depiction was scientifically accurate?
Physicist Kip Thorne
What evidence do scientists have for the expansion of the universe?
The redshift of light from distant galaxies (Hubble’s Law).
Which scientist's notebooks are still radioactive today because of their work with radium?
Marie Curie
A car doubles its speed. How does its kinetic energy change?
It quadruples (KE ∝ v²).
This fundamental constant relates the energy of a photon to its frequency.
Plancks Constant
Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory specializes in what field of physics?
Theoretical physics (specifically string theory)
Stars are classified in a few different ways. Using the spectral sequence, list the major types of stars ranging from hottest and bluest to coldest and reddest.
Bonus: What kind of star is our Sun?
O, B, A, F, G, K, M
Our Sun is a G star.