Famous Physicists
Which Danish physicist developed a model of the hydrogen atom that gives its possible energy levels?
Niels Bohr
Which are the four “gas giant” planets?
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune
In Armageddon, when an asteroid threatens to collide with Earth, Dan Truman determines that the only way to stop it is to drill into its surface and detonate a nuclear bomb. What law makes this a bad idea?
Law of Conservation of Momentum
What is the most abundant element in the universe?
Hydrogen
What day is known as Star Wars Day?
May 4th
Which physicist is more famous for his cat than for his equation?
Erwin Schrodinger
What causes the aurora borealis?
Electrical particles from the sun hitting the earth's atmosphere
In Oppenheimer, the two radioactive elements that would be used in the creation of the first atomic bombs were which two of the following?
A. Hydrogen
B. Uranium
C. Barium
D. Plutonium
Uranium and Plutonium
What is the name of the force keeping you in your seat on a rollercoaster when it goes upside down?
Centripetal Force
In a website browser address bar, what does “www” stand for?
World Wide Web
Which Renaissance scientist is credited with the discovery of the pendulum?
Galileo Galilei
What is a highly magnetized rotating neutron star?
A pulsar
In Interstellar, Matthew McConaughey falls into a black hole. Depending on the mass of a black hole, there is a possibility that objects falling into the hole will be torn apart. This process, in which objects falling toward a black hole are stretched in the direction of the hole by strong gravitational fields, is known as __________.
spaghettification
Does sound travel faster in the air or in water?
Water
In bowling, three strikes in a row is called?
A turkey
Which scientist worked on the basic principle for generating an electric current?
Michael Faraday
Which definition of a "planet" does Pluto fail to meet?
Pluto has failed to clear the neighborhood around its orbit.
The Martian, starring Matt Damon, was quite scientifically accurate. One of these accuracies includes the time taken to travel to Mars, using the technology available today. How long is this?
~7-8 months
What is the study of mushrooms called?
Mycology
How many bones do sharks have?
0!
Which scientist investigated radioactive substances and discovered two chemical elements, radium and polonium? This person was also the first to win 2 noble prizes in 2 different areas (chemistry and physics)
Marie Curie
What is the moment a star runs out of hydrogen to burn, begins to collapse, increases its internal pressure, triggers helium fusion, and expands rapidly into a red giant star, continuing to shine?
Helium Flash
In Interstellar, after falling into the black hole, Matthew McConaughey records what he's seeing and transmits it back to TARS, hoping the data might help scientists back on Earth. Communication from black holes is theoretically possible if the energy being emitted from the black hole is encoded with information (which is how all forms of wireless communication work). It has been proposed that when a particle pair is created near the event horizon of a black hole, and one of the particles falls into the black hole, the other particle will escape. This phenomenon, in which an outflow of energy is emitted from a black hole, is known as _____.
Hawking Radiation
Which planet would float on water like an ice cube?
Saturn
What is the tiny piece at the end of a shoelace called?