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Scientific Instruments Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
Scientific Instruments Quizzes, Trivia

Scientific Instruments Trivia

Scientific Instruments Trivia Quizzes

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12 Scientific Instruments quizzes and 130 Scientific Instruments trivia questions.
1.
  How Do You Measure Up?    
Match Quiz
 10 Qns
How do you measure up in a quiz about scientific measuring devices? Find out here by matching the device with what it measures. Have fun, and good luck!
Very Easy, 10 Qns, jddrsi_raven, Aug 16 20
Recommended for grades: 9,10
Very Easy
jddrsi_raven gold member
Aug 16 20
636 plays
2.
  Do You Know Your Measuring Instruments?    
Match Quiz
 10 Qns
We use many measuring instruments everyday. Some are very commonly used while others are used only occasionally. In this quiz, ten instruments are to be matched with what they measure.
Easier, 10 Qns, genius238, Dec 18 16
Easier
genius238
931 plays
3.
  Microscope Parts and Lenses   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This quiz is all about the lenses and other parts of microscopes! A general high school microscope was used. This quiz does NOT contain questions about bisection microscopes!
Average, 10 Qns, salami_swami, Dec 23 20
Recommended for grades: 8,9,10
Average
salami_swami gold member
Dec 23 20
1972 plays
4.
  Laboratory Labors    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Can you identify these items often used in a science laboratory?
Easier, 10 Qns, mlcmlc, Mar 09 22
Easier
mlcmlc gold member
Mar 09 22
1133 plays
5.
  Measure, Calculate, or Compute   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This quiz will introduce you to a variety of devices used to measure many different things. Some are new tools, and rather complex, while others have been around for centuries.
Easier, 10 Qns, dcpddc478, Jun 20 17
Easier
dcpddc478
Jun 20 17
675 plays
6.
  Mount Palomar Observatory   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 20 Qns
George Hale was very instrumental in the existance of the Mt. Palomar Observatory. When built, it was the home of the largest reflector in the continental United States - a 200 inch mirror.
Average, 20 Qns, almach, Nov 04 20
Average
almach
Nov 04 20
773 plays
7.
  So You Want to Be a Calibration Technician?    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Calibration is necessary for accurate measurement, and measurement is involved in everything people do. So although you may never have heard of them, calibration technicians help just about everything work better!
Average, 10 Qns, tamrof, Sep 07 15
Average
tamrof
412 plays
8.
  Viewing The Expanse    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
From giant telescopes to satellites, all tools used to explore space.
Tough, 10 Qns, Gamemaster1967, Jan 06 13
Tough
Gamemaster1967 gold member
864 plays
9.
  What's in the Box?    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
There is a scientific instrument in a box in front of you. I will give you some clues about what is in the box, and then it's your turn to guess!
Average, 10 Qns, dash102, Aug 24 16
Average
dash102
461 plays
10.
  Do You Know Telescopes?    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Here is a quiz about telescopes.
Average, 10 Qns, almach, Jan 28 16
Average
almach
1728 plays
trivia question Quick Question
The "Pillars of Creation" is a famous photograph of the Eagle Nebula taken using what telescope?

From Quiz "Practical Astronomical Telescope Info."




11.
  Practical Astronomical Telescope Info.    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Think you know telescopes, binoculars, or other optical astronomy intruments? Take this quiz & measure your knowledge of things that are dubbed "Windows into Space".
Tough, 10 Qns, Aeryk01, Mar 20 18
Tough
Aeryk01
Mar 20 18
513 plays
12.
  All About Telescopes    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Are you sure that you know as much as you think you know about telescopes?
Tough, 10 Qns, ohlavash, Jun 13 21
Tough
ohlavash
Jun 13 21
629 plays

Scientific Instruments Trivia Questions

1. This box contains an instrument that is quite common in biology classrooms. It is used to greatly magnify very small objects. What's in the box?

From Quiz
What's in the Box?

Answer: Microscope

The first compound microscope was invented by Zacharias Jansen. At that time, microscopes weren't used as scientific instruments because, when objects were magnified, they were very blurry.

2. What would a sailor measure using a chronometer?

From Quiz Measure, Calculate, or Compute

Answer: Time

Invented in 1737, by British scientist John Harrison, the chronometer was created as an accurate timekeeper for sea travel. They are usually used for celestial navigation along with a sextant. These clocks are extremely precise and lives depend on their accuracy.

3. Calibration is a word you've probably seen or heard, but it is often used incorrectly. What does "calibration" mean?

From Quiz So You Want to Be a Calibration Technician?

Answer: Comparing a measuring device to a standard of known accuracy.

Calibration compares the measurement device to a standard, which in turn has been compared to another standard and so on, creating an unbroken chain of comparisons from the calibrated device to a national metrology institute (such as NIST in the US, or the NPL in the UK). This is known as "traceability".

4. What is the light source of a microscope also known as?

From Quiz Microscope Parts and Lenses

Answer: Illuminator

The illuminator, or light source, is located under the stage of a microscope. It is either made of mirrors or an electric light. The object of the light is to give you a bright background so you can more easily see the object on the slide.

5. Who did George Hale buy the land from for the building of the 200 inch telescope?

From Quiz Mount Palomar Observatory

Answer: U.S. Forest Service & some local ranchers

Hale purchased 160 acres of land by 1934. Mt. Palomar is located about 100 miles southeast of Pasadena, California. The California Institute of Technology, who owns and operates the observatory, is located in Pasadena, California. A six million dollar grant was provided by the Rockefeller Foundation.

6. What is the most important thing to consider when choosing a telescope?

From Quiz All About Telescopes

Answer: aperture

Although the biggest telescope may seem to be the best, don't bet on it. Aperture refers to a telescopes main optical lens or mirror. This relates directly to the light gathering and maximum resolving power of a telescope.

7. What is the industry standard for optical wavefront error in a telescope's optics, usually described as "Diffraction Limited"?

From Quiz Practical Astronomical Telescope Info.

Answer: 1/4 wavefront error

Wavefront error is a critical number given to optics in a telescope which gives the user an idea of just how good the optics really are. The higher the number (1/20 wave), the better the optics. 1/4 wave is considered standard among major manufacturers who often describe their equipment as diffration limited.

8. An astronomer would use a telescope to look at what?

From Quiz Do You Know Telescopes?

Answer: The night sky

Of course, during the day, you can look at the Sun (please use appropriate filters to protect your eyes and the scope) as well as the Moon and some planets.

9. What is the eyepiece of a microscope also known as?

From Quiz Microscope Parts and Lenses

Answer: Ocular

The ocular, or eyepiece, is the lens you look through in a microscope. It usually has a magnification of 10X. Every microscope has an eyepiece.

10. Who invented the first telescope?

From Quiz All About Telescopes

Answer: Hans Lippershey

The first telescopes used for astronomy were used by Galileo Galilei. Before his time they were used for navigation.

11. What accessories do you use to change magnification on a telescope?

From Quiz Do You Know Telescopes?

Answer: Eyepieces

Eyepieces or occulars are used to change the magnification. Lower magnification allows for more field of view, higher magnification allows for more detail (usually).

12. What's in the box? This one is quite small. In the box is something that is used to measure the electric current in a circuit.

From Quiz What's in the Box?

Answer: Ammeter

Ammeters measure current in amps. Tools that are used to measure current in measurements smaller than an amp are called milliammeters or microammeters.

13. There are many different ways of describing the accuracy of a measuring instrument. One of the most common is abbreviated FS. What does FS stand for?

From Quiz So You Want to Be a Calibration Technician?

Answer: Full Scale

Full scale is the highest reading a particular instrument range or scale can show. Another way to express accuracy is as a percentage of the measurement reading. The way these accuracy specifications are formulated depends on the measurement device. Analog meters, because of the way they're constructed are usually "spec'd" as a percentage of full scale. Digital devices are usually spec'd as a percentage of the reading, plus a small amount of the range or full scale.

14. What are stage clips in a microscope?

From Quiz Microscope Parts and Lenses

Answer: Metal clips that hold the slides in place

These metal clips keep the slides from slipping off the stage. The stage is where you set the slide down to view. The slide is what you put your specimen in that you want to view.

15. What company manufactured the 200 inch lens?

From Quiz Mount Palomar Observatory

Answer: Corning Glass Works

Corning was successful on the second attempt to make the 200 inch blank. They originally cast two 40,000 pound disks. The first one was flawed. The second one took about a year to cool.

16. A telescope which uses lenses (not mirrors) and has no obstruction within the optical path is called a

From Quiz Practical Astronomical Telescope Info.

Answer: Refractor

The refractor telescope is the most common type of telescope. Many people can get these relatively cheaply in department stores. They are a common starting point for the beginning astronomer.

17. In which location will you find an observatory housing giant telescopes named Keck 1 and 2?

From Quiz Viewing The Expanse

Answer: Mauna Kea, Hawaii

The Kecks are located 94 feet away from each other on an extinct Hawaiian volcano. Mount Graham is home to the LBT, or Large Binocular Telescope; Mount Pastukhov hosts the BTA, or Bolshoi Azimuthal Telescope; and in Chile you'll find VLT, or Very Large Telescope.

18. What's in the box? The box is long and thin this time. This tool is used to measure the relative density of liquids.

From Quiz What's in the Box?

Answer: Hydrometer

A hydrometer is made up of a thermometer-like glass stem with a larger bottom filled with lead or mercury. This lets the hydrometer sink so the density of the liquid can be read from the marks on the glass stem.

19. As a calibration technician, you open a meter and turn a potentiometer in order to make the meter read correctly. What is this called?

From Quiz So You Want to Be a Calibration Technician?

Answer: Adjustment

Remember, calibration is the comparison with a known standard. Adjustments are often performed to make the device measure more accurately, but are not specifically a part of calibration.

20. What material is the disk made from?

From Quiz Mount Palomar Observatory

Answer: Pyrex

A pyrex mirror does not expand and contract as much during changes in temperature as regular glass would.

21. What type of telescope uses both lenses and mirrors to magnify the image?

From Quiz All About Telescopes

Answer: catadioptric system

In the 1930s, another type of telescope was put to use at some observatories. Using both mirrors and lenses, this telescope can make the image clearer.

22. The given aperture of binocular objective lenses is often measured in what unit of measurement?

From Quiz Practical Astronomical Telescope Info.

Answer: Millimeters

Almost every set of binoculars is measured in millimeters. ie- 10x50 -the "50" being 50mm lenses.

23. In the world of radio antennas, what does the New-Mexico-based VLA stand for?

From Quiz Viewing The Expanse

Answer: Very Large Array

In the movie "Contact" you see Ellie Arroway visit the VLA, Very Large Array, in New Mexico. The VLA consists of 27 radio antennas in a radius of 13 miles (21 kilometers). She was not looking at the stars, but listening to them. You can visit the website for the VLA at: http://www.vla.nrao.edu/

24. What's in the box? This tool is used to get an accurate measurement of the width of an object. This tool is used by woodworkers and metalworkers, and many others.

From Quiz What's in the Box?

Answer: Calipers

There are many different types of calipers, including inside, outside, vernier, and digital calipers. They are made up of two jaws that clamp down on opposite sides of an object and an indicator of the measure (digital or manual).

25. One step in a calibration procedure requires you to "tare" a balance (scale). What does this mean?

From Quiz So You Want to Be a Calibration Technician?

Answer: Make the balance read zero, even if something is on it

Taring the balance with an empty container on it allows you to then weigh the contents of the container with the weight of the container automatically subtracted.

26. In 1984 the first MMU was used to allow an astronaut to travel in space, outside of the shuttle vehicle. What does MMU stand for?

From Quiz Viewing The Expanse

Answer: Manned Maneuvering Unit

Basically, the MMU is a rocket inside a backpack. You may have seen this device used in the fantasy drama "Space Camp". Though it is no longer used, it served its purpose on three shuttle missions in 1984. A smaller and lighter unit, entitled SAFER, took the place of the MMU. SAFER stands for Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue.

27. This is a very big box! Inside is an instrument used by astronomers to see magnified images of objects in the sky.

From Quiz What's in the Box?

Answer: Telescope

The Hubble Space Telescope, launched in 1990, cost around $2.5 billion. It is still up in space in 2015, and continues to send pictures back to NASA to study.

28. What would you be trying to measure is you were using a device known as an anemometer?

From Quiz Measure, Calculate, or Compute

Answer: Wind speed

An anemometer is a common device, usually used in meteorology, for measuring wind speed. Anemometers are also used to determine wind direction and, using this data, a meteorologist can determine wind pressure. One of the most common anemometer designs consists of a vertical pole with horizontal arms. The anemometer measures the rotations and calculates the wind speed.

29. Some laboratory experiments produce results too small to be seen by the human eye. What device might be used to view the results?

From Quiz Laboratory Labors

Answer: microscope

The invention of the single-lens microscope is credited to Zacharias Jansen (1580-1638). It is still debated as to whether he created a compound microscope, but it is documented that Galileo Galilei created one in 1609. Microscopes are much more varied today and provide feedback through optical, electron, scanning probe, and fluorescence scans. The oscilloscope measures signal voltages, the hydrometer measures the specific gravity of a liquid (e.g., measuring alcoholic concentration when brewing beer), and a scoopula (love that name!) is a small scoop to transfer solids.

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Last Updated Mar 23 2024 5:46 AM
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