Fun with Famous Scientists

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

1. Which is the best phrase that explains Albert Einstein's famous equation regarding relativity, 'E equals M times c squared'? light is energy time is money energy is a wave mass is energy

2. Roger Bacon is often called the 'Father of Modern Science' for what reason? he measured the amounts of chemicals that he used he was the first to wear a pocket protector he discovered the law of gravity he wrote down his experiments

3. In 1242 A.D., Roger Bacon discovered that black powder (gunpowder) would explode rather than simply burn if he did what? sang 'Over the Rainbow' heated it slowly confined it in a small space placed it in a vacuum

4. The Swedish scientist Alfred Nobel is most famous today for creating the Nobel Prize. What invention made him rich? dynamite dry ice stainless steel spam

5. In 1828, Friedrich Woehler performed the first chemical synthesis of a naturally occurring biologic (organic) molecule. What did he synthesize? alanine, an amino acid urea, a waste product glucose, a sugar Cheez-Wiz, a delicious snack

6. In 1660, Robert Boyle discovered what revolutionary finding about gases? gases are composed of atoms the volume of a gas varies inversely with pressure all gases can be cooled to form a liquid you can light a fart with a match

7. The 19th century Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleyev arranged cards that described all known chemical elements into what? acid - base pairs the Periodic Table of the Elements four quantum states the words 'I hate borscht'

8. The German scientist Max Planck was the first to suggest that classical laws of physics did not always apply to atomic systems. By studying light of different frequencies, he proposed the existence of quanta that carried discrete but small amounts of what? color energy randomness passengers between Australia and the USA

9. Around 300 B.C.E., Theophrastus, one of Aristotle's students, first described asbestos as 'a substance resembling rotting wood which, when doused with oil, would burn without being harmed.' Where does asbestos come from? glass fibers molded by heat the hairs of fire-resistant salamanders a plant mines

10. At the end of the 19th century, Fritz Haber first synthesized ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen. This was important to the world population because: It led directly to the development of plastics their windows were dirty it became a way of removing toxic nitrogen from the air It allowed the production of synthetic fertilizers

11. In 1775, Benjamin Franklin traveled from England to America on a sailing ship. He measured the temperature of the water with a thermometer at many points during the voyage and thus discovered a region of warm water due to what? the Gulf Stream thermal vents shallow water sailors urinating off the bow

12. The Scottish botanist Robert Brown first observed the process now known as Brownian movement in 1827. What is it? the motion of small particles due to random collisions with solvent molecules the movement of leaves to follow the daily sun cycle the movement of electrons in an elliptical orbit around a nucleus the last thing you do before you flush

13. In 1858, Charles Darwin proposed what theory to explain the diversity of living things on earth? the theory of acquired characteristics the theory of natural selection the theory of DNA mutagenesis the theory of alien insemination

14. In 1803, John Dalton proposed that all substances are composed of small, dense, indestructible particles known as what? molecules atoms Daltons tic-tacs

15. From carefully weighing the reactants and products of chemical reactions, the 18th century French chemist Antoine Lavoisier laid the groundwork for what fundamental scientific principle? he who smelt it dealt it law of multiple proportions conservation of mass reactive equilibrium

16. In 1932, James Chadwick discovered what subatomic particle that contains mass but no charge? the dead battery the alpha particle the neutron the beta particle

17. Galileo's famous experiment at the leaning tower of Pisa demonstrated what about gravity? acceleration is independent of mass gravity is independent of other forces velocity is dependent on mass what goes up must come down

18. The 'two body problem' was first solved by: Liebnitz Adam and Eve Einstein Newton

19. Why was Galileo excommunicated from the Catholic Church? He denied the existence of God He insisted on referring to the holy sacrament as 'the little wafer' He refused to comply with a papal decree He said that the earth moves round the sun

20. Werner Heisenberg enunciated his 'uncertainty principle' in 1927. It states that: The velocity of an electron is determined by its position If you think your spouse might be cheating on you, you are probably right. entropy always increases The position and velocity of an electron cannot both be precisely determined