16 Physics Trivia Questions (Ranked from Easiest to Hardest)

Physics is a fundamental and expansive field that seeks to understand the natural world and the underlying laws that govern it. From classical mechanics and electromagnetism to quantum mechanics and cosmology, physics encompasses a wide range of theories and principles that are essential to our understanding of the universe. Trivia questions about physics can provide a fun and engaging way to test your knowledge and deepen your appreciation for this critical and impactful field.

Whether you're a seasoned physicist or just starting to explore the world of science and technology, physics trivia questions offer a glimpse into the rich history and culture of this exciting field. From the basics of motion and energy to the major discoveries and innovations that have shaped our understanding of the natural world, these questions can challenge you on your knowledge of physics history, theory, and practice.

16 Physics Trivia Questions Ranked From Easiest to Hardest (Updated for 2024)

1. Same word: What word describes a theory in theoretical physics, a family of instruments in an orchestra, and cheese that you can easily pull apart?
   
   Answer: String
   
   
2. While you may think that we only have him to thank for E = mc2, which scientist actually won the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of the photoelectric effect?
   
   Answer: Albert Einstein
   
   
3. If the universe were to end with a "Big Crunch," this means it would collapse into what big, sucky space object?
   
   Answer: Black Hole
   
   
4. Percy Bridgman, who received his PhD in physics from Harvard in 1908, won a Nobel Prize in 1946 for work on the physics during processes with high levels of what “P” force? It is measured as the force applied perpendicular to the surface of an object, per unit area of distribution.
   
   Answer: Pressure
   
   
5. After receiving his PhD in biophysics from Harvard University in 1967, Mario Capecchi won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2007 for creating variants of what lab animals with certain genes turned off?
   
   Answer: Mice
   
   
6. In mathematical physics, Minkowski space is a four-dimensional space consisting of three-dimensional Euclidean space and which other quantity?
   
   Answer: Time
   
   
7. Two different employees of General Electric — Irving Langmuir (1932) and Ivar Giaever (1973) — have been awarded the Nobel Prize, one in Physics and one in which other scientific subject?
   
   Answer: Chemistry
   
   
8. What first-person shooter video game developed by Valve and published for Microsoft Windows in 1998 launched a globally successful franchise? The game shares its name with a scientific term frequently used in nuclear physics to describe the stability of atoms.
   
   Answer: Half-Life
   
   
9. What subatomic particle has its name taken from the James Joyce work "Finnegans Wake"? Varieties of this particle include strange and charmed.
   
   Answer: Quark
   
   
10. Howard Aiken received a PhD in Physics from Harvard in 1939, and in 1944 he installed the Harvard Mark I, a computer designed for what giant company in the computer field?
    
    Answer: International Business Machines
    
    
11. Which nickname might a surgeon use to refer to a cut-and-cautery tool? It’s also an eponym for the father of biophysics who invented the device (an “electrosurgical generator”).
    
    Answer: Bovie
    
    
12. What popular astrophysicist, author of “Death By Black Hole” and host of TV’s “Cosmos”, earned a BA in Physics from Harvard University in 1980?
    
    Answer: Neil DeGrasse Tyson
    
    
13. In 1991, the World Wide Web was released for the first time outside of the research organization where it had been invented in 1989 by Tim Berners-Lee. What is the name of that organization, more famous today for operating the Large Hadron Collider on the border between France and Switzerland?
    
    Answer: CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research)
    
    
14. What “-ism” is the branch of physics that describes the physical interaction between electrically charged particles? It is measured using Newtons.
    
    Answer: electromagnetism
    
    
15. In the field of particle physics, what is the three-letter abbreviation for the theoretical theory that merges the strong force with the electroweak force?
    
    Answer: GUT (grand unified theory)
    
    
16. In particle physics, which property is a half-integer for fermions and an integer for bosons?
    
    Answer: Spin
    
    

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