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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.
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. Given two years to live when he was 21 as a result of being diagnosed with ALS, which famous physicist lived for another fifty-five and was still able to publish well-known books on black holes and astrophysics?
Answer: Stephen Hawking
3. 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
4. If the universe were to end with a "Big Crunch," this means it would collapse into what big, sucky space object?
Answer: Black Hole
5. Chien-Shiung Wu picked up a variety of nicknames during her illustrious scientific career like “First Lady of Physics,” the "Chinese Madame Curie,” and the "Queen of Nuclear Research." She cut her teeth early in her career helping the process for separating uranium into uranium-235 and uranium-238 isotopes as part of what borough-named project?
Answer: Manhattan Project
6. 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
7. 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
8. In mathematical physics, Minkowski space is a four-dimensional space consisting of three-dimensional Euclidean space and which other quantity?
Answer: Time
9. With a title that’s basically a synonym for “paradigm shift,” what 1989-1994 NBC sci-fi show starring Scott Bakula as Dr. Sam Beckett, concerns a physicist who involuntarily travels through spacetime?
Answer: Quantum Leap
10. 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
11. 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
12. WDSTF - In addition to her contributions to physics and space exploration, Sally Ride was the subject of a namesake song by Janelle Monáe, made into both Barbie and Lego figurines, and was rhymed with “heavy metal suicide” in what Spark Notes of a Billy Joel song?
Answer: We Didn't Start the Fire
13. 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
14. 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
15. 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
16. What “-ism” is the branch of physics that describes the physical interaction between electrically charged particles? It is measured using Newtons.
Answer: electromagnetism
17. What “W” is the SI unit of magnetic flux in physics, who shares its name with former “Who do you think you are? I am!” professional bowler Pete?
Answer: Weber
18. In particle physics, which property is a half-integer for fermions and an integer for bosons?
Answer: Spin
19. In physics, what term describes the study of motion without considering cause? So, studying the motion of a thing without thinking about the forces involved?
Answer: Kinematics
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