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ROUND 1: FEELING FESTIVE
1. According to the British Nutrition Foundation, how much weight does the average person gain in the four-week Christmas period? a. 0.5 kg b. 2 kg c. 5 kg 2. Watching the Queen's Speech on TV is an essential part of Christmas for many people. But was the Queen herself born before or after the first public demonstration of the television? a. born earlier b. born same year c. born later 3. Like Rudolph, in winter many people develop red noses because they are suffering from the Common Cold. What causes the Common Cold? a. going out in the cold with wet hair b. a virus c. a bacteria 4. In 1942, Bing Crosby told the world that he was 'dreaming of a white Christmas'. But at what temperature does water freeze at standard temperature and pressure? |
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| ROUND 2: NOTABLE QUOTES 5. In which year did Bill Clinton say of a piece of rock: "It's implications are far reaching and as awe inspiring as can be imagined." (And for a bonus point, where did that rock come from?) a. 1996 b. 1997 c. 1998 6. Which iconic 20th century scientist once remarked, "Gravity cannot be held responsible for people falling in love." 7. "We don't know a millionth of one percent about anything," commented a well known American inventor - possibly just before he TURNED ON THE FIRST LIGHTBULB (hint). Who was he? 8. Who said, "A man with all his noble qualities...still bears in his bodily frame the indelible stamp of his lowly origin." |
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| ROUND 3: MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU 9. Which force of nature, beloved of hammer-throwers, causes whirling objects to pull towards the centre of the circle? 10. Which downward-acting force, first identified by Isaac Newton, would a large man with a sack of presents be relying on to help pull him down a chimney? 11. Force = mass x WHAT? 12. Whose name is associated with the Wind Force Scale? |
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| ROUND 4: ALL PERFECTLY NATURAL 13. What tree-related word was also the title of Will Young's first single? 14. What is a 'coelacanth'? a. the visible remains of a wound when the scab has dropped off b. a bifurcated tree trunk c. a species of fish of ancient origin 15. What sex would you be if you had one X chromosome and one Y chromosome? 16. In which part of your body would you find your HYPOTHALAMUS? a. in your foot b. in your head c. in your intestines |
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| ROUND 5: OUTTA SPACE MAN 17. Which rocky orange planet is named after the messenger of the Roman gods because it travels so quickly across the Earth's sky? 18. Which is the closest star to the Earth? a. the Sun b. Alpha Centauri c. The Morning Star (Venus) 19. Which of the following is not the name of an internationally recognised comet? a. Icymass-Speeding b. Hale-Bopp c. Shoemaker-Levy 20. In what year did Yuri Gagarin make history by becoming the first human to orbit the earth? |
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| ROUND 6: INNOVATION AND BRIGHT IDEAS 21. What does the acronym LASER stand for? 22. Who invented the World Wide Web? 23. What invention won this year's Innovation Nation competition to create a commercial new household item? 24. Missing words: Alan Kay, the personal computer pioneer, said: "The best way to ...... the future is to ........ it." 2 marks for filling in each missing word correctly. |
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| ROUND 7: WHATEVER THE WEATHER 25. Which weather phenomenon shares its name with a Japanese logic puzzle? 26. Which of the following cloud formations is found at the highest altitude? a. cumulus b. cirrus c. nimbostratus 27. The hottest day ever recorded in the UK was on 10th August. What was the highest temperature recorded? a. 38.5C (101.3F) b. 38.9C (102F) c. 39.1 (102.3 F) 28. What happened to tropical storms for the first time in 1979? |
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| ROUND 8: CHEMICALS IN YOUR KITCHEN 29. Which element do you scrape off your burnt toast? 30. Is vinegar an acid or an alkali? 31. If you're watching Jamie Oliver denaturing protein which of the following might he be doing? a. Boiling an egg b. Whipping cream c. Rolling out pastry 32. what do chefs use to get the browning effect on sugar? a. Acetic acid crystals b. Place in freezer c. Blowtorch |
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| Relax - that's the end of the quiz. How do you think you've got on? Answers coming up below, but first here's a festive activity that will enable you to show off to your mates! SIR ISAAC NEWTON'S SHOW-OFF INERTIA DEMO ACTIVITY What you'll need: 1 coin - metal ones (or even chocolate ones - if you're lucky!) 1 elbow What to do: Bend your right arm with the elbow pointing at your attentive audience (use your left arm if you're left-handed). The upper part of your arm needs to be parallel to the floor, with the palm of your hand facing upwards next to your chin. Balance a coin on the flat part of your arm next to the elbow. Explain to your lovely audience that you are going to catch the coin in your hand, which wouldn't be much of a trick, except that you will miraculously catch the coin with your RIGHT hand (or left hand if that's the one you're holding in the air!). In one very sudden, very quick move, drop your arm. This will cause your hand to snap forward, so your hand ends up in the place where your elbow started off, while your elbow falls away from under the coin. As your hand touches the coin, close your fingers around it to catch it. (You might need a bit of practice, but once you've mastered it, you'll catch the coin every time!) The science bit: Since the coin is still, it has inertia, which means it tends to remain in the same position. When you move your elbow very quickly, it just drops out from under the coin. This leaves the coin hanging momentarily in the air. Gravity pulls the coin towards the ground, but inertia gives it a slow start. Your hand is moving quickly so it catches the coin before it falls to the ground. Tip for Experts: Once you've mastered the art of catching one coin, try using more than one. Stack the second coin on top of the first, and try to catch the two coins together. Then work up to three, four or five coins for a really impressive trick to show off over Christmas dinner! |
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| That's all from Planet Science News this year, but there's plenty more to explore and discover on www.planet-science.com. We've said farewell to the lovely autumnal moon previously decorating the home page and welcomed in the new winter look, groovy speed skaters in their high tech gear. (By the way, there's an e-card waiting for you too - just click through where it says Season's Greetings. If you have any contributions to newsletters in 2004, please send them through to Anne McNaught on anne@planet-science.com. Now, back to those quiz answers... They're just a quick scroll down this page: Keep scrolling... Darth Vader: Luke Skywalker I know what you're getting for Christmas? Luke: How do you know? Darth Vader: I felt your presents. (Awww - what a great joke!) Anyway keep scrolling... Here are the ANSWERS... 1. b (2kg) 2. b the Queen was born in the same year - 1926 3. b (a virus) 4. O degrees Celsius (32 degrees F) 5. A (1996. Bonus point: Mars) 6. Albert Einstein 7. Thomas Edison 8. Charles Darwin 9. The Centripetal force 10. Gravity 11. Acceleration 12. Sir Francis Beaufort 13. Evergreen 14. c - a species of fish of ancient origin 15. Male 16. b (in your head) 17. Mercury 18. a (the Sun) 19. a (Icymass-Speeding) 20. 1961 21. Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation 22. Tim Berners-Lee 23. The Yukka Collapsible Bin 24. The windscreen wiper 25. Tsunami 26. b (cirrus) 27. a (38.5C - 101.3F) 28. They were given male as well as female names by meteorologists 29. Carbon 30. acid 31. a (boiling an egg) 32. c (blowtorch) Hope you got a great score. Have a great holiday and all the best for a fun, prosperous, happy and groovy 2004 from all at Planet Science! PS If you would like to unsubscribe from this newsletter, just reply to it with the word 'UNSUBSCRIBE'. |
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