Planet Science Randomise

jump to main menu

competitions & quizzes...pit your wits & win with Planet Science

maybe ... or may not

Be true that is!

Can you tell the difference between a truthful science statement and utter baloney? We have 10 science sentences for you, all you have to do is to decide if they are true or false. If you get it all right, you have the chance to win one of two weird and wonderful clocks that appear to write in thin air – wonder if that's really true!?

Ready for some brain bending?

Click here for the answers...

01
 The seeds from an acacia tree need to pass through an elephant’s digestive system before they can germinate and grow.
False – chewing the seeds destroys them
True – the elephant’s digestive system rids the seeds of parasitic grubs.

02
 Gram for gram, there is more water in a potato than a cucumber.
False – a cucumber is 95% water and a potato is only 70%.
True – A potato is 99% water and a cucumber is 50% water and 50% Fat

03
 Unicorns were once real animals driven to extinction for their horns.  In the Middle Ages you could buy unicorn horns.
False – people were fooled into thinking they were buying unicorn horns when they were actually buying the tusk from a narwhal, a whale.
True – A unicorns horn is made from mother of pearl.

04
 A fire-bellied frog has pupils shaped like a heart.
False – actually they are shaped like diamonds
True – it really does!  They get their names from their red and yellow coloured bellies.*

05
 The Sun has another 5 million years before it runs out of fuel and becomes a red giant turning the Earth to a crisp.
False - the Sun has enough fuel to last about another 5 billion years.
True – don't worry, 5 Million Years is a very long time.

06
 Meteors are stars caught in the Earth’s gravity and pulled inwards.
False – they are dust from the debris trail of passing comets, they burn up on the way through the atmosphere.
True – by the time they get to Earth they are very small and cold

07
 The chemical element Ab stands for absolutium a rare inert metal that reacts with nothing.
False – We made it up.
True – Anti Allergenic hospital tags for new born babies are made from it.

08
 We can only get vitamin D by exposing our skin to sunlight.
False – you can also get it in oily fish, cheese and eggs.
True – Lack of Vitamin D causes the 'winter blues'

09
 Rubies are red because they contain chromium as an impurity.
False – they are red because of the way they are cut only to reflect the red part of the light spectrum
True – chromium reflects red light.

10
 "An Analysis of the Forces Required to Drag Sheep over Various Surfaces", is a real paper, published in the scientific journal, Applied Ergonomics.
False – don't be ridiculous!
True – it won the 2003 Ig Nobel Prize for Physics.

Answers

1= True • 2= False • 3= False • 4= True • 5= False • 6= False • 7= False • 8= False • 9= True • 10= True

Go to Quiz Menu

<< Go Back