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Only Science Geniuses Can Ace This Quiz! 33 Hard Science Questions

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Only Science Geniuses Can Ace This Quiz! 33 Hard Science Questions

About this quiz

Hard science quiz: 33 tricky questions about atoms, light, cells and the universe that only science geniuses can ace. ⚛️

Radioactive bananas, the true color of the Sun, a tiny animal that survived outer space and the temperature of lightning: a real challenge for science lovers. Great for family quiz nights, road trips and classrooms.

❓ IN THIS QUIZ

  • Bananas are very slightly radioactive. Why?
  • What color is the Sun, really?
  • Which tiny animal has survived being exposed to outer space?
  • Which is hotter: Earth's inner core or the surface of the Sun?

💬 How many did you get right? Tell us your score in the comments. What was your score out of 33?

How to play

  1. Read the question and look at the pictures.
  2. Pick your answer before the timer runs out (or switch the timer off).
  3. See if you were right and read the fun fact.
Answers and fun facts (spoilers!)
  1. Ready for a hard one? Bananas are very slightly radioactive. Why?
    Potassium
    Bananas contain potassium, and a tiny part of it is naturally radioactive. Totally harmless!
  2. What color is the Sun, really?
    White
    The Sun gives out all colors, so it's white! Our air makes it look yellow.
  3. Glass is made mostly from melted what?
    Sand
    Glass is made mostly of silica sand, melted at very high temperatures.
  4. Which element has the symbol Fe?
    Iron
    Fe comes from 'ferrum', the Latin word for iron.
  5. What is H2O2?
    Hydrogen peroxide
    One extra oxygen turns water into hydrogen peroxide, used as a bleach and disinfectant!
  6. Which metal conducts electricity best?
    Silver
    Silver conducts best, but copper is used in wires because it's much cheaper.
  7. About how cold is absolute zero?
    -273 °C
    Absolute zero is -273.15 °C, the coldest anything can ever be.
  8. How many elements are on the periodic table?
    118
    118 elements are known so far.
  9. Which human cells have no nucleus?
    Red blood cells
    Red blood cells lose their nucleus to make more room for oxygen!
  10. What shape is DNA?
    Double helix
    DNA is a double helix, like a twisted ladder.
  11. How many chromosomes do humans usually have?
    46
    46 chromosomes in 23 pairs: one set from each parent.
  12. Which gas makes your voice sound squeaky?
    Helium
    Sound travels faster through helium, which changes the tone of your voice.
  13. Which is the densest natural element?
    Osmium
    Osmium is about twice as dense as lead!
  14. Which light can't human eyes see?
    Ultraviolet
    Bees can see ultraviolet, and many flowers have hidden UV patterns just for them!
  15. What travels at about 343 meters per second in air?
    Sound
    Sound covers about 1 km in 3 seconds. Count after lightning to tell how far away it is!
  16. Lightning heats the air to about how hot?
    30,000 °C
    Lightning heats air to about 30,000 °C, far hotter than the Sun's surface at about 5,500 °C!
  17. What does a Geiger counter detect?
    Radiation
    It clicks faster the more radiation it picks up.
  18. What is the chemical name for laughing gas?
    Nitrous oxide
    Nitrous oxide is used by dentists to help patients relax.
  19. Who won Nobel Prizes in two different sciences?
    Marie Curie
    Marie Curie won in Physics in 1903 and in Chemistry in 1911.
  20. A substance that speeds up a reaction without being used up is called what?
    Catalyst
    Catalysts in car exhausts help clean up harmful gases.
  21. At what temperature is water densest?
    4 °C
    Water is densest at about 4 °C, so lakes freeze from the top down and fish survive below!
  22. Which tiny animal has survived being exposed to outer space?
    Tardigrade
    Tardigrades, or water bears, have survived the vacuum of space!
  23. What happens to water's boiling point high on a mountain?
    It goes down
    On top of Mount Everest, water boils at only about 71 °C!
  24. Which element makes up most of Earth's mass?
    Iron
    Iron makes up about a third of Earth's mass, mostly in the core.
  25. Which acid is in your stomach?
    Hydrochloric acid
    Your stomach makes hydrochloric acid to break down food and kill germs.
  26. Animals most active at dawn and dusk are called what?
    Crepuscular
    Crepuscular animals include rabbits, deer and many cats!
  27. Sound travels fastest through which of these?
    Steel
    Sound moves over 15 times faster through steel than through air!
  28. What does DNA stand for?
    Deoxyribonucleic acid
    If you uncoiled the DNA in one of your cells, it would be about 2 meters long!
  29. Which nonmetal is liquid at room temperature?
    Bromine
    Bromine is the only nonmetal element that's liquid at room temperature.
  30. Which is usually bigger: a virus or a bacterium?
    Bacterium
    Most viruses are much smaller than bacteria, too small to see with an ordinary microscope.
  31. Which is the weakest of these forces?
    Gravity
    Gravity is so weak that a small magnet can lift a paperclip against the pull of the whole Earth!
  32. Why does hot air rise?
    It's less dense
    Hot air spreads out, gets less dense, and floats up. That's how hot air balloons fly!
  33. Final question! Which is hotter: Earth's inner core or the surface of the Sun?
    About the same
    Earth's inner core is about 5,400 °C, roughly as hot as the Sun's surface!