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Measurement All Around You Trivia Quiz

Measurement affects the lives of us all. In this quiz I will explore a few of the ways measurement appears around us.

A multiple-choice quiz by tamrof. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
tamrof

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
339,432

Updated
Sep 09 24

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
848

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Which of these measurement devices would you find in the produce section of your local supermarket (or at the greengrocers)? Hint

oscilloscope

tape measure

weighing scale

bean counter

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Question 2 of 10

2. There is a measurement device in many inexpensive drip coffee makers. What does it measure? Hint

quantity of beans in the basket

amount of brewed coffee in the carafe

temperature of the warming plate

strength of the brewed coffee

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Question 3 of 10

3. In the USA, the nation's most accurate timekeeping is done by the Navy. Why was this the case? Hint

No one else wanted the job

Military service is harsh, and the sailors all want to know how soon they'll be discharged

Accurate timekeeping was essential to navigation

The Army and the Navy both wanted it, but president Harding liked the Navy better, so he gave it to them

4. This small ruler is triangular and, instead of being divided into half, quarter and eighth-inches, it's divided into 10ths, 20ths, 30ths and so on up to 60ths of an inch. What is this ruler intended for? Hint

It was used as an adding device (like a slide rule) before electronic calculators were invented

It's actually a key to an ancient tomb

It serves as a calibrated shim if my car breaks down

It's an architect's scale, used to make drawings at 10, 20 etc. feet to the inch.

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Question 5 of 10

5. On the dashboard of your car are many measurement devices. Which one keeps you from getting a traffic ticket? Hint

thermometer

ammeter

speedometer

odometer

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Question 6 of 10

6. In 2003 during the SARS epidemic, photos appeared in the news showing people in masks aiming devices that looked like ray guns at the heads of other people. What were those devices? Hint

Geiger counters

Infrared thermometers

Ray Guns

Virus detectors

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Question 7 of 10

7. In many old houses the thermostat contained a small amount of liquid mercury. Why was the mercury in the thermostat? Hint

It acted as a switch, closing the gap between two electrical contacts

It acted as a temperature sensor, expanding as the temperature decreased

It acted as a temperature sensor, expanding as the temperature increased

It acted as a weight (mercury is a relatively heavy metal)

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Question 8 of 10

8. The air in your auto tires needs to be maintained at the correct pressure. In the USA, this is usually measured in PSI. Which of these is also a unit of pressure measurement? Hint

Rod

Bar

Staff

Cane

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Question 9 of 10

9. A refractometer measures how much light bends when passing through a boundary between two substances of differing densities. Which of the following is a refractometer commonly used to measure? Hint

The amount of air in your vehicle tires

The amount of sugar in a wine

The amount of bacteria in your toilet

The height of a bird or an airplane that you see from the ground

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Question 10 of 10

10. A piezoelectric lighter has a quartz crystal in it which generates an electric spark when compressed. This is used to ignite the fuel in the lighter. When the process is reversed by applying a voltage to a quartz crystal, what can it measure? Hint

Distance

Time

Resistance

Radioactivity

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which of these measurement devices would you find in the produce section of your local supermarket (or at the greengrocers)?

Answer: weighing scale

The scales in your grocer's produce department are probably not "legal for trade". This means that they give you an idea of how much produce you have, but they aren't guaranteed to be accurate. In the USA the scale at the checkout counter is "legal for trade" which means that it was constructed and tested to meet certain accuracy specifications, and is checked regularly to assure that it remains accurate.

2. There is a measurement device in many inexpensive drip coffee makers. What does it measure?

Answer: temperature of the warming plate

In addition, the coffee maker has one or two thermal fuses. The current to run the heating element goes through these fuses. In cases of severe overheating (usually due to failure of the thermostat) one or both of the fuses melt, thus interrupting the flow of the current. If your coffee maker worked fine yesterday and now won't heat at all, one of these fuses has probably failed. Warming plates can cause the coffee to become bitter, so top of the range coffee makers are likely to have a form of vacuum flask to store the coffee.

3. In the USA, the nation's most accurate timekeeping is done by the Navy. Why was this the case?

Answer: Accurate timekeeping was essential to navigation

It's relatively easy to determine your latitude by looking at the stars. Longitude is another matter. Because the earth is turning, the apparent positions of the stars change with time as well as with longitude. This means that the stars can't tell you your longitude unless you know what time it is.

An error of 3 seconds per day would translate to being over 2 miles off course on a 40 day trip from England to the Caribbean. This could easily be the difference between washing up on the shoals and sailing into the harbor.

An excellent book on this subject is "Longitude" by Dava Sobel. It tells the story of the competition to produce a clock accurate enough to carry on a ship for navigational purposes.

Answer: It's an architect's scale, used to make drawings at 10, 20 etc. feet to the inch.

In the days before computers, architects drew their plans by hand. The accuracy of these plans translated directly into the fit and finish of the final construction.

5. On the dashboard of your car are many measurement devices. Which one keeps you from getting a traffic ticket?

Answer: speedometer

The speedometer measures the speed of the vehicle. The odometer measures the distance the vehicle has traveled. A thermometer measures the temperature of the engine. Some vehicles have an ammeter, which measures the charge going to or coming from the battery.

6. In 2003 during the SARS epidemic, photos appeared in the news showing people in masks aiming devices that looked like ray guns at the heads of other people. What were those devices?

Answer: Infrared thermometers

An infrared thermometer measures the infrared energy radiated by the item being measured. This can then be used to determine the approximate temperature of the item. It's not very accurate, but has the advantage that you don't have contact between the thermometer and the object being measured.
SARS = severe acute respiratory syndrome.

7. In many old houses the thermostat contained a small amount of liquid mercury. Why was the mercury in the thermostat?

Answer: It acted as a switch, closing the gap between two electrical contacts

The mercury was in a capsule mounted on a bimetallic spring. As the temperature changed, the spring coiled or uncoiled, thus changing the tilt of the capsule. When the capsule tilted enough so that the mercury rolled to the switch contacts, the furnace would come on.

8. The air in your auto tires needs to be maintained at the correct pressure. In the USA, this is usually measured in PSI. Which of these is also a unit of pressure measurement?

Answer: Bar

PSI (pound per square inch) is the amount of pressure needed to apply a force of one pound over an area of one square inch. A bar is approximately the value of atmospheric pressure on the Earth at sea level.

9. A refractometer measures how much light bends when passing through a boundary between two substances of differing densities. Which of the following is a refractometer commonly used to measure?

Answer: The amount of sugar in a wine

Sugar increases the density of the wine, so the density of the wine can be used to estimate the amount of sugar in it. As the wine ferments, yeast converts the sugar to ethanol. For this reason, measuring the sugar in wine can tell you how the fermentation is progressing.

Answer: Time

The crystal actually oscillates at a known frequency. These oscillations are counted to determine how much time has passed since the watch or clock was set.

Source: Author tamrof

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
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