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Ask and Ye Shall Receive Trivia Quiz

Radio signals that is! How much do you know about the life and work of the pioneering inventor and physicist Marconi?

A multiple-choice quiz by Rowena8482. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
Rowena8482

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
351,567

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
453

Question 1 of 10

1. Famous for his work on early radio transmissions, what was Marconi's first name? Hint

Guiseppe

Guglielmo

Georgio

Giacomo

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Question 2 of 10

2. Around the turn of the 20th century, Marconi formulated his eponymous mathematical law. It states that H = c multiplied by the square root of D. What does H represent in his formula? Hint

Hertz, the frequency of the radio waves

Height of the antenna transmitting the signal

Height above sea level of the receiver

Heimlich's constant

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. In 1909, Marconi shared the Nobel Prize for Physics - with whom? Hint

Michael Faraday

Nikola Tesla

Karl Braun

Heinrich Hertz

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Question 4 of 10

4. Marconi's mother Annie, was a member of which famous Irish business family? Hint

Guinness (brewery)

Jameson (distillery)

Waterford (crystal)

Cassidy (racing stables)

5. When he was just twenty years old, Marconi built his first device, a storm alarm, that worked sucessfully using radio transmissions. He was assisted in his experiments by someone named Mignani. Who was he? Hint

The little boy who lived next door

The family butler

His best friend from school

The Chair of Physics at Bologna University

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Question 6 of 10

6. At Marconi's second wedding, in 1927, Benito Mussolini was his best man.

True

False

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Question 7 of 10

7. In 1899, for the first public demonstrations of his new wireless equipment in the United States, Marconi sent commentary on which sporting event? Hint

The Rose Bowl football match

America's Cup yacht races

World Series baseball

The Kentucky Derby

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Question 8 of 10

8. In 1930, Marconi was appointed as the President of which organisation? Hint

CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale)

United Nations Committee for Science

Royal Academy of Italy

Oxford University Students' Union

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Question 9 of 10

9. What was the cause of death of the inventor Marconi? Hint

Heart attack

Arsenic poisoning

Drowning (in his bathtub)

Alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver

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Question 10 of 10

10. The British Royal Mint issued a coin to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Marconi's first successful radio transmission?

True

False

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Famous for his work on early radio transmissions, what was Marconi's first name?

Answer: Guglielmo

Guglielmo Marconi was born in Italy in 1874, the second son of his Italian and Irish parents. The airport in his home town Bologna is named after him, and is one of the busiest in the world.

2. Around the turn of the 20th century, Marconi formulated his eponymous mathematical law. It states that H = c multiplied by the square root of D. What does H represent in his formula?

Answer: Height of the antenna transmitting the signal

Marconi's Law states that "for simple vertical sending and receiving antennas of equal height, the maximum working telegraphic distance varied as the square of the height of the antenna". H is the height of the antenna, and D is the distance, in metres, that the signal will reach. c is a constant and the larger the value of c, the greater the distance at which the radio transmission can be detected by a receiver.

3. In 1909, Marconi shared the Nobel Prize for Physics - with whom?

Answer: Karl Braun

Marconi and Braun were awarded the Nobel "in recognition of their contributions to the development of wireless telegraphy".

4. Marconi's mother Annie, was a member of which famous Irish business family?

Answer: Jameson (distillery)

Annie was the grandaughter of the founder of the famous Jameson and Sons whiskey company, which was founded in Dublin in 1780. The company is still going strong, and now produces over one million gallons of whiskey annually!

Answer: The family butler

Mignani was the butler in the Marconi family home. It was when Marconi demonstrated his results to his parents, and convinced his father that he really could make things happen "without wires," that his father agreed to help fund his work.

6. At Marconi's second wedding, in 1927, Benito Mussolini was his best man.

Answer: False

Marconi's first wife was called Beatrice O'Brien, and they had four children before they separated in 1924 and divorced. Marconi then arranged to have their marriage annulled by the Catholic Church so that he was free to marry Maria Bezzi-Scali, daughter of an Italian nobleman, in 1927. They had one daughter together.

Marconi joined the National Fascist Party in 1923 and served as president of Italy's National Research Council, and the Royal Academy of Italy. Mussolini did not attend Marconi's second wedding in 1927.

7. In 1899, for the first public demonstrations of his new wireless equipment in the United States, Marconi sent commentary on which sporting event?

Answer: America's Cup yacht races

Having successfully sent messages from the British mainland to Ireland, and across the English Channel to France earlier that same year, Marconi set up aboard a yacht off the coast of New Jersey, and transmitted a commentary on the America's Cup races.

8. In 1930, Marconi was appointed as the President of which organisation?

Answer: Royal Academy of Italy

It was Mussolini himself who appointed Marconi to the Presidency of the Royal Academy of Italy, which he held until his death in 1937. This organisation had been founded four years earlier, and was designed to give the ruling Fascist party greater control over academia and the arts in Italy. All the members were given perks and privileges not accorded to ordinary citizens, and they were required to swear allegiance to Fascist ideals.

It was disbanded in 1943.

9. What was the cause of death of the inventor Marconi?

Answer: Heart attack

Marconi suffered several heart attacks in quick succession, and died in July 1937. He was given a State Funeral by the Italian government, and buried in northern Italy, not far from his native Bologna.

10. The British Royal Mint issued a coin to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Marconi's first successful radio transmission?

Answer: True

The special coin was issued in 2001 and has a face value of two pounds Sterling (GBP). Italy also issued a five Euro coin, in 2009, which marked the hundred year anniversary of Marconi's winning the Nobel Prize for Physics.

Source: Author Rowena8482

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