50/50 in Science II Trivia Quiz

Answer: False

The Sun is not the only star to harbor planets. Even before planets were first discovered around other stars, many people thought that other stars must have planets too. The first such planet was discovered in 1992. Currently, more than 1800 such planets had been confirmed. Planets around stars other than our Sun are termed 'extrasolar planets' or 'exoplanets'.

So far, almost all known exoplanets have been detected only by the way they affect their parent stars (either when the star wobbles caused by planet's gravitational tug or when the star periodically dims as planet passes in front of it), while only a dozen exoplanets have been directly observed.

Answer: False

The Sea of Tranquility is actually found on the Earth's nearest neighbor, the Moon, even though there are no actual bodies of water on the Moon. On the Moon, it is centered at 8.5°N and 31.4°E. The Latin name for Sea of Tranquility is Mare Tranquilitatis.

Answer: False

The melting point of mercury has the right Fahrenheit number but it should have a minus sign in front of it, so the melting point of mercury is −38°F (−39°C). Mercury is the only known naturally-occurring metal to have melting point lower than water (32°F, 0°C).

In addition to having the lowest melting point of any metal, mercury has the lowest boiling point of any metal, at 674°F (356°C), still well above the boiling point of water (212°F, 100°C).

Answer: True

Jupiter is the biggest, plus the most massive, planet in the solar system. It sizes at nearly 70,000 km and contains more than 300 times the mass of Earth. The planet is so big that more than 1300 Earths could fit inside it. Jupiter is only dwarfed by the Sun by a factor of about 10 in size, but by a factor of more than a thousand in mass.

Many detected planets around other stars are even bigger and more massive than Jupiter.

Answer: True

Even though salt is vital in the body, eating too much salt would not be good, causing health problems like heart disease, stroke and kidney failure. Salt is vital because it helps nerves and muscles to function properly, and to regulate fluid balance. Salt intake can induce water loss in the body, resulting in thirst, that's why people are often reported thirsty after eating salty foods.

Answer: True

Momentum is a measure of mass in motion. For example, a moving truck has large momentum while a ball rolled softly has small momentum.

Answer: False

Omnivores eat both plants and animals, while herbivores eat plants only and carnivores eat animals only. Omnivore is named after the Latin omnes, omnia, meaning "all" or "everything" and vorare meaning "to devour".

Answer: True

Calories as shown on nutrition labels are actually in units consistent with kilocalories. A calorie is a unit of energy needed to heat one gram of water by 1 degree Celsius, while a kilocalorie is the energy needed to heat one kilogram of water by 1 degree Celsius.

Answer: True

Yes, age spots are caused by sun exposure, as well as naturally, by aging. Age spots can also alternatively be known as liver spots or solar lentigos.

Answer: False

A kilosecond is 1000 seconds, just like kilometer is 1000 meters and kilogram is 1000 grams, because kilo- means thousand in Greek. Kilometer and kilogram are common units, but kilosecond is uncommon. This and other multiples of second are uncommon, but submultiples of second are common, like the millisecond (1/1000 of a second) and nanosecond (1 billionth of a second).

A kilosecond is 16.67 minutes, one hour is 3.6 ks, and one day is 86.4 ks. There are other multiples of second, like megasecond (1 million seconds) and gigasecond (1 billion seconds). Since a gigasecond is approximately 31.56 years, reaching this age can be considered a milestone in a person's life.

Answer: False

When astronomers observed Type Ia supernovae, they came back with surprising results indicating that the universe's expansion is in fact speeding up. Astronomers have no idea what causes this as gravity from all those matter should be slowing down the expansion.

They believe that accelerating expansion of the universe is caused by a mysterious substance called dark energy. Scientists don't know at all the nature of this elusive energy, but some believe that it is a component of empty space.

Answer: True

Although most tornados reach no more than 110 mph (180 kph), few tornados do have winds reaching 300 mph (480 kph). Such tornados are classified as strongest and most destructive tornados.

Answer: True

Each lobe of the cerebral cortex serves different functions. The frontal lobe aids in abstract thinking, control, behavior, reactions, and personality; the parietal lobe aids in hearing, language, and attention; the occipital lobe aids in vision; and the temporal lobe processes comprehension, senses, learning, and emotion.

Answer: True

Like living cells, atoms contain nuclei at their centers. Protons and neutrons make up atomic nuclei, surrounded by clouds of electrons. The nucleus is tiny compared to atom, tens of thousands of times smaller than an atom in diameter, but tens of trillions to quadrillions of times smaller in volume.

This comparison is so tiny that if the atom were to be the size of a football stadium, then the nucleus would only be the size of a pea. But the nucleus contains more than 99.94% of the atom's mass.

Answer: False

Sirius, the Dog Star, is located in the dog constellation Canis Major the Greater Dog, bordering Orion to the north.