A Scientific Smorgasbord Trivia Quiz

Answer: Poland

Hevelius was born, and carried out most of his observations, in Danzig, now known as Gdansk. He is credited with identifying ten different constellations, one of which he named Scutum Sobiescianum, in honour of the Polish king, Jan III Sobieski. The name means 'shield of Sobieski' which, over time, became shorted to just Scutum.

Answer: Scotland

Strontian is located in the Highlands of Scotland, and it was in the late eighteenth century that the mineral was discovered. It was given the name strontia, although it took until 1808 before the metal was extracted - the work of Sir Humphry Davy. Strontium burns red and consequently is well known for being used in fireworks.

Answer: Sinovenator

If you know any Latin, the prefix of 'sino' would have led you to China, where the first specimens were discovered, relatively recently, in 2002. Sinovenator was a small carnivorous dinosaur, less than a metre in length, and dates from the Cretaceous period.

Syracosaurus means 'spiked lizard', stenopelix means 'narrow pelvis' and sauropelta means 'lizard shield'.

Answer: Willow

The willows include the white willow and the weeping willow, which is a hybrid of two different willow species. Willows are found in temperate areas of the northern hemisphere and need moist ground. Their wood is used for cricket bats, and their pliable branches are used in basket weaving and to create fencing. Willows were also an early source of pain relief, since the leaves and bark contain salicin.

Answer: Pythagoras

Most of us will be aware of Pythagoras's contribution to mathematics, having learned his theorem in our school days, but his interests extended to many other areas of science. He is often referred to as the originator of the science of acoustics, having experimented with vibrating strings and working out that there are natural musical intervals. Pythagorean tuning forks are used, as you'd expect, in music and also for healing as the sound they create is believed to help with relaxation.

Answer: Carbon dioxide

We are well informed about the risks of atmospheric change due to excess carbon dioxide, but this is also having an impact on seawater. The normal pH of seawater is around 8, making it alkaline, but studies have shown that so much carbon dioxide is being absorbed that the seas are moving towards a more neutral pH.

This impacts on corals and shellfish, which need calcium carbonate for their survival. Calcium carbonate dissolves in water which is more acidic.

Answer: Wrist

The scaphoid is classed as one of the eight carpal bones which link the wrist to the hand. Others include the hamate, capitate and trapezium. It lies between the radius and the thumb, and is prone to fracturing, particularly following falls where the natural instinct is to put the hand out to break the fall. The name derives from the Greek word meaning 'boat', due to its shape.

Answer: Salamanders

Herpetology covers the scientific study of reptiles and amphibians, so includes snakes, lizard, turtles, frogs, toads and salamanders. Salamanders resemble lizards to look at, but are amphibious. They are found primarily across the northern hemisphere.

Scorpions would be studied by arachnologists, swans by ornithologists and salmon by ichthyologists.

Answer: Sandstone

As the name implies, sedimentary rocks are formed from sediment deposited by winds, water and ice. Because of the way they are created, these rocks often have discernible layers. Sandstone is named for the type of particles from which it is composed, which are sand sized, not because it is made from sand itself. Other sedimentary rocks are limestone and shale.

Pumice and granite are both igneous rocks while slate is metamorphic.

Answer: Skinner

Behaviourism was a theory put forward in the 1920s by John B. Watson, an American psychologist. His view was that human behaviour ought to be judged by observable reactions to external stimuli, instead of the 'introspective' theories of, for example, Freud. Burrhus Frederic Skinner, to give his full name, expanded on these theories, with 'Science and Human Behavior' (1953) being his best known work.

Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung were both psychoanalysts and Jean Piaget specialised in child and developmental psychology.