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From The Universe To A Quark Trivia Quiz

This quiz is about "how it all works", from the scale of the universe down to the size of an atom. Have fun!

A multiple-choice quiz by foozalish55. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
foozalish55

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
355,909

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
648

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. We all know that the Earth is locked into orbit around the sun thanks to gravity, but exactly how far does the force of gravity go? Hint

One light-year

An infinite distance, but at some point you won't notice it anymore.

100 miles per kilogram

Ten AUs (Astronomical Units)

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Question 2 of 10

2. Speaking of gravity, what is the name for an object with so much mass that the gravitational force is generally believed to be too great to allow anything, even light, to 'escape'? Hint

Pinata

Black hole

Nebula

Ego

3. This unit of measurement is most commonly used when talking about things on the galactic scale, and is equal to about 3.26 light-years. In the film 'Star Wars', it was incorrectly referred to as a unit of time, rather than distance. What is it? Hint

Quasar

Light-mile

Parsec

Kilogram

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Question 4 of 10

4. Using complicated math and sophisticated tools, we can measure how quickly the universe is expanding. It is going much faster than we thought it would, and to explain the difference scientists have introduced what mysterious substance? (Hint: the name reflects the fact that it is still very mysterious) Hint

Solar radiation

Flubber

Dark energy

Quantum paste

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Question 5 of 10

5. Due to the Doppler effect, light from a moving object is affected by that motion, resulting in the wavelength either increasing or decreasing. What is it called when the object is moving away from us, causing the wavelength to increase? (Hint: think about the visible spectrum) Hint

Redshift

Solar uncertainty

Light flux

Chromatic feedback

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Question 6 of 10

6. Although an atom with orbiting electrons may look like a galaxy, they are very different systems operating under different rules. Which statement illustrates a significant difference between the two? Hint

Every nucleus contains trace amounts of peanut butter

Electrons are not held in orbit by gravity

Unlike planets, the orbit of an electron cannot change

All electrons have exactly one moon

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Question 7 of 10

7. Credited to Werner Heisenberg, there is a principle that states that it is impossible to perfectly know both the position and momentum of a particle. What is the name of this unavoidable rule of quantum physics? Hint

Fuzzy logic

Uncertainty

Parallax

Bureaucracy

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Question 8 of 10

8. Often referred to as "spooky action at a distance", two particles that interact in a certain way and are then separated can remain linked. Later, a measurement of one particle can affect the other instantly, no matter how far apart they are. What is this called? Hint

Twinning

Superposition

Entwining

Entanglement

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Question 9 of 10

9. In our everyday life, a ball pushed with too little force will never make it up a steep hill, no matter how many times we try. In the quantum world, what process would allow a particle to simply go through the hill and appear on the other side? Hint

Teleportation

Phase shifting

Tunneling

Going really fast

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Question 10 of 10

10. Even though there are a huge number of differences between the galactic and quantum scales, there is a hypothesis which states that they are repeated layers of reality and are actually very similar in a number of surprising ways. Based on fractals, what is the name of this concept? Hint

Mandelbrot universe

Galactic mini-me

Many-worlds theory

Self-similar cosmological model

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. We all know that the Earth is locked into orbit around the sun thanks to gravity, but exactly how far does the force of gravity go?

Answer: An infinite distance, but at some point you won't notice it anymore.

Even though the effects of gravity technically go on forever, we can talk about 'escaping' it, meaning that we are far enough away that we don't notice it anymore. The 'escape velocity' for a planet (like Earth) is determined using calculus to account for the infinite range of gravity. Amazingly, gravity is actually the weakest known force, even though it holds massive planets firmly in its grasp!

2. Speaking of gravity, what is the name for an object with so much mass that the gravitational force is generally believed to be too great to allow anything, even light, to 'escape'?

Answer: Black hole

Most astrophysicists now believe that a super-massive black hole sits at the center of nearly every galaxy in the universe!

Answer: Parsec

The magnitude of this unit, 3.26 light-years, was originally derived while dealing with a phenomenon called 'parallax', which makes objects appear to be in another location because of the changing position of the viewer. The parsec arose when astronomers where looking for a way to determine the distance to a celestial object, which is difficult to do because the earth itself is moving. With the help of trigonometry, scientists figured out how to do it, and one result of all this math is the widely misunderstood parsec.

Answer: Dark energy

In order to account for all of our observations, it turns out that dark energy must make up about 73% of all mass-energy in the entire universe. That means there is 73% of the universe we know almost nothing about!

Answer: Redshift

An ambulance passing by gives a great demonstration of how this works with sound, but with light the different wavelength results in a different color. By determining how much the light has 'shifted' towards the red end of the spectrum, we can actually determine how fast it is moving away from us!

Answer: Electrons are not held in orbit by gravity

Electromagnetic forces are responsible for keeping the electron in orbit. As it turns out, the world of the very small is a strange place indeed! Many of the rules of everyday life we take for granted simply don't apply there, as the following questions will illustrate.

Answer: Uncertainty

Even though it sounds like a problem with our technology, it is actually due to the dual nature of very small particles (they act like particles and waves). There is a lot of great literature about this out there, so if you are interested, check it out!

Answer: Entanglement

Many people have trouble accepting this, because it implies the transmission of information at faster-than-light speeds. However, this phenomenon has been demonstrated and is widely accepted, so presumably we are just waiting for a simple explanation regarding what exactly is happening and how it is possible.

Answer: Tunneling

Another mysterious quality of very small things, tunneling seems to defy logic and common sense. The explanation involves the wave-like nature of these particles, which means that the position of the particle at any moment is the result of probability. So as long as there is a chance of it appearing on the other side of the hill, it will, sooner or later.

Answer: Self-similar cosmological model

Although it sounds strange, fractals do pop up in nature all the time. We see them in seashells, snowflakes, ferns, pineapples, coastlines, and many more! The real question is, if the theory is true, what does that mean about the nature and fate of our universe?

Source: Author foozalish55

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