100+ Physics Trivia Questions and Answers

Physics is one of the most challenging branches of science, making any set of physics quiz questions an instant challenge. So why not test your knowledge on the topic? Or better yet, see how much your friend might know about all things relating to classical physics, quantum physics, and more. Try out this physics trivia challenge.

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Physics Trivia

Here are some physics trivia and ideas that you might have not known.

• White light contains all the colors in the visible spectrum.
• Acceleration directed opposite direction of a certain motion is called negative acceleration.
• Electric current has three effects, namely heating, magnetic, and chemical.
• The SI unit of electrical resistance is called ohm (Ω).
• The Kelvin measure of temperature measures kinetic energy caused by the physical phenomena of rising and falling temperature.
• The English physicist Stephen Hawkings suffered from ALS or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Physics Trivia Questions and Answers

Are you ready for the ultimate physics trivia quiz? Try out the physics trivia questions below and see how many you can answer right.

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Questions	Answers
Schrödinger’s cat is a thought experiment dealing with which type of mechanics?	▶ Quantum Mechanics
What do you call the force moving away from an axis in a rotational motion?	▶ Centrifugal Force
What’s a vector field of magnetic influence on moving electric charges, currents, and magnetic materials?	▶ Magnetic Field
Which British physicist discovered the existence of electrons?	▶ J. J. Thomson
Who are the two quantum physics who fathered Quantum physics?	▶ Niels Bohr and Max Planck
Who won the Nobel Prize in Physics back in 1965 aside from Julian Schwinger and Sin-Itiro Tomonaga?	▶ Richard Feynman
What law explains the three basic laws of mechanics?	▶ Newton’s Law
What study looks at the theoretical behaviors of subatomic particles?	▶ Quantum Theory
What do you call a nuclear reaction where subatomic particles fuse together?	▶ Nuclear Fusion
What do you call a nuclear reaction where a subatomic particle splits into different pieces?	▶ Nuclear Fission
According to physics, what are the four fundamental forces in nature?	▶ Strong Force, Electromagnetic Force, Weak Force, Gravitational Force
Which branch of physics is devoted to the study of heat and related phenomena?	▶ Thermodynamics
Who came up with the theories of General and Special relativity?	▶ Albert Einstein
186,282 miles per second is the speed of what in a vacuum?	▶ Light
A young Isaac Newton is said to have been hit on the head by which fruit, leading him to come up with the theory of gravity?	▶ An apple
Who is the author of the book “A Brief History of Time”?	▶ Stephen Hawking
What is the smallest particle of an element that retains its chemical properties called?	▶ Atom
What is the equation for calculating work?	▶ Work = force x distance
What law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction?	▶ Newton’s third law
What is the measure of an object’s resistance to changes in its rotational motion called?	▶ Moment of inertia
What is the bending of light as it passes from one medium to another called?	▶ Refraction
What is the process of splitting an atom called?	▶ Nuclear fission
What term is used to describe the amount of matter in an object?	▶ Mass
What type of electromagnetic radiation has the highest energy?	▶ Gamma rays
What is the equation for calculating acceleration?	▶ Acceleration = (final velocity – initial velocity) / time
What is the speed of light in a vacuum?	▶ 299,792,458 meters per second
What is the property of matter that determines the strength of the gravitational attraction between two objects called?	▶ Mass
What is the equation for calculating force?	▶ Force = mass x acceleration
What is the law of conservation of energy?	▶ Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or transformed
What is the unit of measure for electric current?	▶ Ampere
What is the force that opposes the relative motion of two surfaces in contact called?	▶ Friction
What is the property of matter that determines the amount of space an object occupies called?	▶ Volume
What is the equation for calculating the force of gravity between two objects?	▶ F = G x (m1 x m2) / d^2
What is the term for the point where all the mass of an object is concentrated?	▶ Center of mass
What type of energy is stored in an object due to its position or shape?	▶ Potential energy
What law states that the total entropy of an isolated system always increases over time?	▶ Second law of thermodynamics
What is the smallest particle in the universe?	▶ Quark
What is the term for the rate at which velocity changes over time?	▶ Acceleration
What is the process by which an atom releases energy in the form of particles or waves?	▶ Radioactivity
What is the force that opposes motion between two surfaces that are in contact with each other?	▶ Friction
What is the energy that an object possesses due to its motion called?	▶ Kinetic energy
What type of wave has particles that vibrate perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation?	▶ Transverse wave
What type of wave has particles that vibrate parallel to the direction of wave propagation?	▶ Longitudinal wave
What is the term for the number of waves that pass a fixed point per unit time?	▶ Frequency
What is the term for the total energy of an object due to its motion and position?	▶ Mechanical energy
What type of lens is thicker at the center than at the edges and causes parallel rays of light to converge?	▶ Convex lens
What is the term for the angle between the incident ray and the normal line of a surface?	▶ Angle of incidence
What is the term for the ability of a material to conduct electricity?	▶ Electrical conductivity
What is the term for the force that an object exerts on a surface that is perpendicular to the object’s weight?	▶ Normal force
What is the unit of power?	▶ Watt
What is the term for the force that opposes the motion of an object through a fluid?	▶ Drag force
What type of mirror curves inward like the inside of a spoon and causes parallel rays of light to converge?	▶ Concave mirror
What is the term for the change in frequency of a wave due to the motion of the source or the observer?	▶ Doppler effect
What is the property of matter that resists changes in its motion called?	▶ Inertia
What is the term for the energy that an object possesses due to its position or configuration?	▶ Potential energy
What is the force that holds the nucleus of an atom together called?	▶ Strong nuclear force
What is the unit of resistance?	▶ Ohm
Which type of radiation has the highest energy?	▶ Gamma radiation
What type of energy is stored in an object that is lifted off the ground?	▶ Gravitational potential energy
What is the speed of light in a vacuum?	▶ 299,792,458 meters per second
What is the phenomenon that occurs when a wave bounces off a surface?	▶ Reflection
Which law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction?	▶ Newton’s third law of motion
What is the force that opposes motion between two surfaces in contact?	▶ Friction
What is the measure of an object’s resistance to a change in its state of motion?	▶ Inertia
What is the term for the pressure exerted by a fluid on an object submerged in it?	▶ Buoyant force
What is the term for the force per unit area exerted by a fluid on a surface in contact with it?	▶ Fluid pressure
What is the unit of electric charge?	▶ Coulomb
What is the term for the property of a material that allows it to be magnetized?	▶ Magnetic susceptibility
What type of energy is associated with the motion of an object?	▶ Kinetic energy
What type of energy is associated with the position of an object relative to other objects?	▶ Potential energy
What is the unit of force in the International System of Units (SI)?	▶ Newton (N)
What is the process by which an atom or molecule acquires a negative or positive charge?	▶ Ionization
What is the speed of light in a vacuum?	▶ 299,792,458 meters per second
What is the property of matter that resists changes in motion called?	▶ Inertia
What is the transfer of heat between objects that are in direct contact with each other?	▶ Conduction
What is the force that opposes motion between two surfaces that are in contact?	▶ Friction
What is the process by which a solid changes directly into a gas without passing through the liquid state called?	▶ Sublimation
What is the process by which a gas changes directly into a solid without passing through the liquid state called?	▶ Deposition
What is the temperature at which a substance changes from a liquid to a gas at its vapor pressure called?	▶ Boiling point
What is the temperature at which a substance changes from a solid to a liquid called?	▶ Melting point
What is the bending of light as it passes through a medium with a different refractive index?	▶ Refraction
What is the emission of electrons from a metal surface when light falls on it called?	▶ Photoelectric effect
What is the process by which an atom emits radiation as a result of a transition from a higher energy level to a lower one?	▶ Emission
What is the process by which an atom absorbs radiation and moves to a higher energy level?	▶ Absorption
What is the bending of waves around an obstacle or through an opening?	▶ Diffraction
What is the principle that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed or transferred?	▶ Law of Conservation of Energy
What is the energy stored in an object due to its position or shape?	▶ Potential energy
What is the energy of motion called?	▶ Kinetic energy
What is the process by which a gas changes to a liquid called?	▶ Condensation
What is the name for a material that does not allow heat or electricity to pass through it easily?	▶ Insulator
What is the name of the phenomenon where light waves change direction as they pass through a medium?	▶ Refraction
What is the name for the amount of matter in an object?	▶ Mass
What is the name of the process by which heat is transferred through direct contact between materials?	▶ Conduction
What is the name of the type of energy that an object possesses due to its motion?	▶ Kinetic energy
What is the name of the process by which heat is transferred through the movement of a fluid or gas?	▶ Convection
What is the name of the subatomic particle that has a positive charge?	▶ Proton
What is the name of the device used to measure electric current?	▶ Ammeter
What is the name of the phenomenon where an object in motion tends to stay in motion and an object at rest tends to stay at rest?	▶ Newton’s first law of motion
What is the name of the type of energy that is stored in an object due to its position or configuration?	▶ Potential energy
What is the name of the law that states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction?	▶ Newton’s third law of motion
What is the name of the type of energy that is stored in the nucleus of an atom?	▶ Nuclear energy
What is the name of the type of wave that does not require a medium to travel through?	▶ Electromagnetic wave