233+ Science Trivia Questions and Answers

Science is all around us. We see it in our bodies, nature, and the universe. Sometimes it’s bigger than us, and often, it’s around us. The question is, how much of that knowledge do you know? Let’s put your knowledge to the test with Science trivia questions!

Science Trivia

What’s the nearest planet to Earth? What’s the rarest blood type? What’s the largest known land animal? How many bones does an adult human have? There are so many science questions just screaming for an answer. From easy science trivia questions to not-so-easy ones.

Science Trivia Questions and Answers

Let’s test your science trivia know-how with some trivia games and challenges!

Click on the blurred area to reveal the answer.

Test it out. Click here to reveal the answer 👉 Awesome! You’re ready

What planet is closest to the sun?	▶ Mercury
What is a meteor called when it reaches earth’s surface?	▶ Meteorite
What is the closest star to the planet Earth?	▶ The Sun
What is the largest planet in our solar system?	▶ Jupiter
How many moons does the planet Venus have?	▶ Zero
The lowest natural temperature ever directly recorded at ground level was measured on what Continent?	▶ Antarctica
In what month does winter begin in the Southern Hemisphere?	▶ June
At what temperature are Celsius and Fahrenheit equal?	▶ -40 degrees
The study of fossils other than anatomically modern humans is known as what?	▶ Paleontology
What is it called when a star, possibly cause by a gravitational collapse, suddenly increases greatly in brightness?	▶ Supernova
What four states of matter are observable in everyday life?	▶ Solid, Liquid, Gas and Plasma
What is the name of the instrument used to measure earthquakes?	▶ Seismometer
The range of frequencies over which electromagnetic radiation extends is known as what?	▶ The electromagnetic spectrum
What takes an average of 8 minutes 20 seconds to reach the Earth?	▶ Light from the sun
How many feet are in a mile?	▶ 5280
What is the smallest planet in our solar system?	▶ Mercury
How many acres are in a square mile?	▶ 640
What natural phenomena are measured by the Richter scale?	▶ Earthquakes
How many furlongs are in a mile?	▶ Eight
In what month is the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere?	▶ June
The use of reflected sounds to locate objects is known as what?	▶ Echolocation
In what year did the Apollo 7 human spaceflight take place?	▶ 1968
Our solar system is located in what galaxy?	▶ The Milky Way Galaxy
What is the third most abundant gas in Earth’s atmosphere?	▶ Argon
Which is the closest galaxy to the milky way?	▶ Andromeda galaxy, about 2.5 million light years away
Which two elements on the periodic table are liquids at room temperature?	▶ Mercury and Bromine
Penicillin is used to fight what type of infections?	▶ Bacterial
The Pascaline, invented by Blaise Pascal in the early 17th century, was a mechanical type of what device?	▶ Calculator
What is the medical term for bad breath?	▶ Halitosis
Who designed and built the Pascaline?	▶ Blaise Pascal
Who came up with the three laws of motion?	▶ Sir Isaac Newton
What is the common name for stone consisting of the minerals jadeite or nephrite?	▶ Jade
What layer of the atmosphere lies between the troposphere and mesosphere?	▶ Stratosphere
What does the acronym “NASA” stand for?	▶ National Aeronautics and Space Administration
What are the seven base units of measurement in the metric system?	▶ The ampere, the candela, the kelvin, the kilogram, the meter, the mole and the second
What is the melting point of ice in Fahrenheit?	▶ 32°F
What was the name of the first U.S. space station?	▶ Skylab
How many furlongs are there in one mile?	▶ Eight
In fluid dynamics, what is the term for the highest attainable speed an object can reach as it falls?	▶ Terminal Velocity
The atmospheric temperature at which water vapor begins to condense and form dew, is called what?	▶ Dew Point
What is the name for trees that never lose their leaves?	▶ Evergreen
The reaction where two atoms of hydrogen combine to form an atom of helium is called what?	▶ Fusion
In welding terminology, what do the letters MIG stand for?	▶ Metal Inert Gas
What do letters in the the acronym SCUBA stand for?	▶ Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus
The art and practice of garden cultivation and management is called what?	▶ Horticulture
Who developed and patented the electrical telegraph in the United States in 1837?	▶ Samuel Morse
What is the farthest human-made object from planet Earth?	▶ Voyager 1
In the United States and Canada, one ton is a unit of measure that contains how many pounds?	▶ 2000
What is the name for the disc-shaped region of icy bodies that extends from Neptune to about 55 astronomical units from the Sun?	▶ The Kuiper Belt
Hale-Bopp is classified as which type of small Solar System body?	▶ Comet
Betelgeuse and Rigel are the two giant stars in which constellation?	▶ Orion
What is the closest star to our own sun?	▶ Proxima Centauri
What is the heaviest naturally occurring element found on Earth?	▶ Uranium (U92)
What is the name for meteoroids that survive entry through the atmosphere and reach Earth’s surface?	▶ Meteorites
What was the name of the first manned mission to land on the moon?	▶ Apollo 11
What is the name of the cloud made up of icy planetesimals surrounding our solar system?	▶ Oort Cloud
A league is equivalent to how many nautical miles at sea?	▶ Three
What term describes the amount of light a planetary body reflects?	▶ Albedo
What is the only modern rock n’ roll song on the Voyager Spacecrafts’ Golden Records?	▶ Johnny B. Goode, by Chuck Berry
What inorganic molecule is produced by lightning?	▶ Ozone
Of the original six space shuttles, which one never flew a mission in space?	▶ Enterprise
The scientific unit named after Sir Isaac Newton measures what?	▶ Force
An Astronomical Unit is the mean distance between the center of what two objects?	▶ The Sun and Earth
An Astronomical Unit is the average distance between which two objects in our solar system?	▶ The Earth and the Sun
The change in a wave’s frequency when the source and observer are in motion relative to one another is known as what?	▶ The Doppler Effect (Doppler Shift)
What planet’s moons are nearly all named after Shakespearean characters?	▶ Uranus
What is the most common type of star found in the Milky Way?	▶ Red Dwarf Star (Our sun is a Yellow Dwarf)
A temperature reading of -459.67 degrees Fahrenheit or -273.15 degrees Celsius, is known as what?	▶ Absolute Zero
The red supergiant star Betelgeuse belongs to which constellation?	▶ Orion
What is the primary unit of temperature measurement in the physical sciences?	▶ The Kelvin
What is the term for the speed that a rocket needs to be traveling to break free of Earth’s gravity?	▶ Escape Velocity
When there are two full moons in the same month, what is the second one called?	▶ Blue Moon
What are the only two letters of the alphabet that do not appear on the Periodic Table?	▶ J & Q
MRI is the acronym used for what medical imaging technique?	▶ Magnetic resonance imaging
Inferior, superior, & fata morgana are different types of what optical illusion?	▶ Mirage
Calling it “inflammable air”, which English scientist discovered hydrogen?	▶ Henry Cavendish
Stratus, Cirrus & Cumulus are names for different types of what?	▶ Clouds
When referring to a medical imaging technique, what does MRI stand for?	▶ Magnetic resonance imaging
Mary Mallon was famously an asymptomatic carrier of what disease?	▶ Typhoid fever
Lead is a chemical element with what symbol on the periodic table?	▶ Pb
SpaceX, an American aerospace manufacturer was founded in 2002 by which entrepreneur?	▶ Elon Musk
What is the largest muscle in the human body?	▶ The gluteus maximus
Who was the first man to set foot on the moon?	▶ Neil Armstrong
What is the chemical equation for hydrogen peroxide?	▶ H2O2
What is the first element on the periodic table?	▶ Hydrogen
What former planet was demoted to a dwarf planet in 2006?	▶ Pluto
What was the name of the first manmade satellite that was launched into space in 1957?	▶ Sputnik
What is the chemical symbol for iron?	▶ Fe
Who is often referred to as “the father of scuba diving”?	▶ Jacques Cousteau
What is name of the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator?	▶ The Large Hadron Collider
What three planets are closest to the Sun?	▶ Mercury, Venus & Earth
Rubies and sapphires are both made of what rock-forming mineral?	▶ Corundum
In our solar system which two planets rotate clockwise?	▶ Venus & Uranus
What country was the first to send an object to the surface of the moon?	▶ The Soviet Union
Aspirin comes from the bark of what tree?	▶ White willow tree
According to Mohs scale, what mineral is the hardest?	▶ Diamond
In what month is the Earth closest to the sun?	▶ January
What planet in our solar system has the longest day?	▶ Venus (243 Earth days)
How many people have walked on the moon?	▶ Twelve
Marie Curie was the first person to win two of what prize?	▶ The Nobel Prize
Which planet in our solar system spins the fastest?	▶ Jupiter, it rotates once on average in just under 10 hours.
Which planet has the most moons?	▶ Jupiter
Of the four rocky planets in our solar system, which is the largest and most dense?	▶ Earth
Which elements symbol is the letter K on the periodic table?	▶ Potassium
In 1781, what was the first planet to be discovered using the telescope?	▶ Uranus
What is the hottest planet in our solar system?	▶ Venus
The theory that Earth’s outer shell is divided into plates that glide over the mantle is known as what?	▶ Plate Tectonics
What is known as the “master gland” of the human body?	▶ The Pituitary Gland
Who was the last man to walk on the moon?	▶ Captain Eugene Cernan
Who was awarded the first United States patent for the telephone?	▶ Alexander Graham Bell
What is the perceived decrease in air temperature felt by the body due to the flow of air known as?	▶ Wind chill
The psychological test of human emotions and personality, using inkblots, is formally known as what?	▶ The Rorschach test
Most adults have how many canine teeth?	▶ Four
What is the chemical formula for ozone?	▶ O3
A person able to use both hands with equal skill is called what?	▶ Ambidextrous
Gymnophobia is the fear of what?	▶ Nudity
What does the acronym DNA stand for?	▶ Deoxyribonucleic acid
What is the fear of clowns called?	▶ Coulrophobia
Sodium chloride is most commonly called what?	▶ Salt
How many hydrogen atoms are in one molecule of water?	▶ Two
What is the chemical symbol for Helium?	▶ He
What is the largest organ of the human body?	▶ Skin
Diamonds are made up almost entirely of what element?	▶ Carbon
In science, how long is an eon?	▶ One billion years
Who is considered the father of psychoanalysis?	▶ Sigmund Freud
Who was the first NASA austronaut to visit space twice?	▶ Gus Grissom
Schrödinger’s cat is a thought experiment dealing with which type of mechanics?	▶ Quantum Mechanics
The filament in an incandescent light bulb is made of what element?	▶ Tungsten
According to physics, what are the four fundamental forces in nature?	▶ Strong Force, Electromagnetic Force, Weak Force, Gravitational Force
Cubic zirconia is a synthesized material often used in place of what precious stone?	▶ Diamond
Callisto is the name of a moon orbiting what planet in our solar system?	▶ Jupiter
What is the scientific name of the common potato?	▶ Solanum tuberosum L.
Curiosity is a car-sized rover that was launched by NASA in 2011 to explore which planet?	▶ Mars
What is the largest internal organ of the human body?	▶ Liver
What planet in our solar system has the most gravity?	▶ Jupiter
Which planet is furthest from the sun?	▶ Neptune
How many planets in our solar system have moons?	▶ Six
Which branch of physics is devoted to the study of heat and related phenomena?	▶ Thermodynamics
The European Organization for Nuclear Research is known by what four letter acronym?	▶ CERN
Which planet in our solar system has the most oxygen?	▶ Earth
What is the name for a protein that acts as a biological catalyst?	▶ Enzyme
What vitamin is produced when a person is exposed to sunlight?	▶ Vitamin D
Which psychologist investigated obedience using electric shocks?	▶ Stanley Milgram
What is the largest 3-digit prime number?	▶ 997
What is the second most abundant element in the earth’s atmosphere?	▶ Oxygen
Who came up with the theories of General and Special relativity?	▶ Albert Einstein
What is the unit of length that is approximately 3.26 light-years?	▶ Parsec
In most modern vehicles, the carburetor has been replace with what?	▶ Fuel Injection
How many pairs of chromosomes are in found in the average human?	▶ Twenty-three
What is the name of the phenomenon when the magnetosphere in the Northern Hemisphere is disturbed by the solar wind resulting in a natural light display?	▶ Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights)
Approximately 2% of all people have what eye color?	▶ Green
Ceres is a dwarf planet that lies between the orbits of which two planets in our solar system?	▶ Mars & Jupiter
In humans, what is the only internal organ capable of regenerating lost tissue?	▶ The Liver
Titan, Enceladus, Mimas & Iapetus are just some of the moons orbiting which planet?	▶ Saturn
Which American inventor is generally given credit for the invention of the lightning rod?	▶ Benjamin Franklin
What is the name for the unit of measurement of power that is roughly equal to 746 watts?	▶ Horsepower
Which planet in our solar system has an axis that is tilted by 98 degrees?	▶ Uranus
186,282 miles per second is the speed of what in a vacuum?	▶ Light
SpaceX was founded by what South African-born inventor?	▶ Elon Musk
Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of what two elements?	▶ Copper & Tin
The Great Red Spot is a gigantic storm located on which planet in our solar system?	▶ Jupiter
What was the name given to the sheep that was the first mammal cloned from an adult cell?	▶ Dolly
Penicillin was discovered in 1928 by which Scottish scientist?	▶ Sir Alexander Fleming
The molecule “hemoglobin” is used in which type of cells?	▶ Red blood cells
Which U.S. president made the first presidential radio broadcast?	▶ Calvin Coolidge
When found on a vehicle’s speedometer, what do the letters MPH stand for?	▶ Miles Per Hour
In our solar system which two planets are known as ice giants?	▶ Uranus and Neptune
What is the name for the specialized nerve cell that transmits information chemically and electrically throughout the body?	▶ Neuron
What common kitchen item is made up of sodium and chlorine atoms?	▶ Salt
Which gland in the human body regulates metabolism?	▶ Thyroid
In our solar system, which planet has the shortest day?	▶ Jupiter
What is the most common blood type in humans?	▶ O+
Which U.S. President made the first telephone call to the moon?	▶ Richard Nixon
What is the name for the branch of mathematics dealing with lengths and angles of triangles.	▶ Trigonometry
Stratus, Cirrus and Cumulus are types of what?	▶ Clouds
The world’s fastest growing plant is a species of what?	▶ Bamboo
What is the name for the upper arm bone found in humans?	▶ Humerus
Able to be seen from outer space, what is Earth’s largest living structure?	▶ The Great Barrier Reef
What is the name for the pigment found in your skin and hair that gives them color?	▶ Melanin
The adult human skeleton is made of up how many bones?	▶ 206
What gives red blood cells their color?	▶ Hemoglobin
Where did a robot named Spirit remain operational over 2000 sols past its planned 90-sol mission?	▶ Mars
What igneous rock has a density less than water?	▶ Pumice
What are the first four digits of Pi?	▶ 3.141
What is the mathematical formula for Newton’s Second Law of Motion?	▶ F=ma (Force equals mass times acceleration)
How many electrons does a hydrogen atom have?	▶ One
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
What element did Joseph Priestley discover in 1774?	▶ Oxygen
The process of making cow’s milk safe for human consumption is called what?	▶ Pasteurization
What part of the human body contains five metacarpal bones?	▶ The hand
In the human body, what is the hallux?	▶ The big toe
Who invented the first alternating current (AC) induction motor?	▶ Nikola Tesla
Which metallic element has a melting point of approximately −38 °F (−39 °C)?	▶ Mercury
Ganymede, the largest moon in our solar system, belongs to which planet?	▶ Jupiter
What is the most abundant chemical element in the Universe?	▶ Hydrogen
On the Periodic Table of Elements, Hg is the symbol for what element?	▶ Mercury
In 1885, Louis Pasteur developed a vaccine for which viral disease?	▶ Rabies
The malleus, incus and stapes are found in what part of the human body?	▶ The ear
A modulator-demodulator is a hardware device better known as what?	▶ Modem
Tuberculosis is a disease caused by bacteria that usually attack which organ?	▶ Lungs
Menlo Park New Jersey was home to which inventors research laboratory?	▶ Thomas Edison
Which planet’s moons are nearly all named after Shakespearean characters?	▶ Uranus
What type of number has no factors other than 1 and itself?	▶ Prime Number
On the periodic table of elements, which element has the shortest name?	▶ Tin
How many planets in our solar system are not named after a god or goddess?	▶ One, Earth
Introduced by Edward Jenner In 1796, what was the first successful vaccine to be developed?	▶ Smallpox vaccine
In computer terminology what does the acronym LAN stand for?	▶ Local-area network
When referring to phone calls made over the internet, what does the acronym VoIP stand for?	▶ Voice over Internet Protocol
When used in the kitchen, sodium bicarbonate is more commonly known as what?	▶ Baking soda
On the periodic table, which element has an atomic weight of 1.00794?	▶ Hydrogen
Which theorem is a fundamental relation in Euclidean geometry among the three sides of a right triangle?	▶ Pythagorean theorem
The largest volcano ever discovered in our solar system is located on which planet?	▶ Mars
What blood type do you need to be a universal donor?	▶ Type O-
An animal that lives part of its life on land and part in water is known as what?	▶ An Amphibian
Which is the largest of Mars’ two moons?	▶ Phobos
Who is generally acknowledged as the “father” of the modern periodic table?	▶ Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev
What is the chemical symbol for table salt?	▶ NaCl
The fear of being in a commitment or getting married is known as what?	▶ Gamophobia
Who is the author of the book “A Brief History of Time”?	▶ Stephen Hawking
Au is the symbol for for what chemical element?	▶ Gold
Fe is the chemical symbol for what element?	▶ Iron
Which is the most abundant metal in the earth’s crust?	▶ Aluminum
In geometry, how many sides are on a heptagon?	▶ Seven
What is the name for the longest side of a right triangle?	▶ Hypotenuse
Which scientist is considered the father of modern genetics?	▶ Gregor Mendel
In 1796 Edward Jenner developed the vaccination for what disease?	▶ Smallpox
What Greek mathematician is considered the founder and father of Geometry?	▶ Euclid
On the Apollo 11 moon mission, which astronaut stayed aloft in the command module while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon?	▶ Michael Collins
What common expression is used to refer to the horseshoe shaped zone found along the Pacific rim where approximately 90% of the world’s earthquakes occur?	▶ Ring of Fire
What heavy metal element was once known as quicksilver?	▶ Mercury
On June 16, 1963, which Soviet cosmonaut became the first woman in space?	▶ Valentina Tereshkova
What is the largest animal currently on Earth?	▶ Blue Whale
What is the most abundant element in the earth’s atmosphere?	▶ Nitrogen