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!
Table of Contents
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.
Play Multiplayer Trivia Games with Your Team
Make your next meeting, team building, get-together, event, or class more fun with trivia games plus other fun and exciting team engagement tools to help build team connection!
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 |
About the Author
Tim majored in Humanities with a bachelor in English and Theatre at New York State University. He lectured on entertainment business studies for three years at Plymouth College.
Tim has been a trivia host in his current hometown of Pittsburgh for the past two years. He enjoys hanging out with people who love trivia just as much as he does.
His friends call him the Question Master.
