Science trivia
Elements, planets, the human body and the laws of physics, kept to facts that don't change.
Science questions on Twivial stick to the parts of science that are settled. You will see chemistry (element symbols, common formulas, the pH scale), astronomy (the planets and what makes each one distinctive), human biology (organs, cells, blood) and physics (units, forces, the speed of light). There are also a few questions about the people behind famous discoveries, like Newton, Curie and Fleming.
What we leave out
Science moves, so we avoid anything a new paper could overturn. You won't get "how many moons does Saturn have", because that number has changed several times as telescopes improve. The same goes for "largest known" or "most distant" anything. The one counting question about planets is explicitly tied to the 2006 definition, which is when Pluto was reclassified.
How to get better at it
Element symbols are the cheapest points in the category. Several come from Latin names and trip people up: Au for gold, Ag for silver, Na for sodium, K for potassium, Fe for iron, Pb for lead. Learn those and a good share of chemistry questions become free. For astronomy, know one fact per planet: Mercury is closest to the Sun, Venus is the hottest, Mars is red, Jupiter is largest, Saturn has the famous rings.
Temperature questions often hide a unit trap. If an answer looks right but the unit is Fahrenheit when the question asked for Celsius, it's the distractor.
Five sample science questions
-
Which element has the chemical symbol Fe?
Show answer
Iron. The symbol comes from ferrum, the Latin word for iron
-
How many chromosomes does a typical human body cell contain?
Show answer
46. That is 23 pairs; egg and sperm cells carry 23 single chromosomes
-
What is absolute zero on the Celsius scale?
Show answer
−273.15°C. The same temperature is 0 kelvin and −459.67°F, which is why that number shows up as a distractor
-
Which planet has the giant storm called the Great Red Spot?
Show answer
Jupiter. The storm is wider than Earth and has been observed for well over a century
-
Which vitamin does skin make when exposed to sunlight?
Show answer
Vitamin D. Ultraviolet B light starts the reaction in the skin