Brainy Blast: Advanced Science Trivia for Curious Teens

Test your scientific smarts with challenging questions across physics, biology, chemistry, and space—perfect for curious teens ready to level up their knowledge.

  1. What is the force per unit area that fluids exert on surfaces called?
    1. Density
    2. Viscosity
    3. Tension
    4. Pressure
  2. Which gas makes up about 78% of Earth's atmosphere by volume?
    1. Carbon dioxide
    2. Oxygen
    3. Nitrogen
    4. Argon
  3. What phenomenon explains why the sky appears blue during the day?
    1. Refraction by clouds
    2. Ozone absorption
    3. Doppler shift
    4. Rayleigh scattering
  4. Which scientist proposed the three laws of motion published in 1687?
    1. Johannes Kepler
    2. Galileo Galilei
    3. Isaac Newton
    4. Robert Hooke
  5. What process in cells converts glucose into ATP in the presence of oxygen?
    1. Aerobic respiration
    2. Fermentation
    3. Photosynthesis
    4. Glycogenesis
  6. Which particle has a positive charge and resides in an atom's nucleus?
    1. Electron
    2. Proton
    3. Neutron
    4. Positron
  7. Which famous scientist popularized physics through books and a TV series 'Cosmos' (20th–21st c.)?
    1. Carl Sagan
    2. Stephen Hawking
    3. Neil deGrasse Tyson
    4. Richard Feynman
  8. What term describes an organism that can make its own food using sunlight?
    1. Parasite
    2. Heterotroph
    3. Saprotroph
    4. Autotroph

Answers and explanations

  1. Question: What is the force per unit area that fluids exert on surfaces called?
    Answer: Pressure
    Explanation: Pressure is the force exerted perpendicular to a surface per unit area (commonly measured in pascals). It’s fundamental in fluids because it transmits uniformly in all directions — a principle used in hydraulics and weather forecasting.
  2. Question: Which gas makes up about 78% of Earth's atmosphere by volume?
    Answer: Nitrogen
    Explanation: Nitrogen makes up about 78% of Earth's atmosphere by volume; it is largely inert under normal conditions and helps dilute oxygen to slow combustion. Interesting fact: nitrogen is essential for life as a key component of proteins and DNA, but most organisms must convert atmospheric N2 into usable bio
  3. Question: What phenomenon explains why the sky appears blue during the day?
    Answer: Rayleigh scattering
    Explanation: Rayleigh scattering is the process by which molecules and tiny particles in Earth’s atmosphere scatter shorter (blue) wavelengths of sunlight more than longer (red) wavelengths, making the sky look blue. Fun fact: the same scattering makes sunsets redder because sunlight travels through more air, so
  4. Question: Which scientist proposed the three laws of motion published in 1687?
    Answer: Isaac Newton
    Explanation: Isaac Newton formulated and published the three laws of motion in his 1687 work Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, laying the foundation for classical mechanics. These laws explain how objects move under forces and remain central to engineering, astronomy, and everyday physics — fun fact:
  5. Question: What process in cells converts glucose into ATP in the presence of oxygen?
    Answer: Aerobic respiration
    Explanation: Aerobic respiration is the cellular process that breaks glucose down using oxygen to produce ATP efficiently. Interesting fact: aerobic respiration yields about 36–38 ATP per glucose molecule in eukaryotic cells, far more than anaerobic pathways like fermentation.
  6. Question: Which particle has a positive charge and resides in an atom's nucleus?
    Answer: Proton
    Explanation: A proton is a positively charged particle found in an atom's nucleus alongside neutrons. Protons determine an element's atomic number, so changing the number of protons transforms the element itself.
  7. Question: Which famous scientist popularized physics through books and a TV series 'Cosmos' (20th–21st c.)?
    Answer: Carl Sagan
    Explanation: Carl Sagan popularized science with his best-selling book Cosmos and the 1980 TV series of the same name, bringing astronomy and critical thinking to millions. He helped foster public interest in space exploration and the scientific method, and coined memorable phrases like "we are star stuff."
  8. Question: What term describes an organism that can make its own food using sunlight?
    Answer: Autotroph
    Explanation: An autotroph is an organism that produces its own food from inorganic sources; most familiar are photosynthetic autotrophs (like plants and algae) that use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into sugars. This process underpins nearly all ecosystems because it supplies the energy and carbon