What does DNA stand for?

Dynamic nuclear atom chain molecule

What do you see when white light passes through a prism?

A single beam of bright blue light

The Ultimate Science Trivia Quiz: 10 Questions About Our World

The ultimate science trivia quiz asks ten questions about our world, from the Sun and the speed of light to DNA, gravity, the periodic table, the human body, plants and famous scientists such as Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and Marie Curie. Race the 150-second timer and learn something new from every explanation.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Space
How long does sunlight take to reach Earth?
Planets
Which is the largest planet in our solar system?
Biology
What does DNA stand for?
Physics
Which scientist is famous for describing the law of universal gravitation?
Chemistry
Which gas do plants absorb from the air for photosynthesis?
Atoms
What is the dense center of an atom called?
Evolution
Which scientist wrote On the Origin of Species in 1859?
Air
Roughly what percentage of the air we breathe is nitrogen?
Nobel
Marie Curie was the first person to win Nobel Prizes in two different sciences. Which two?
Light
What do you see when white light passes through a prism?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: How long does sunlight take to reach Earth?
Answer: About 8 minutes
Light travels about 300,000 kilometers per second, and the Sun is about 150 million kilometers away. So sunlight takes about 8 minutes and 20 seconds.
Q2: Which is the largest planet in our solar system?
Answer: Jupiter
Jupiter is more than 11 times wider than Earth. Its Great Red Spot is a giant storm larger than our whole planet.
Q3: What does DNA stand for?
Answer: Deoxyribonucleic acid
DNA carries the genetic instructions for living things. Its double helix structure was described in 1953.
Q4: Which scientist is famous for describing the law of universal gravitation?
Answer: Isaac Newton
Newton published his laws of motion and gravity in 1687. The story of a falling apple inspiring him is popular but simplified.
Q5: Which gas do plants absorb from the air for photosynthesis?
Answer: Carbon dioxide
Plants use sunlight, water and carbon dioxide to make sugar. They release oxygen as a by-product.
Q6: What is the dense center of an atom called?
Answer: The nucleus
The nucleus contains protons and neutrons and holds almost all of an atom's mass. Electrons move in the space around it.
Q7: Which scientist wrote On the Origin of Species in 1859?
Answer: Charles Darwin
Darwin explained evolution by natural selection. His ideas were shaped by his voyage on HMS Beagle, including a visit to the Galápagos Islands.
Q8: Roughly what percentage of the air we breathe is nitrogen?
Answer: About 78 percent
Nitrogen makes up about 78 percent of the atmosphere, and oxygen about 21 percent. The remaining gases include argon and carbon dioxide.
Q9: Marie Curie was the first person to win Nobel Prizes in two different sciences. Which two?
Answer: Physics and chemistry
She won the physics prize in 1903 and the chemistry prize in 1911. She discovered the elements polonium and radium.
Q10: What do you see when white light passes through a prism?
Answer: A spectrum of colors
A prism bends each color of light by a slightly different amount. Isaac Newton studied this effect in the 1660s.

The Ultimate Science Trivia Quiz – How Our World Works

Science explains how the world works, from the smallest atoms to the largest galaxies. A good science quiz mixes physics, chemistry, biology and space, and it often reveals how amazing everyday things really are.

Take light: sunlight needs about eight minutes to reach Earth, and when white light passes through a prism, it splits into a rainbow of colors, as Isaac Newton showed. Newton also described the law of universal gravitation, which explains why apples fall and why the Moon orbits Earth.

Chemistry uses symbols that come from many languages. The nucleus holds almost all of an atom's mass, and nitrogen makes up most of the air we breathe. In biology, DNA carries the instructions for life, plants turn carbon dioxide into sugar and oxygen, and Jupiter is so large that more than 1,000 Earths could fit inside it.

Great scientists changed how we see ourselves. Charles Darwin explained evolution by natural selection, and Marie Curie became the first person to win Nobel Prizes in two different sciences, physics and chemistry. Their stories show how curiosity and careful experiments lead to discovery.

Science is never finished. Every answer leads to new questions, and today researchers continue to explore everything from black holes and climate change to new medicines and the tiny particles that make up all matter.

What This Quiz Teaches

This quiz is perfect for students, curious minds and science fans.

Light and the Sun
Chemical symbols and elements
DNA and the human body
Gravity and Isaac Newton
Photosynthesis
Darwin and Marie Curie

Quick Science Facts

Water expands when it freezes, which is why ice floats.
Sound cannot travel through the vacuum of space.
The human brain uses about 20 percent of the body's energy.
Diamonds and pencil graphite are both made of carbon.
Lightning is about five times hotter than the surface of the Sun.
There are 118 known chemical elements.