Science Trivia Questions for Kids

All 34 science trivia questions for kids

1. What is the chemical symbol for gold?

   Answer: Au From the Latin aurum.Why?

2. How many bones does an adult human skeleton normally have?

   Answer: 206 Babies are born with about 270, which fuse over time.Why?

3. Which planet is closest to the Sun?

   Answer: Mercury It has no real atmosphere, so its surface swings between extreme heat and cold.Why?

4. What gas do plants absorb from the air for photosynthesis?

   Answer: Carbon dioxide They release oxygen as a by-product of the same reaction.Why?

5. What is the most abundant gas in Earth's atmosphere?

   Answer: Nitrogen It makes up roughly 78 percent.Why?

6. Which organ in the human body produces insulin?

   Answer: Pancreas Clusters of cells called the islets of Langerhans do the work.Why?

7. Which force keeps the planets in orbit around the Sun?

   Answer: Gravity Its strength falls off with the square of the distance between two bodies.Why?

8. Water freezes at what temperature on the Celsius scale?

   Answer: 0 degrees The same point is 32 degrees on the Fahrenheit scale.

9. Which part of a plant normally takes up water from the soil?

   Answer: The roots Fine root hairs hugely increase the surface area available for absorption.Why?

10. The chemical formula H2O describes which substance?

    Answer: Water Two hydrogen atoms bonded to a single oxygen atom.

11. Which organ pumps blood around the human body?

    Answer: Heart It beats roughly a hundred thousand times in a day.Why?

12. Which of these animals is a mammal?

    Answer: Dolphin Dolphins breathe air, are warm-blooded and feed their young milk.

13. A caterpillar changes into a butterfly through which process?

    Answer: Metamorphosis Inside the chrysalis most of the larval body is broken down and rebuilt.

14. Which instrument is used to look at things far too small to see?

    Answer: Microscope Combining two lenses is what pushes magnification past a simple glass.Why?

15. Which planet is the largest in our solar system?

    Answer: Jupiter More than 1,300 Earths would fit inside it.

16. Our solar system belongs to which galaxy?

    Answer: The Milky Way The hazy band across the night sky is its disc, seen edge-on from inside.

17. Which planet is famous for its bright ring system?

    Answer: Saturn The rings are mostly water ice, with pieces ranging from dust grains to house-sized chunks.

18. Molten rock that erupts from a volcano is called what?

    Answer: Lava Underground it is called magma; the name changes once it reaches the surface.

19. Which natural event is measured on the Richter scale?

    Answer: Earthquakes Each whole step on the scale represents roughly ten times more ground motion.

20. Clouds are mostly made of what?

    Answer: Tiny water droplets and ice crystals Water vapour itself is invisible; a cloud appears only once it condenses into droplets.

21. Which element has the chemical symbol O?

    Answer: Oxygen It is the most abundant element in Earth's crust by mass.

22. Table salt is a compound of sodium and which other element?

    Answer: Chlorine Both are dangerous on their own, yet together they form something we sprinkle on food.

23. Which three are the classic states of matter?

    Answer: Solid, liquid and gas Plasma is often counted as a fourth, found in stars and lightning.

24. Which organ is protected by the skull?

    Answer: Brain The adult skull is made of 22 bones that fuse together during childhood.

25. Which is the largest organ of the human body?

    Answer: Skin In an adult it weighs around 4 kilograms and covers about 2 square metres.

26. Oranges and lemons are rich in which vitamin?

    Answer: Vitamin C Sailors once ate citrus to prevent scurvy, a disease caused by lacking it.

27. Which form of energy is stored in a battery?

    Answer: Chemical energy A reaction inside the cell pushes electrons round the circuit once it is connected.

28. A ramp is an example of which simple machine?

    Answer: Inclined plane It trades a longer distance for a smaller force to raise the same load.

29. Whose 1543 book argued that Earth orbits the Sun?

    Answer: Nicolaus Copernicus De revolutionibus appeared in the year of his death.

30. Who first observed the four largest moons of Jupiter, in 1610?

    Answer: Galileo Galilei They are still called the Galilean moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.

31. Marie Curie is best known for her research into what?

    Answer: Radioactivity She won Nobel Prizes in both physics and chemistry, still the only person honoured in two different sciences.

32. A rock from space that survives to reach Earth's surface is called what?

    Answer: Meteorite While still burning through the atmosphere it is a meteor; only the landed piece is a meteorite.

33. Burning fossil fuels adds which greenhouse gas to the atmosphere in the largest amounts?

    Answer: Carbon dioxide Water vapour traps more heat overall, but carbon dioxide is the one human activity is adding.

34. Including wisdom teeth, how many teeth does an adult human normally have?

    Answer: 32 Children have 20 milk teeth, which start falling out at around age six.