Questions From the March 2009 Show

  1. A glass of cold milk sometimes forms a coat of water on the outside of the glass (Often referred to as 'sweat'). How does most of the water get there?
  2. What makes the earth rotate?
  3. The word "Plumber" is derived from the name of which element?
  4. Farmer Bob wants to grow some organic vegetables in his back yard.  He goes tothe store to buy some organic fertilizer.  In the chemical sense, what does the term 'Organic' mean?
  5. Assume a beaker of pure water has been boiling for 30 minutes.  What is in the bubbles in the boiling water?
  6. This acid is the most acidic of all organic acids and has the chemical formula CH2O2.  It is present in the stings of stinging nettles, bees and ants.  Which acid is this?
  7. What is a eukaryotic cell?
  8. What is the substance cells use as an immediate source of energy for themselves?
  9. What is defined as a 'proton acceptor'?
  10. What is the name given to a species that can be used to tell something about the environment, for example, how much pollution there is in a body of water?
  11. Protein molecules are extremely large and as aconsequence need more to hold them in a particular shape than just the bonds between the subunits.  This is often accomplished by forming a special kind of bridge using two atoms of which element?
  12. In which ocean are you more likely to find the largest number of living organisms, including microbes, in one gallon of water?
  13. Two ice cubes are floating in a glass of water.  After the ice melts, what will the water level be in relation to its original level?
  14. There is a dye obtained fromt he woad plant which has been used for centuries as a blue colorant.  What is it called?
  15. What is a monotreme?
  16. Where do we think most of the Earth's water came from?
  17. When you heat food in a microwave oven, it changes at the molecular level.  What is this called?

    18.
Answers
  1. It condenses from the air.
  2. Because it has not stopped moving, or inertia.
  3. Lead.
  4. Carbon based.
  5.  Water vapor.
  6. Formic acid.
  7. A cell with a nucleus.
  8. Adenosine Triphosphate, or ATP.
  9. A base.
  10. An indicator or indicator species.
  11. Sulphur.
  12. The Arctic Ocean.
  13. The same.
  14. Indigo.
  15. Mammals that lay eggs.
  16. Comets.
  17. Cooking.
    18.
Practical Section

Using only 5 sheets of paper and masking tape, in 4 minutes design a structure to protect a potato chip from the host dropping a book on it.
A method that worked (tested beforehand) was to fold the 5 sheets of paper into a ring about 5 cm. tall and 10 cm in diameter, and put the chip inside the ring.
Final Question

You've just stumbled across an interesting scientific study on the Internet.  The results are amazing - and you want to bleieve what you're reading.  Write down all the things you can think of that this study should contain to convince you that it's correct.

Here are some possible answers:

Questions From the November 2009 Show

  1. What is dry ice?
  2. The humble pencil is something found in just about every household. Often called "lead pencils", the substance in the middle of the pencil that does the writing actually isn't lead at all; what is it?
  3. The three basic subatomic particles are proton, neutron and electron. Which one is the lightest?
  4. What is the change of state either from solid to gas or from gas to solid called?
  5. The energy used by living beings on the earth to feed, move, and reproduce all comes from what original source?
  6. Lemons, oranges, grapefruit, limes, tangerines, and several other fruits are known for their 'sourness' and similarity in structure. All of them belong to the same genus, and so are very closely related. Which acid gives these fruits their characteristic taste?
  7. This pigment is what affects the colour of the hair, skin and eyes in humans and other mammals. It also helps protect the skin from the Sun's harmful ultra-violet (UV) rays. It is what helps human skin tan in the sun. What is the name of this pigment?
  8. Humans maintain their body temperature using a number of homeostatic mechanisms. Sweating is one example whereby a mixture of water and some dissolved substances is released from the sweat glands onto the surface of the skin. What process is responsible for "drying" the sweat and thus cooling the skin?
  9. A leech survives by feeding off the blood of other, larger beings. This type of behavior is known as?
  10. What is the name of the pigment that gives the green colour to plants?
  11. What term is used for the seasonal movement of birds and fish?
  12. What is the name of the chiefly nocturnal insect resembles a butterfly?
  13. How many planets are there now considered to be in the solar system?
  14. What gas is produced by a plant during photosynthesis?
  15. Radioactivity is a core concept in nuclear chemistry; some unstable elements, especially heavy ones, tend to "decay" and release particles, while the original atom changes into a different element. Answer me this: if a radioactive atom of carbon-14 emits an alpha particle, what atom will it become?
  16. What does the Van Allen belt partly surround?
  17. The random movement of particles suspended in a fluid is called ____ motion.
  18. An animal that eats only meat is called?
  19. What do enzymes do?
  20. Soaps come in different colors. But why is soap's lather always white in color?
  21. Our stomach plays an important part in the digestion process. What is the name of the acid present in our stomach used for digestion?
  22. The lava that comes out of volcanoes is very hot.  Why is it that the Earth's core is so hot?
  23. Water is known as "the universal solvent" because it can dissolve many different substances. What unique property of water makes it such a great solvent?

Answers
  1. Solid or frozen carbon dioxide.
  2. Graphite.
  3. Electron.
  4. Sublimation.
  5. The sun.
  6. Citric acid.
  7. Melanin.
  8. Evaporation.
  9. Parasitism.
  10. Chlorophyll.
  11. Migration.
  12. A moth.
  13. Eight.
  14. Oxygen.
  15. Beryllium - 10.
  16. Earth.
  17. Brownian motion.
  18. A carnivore.
  19. Speed up or slow down the rate of reaction.
  20. The light striking bubbles gets scattered.
  21. Hydrochloric acid.
  22. Radioactive decay generates heat.
  23. Water is polar.


    24. Practical Section

    Using only 8 craft sticks, tape and 6 rubber bands, construct a catapult to launch "fluff balls" into the box. The fluff ball must be launched with the craft stick, not with your hands, rubber bands or tape. Contestants must remain seated and behind the table. The tape roll cannot be used as part of the catapult. The launching apparatus must remain on the table.


    Final Question

    Put the following list of everyday items into order from highest energy electromagnetic wave to lowest:


    • Electric stove.
    • Tanning booth.
    • Flashlight.
    • Cell phone.
    • RC toy car.
    • Smoke detector.

      •
      The correct order is:
      1. Smoke detector. (Gamma radiation.)
      2. Tanning booth. (Ultraviolet radiation.)
      3. Flashlight. (Visible light.)
      4. Electric Stove. (Infrared radiation.)
      5. Cell phone. (Microwave radiation.)
      6. RC toy car. (Radio frequency radiation.)

        7.


Questions From the January 2010 Show

  1. This animal is the most dangerous animal in the world to humans. Because of their habits of visiting animal waste, they transmit more diseases than any other animal. What is it?
  2. Yum! I love to eat! How long approximately does it take a human to digest a meal?
  3. What are the longest living cells in the human body?
  4. Most gemstones contain several elements. Can you think of an exception?
  5. What is the most abundant element in the universe?
  6. About how long does it take sunlight to travel from the sun to the earth?
  7. Does there exist a temperature that is the same on both the Fahrenheit and Celsius scales? If so what is it?
  8. Which planet in our solar system is the hottest?
  9. There is only one planet in our solar system that rotates on its side like a barrel. Which is it?
  10. Which planet in our solar system spins backwards relative to the others?
  11. What are the only two pure elements that are liquid at room temperature?
  12. About how many pounds did the heaviest human brain weigh?
  13. About how much faster does sound travel in water compared to air?
  14. In 2009 NASA scientists reported that they had detected large quantities of this gas on Mars. What is it?
  15. Researchers recently described a 4.4 million-year-old ancient human creature that may be a direct ancestor to us. The 17-year investigation of the fossils was named as Science journal'sbig breakthrough of 2009. What was this creature nicknamed?
  16. Scientists believe that the visible part of the universe, the ordinary matter” - gas, stars, planets and galaxies - makes up a small part of the Universe. The remainder is unseen.  About what percentage is thought to be this material?
  17. Various quantities are defined as standards. What quantity is the distance that light travels in a vacuum in a time of 1/299,792,458 second?
  18. Two astronauts are celebrating landing on a new planet with no atmosphere. Astronaut A shoots her special, no oxygen required gun straight up in the air while Astronaut B fires her identical gun straight down. What do we know about the terminal velocities of the two bullets?
  19. Which chemical element is named after the creator of dynamite?
  20. What disorder is caused by having three copies of chromosome 21? 
  21. Clouds are full of tiny water droplets.  When it rains, why does rain come in drops and not in a continuous stream?

    22.
Answers

    •
    1.  the common housefly.
    2. ~ 12 hours.
    3. brain cells.
    4. Diamond.
    5. Hydrogen.
    6. 8 minutes (+20 seconds.)
    7. - 40 degrees.
    8. Venus.
    9. Uranus.
    10. Venus.
    11. Bromine and mercury.
    12. 5 lb. 1.1oz
    13. 4 times.
    14. Methane.
    15. "Ardi".
    16. less than 5%.
    17. a meter.
    18. They're the same.
    19. Nobelium.
    20. Down syndrome.
    21. Larger drops do not survive because the surface tension of water is exceeded by the frictional drag of the air, breaking larger drops into smaller ones.

    Practical Section

    Each team had plastic straws, paper clips, scissors, a paper cup and 1 foot of tape.  In the 4 minutes alloted, they had to build the tallest tower that would support a baseball.  The team that built the highest tower that supported the ball won.
    Final Question


     Match the correct phase of mitosis to one of the following descriptions.


    1. Nuclear membrane begins to form around each group of chromosomes. (Telophase.)
    2. Spindle fibers attach to a protein structure on the centromere of each chromosome. (Metaphase.)
    3. Chromatin condenses into tightly coiled chromosomes. (Prophase.)
    4. Chromosomes begin to uncoil and the spindle fibers fall apart. (Telophase.) 
    5. Chromosomes separate and move apart. (Anaphase.)
    6. Chromosomes move towards the middle of the cell. (Metaphase.)
    7. The spindle fibers begin to shorten, pulling the sister chromatids away from each other. (Anaphase.)
    8. Organelles may duplicate and DNA replicates. (Interphase.)
    9. Spindle fibers form and radiate toward the center of the cell. (Prophase.)
    10. The nucleolus disappears and the nuclear membrane begins to disappear. (Prophase.)

    Questions From the May 2010 Show

    1. Molten rock on the surface of the earth is called lava. What is molten rock called when it is still below the surface?
    2. Where does the water cycle get its energy from?
    3. If a solid has no ordered structure to its particles, and no well-defined faces, angles or shapes, what type of solid is it? Examples include glass and rubber.
    4. In genetics, what is the law of independent assortment?
    5. Momentum is a measure of the motion of a body equal to the product of its mass and ..
    6. What is the exchange of chromosome segments between homologous chromosomes called?
    7. Suppose you know two genes exist on the same chromosome. How could you determine if they are located close to each other? .
    8. If a solution of a compound conducts electrical currents, what is it called?
    9. We all know that the earth travels around the sun, and not the other way around. Who first formulated this “heliocentric” theory?
    10. Which of the 8 standard planets is the densest?
    11. What do you call the atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons?
    12. The extent to which a liquid resists flow, which can be determined by measuring the time it takes for a specific amount of liquid to flow through a tube with a known diameter is called?
    13. What do you call a chemical reaction in which there is a simultaneous gain of electrons by one element and loss of electrons by another?
    14. Whose law states that equal volumes of different gasses under like conditions of pressure and temperature contain the same number of molecules.
    15. What is the name of the science of producing and studying low-temperature environments.
    16. What do you call the temperature and pressure where all three states of matter, gas, liquid and solid, coexist simultaneously.
    17. The qualitative property that measures the degree of disorder or randomness in a closed system is called what?
    18. What is the most common form of mutualism?
    19. What is the name of the process that transforms liquid water to a gas phase as it moves from the ground toward the atmosphere?
    20. When following the scientific method, How many independent variables can you have during an experiment?
    21. This term describes an observable characteristic or trait of an organism: such as its morphology, development, biochemical or physiological properties, or behavior.
    22. What is the term for the genetic transmission of a characteristic from a parent to an offspring.
    23. What land form is found on all solid planets?
    24. Erosion is a broad term that includes various processes that ALL work towards the movement of soil and rock. What is the process of disintegration of rock and soil called?
    25. Cementation of sedimentary rocks is the result of the chemical named what?
    26. Obsidian is type of rock. What type of rock is it?
    27. What type of rock are fossils embedded in?
    28. Rocks that were originally either sedimentary, igneous or metamorphic and have been changed further by heat and pressure are called what?

    Answers
    1. Magma
      2.
    2. The sun, or solar energy.
    3. Amorphous solid.
    4. Allele pairs separate independently of each other during gamete formation or meiosis.
    5. Velocity.
    6. Crossing over.
    7. If they're inherited together.
    8. Electrolyte.
    9. Copernicus.
    10. Earth!
    11. Isotopes.
    12. Viscosity.
    13. Oxidation-reduction or redox.
    14. Avogadro's Law.
    15. Cryogenics.
    16. Triple point.
    17. Entropy.
    18. Cleaning symbiosis.
    19. Evaporation.
    20. One.
    21. Phenotype.
    22. Inherited trait or inheritance.
    23. Craters.
    24. Weathering.
    25. Calcium carbonate.
    26. Igneous rock.
    27. Sedimentary rock.
    28. Metamorphic.
      29.

    Practical Section

    Each team had 10 sheets of paper, 1 pair of scissors and 4 minutes to build the highest tower possible.
    Final Question
  • List the elements in the periodic table in order of atomic number, starting at 1.
    •
    1. Hydrogen
    2. Helium
    3. Lithium
    4. Berylium
    5. Boron
    6. Carbon
    7. Nitrogen
    8. Oxygen
    9. Fluorine
    10. Neon
    11. Sodium
    12. Magnesium
    13. Aluminum
    14. Silicon
    15. Phosphorous
    16. Sulfur
    17. Chlorine
    18. Argon
    19. Potassium
    20. Calcium
      21.

    Thanks for playing Science Fun!