How Well Do You Know Science’s Biggest Moments? Take the Quiz and Shock Yourself!

What was the purpose of the Michelson-Morley Experiment?

Detect Earth’s motion through space

Prove the existence of atoms

Discover the structure of DNA

Map the human genome

The Michelson-Morley Experiment aimed to detect the Earth’s motion through an ‘aether’, which was hypothesized to be the medium through which light waves propagated. The experiment’s null result was pivotal in disproving the aether theory and supporting the development of Einstein’s theory of relativity.

Who conducted the first controlled nuclear chain reaction?

Marie Curie

Albert Einstein

Enrico Fermi

Niels Bohr

Enrico Fermi led the team that initiated the first controlled nuclear chain reaction on December 2, 1942, at the University of Chicago, marking a significant moment in the development of nuclear energy and nuclear weapons.

The Hershey-Chase experiments helped confirm that:

Proteins carry genetic information

DNA carries genetic information

Lipids form cell membranes

Carbohydrates provide energy

The Hershey-Chase experiments used bacteriophages and demonstrated that DNA, not protein, carries genetic information, significantly influencing the field of genetics and molecular biology.

Which study first confirmed the expanding universe?

Hubbleâ€™s galaxy study

Keplerâ€™s planetary laws

Einsteinâ€™s theory of relativity

Newtonâ€™s law of gravitation

Edwin Hubbleâ€™s observation of distant galaxies in 1929 provided the first empirical support for the expanding universe theory, showing that galaxies are moving away from us in all directions.

What was the main discovery of the Millikan Oil Drop Experiment?

Structure of the atom

Existence of isotopes

Charge of an electron

Mass of a proton

Robert Millikan’s Oil Drop Experiment precisely measured the electric charge of a single electron, which was a crucial step in the development of atomic physics.

What did Pavlov’s experiments with dogs demonstrate?

Genetic inheritance

Operant conditioning

Classical conditioning

Cognitive dissonance

Ivan Pavlov’s experiments demonstrated classical conditioning, where dogs were conditioned to salivate in response to a stimulus (a bell) associated with food.

Rosalind Franklin contributed to understanding the structure of:

Proteins

DNA

Lipids

Carbohydrates

Rosalind Franklin’s X-ray diffraction images were critical in discovering the double helix structure of DNA, although her contributions were initially overshadowed by Watson and Crick’s model.

Which experiment is known as the “double-slit experiment”?

Young’s experiment

Rutherford’s experiment

Mendel’s experiment

Millikan’s experiment

Thomas Young’s double-slit experiment demonstrated the wave nature of light by showing interference patterns, which challenged the particle theory of light and led to significant developments in quantum mechanics.

The discovery of penicillin was primarily accidental by:

Alexander Fleming

Louis Pasteur

Edward Jenner

Joseph Lister

Alexander Fleming accidentally discovered penicillin, the first true antibiotic, in 1928, which led to a revolution in medical treatments by providing a means to effectively treat bacterial infections.

The Galileo Thermoscope helped measure:

Air humidity

Air pressure

Temperature changes

Wind speed

Galileo’s development of the thermoscope allowed for the qualitative measurement of temperature changes, an important step towards the development of modern thermometers.

What experiment discovered the neutron?

Rutherford gold foil

Bohr model analysis

Chadwickâ€™s experiment

Watson-Crick DNA study

James Chadwick’s experiment in 1932 conclusively proved the existence of neutrons, neutral particles within the atomic nucleus, which played a crucial role in advancing atomic theory and quantum mechanics.

Who first measured the speed of light?

Galileo

Einstein

RÃ¸mer

Newton

Ole RÃ¸mer was the first to measure the speed of light accurately in 1676 by observing the orbits of Jupiter’s moon Io, providing the first quantitative estimate of light speed.

What principle did the Stern-Gerlach experiment confirm?

Quantum entanglement

Quantum superposition

Quantum confinement

Quantum spin

The Stern-Gerlach experiment, conducted in 1922, demonstrated quantum spin by showing that particles possess intrinsic angular momentum that can be quantized, a fundamental aspect of quantum mechanics.

Which study first confirmed the expanding universe?

Hubbleâ€™s galaxy study

Keplerâ€™s planetary laws

Einsteinâ€™s theory of relativity

Newtonâ€™s law of gravitation

Edwin Hubbleâ€™s observation of distant galaxies in 1929 provided the first empirical support for the expanding universe theory, showing that galaxies are moving away from us in all directions.

What did the Urey-Miller experiment simulate?

Origin of stars

Earthâ€™s early atmosphere

Black hole formation

Solar system formation

The Urey-Miller experiment in 1952 simulated Earth’s early atmospheric conditions and demonstrated that organic compounds essential for life could be spontaneously formed under these conditions.

Who discovered radioactivity?

Marie Curie

Henri Becquerel

Ernest Rutherford

Niels Bohr

Henri Becquerel accidentally discovered radioactivity in 1896 while investigating phosphorescence in uranium salts, marking a significant milestone in atomic physics.

What did the Davisson-Germer experiment prove?

Wave-particle duality

Nuclear fusion

Photon emission

Radio wave propagation

The Davisson-Germer experiment of 1927 provided direct evidence of the wave-particle duality of electrons through electron diffraction, a cornerstone result for quantum mechanics.

Which experiment supported the big bang theory?

COBE satellite findings

Milikan oil drop

Galileoâ€™s pendulum

Pavlovâ€™s dogs

The COBE (Cosmic Background Explorer) satellite findings in 1992 provided strong evidence supporting the Big Bang theory by detecting cosmic microwave background radiation, which is a critical relic from the early universe.

What was demonstrated by the Foucault pendulum?

Earth rotates

Gravity is constant

Relativity of time

Solar energy

The Foucault pendulum, first displayed in 1851, was a simple experiment that provided the first dynamic proof of Earth’s rotation visible from a fixed point on Earth.

What phenomenon did the Geiger-Marsden experiment uncover?

Atomic nuclei

Electron clouds

Neutrino oscillations

Quantum tunneling

The Geiger-Marsden experiment, also known as the gold foil experiment, conducted by Hans Geiger and Ernest Marsden under the direction of Ernest Rutherford, famously discovered the atomic nucleus in 1909, leading to the development of the Rutherford model of the atom.