Science Quiz Prelims

(Utkansh’15)

QM : Sujit J Patil

• This chemical exists in form of two stereoisomers.

• The levorotatory- form is used as a nasal decongestant in Vicks inhaler (only in US).

• The dextrorotatory- form is much popular among the masses for its different use. Which chemical ?

1)

Image :

• Methamphetamine

• To test which theory were the following tests proposed in 1916 ?

1. the perihelion precession of Mercury's orbit

2. the deflection of light by the Sun

3. the gravitational redshift of light.

2)

• Theory of General Relativity

• In 2001, scientists of John Hopkins University determined the color of _______ as a shade of greenish white, somewhere between pale turquoise and aquamarine.

• But in 2002, they clarified that the color was wrong due to an error in the software use to calculate the shade.

• They reported that the correct color was a slightly beigeish white.

• Fill the blank.

3)

• Universe

• Jean Baptiste Perrin was a French physicist who, in his studies of the Brownian motion, verified Albert Einstein’s explanation of this phenomenon. For this achievement he was honoured with the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1926.

• In 1895, Perrin showed that cathode rays were of negative electric charge in nature. He explained solar energy as due to the thermonuclear reactions of hydrogen.

• He was also responsible for his work in determining the value of _________ constant by several different methods. After whom did Perrin named this constant in 1909 ?

4)

• Avogadro’s constant

• Identify this famous physicist.

5)

• Igor Irodov

• Analyse des Infiniment Petits pour l'Intelligence des Lignes Courbes is a textbook written by the French mathematician Guillaume de _______, and treated only the subject of differential calculus.

• In this book is the first appearance of _________’s rule. The rule is believed to be the work of Johann Bernoulli. When _______ published his book, he gave due credit to Bernoulli and, not wishing to take credit for any of the mathematics in the book, he published the work anonymously.

• Bernoulli, who was known for being extremely jealous, claimed to be the author of the entire work. Nevertheless, the rule was named for _______, who never claimed to have invented it in the first place.

• Fill the blank.

6)

• L’Hopital Rule

• Identify the person in the photograph :

7)

• Edwin Aldrin

• The poet Alexander Pope had written an epitaph for _______ but this was not allowed to be put on the monument in the Westminster Abbey:

“Nature and Nature's laws lay hid in night: God said, Let _______ be! and all was light”

• Fill the blank.

8)

• Newton

• Sometime around 600 B.C., and for reasons known only to himself, Thales of Miletus, a Greek mathematician and philosopher, rubbed a piece of amber with animal fur and made an astounding discovery. The amber (basically fossilized tree sap) became a virtual magnet for feathers and small particles of dust.

• Which modern word is derived from the ancient Greek name for amber ?

9)

• Electron

• Neil deGrasse Tyson claims that he has been falsely described as the killer of ______.

• He goes on to say that the actual killer of ______ is Mike Brown, author of this book :

• Fill the blank.

10)

• Pluto

• Which fault forms the tectonic boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate ?

• It also shares its name with a 2015 movie and a 2004 video game.

11)

• San Andreas

• On which monument, one can find this compound FePO4.H3PO4.4H2O (Iron hydrogen phosphate hydrate)– which gives the monument a unique property ?

12)

• Iron Pillar at Delhi

• Name the author whose name is blanked ?

13)

• Stephen Hawking

• "Mad as a hatter" is a colloquial phrase used in conversation to refer to a crazy person. In 18th and 19th century England ______ was used in the production of felt, which was used in the manufacturing of hats common of the time.

• People who patronised these hat factories were exposed daily to trace amounts of _____, which accumulated within their bodies over time, causing some workers to develop dementia caused by its poisoning (called mad hatter syndrome). Thus, the phrase became popular as a way to refer to someone who was perceived as insane.

• Fill the blank.

14)

• Mercury

• There is a persistent urban legend that chocolate contains X. It would seem that this rumour is primarily based on the resemblance between two similar alkaloids: X and theobromine.

• Theobromine is the active ingredient in chocolate and it is only found in cacao. The two stimulants are related and have a similar structures, but are very different chemicals with different properties, effects and origins.

• Identify X.

15)

Image :

• Caffeine

• Vice-Admiral Robert FitzRoy was a career officer of the Royal Navy and a scientist. He was the captain of the second voyage of a ship on which X travelled.

• In 1860, when X’s book was published for the first time, FitzRoy was dismayed and stood against X in a debate on the book. During the debate, FitzRoy stood in the centre of the audience and “lifting an immense Bible first with both and afterwards with one hand over his head, solemnly implored the audience to believe God rather than man”

• Identify X.

16)

• Charles Darwin

• Whose tombstone ?

17)

• Ludwig Botzmann

• On 21 March 1999, exactly 16 years ago, X accomplished the first non-stop circumnavigation of earth by balloon. X is currently involved in a similar mission. Who is X ?

18)

• Bertrand Piccard (Solar Impulse)

• Here a bullfighter is shown in a thankful gesture to X whose invention became important for bullfighters to fight infections that developed in wounds due to unclean horns of the bull.

• Due to this invention many lives of bullfighters were saved. Who is X ?

19)

Image :

• Alexander Fleming

• X’s book “What is life ?” inspired Y to shift his field of study from Ornithology to Genetics.

• Identify both.

20)

• X – Erwin Schrodinger

• Y – James Watson