Great Scientists Quiz: 15 Science History Questions
From Marie Curie to Albert Einstein, great scientists have transformed our understanding of the world. Do you know their discoveries, their lives and their awards? Put yourself to the test!
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Frequently asked questions: Great Scientists
A preview of what awaits you in this great scientists quiz: 15 multiple choice questions, each with a detailed explanation so you can learn while you play. Here are a few sample questions (and their answers, so no cheating before you play!).
Which scientist received two Nobel Prizes, in Physics (1903) and in Chemistry (1911)?
Answer: Marie Curie. Marie Curie is the only person to have received two Nobel Prizes in two different scientific fields: in Physics in 1903 (with Pierre Curie and Henri Becquerel) for her work on radioactivity, and in Chemistry in 1911 for the discovery of radium and polonium.
Which French scientist is considered the father of microbiology and modern vaccination?
Answer: Louis Pasteur. Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) is considered the father of microbiology. He discovered the principle of pasteurisation, developed vaccines against rabies and anthrax, and disproved the theory of spontaneous generation.
Which physicist is known for the uncertainty principle in quantum mechanics?
Answer: Werner Heisenberg. Werner Heisenberg formulated the uncertainty principle in 1927, stating that it is impossible to know both the position and the velocity of a particle precisely at the same time. He received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1932.
Which English mathematician and physicist formulated the laws of universal gravitation and motion?
Answer: Isaac Newton. Isaac Newton published his “Principia Mathematica” in 1687, in which he set out the three laws of motion and the law of universal gravitation. He also developed infinitesimal calculus and split white light into a spectrum of colours using a prism.
Which researcher played a crucial role in the discovery of the structure of DNA through her X-ray diffraction images?
Answer: Rosalind Franklin. Rosalind Franklin produced the famous “Photo 51” by X-ray diffraction, which was decisive in determining the double helix structure of DNA. She died in 1958 aged 37, and so did not receive the Nobel Prize awarded in 1962 to Watson, Crick and Wilkins.
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