ISTA Senior Science Quiz 2009

1

Round 1

2

Tim Berners-Lee a CERN scientist is credited with the invention of which global phenomenon?

3

What are the two main constituents of bronze alloy?

4

Photographs produced by this has 3-D quality.

What is an SEM?

5

Name the physical concept that prevents light escaping from an optic fibre. 6

By 2008, worldwide sales of televisions with LCD screens had surpassed the sale of CRT units.

What does LCD stand for?

7

Which plant growth regulator is used to ripen fruits like bananas and tomatoes? 8

Round 2

9

What is the main element in the Eiffel Tower?

10

Why do ice skaters spin faster when they lower their hands?

11

2009 is the International Year of Astronomy. It is also 40 years since the first moonwalk. Which astronaut mother’s maiden name was Moon?

12

Name the neurotransmitter hormone manufactured by the brain which helps maintain a

‘happy feeling’

and guards against depression.

13

Name the astronomer after whom the newest element 112 may be named.

14

Which chemical reaction causes old newspapers to darken in colour.

15

Round 3

Crossword

16

Round 4

17

Which famous physicist said

“Imagination is more important than knowledge”?

18

From the 1st of January 2009, all residential properties for sale or for rent require a (BER) Certificate.

What does BER stand for?

19

What is a graphic representation of chromosomes that have been arranged in matching pairs known as?

20

Climbing plants e.g. vines, which wrap around supporting structures is an example of which plant response?

21

Name the protocol that is aimed at combating global warming.

22

Name the intramolecular forces in water molecules.

23

Round 5

24

Many schools now take roll calls with OMR sheets similar to the lottery sheets. What does OMR stand for?

25

Blue eyed people lack which pigment in the iris?

26

Write down the empirical formula for glucose.

27

What is the common name for the Malleus?

28

Identify this much maligned waxy steroid.

29

State the shape of methanal. 30

Round 6

Pictures

31

Michael Jackson suffered from de-pigmentation in patches of the skin. What is this disorder known as?

32

Identify this biennial plant that has been used in medicine to slow down the heart beat 33

Name the protein found in nails 34

Identify this mathematical equation used to work out the probability of finding an electron in a particular sublevel in an atom 35

Identify this instrumentation technique used in forensic science . 36

What term refers to methods increasing being used at airports for uniquely recognising humans based upon some intrinsic physical or behavioural traits e.g. iris recognition or fingerprinting?

37

Round 7

38

“There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom”

is a famous lecture given by the American physicist Richard Feynman.

This introduced us to which –ology.

39

What does 3G stand for in 3G mobile phones? 40

Haemochromatosis is a genetic disorder due to the excessive absorption of which element. 41

Name the archipelago of islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean west of Ecuador that contributed to Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection.

42

Give an isomer of methyl ethanoate. 43

How big is a googol? 44

Round 8

45

What type of radiation is used in night vision equipment? 46

Name the two men whose names are forever joined by a hyphen.

__ 47

Which pea-sized endocrine gland sometimes called the ‘third eye’ produces melatonin, a hormone that controls the sleep-wake cycle?

48

What is Ireland’s most common life threatening

inherited

disease? There is a 1 in 4 chance of a baby being born with it. It mainly affects the lungs and digestive system.

49

When a boat sails from fresh water into salt water, the boat will float: (a) lower in the water (b) higher in the water (c) at the same level 50

This compound is produced by volcanoes, used as a preservative, acts as a bleaching agent for newspaper and important in winery sanitation. Identify it.

51

Míle Buíochas!

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