40 Physics Trivia Questions for Kids

1. What science word means a push or a pull on an object?

2. A book is resting on a table with balanced forces acting on it. What happens to its motion?

3. What is the tendency of an object to resist changes in its motion called?

4. When you rub your palms together, friction changes some energy of motion into which kind of energy?

5. Why can adding a little lubricant help two machine parts slide more easily?

6. A toy parachute slows a falling model. Which force does its open canopy increase?

7. In physics, what does an object's weight describe?

8. A triangular doorstop belongs to which family of simple machines?

9. Which simple machine is an inclined plane wrapped around a shaft?

10. A round doorknob turns a central rod. Which simple machine does this show?

11. On a lever, moving your pushing hand farther from the pivot usually lets you lift the same load with what?

12. A wheelbarrow combines a lever with a wheel and axle. What kind of machine is this?

13. Several rope sections support a load in a pulley system. What can this reduce compared with lifting the load directly?

14. Which type of energy does a rolling ball have because it is moving?

15. You lift a book onto a higher shelf. Which stored energy increases?

16. Before a battery is connected to a circuit, which form of energy does it store?

17. A lamp changes electrical energy into light and warmth. Which rule says the total energy is conserved?

18. Which unit measures power, meaning how quickly energy is transferred?

19. Which standard unit is used for energy, whether stored in a battery or carried by a moving ball?

20. Which way of transferring thermal energy can work across empty space?

21. A beam of light bounces from a mirror. What is this called?

22. A pencil looks bent where it enters water. Which change in the light's path explains this?

23. You can see a clear view through a clean glass window. Which word describes the glass?

24. Light passes through frosted glass, but you cannot see a clear picture through it. What is it?

25. A sheet of thick cardboard blocks visible light from passing through it. What word describes it?

26. Which property of light explains why a solid object can leave a dark shadow behind it?

27. Two otherwise identical shirts sit in sunlight. Why does the black one often warm more than the white one?

28. You clap, then hear the clap return from a distant wall. What is the returning sound called?

29. Two sound waves have the same frequency. The one with the larger amplitude usually sounds what?

30. Which unit measures how many vibrations happen each second?

31. Two strings have the same thickness, material, and tension. Which one makes the lower note?

32. A sound has a frequency of 10 hertz, below the usual human hearing range. What is it called?

33. For a simple battery-and-bulb circuit to stay lit, what must the conducting path be?

34. Why is ordinary plastic often used to cover electrical wires?

35. A balloon rubbed on dry hair can attract tiny paper pieces. Which buildup is involved?

36. Which unit is used to measure electric current?

37. Which unit measures the voltage across a battery?

38. Which device is designed to turn the motion of a spinning shaft into electrical energy?

39. What kind of magnet is made by sending electric current through a coil of wire?

40. You bring the north poles of two magnets close together. What do they do?