Science, Technology, Engineering and Math
(STEM) Quiz Bowl
Questions
1. What does the acronym STEM stand for?
a. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
b. School, Teachers, Education and Management
c. Science, Technology, Education and Medicine
d. School, Teaching, Engineering and Mathematics
2. A parallelogram is a four-sided shape with both pairs of opposite sides
parallel to one another. Which of the following shapes is not a
parallelogram?
a. Rhombus
b. Trapezoid
c. Rectangle
d. Square
3. What is the name of the prestigious award given to people around the
world for great accomplishments in physics, chemistry, medicine, and
other areas?
a. Nobel Prize®
b. GRAMMY® Award
c. Pulitzer Prize
d. Academy Award
4. In mathematics, a fraction represents ___________.
a. Parts of a whole
b. An entire object
c. The sum of the parts
d. None of the above
5. Who patented the first incandescent light bulb and is commonly referred
to as its inventor?
a. Benjamin Franklin
b. Alexander Graham Bell
c. Thomas Edison
d. Nikola Tesla
6. Used to determine the lengths of the sides of a right triangle, what is the
name of the following formula: a2 + b2 = c2
a. Hypotenuse-Leg Theorem
b. Slope-Intercept Form
c. Quadratic Formula
d. Pythagorean Theorem
7. On a roller coaster, what is the name of the force that keeps people in
their seats when going through a loop?
a. Centripetal
b. Kinetic
c. Gravity
d. Frictional
8. Who was one of the co-founders of Apple® Inc.?
a. Steve Jobs
b. Bill Gates
c. Mark Zuckerberg
d. Charles Babbage
9. In a website URL—such as www.Google.com—what do the letters WWW
stand for?
a. Wide Wonderful World
b. Web Words World
c. World Wide Web
d. What Where Why
10. Where do earthquakes occur?
a. Along the Earth’s fault lines and plate edges
b. Along rivers and streams
c. Between urban and rural areas
d. In the middle of the Earth’s plates
11. Pompeii, an ancient city in Italy, was destroyed by what natural disaster?
a. Earthquake
b. Volcanic eruption
c. Hurricane
d. Blizzard
12. Which number represents pi (π), rounded to the nearest hundredth?
a. 3.01
b. 3.14
c. 3.24
d. 3.15
13. What are the three states of matter?
a. Earth, wind, fire
b. Hot, cold, wet
c. Solid, liquid, gas
d. Light, sound, and ultraviolet
14. The elements of the Periodic Table are classified into three broad
categories. What are these categories?
a. Water-based, plant-based and metal-based
b. Metals, nonmetals, and metalloids
c. Earth, wind and fire
d. Hot, cold and neutral
15. What common periodic element makes up about 47% of the Earth’s crust
and core?
a. Helium
b. Neon
c. Krypton
d. Oxygen
16. Benjamin Franklin’s famous kite and key experiment led to important
advances in understanding ___________?
a. Electricity
b. Water
c. Air
d. Light
17. Which is an example of a bridge we commonly see today? (Hint: The
Golden Gate Bridge in California is an example of one)
a. Suspension
b. Adjoining
c. Floatation
d. Swaying
18. Modern-day engineers often use CAD software to develop designs and
blueprints for buildings or objects. What does the abbreviation CAD stand
for?
a. Computer Aided Design
b. Complex Assisted Drawings
c. Computer Art Drawings
d. Chief Architecture Design
19. Why do golf balls have dimples?
a. To better grip the putting tee
b. To look durable and long-lasting
c. To help golfers find them on the putting green
d. To help the balls fly farther through the air
20. All magnets have two distinct poles. What are these poles called?
a. Positive and negative
b. North and south
c. East and west
d. Charged and not-charged
Answers
1. (a) Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics – Recently,
educators are focusing on STEM principles in order to best prepare
students for the technology-driven workplace of the future.
2. (b) Trapezoid – A trapezoid, by contrast, is a four-sided shape with only
one pair of opposite sides parallel.
3. (a) Nobel Prize® – The Nobel Prizes, created by the fortune of Alfred Nobel
after his death in 1895, are awarded each year to nominees in the
categories of: Physics, Chemistry, Physiology/Medicine, Literature, and
Peace.
4. (a) Parts of a whole – A fraction represents one or more parts of a whole,
complete object.
5. (c) Thomas Edison – Thomas Edison patented the first incandescent light
bulb in 1879. However, several inventors, improving upon the ideas of
previous inventors, contributed to the development of the light bulb.
6. (d) Pythagorean Theorem – The Pythagorean Theorem is used to
determine the length of the hypotenuse of a right triangle when the
lengths of the other two sides of the triangle are known.
7. (a) Centripetal – Merriam-Webster defines centripetal force as force that
“pulls an object moving in a circular path toward the center of its path.”
8. (a) Steve Jobs – Steve Jobs, founder of Apple® Inc., created the first
Apple computer model in his parent’s garage with two friends in 1976.
9. (c) World Wide Web.
10. (a) Along the Earth’s fault lines and plate edges – Earthquakes occur
along the Earth’s fault lines and plate edges. Plates are the large pieces
of the Earth’s crust, and fault lines are cracks in the Earth’s crust where
sections of the plates are moving in different directions.
11. (b) Volcanic eruption – In 79 AD, Pompeii was destroyed by thick layers of
ash left by the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
12. (b) 3.14 – The figure pi (π) represents the ratio of a circle’s circumference
to its diameter. Pi is the same value for all circles, regardless of size.
13. (c) Solid, liquid, gas – The three most common states of matter are solid,
liquid and gas. Objects are classified as a type of matter based on their
properties, and can change from one state to another as properties
change. For instance, ice is a solid, water is a liquid and hot steam is a
gas.
14. (b) Metals, nonmetals, and metalloids – Elements in the Periodic Table can
be classified as metals, nonmetals, or metalloids. Metals are often good
conductors of heat/electricity and are malleable, nonmetals are usually
poor conductors of heat/electricity and are not malleable, and
metalloids share properties of both other classifications.
15. (d) Oxygen – Though other elements are found throughout Earth, the
element Oxygen makes up about 47% of Earth’s mass.
16. (a) Electricity – Benjamin Franklin’s key and kite experiment showed that
lightning was a form of electricity that could fluidly move from one object
to another.
17. (a) Suspension bridge.
18. (a) Computer Aided Design – CAD software helps engineers quickly
produce accurate representations of products to build.
19. (d) To help the balls fly farther through the air – Dimples on a golf ball help
reduce the amount of drag, the force that opposes motion, being
exerted on the ball as it flies through the air.
20. (b) North and south – All magnets have two different poles, a north pole
and a south pole. The magnetic field begins at the north pole of the
magnet and ends at the south pole.