How big is a double helix and is it dark in space? The kids’ quiz

1. Kit, 7, asks: how big is a double helix?

   1. The size of a garden hose

   2. About 2cm long

   3. It has a diameter of about 2 nanometers (nm)

   4. It changes size depending on your mood

2. Varry, 7, asks: how were colours invented?

   1. Ancient painters got bored of black and white

   2. Mr A Leprechaun invented the first rainbow in the year 15BC

   3. They weren’t invented – they’ve always been there

   4. Early humans voted on which colours they wanted everything to be

3. Otis, 7, asks: is it dark in space?

   1. No, it’s so bright that you wouldn’t be able to see

   2. Yes, it’s so dark that you wouldn’t be able to see

   3. No, because fairies light the way

   4. Mostly dark, with a bit of light from stars

4. Gabriel, 9, asks: what number is nitrogen on the periodic table?

   1. 7

   2. 11

   3. 394

   4. Nitrogen doesn’t appear on the periodic table

5. Eliza, 7, asks: if Earth is round, how do we all stay upright?

   1. We all have invisible suction cups on our feet

   2. The Earth is actually flat, but only scientists know the truth

   3. We don’t – people on the other side of the planet are hanging upside down

   4. Gravity pulls everything, people included, towards the centre of the Earth

Solutions

1:C - The DNA double helix has a diameter of about 2 nanometers (nm). There are one million nanometers in a millimetre, so that’s really tiny! Each full turn of the helix spans about 3.4 nanometers., 2:C - Colours weren’t invented – they are a result of light interacting with objects. Different wavelengths of light are absorbed and reflected, and our eyes perceive the reflected light as colour. , 3:D - Space is mostly dark because there is no atmosphere to scatter light. The Earth is surrounded by an atmosphere, so that when light hits it it “scatters”, or bounces off, which is how we see the blue sky, or the colours of a sunset. In space, we see light from stars and other luminous objects, but the space between them remains dark., 4:A - Nitrogen is number seven on the periodic table, because it has seven protons in its nucleus – the nucleus is at the centre of each atom., 5:D - Gravity pulls everything towards the centre of the Earth, so no matter where you stand, “down” is always towards the ground beneath your feet.

Scores

1. 5 and above.

2. 4 and above.

3. 3 and above.

4. 2 and above.

5. 0 and above.

6. 1 and above.

Molly Oldfield hosts Everything Under the Sun, a podcast answering children’s questions. Do check out her books, Everything Under the Sun and the new Everything Under the Sun: Quiz Book.