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100 Physics Quiz Questions & Answers 2026

Classical mechanics, thermodynamics, electricity, waves and quantum physics trivia

📖 13 min read ❓ 100 quiz questions 🗓️ Updated Jul 2026
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Classical Mechanics — 25 Questions

  1. What is Newton's First Law? (An object stays at rest or in motion unless acted on by a net force)
  2. What is Newton's Second Law? (Force = Mass × Acceleration — F = ma)
  3. What is Newton's Third Law? (For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction)
  4. What is velocity? (Speed in a specific direction — a vector quantity)
  5. What is the SI unit of mass? (Kilogram)
  6. What is the SI unit of length? (Metre)
  7. What is centripetal force? (Force directed toward the center of a circular path)
  8. What is torque? (Rotational force — force × distance from pivot)
  9. What is momentum? (Mass × Velocity — p = mv)
  10. What is the unit of momentum? (kg·m/s)
  11. What is elastic potential energy? (Energy stored in a stretched or compressed spring)
  12. What is the formula for gravitational potential energy? (PE = mgh — mass × gravity × height)
  13. What is acceleration due to gravity on Earth's surface? (9.8 m/s² or ~10 m/s²)
  14. What is inertia? (Resistance to change in motion — related to mass)
  15. What is simple harmonic motion? (Oscillating motion where restoring force is proportional to displacement)
  16. What is the formula for kinetic energy? (KE = ½mv²)
  17. What is a scalar quantity? (Has magnitude only — e.g., speed, temperature, mass)
  18. What is a vector quantity? (Has both magnitude and direction — e.g., velocity, force)
  19. What does Hooke's Law state? (F = -kx — spring force is proportional to extension)
  20. What is the principle of conservation of momentum? (Total momentum of a closed system remains constant)
  21. What is terminal velocity? (Maximum velocity when drag equals gravitational force)
  22. What is projectile motion? (Motion under gravity at an angle — parabolic path)
  23. Who first described universal gravitation? (Isaac Newton — Principia Mathematica, 1687)
  24. What is the period of a pendulum dependent on? (Length of pendulum and gravity — not mass)
  25. What is the formula for power? (P = W/t — Power = Work / Time)

Electricity & Magnetism — 25 Questions

  1. What is electric charge measured in? (Coulombs)
  2. What is voltage? (Electrical potential difference — measured in Volts)
  3. What is a semiconductor? (Material with conductivity between a conductor and insulator)
  4. What is a diode? (Electronic component that allows current in one direction only)
  5. What is electromagnetic induction? (Generation of electric current by changing magnetic flux)
  6. Who discovered electromagnetic induction? (Michael Faraday, 1831)
  7. What is the difference between AC and DC? (AC alternates direction; DC flows in one direction)
  8. What is a capacitor? (Device that stores electrical energy in an electric field)
  9. What is an ammeter used for? (Measuring electric current)
  10. What is electrical resistance? (Opposition to electric current flow — measured in Ohms)
  11. What are the two types of electric charge? (Positive and Negative)
  12. What is superconductivity? (Zero electrical resistance at very low temperatures)
  13. What is a transformer? (Device that changes voltage using electromagnetic induction)
  14. What is the formula for electrical power? (P = VI — Power = Voltage × Current)
  15. What is a magnetic field? (Region around a magnet where magnetic forces act)
  16. Who invented the battery? (Alessandro Volta, 1800)
  17. What is the Earth's magnetic field called? (Geomagnetic field / magnetosphere)
  18. What is static electricity? (Build-up of electric charge on a surface)
  19. What material is best for conducting electricity? (Silver is best; copper is most used)
  20. What is the formula for Ohm's Law? (V = IR)
  21. What is the unit of electrical capacitance? (Farad)
  22. What is a circuit breaker used for? (Automatically interrupting electrical flow to prevent damage or fire)
  23. What is the difference between a series and parallel circuit? (Series has one path for current; parallel has multiple paths)
  24. What is an electromagnet? (A magnet created by passing electric current through a coil of wire)
  25. What is the right-hand rule used for in physics? (Determining the direction of magnetic field or force in electromagnetism)

Thermodynamics & Modern Physics — 25 Questions

  1. What are the four laws of thermodynamics? (Zeroth: thermal equilibrium; First: energy conservation; Second: entropy increases; Third: absolute zero unreachable)
  2. What is entropy? (Measure of disorder or randomness in a system)
  3. What is the Kelvin scale? (Absolute temperature scale starting at absolute zero)
  4. What is conduction? (Heat transfer through direct contact)
  5. What is convection? (Heat transfer through fluid movement)
  6. What is radiation? (Heat transfer through electromagnetic waves)
  7. Who proposed quantum theory? (Max Planck, 1900)
  8. What is a photon? (A particle/quantum of light)
  9. What is the photoelectric effect? (Emission of electrons from a metal when light shines on it)
  10. Who explained the photoelectric effect? (Albert Einstein — for which he won the Nobel Prize in 1921)
  11. What is Schrödinger's Cat? (Thought experiment illustrating quantum superposition — cat is both alive and dead until observed)
  12. What is antimatter? (Matter composed of antiparticles — opposite charge to regular matter)
  13. What is a quark? (Elementary particle that makes up protons and neutrons)
  14. What is the Higgs Boson? (Particle that gives other particles mass — confirmed at CERN in 2012)
  15. What is nuclear fusion? (Combining light atomic nuclei to release energy — powers the Sun)
  16. What is radioactive decay? (Spontaneous emission of particles from an unstable nucleus)
  17. What are the three types of radioactive decay? (Alpha, Beta, and Gamma)
  18. What is the strong nuclear force? (Force holding protons and neutrons together in the nucleus)
  19. What did Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity introduce? (Time dilation, length contraction, and mass-energy equivalence at near-light speeds)
  20. What is a wormhole theoretically? (A hypothetical tunnel connecting two separate points in spacetime)
  21. What is the term for the smallest possible unit of energy in quantum mechanics? (A quantum)
  22. What is Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle? (You cannot precisely know both position and momentum of a particle simultaneously)
  23. What is the term for particles that mediate the electromagnetic force? (Photons)
  24. What is dark matter? (An invisible form of matter inferred from its gravitational effects, not yet directly observed)
  25. What is the term for the temperature at which molecular motion theoretically stops? (Absolute zero, 0 Kelvin)

Waves & Optics — 25 Questions

  1. What is the speed of light in a vacuum? (299,792,458 m/s, approximately 3 × 10⁸ m/s)
  2. What is refraction? (The bending of light as it passes between different media)
  3. What is reflection? (The bouncing back of light or waves off a surface)
  4. What is diffraction? (The bending of waves around obstacles or through openings)
  5. What is the term for the distance between two successive wave crests? (Wavelength)
  6. What type of lens is used to correct nearsightedness? (A concave lens)
  7. What type of lens is used to correct farsightedness? (A convex lens)
  8. What is the visible light spectrum range, in order from longest to shortest wavelength? (Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet — ROYGBIV)
  9. What phenomenon causes white light to split into colors through a prism? (Dispersion)
  10. What is the term for sound waves above the range of human hearing? (Ultrasound)
  11. What is the Doppler effect? (The change in frequency of a wave due to relative motion between source and observer)
  12. What is total internal reflection used for in technology? (Fiber optic cables, to transmit light signals)
  13. What type of wave doesn't need a medium to travel through, unlike sound? (Electromagnetic waves, e.g. light)
  14. What is the term for waves that oscillate perpendicular to their direction of travel? (Transverse waves)
  15. What is the term for waves that oscillate parallel to their direction of travel, like sound? (Longitudinal waves)
  16. What is interference in wave physics? (The combination of two or more waves to form a resultant wave)
  17. What is constructive interference? (When waves combine to produce a larger amplitude)
  18. What instrument splits light into its component colors for analysis? (A spectroscope or prism)
  19. What is the unit used to measure the loudness of sound? (Decibels)
  20. What is resonance in physics? (When an object vibrates at its natural frequency due to an external force)
  21. What is the electromagnetic spectrum range with the longest wavelength? (Radio waves)
  22. What is the electromagnetic spectrum range with the shortest wavelength? (Gamma rays)
  23. What causes a mirage, an optical illusion seen in deserts? (Refraction of light through layers of air at different temperatures)
  24. What is the term for the point where parallel light rays converge after passing through a lens? (The focal point)
  25. What instrument uses lenses to magnify distant objects, like stars? (A telescope)

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

What physics topics come up most in quizzes?

The most common quiz topics are: Newton's Laws, speed/velocity/acceleration, famous physicists (Newton, Einstein, Hawking), electricity basics, light and optics, and famous equations like E=mc².

What is the hardest branch of physics for quizzes?

Quantum mechanics and particle physics generate the hardest quiz questions due to counterintuitive principles like superposition, entanglement, and wave-particle duality.

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