Category: Brain Teasers

Trivia: What electrical device did men once wear on top hats?

String lights
Lightning rods
Light bulbs
Small generators

The correct answer is Lightning rods

So why is this answer correct? : In the 1780s, Parisian men and women had the colossally bad idea to put lightning rods on top hats and umbrellas. They believed it would stop them from getting electrocuted if they were hit by lightning. And truthfully, it did work once—someone carrying a parasol equipped with a lightning rod was struck, and the strike grounded out through a coil attached to the rod.

Trivia: Which vehicle can cause lightning strikes?

Electric car
Helicopter
Cruise ship
Train

The correct answer is Helicopter

So why is this answer correct? : Helicopters can cause lightning strikes because they become negatively charged while they’re flying. If they get too close to a trigger site, isolated lightning strikes can occur. Trigger sites are ones that are positively charged, like an area where it is hailing, or the bottom of certain types of clouds.

Trivia: What activity was thought to repel lightning in the 18th century?

Ringing church bells
Playing instruments outside
Shouting at the sky
Putting mirrors outside

The correct answer is Ringing church bells

So why is this answer correct? : In the 1700s, people believed ringing church bells would actually repel lightning. Once a storm began, bell ringers would head to the towers and ring the bells — though we know now that being in a tall tower with a big metal object is not the best place to be during a lightning storm. People believed so strongly that the practice would work that many bells had “fulgura frango” inscribed on them, which means “I chase lightning.”

Trivia: What is the purpose of a GFCI outlet?

Dim lights
Amplify voltage
Prevent electric shock
Turn off lights

The correct answer is Prevent electric shock

So why is this answer correct? : GFCI outlets, or Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter outlets, are designed to stop electrical shocks when the outlet is in use. When the outlet detects a change in current strength, it shuts off electrical flow to the outlet. GFCI outlets are commonly installed in kitchens and in bathrooms, where water might conduct an electric shock.

Trivia: What electrical implement used to be called a “dynamo”?

A generator
An outlet
A transistor
An extension cord

The correct answer is A generator

So why is this answer correct? : At one time, a generator was called a dynamo. This was back in the 1800s, when German engineer Werner von Siemens successfully constructed the very first generator (although several other researchers were working on similar experiments at the time). His was the standard until Belgian engineer Zénobe Théophile Gramme invented a better one in 1867.

Trivia: Who invented the first electric light?

Nikola Tesla
Thomas Edison
Benjamin Franklin
Humphry Davy

The correct answer is Humphry Davy

So why is this answer correct? : Though Thomas Edison invented the first long-lasting light bulb, he didn’t actually invent electric lights. That feat was accomplished by English chemist Humphry Davy. Davy attached two wires to either end of a strip of charcoal and attached the wires to a battery, causing the charcoal strip to glow and leading to the invention of the Electric Arc Lamp.

Trivia: Which of the following is NOT a conductor?

Gold
Glass
Steel
Water

The correct answer is Glass

So why is this answer correct? : A conductor is something electricity flows through — a category that includes silver, gold, copper, and even seawater. Metals are the most common conductors, but other biological materials can also conduct electricity. For example, in that potato clock you made in grade school, the potato acted as the conductor.

Trivia: What material insulates against electricity?

Silver
Copper
Rubber
Aluminum

The correct answer is Rubber

So why is this answer correct? : An insulator is something that prevents electricity from flowing. Think rubber, wood, or glass. With an insulator, an electrical circuit won’t complete; which means the charge won’t move through to new objects.

Trivia: What is the world’s biggest source of electricity production?

Water
Wind
Coal
Sun

The correct answer is Coal

So why is this answer correct? : Most of the world’s energy is produced from coal. When coal is burned in a big furnace, it heats water to a boil. That water eventually produces steam that turns turbines, which kicks generators and transformers into gear. The resulting electricity heads out into the power grid.

Trivia: What unit is used to measure electrical currents?

Ohm
Watt
Volt
Ampere

The correct answer is Ampere

So why is this answer correct? : Amperes, or amps, are used to measure electrical current. This unit basically counts how many electrons are flowing through an electrical circuit at any given time. Other measurements include volts (units that measure how big the force pushing the current is) and ohms (the measurement of resistance to electrical current).