tech

Question 1

a series of space flights with a goal of landing a man on the moon

Answer 1

Apollo (named after the Greek God of learning)

Question 2

in the US, most household current is __, also the output of a generator

Answer 2

alternating current (AC), the flow reverses periodically (sixty reversal cycles a second)

Question 3

a unit of electric current, 1 unit corresponds to a certain number of electrons passing a fixed point each second

Answer 3

amp (ampere) (am-peer)

Question 4

a type of radio signal in which the AMPLITUDE, or strength, of a radio wave is varied in order to carry information from a transmitter to a receiver

Answer 4

amplitude modulation (AM)

Question 5

an early communications network developed by the DoD between high-tech research institutions and the military that became the Internet

Answer 5

Advanced Research Project Agency Network (Arpanet)

Question 6

American inventor and scientist who dedicated much of his career to education of the deaf and to production of electronic devices to help them hear better (other than his other super famous invention)

Answer 6

Alexander Graham Bell

Question 7

a device used in electrical circuits that stores an electrical charge for short periods of time as an electrostatic field, and then returns it to the circuit, widely used in circuits to block DC while allowing AC to pass

Answer 7

capacitor

Question 8

a device used in electrical circuits that reduces current flow and lowers voltage levels within circuits, unit of measurement is the ___

Answer 8

resistor, ohm

Question 9

premier location for particle physics research in Geneva, location of the world’s largest particle accelerator

Answer 9

CERN (acronym for French words meaning European Center for Nuclear Research)

Question 10

a crew member of a space mission launched by the former Soviet Union

Answer 10

cosmonaut

Question 11

military missile equipped with an onboard computer that lets it guide itself on a preprogrammed course over terrain

Answer 11

cruise missile

Question 12

colorless insecticide that kills on contact, used to protect crops, but is now banned due to affects on the ecosystem, especially birds

Answer 12

DDT

Question 13

the electric current supplied by batteries

Answer 13

direct current (DC), electrons flow in one direction only

Question 14

American inventor of the phonograph, “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration”

Answer 14

Thomas A. Edison

Question 15

a type of radio signal in which the FREQUENCY of the radio wave is varied to carry information from the transmitter to the receiver

Answer 15

frequency modulation (FM)

Question 16

device that converts chemical energy from a fuel into electricity through a chemical reaction, hydrogen is the most common fuel, different from batteries in that it needs a continuous source of fuel and oxygen (batteries already have chemicals present)

Answer 16

fuel cell

Question 17

18/19th American inventor who launched the first successful steamboat in 1807 on the Hudson River in NY, that led to an 1824 Supreme Court ruling on interstate commerce (Gibbons v. Ogden) which broke his monopoly, also built a steam-powered submarine

Answer 17

Robert Fulton

Question 18

name of Robert Fulton’s first steamboat in 1807

Answer 18

Clermont

Question 19

placement of a thin coat of a metal (e.g. zinc) over iron or steel to protect them from rust, typically appears shiny

Answer 19

galvanizing

Question 20

a device that produces electric current, usually by rotating a conductor in a magnetic field, thereby creating current through electromagnetic induction

Answer 20

generator

Question 21

measure of the apparent resistance posed by an electrical circuit to an alternating current (AC), usually encountered in dealing with antennas and speakers

Answer 21

impedance

Question 22

a program of rocket-powered flights with the goal of putting a man in orbit around the Earth, each flight carried one astronaut, first suborbital flight was made by Alan Shepard, first orbital flight by John Glenn

Answer 22

Mercury program

Question 23

a computer system designed to mimic the human brain or other biological system, good at pattern recognition

Answer 23

neural networks

Question 24

a material that conducts electricity, but very poorly, silicon is the most common, transistor is made of this material

Answer 24

semiconductor

Question 25

an electrical circuit in which a path of very low resistance has been opened, usually by accident; when resistance drops, current becomes very high and can cause damage

Answer 25

short circuit

Question 26

space shuttle that exploded shortly after liftoff, killing all seven crew members

Answer 26

Challenger

Question 27

The airplane that Charles Lindbergh flew in the first nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean, now at the Smithsonian

Answer 27

The Spirit of St. Louis

Question 28

a series of Soviet satellites, the first artificial satellites, stimulated the US to increase effort in the space race

Answer 28

Sputniks

Question 29

device used to transfer electrical energy from one circuit to another, with AC a ___ will either raise or lower the voltage as it makes the transfer, you might see one on a telephone pole to put 120v electricity into the home

Answer 29

transformer

Question 30

device that can work as an amplifier, transforming weak electrical signals into strong ones, normally made of silicon

Answer 30

transistor

Question 31

Two spacecraft launched by NASA that landed on Mars starting in 1976

Answer 31

Viking

Question 32

process of strengthening natural rubber, requires great heat

Answer 32

vulcanization (after Roman god of fire)