Question 1

In what 2011 novel by Andy Weir, later adapted into a blockbuster film, protagonist Mark Watney uses his skills as an environmental engineer to survive after being left behind on a mission?

Accepted Answer

"The Martian"

Question 2

What is the name of the first fully automatic, digital and programmable computer, which was developed during World War II?

Accepted Answer

Z3

Question 3

What American entrepreneur, credited with the development of the first industrial process to manufacture large quantities of standardized, high-quality ketchup, also co-founded a company in 1869?

Accepted Answer

Henry J. Heinz

Question 4

What is the principle behind the operation of a fiber optic cable?

Accepted Answer

Total Internal Reflection

Question 5

Constructed with over 27.2 million cubic meters of concrete, this monumental feat of engineering holds the title of the world's largest concrete structure.

Accepted Answer

The Three Gorges Dam, China - The Burj Khalifa is the tallest buildings in the world.

Question 6

What unusual method did Nikola Tesla use to measure his equipment because he distrusted conventional measuring tools?

Accepted Answer

His own body parts - Nikola Tesla used parts of his own body for measurements when creating his inventions, as he distrusted conventional measuring tools. He would use the length of his thumb and the width of his fingers as a ruler.

Question 7

Thomas Edison, known as the 'Wizard of Menlo Park', holds an astounding number of patents. Can you guess how many inventions he patented in his lifetime?

Accepted Answer

1093

Question 8

Which historical figure, not TMN Turtle :), known for his studies of birds and their flight patterns, was inspired by the biomechanics of avian flight to design a flying machine in the 15th century?

Accepted Answer

Leonardo

Question 9

As of 2021, Voyager 1 is the farthest human-made object from Earth. Approximately how fast is it traveling away from our planet?

Accepted Answer

35 kilometers per second - Voyager 1 is traveling at a speed of about 35 kilometers per second (or about 78,000 miles per hour) relative to the Sun.

Question 10

Who is known as the "Father of the Steam Engine" by improving on the design of the existing steam engine in 1769 by including a separate condenser, making the it more efficient?

Accepted Answer

James Watt

Question 11

What is the name of the process that allows for the mass production of steel, which greatly contributed to the industrial revolution?

Accepted Answer

Bessemer Process

Question 12

What was the name of the company that built the RMS Titanic, which was at the time the largest moving object ever built by humans?

Accepted Answer

Harland and Wolff

Question 13

What significant innovation did Emile Berliner introduce in 1887 that revolutionized the way sound was recorded and played back, moving away from Edison's phonograph design?

Accepted Answer

The use of a flat disc record instead of a cylinder

Question 14

What is the name of the world's longest-lasting light bulb, which has been burning almost continuously since 1901 and is located in a fire station in Livermore, California?

Accepted Answer

The Centennial Bulb

Question 15

What is the name of the first artificial Earth satellite, launched by the Soviet Union in 1957?

Accepted Answer

Sputnik

Question 16

What critical control mechanism, still used in modern aircraft, was first implemented by the Wright Brothers in their 1903 Flyer?

Accepted Answer

Three-axis control

Question 17

NASA's Space Shuttle, which became the first space-rated orbiter to launch and land, had a name derived from what historical ship -- the first American vessel to circumnavigate the globe?

Accepted Answer

Columbia  - The Space Shuttle Columbia was named after the Columbia Rediviva, a ship that operated out of Boston in the 18th century and became the first American vessel to circumnavigate the globe.

Question 18

The James Webb Space Telescope, set to be the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, will observe the universe primarily in which part of the electromagnetic spectrum?

Accepted Answer

Infrared Light - The James Webb Space Telescope is designed to observe the universe in the infrared part of the spectrum, which will allow it to see through dust clouds and observe distant, redshifted objects that are not visible in other wavelengths.

Question 19

The first CAD software was developed in the early 1960s at which university, utilizing the concept of Sketchpad, an interactive graphical system that allowed manipulation of objects in real time?

Accepted Answer

Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The Sketchpad system, developed by Ivan Sutherland at MIT, is considered the ancestor of modern CAD programs. It allowed an engineer to interact with a computer graphically, using a light pen to draw on a screen. This was a revolutionary concept at the time and laid the foundation for the development of CAD software.

Question 20

Les Paul, a native of Waukesha, was a pioneer in the development of the solid body electric guitar. He also made significant contributions to the music industry with what recording innovation?

Accepted Answer

Overdubbing - Les Paul was one of the early pioneers of overdubbing, also known as sound on sound recording or multitrack recording, a method where multiple sound recordings are combined to create a single track.

Question 21

Albert Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921 for his discovery of the law of what?

Accepted Answer

The Photoelectric Effect - While Einstein is perhaps best known for his theory of relativity (including the famous equation E=mc^2), his Nobel Prize was awarded for his work on the photoelectric effect, which laid the foundation for the development of quantum mechanics.

Question 22

Approximately how long is the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, which is the world's longest sea crossing bridge-tunnel system?

Accepted Answer

34 miles

Question 23

What U.S. President is often credited with the development of the Interstate Highway System, which is a part of the larger National Highway System?

Accepted Answer

Dwight D. Eisenhower - The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956, signed into law by President Eisenhower, authorized the construction of a 41,000-mile network of interstate highways that would, according to Eisenhower, eliminate unsafe roads, inefficient routes, traffic jams and all of the other things that got in the way of speedy, safe transcontinental travel.

Question 24

What is the name of the phenomenon in quantum mechanics where two or more particles become instantly connected no matter how far apart they are?

Accepted Answer

Quantum Entanglement - Quantum Entanglement. This is a phenomenon where two or more particles become entangled in such a way that the state of one particle is directly connected to the state of the other, no matter how far apart they are. Changes to one particle will instantaneously cause changes to the other. This phenomenon was famously described by Albert Einstein as "spooky action at a distance."

Question 25

Before founding SpaceX, Elon Musk co-founded which online payment company that was later sold in 2002?

Accepted Answer

PayPal

Engineering Week Trivia

2) What is the name of the first fully automatic, digital and programmable computer, which was developed during World War II?

3) What American entrepreneur, credited with the development of the first industrial process to manufacture large quantities of standardized, high-quality ketchup, also co-founded a company in 1869?

4) What is the principle behind the operation of a fiber optic cable?

5) Constructed with over 27.2 million cubic meters of concrete, this monumental feat of engineering holds the title of the world's largest concrete structure.

6) What unusual method did Nikola Tesla use to measure his equipment because he distrusted conventional measuring tools?

7) Thomas Edison, known as the 'Wizard of Menlo Park', holds an astounding number of patents. Can you guess how many inventions he patented in his lifetime?

8) Which historical figure, not TMN Turtle :), known for his studies of birds and their flight patterns, was inspired by the biomechanics of avian flight to design a flying machine in the 15th century?

9) As of 2021, Voyager 1 is the farthest human-made object from Earth. Approximately how fast is it traveling away from our planet?

10) Who is known as the "Father of the Steam Engine" by improving on the design of the existing steam engine in 1769 by including a separate condenser, making the it more efficient?

11) What is the name of the process that allows for the mass production of steel, which greatly contributed to the industrial revolution?

12) What was the name of the company that built the RMS Titanic, which was at the time the largest moving object ever built by humans?

13) What significant innovation did Emile Berliner introduce in 1887 that revolutionized the way sound was recorded and played back, moving away from Edison's phonograph design?

14) What is the name of the world's longest-lasting light bulb, which has been burning almost continuously since 1901 and is located in a fire station in Livermore, California?

15) What is the name of the first artificial Earth satellite, launched by the Soviet Union in 1957?

16) What critical control mechanism, still used in modern aircraft, was first implemented by the Wright Brothers in their 1903 Flyer?

17) NASA's Space Shuttle, which became the first space-rated orbiter to launch and land, had a name derived from what historical ship -- the first American vessel to circumnavigate the globe?

18) The James Webb Space Telescope, set to be the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, will observe the universe primarily in which part of the electromagnetic spectrum?

19) The first CAD software was developed in the early 1960s at which university, utilizing the concept of Sketchpad, an interactive graphical system that allowed manipulation of objects in real time?

20) Les Paul, a native of Waukesha, was a pioneer in the development of the solid body electric guitar. He also made significant contributions to the music industry with what recording innovation?

21) Albert Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921 for his discovery of the law of what?

22) Approximately how long is the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, which is the world's longest sea crossing bridge-tunnel system?

23) What U.S. President is often credited with the development of the Interstate Highway System, which is a part of the larger National Highway System?

24) What is the name of the phenomenon in quantum mechanics where two or more particles become instantly connected no matter how far apart they are?

25) Before founding SpaceX, Elon Musk co-founded which online payment company that was later sold in 2002?