Name Dropping #30: Scientists #3 - Statistics

General Stats
  • This quiz has been taken 25 times
  • The average score is 9 of 25
Answer Stats
Hint Extra Hint Answer % Correct
Blaise 1623–1662. Invented a mechanical calculator capable of addition and subtraction. Contributed to fluid mechanics: invented the syringe and the hydraulic press. Proved the existence of vacuums. Advanced a theory on the equilibrium of fluids. Pascal
74%
Omar 1048–1131. Calculated the length of the solar year. (And was a polymath and a poet … Rubaiyat.) Khayyam
68%
Humphry 1778–1829. Discovered potassium; isolated barium, boron, calcium, magnesium, sodium, strontium. Researched analgesic effects of nitrous oxide. Invented the arc lamp (the first practical electric light). Named chlorine after determining it was an element, not a compound. Davy
58%
Dian 1932–1985. Study and conservation of the mountain gorilla. Fossey
58%
Werner 1901–1976. Authored a paper that established modern quantum mechanics, the application of which led to the discovery of the allotropic forms of hydrogen. Heisenberg
58%
Shintarō 1884–1939. Malacologist (studied mollusks). With his father, collected 15,000 specimens, about 70% of which were destroyed during the WWII bombing of Tokyo. Hirase
53%
Joseph-Louis 1736–1813. Mathematics giant who made major contributions to the development of physics, celestial mechanics, calculus, algebra, number theory, and group theory. Created a new vision of mechanics using the calculus of variations. Developed a mathematical function (used in advanced physics) to subtract potential energy from kinetic energy. Lagrange
53%
Gene 1928–1997. Geologist and astronomer. Co-discovered a comet whose impact with Jupiter was televised internationally. Directed the team that produced the first geologic map of the moon. Helped pioneer the field of astrogeology. Chosen to be the lunar geology principal investigator for Apollo 11, Apollo 12 and Apollo 13. Shoemaker
47%
Beatrix 1866–1943. Amateur biologist, mycologist and entomologist. (Women were excluded from most branches of science during the period she focused on the natural sciences.) Her detailed scientific drawings of lichens showed that they were actually not one but two different organisms that lived together. Advanced a theory of lichen symbiosis. After becoming frustrated with not being taken seriously by the scientific community, retired to a farm to write about Peter Rabbit and his friends. Potter
42%
Bernhard 1826–1866. Mathematician who laid the foundations of the mathematics of general relativity. Defined a geometric concept in complex analysis that essentially allows the visualization of a multi-valued function (like the square root of a complex number) as a single-valued function on a "surface" with multiple sheets. This concept is still being being applied in novel ways to mathematical physics. Riemann
42%
Mary 1799–1847. Paleontologist, geologist. Anning
37%
Ernest 1901–1958. Invented the cyclotron (a particle accelerator), the calutron (a mass spectrometer that separates the isotopes of uranium), the chromatron (a color television cathode ray tube). Contributed to the Manhattan Project. Lawrence
37%
Artturi 1895–1973. Chemist who developed AIV fodder, whereby an acidic solution is added to green fodder to increase storage length without compromising the fodder’s nutritive value. Virtanen
37%
Alfred 1857–1911. Developmental psychologist, IQ test developer. Binet
32%
Satyendra Nath 1894–1974. Physicist. Contributed to the discovery of boson particles through research that crossed over into condensed matter physics, quantum statistics, astronomy, optics, particle physics, chemistry and string theory. Bose
32%
Paul 1854–1915. Discovered basophils (a type of white blood cell). Advanced the “magic bullet” theory of using drugs to target specific microbes, the foundation of modern immunology. His research resulted in Salvarsan, the first effective treatment for syphilis. Ehrlich
26%
Carl 1928–2012. Microbiologist and biophysicist who recognized that Archaea is a taxonomic domain of life. Woese
26%
Barbara 1902–1992. Cytogeneticist who discovered transposing (“jumping genes”) that can change their position within a genome, sometimes creating or reversing mutations and altering the cell's genetic identity and genome size. Demonstrated the physical basis of chromosomal crossover. Genetic structure of maize. McClintock
21%
Benjamin 1753–1814. His thermodynamic innovations relying on the conservation of heat and economy of fuel drove him to design improved stoves and fireplaces. Invented the double boiler, a kitchen range, and a coffee percolator. Improved the design of the kilns used to make quicklime. Thompson
21%
Linda B. 1947–. Study of olfactory receptors, primarily how pheromones and odors are detected in the nose and interpreted in the brain. Buck
16%
Sheldon Lee 1932–. Contributed to the unification of the weak and electromagnetic interaction between elementary particles (the Weinberg–Salam theory). Co-developer of the GIM mechanism, which proved that a fourth, undiscovered quark existed. Very special relativity. Trinification model. Glashow
16%
John 1713–1781. Biologist and Catholic priest who advanced a theory of spontaneous generation of microbes (which was later disproven). Needham
16%
Steven 1948–. Developed methods to laser cool and trap atoms; introduced methods to visualize and manipulate single bio-molecules simultaneously with optical tweezers. Served as the 12th US Secretary of Energy. Chu
11%
Ernst 1900–1998. Co-developer of a mathematical model of ferromagnetism in statistical mechanics. Ising
11%
Charles 1877–1944. Discovered characteristic X-rays. Barkla
5%
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