Galileo Galilei quiz

More questions about Galileo Galilei

These visible examples show the question style. LearnClash turns the full topic into ranked duels and spaced repetition.

1. 1 Easy

   How fast does a heavy ball fall beside a light one in a vacuum?

   Answer: Equally fast

   Why: Heavier things falling faster was Aristotle's teaching, which Galileo's experiments with falling and rolling balls overturned.

2. 2 Medium

   Which family did Galileo name Jupiter's moons after?

   Answer: The Medici

   Why: The names used today, Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto, came from the German astronomer Simon Marius instead.

3. 3 Hard

   Who drew the Moon through a telescope months before Galileo?

   Answer: Thomas Harriot

   Why: Harriot never published his Moon sketches, while Galileo put his into print in Sidereus Nuncius in 1610.

4. 4 Easy

   Which world seemed to Galileo to have ears?

   Answer: Saturn

   Why: The ears vanished in 1612, when the thin rings turned edge-on to Earth, and came back the following year.

5. 5 Medium

   How did Galileo try to measure the speed of light?

   Answer: Flashing lanterns

   Why: Light covers a mile in about five millionths of a second, far too fast for lanterns and human reflexes to time.

6. 6 Hard

   What did Galileo use to time balls rolling down ramps?

   Answer: A water clock

   Why: He weighed the water that ran out during each roll, so a heavier cup of water meant a longer time.