Why do some balloons float and how do bees hear? The kids’ quiz

1. Lachlan, 7, asks: why do some balloons float in the air?

   1. Because they’re happy

   2. A balloon floats if the balloon and the gas inside it are lighter than the air it displaces (or pushes aside to make room for itself)

   3. Because they’re full of magic dust

   4. Balloons float on hot days as heat makes them lighter

2. Levon, 7, asks: why do your muscles get stronger when you use them?

   1. Using muscles can cause micro-tears, and when the body repairs them it makes the muscle bigger

   2. Using muscles makes the brain think you’re stronger

   3. When you’re out of breath your lungs inflate your muscles like a balloon

   4. If you use your muscles they swell up with pride

3. Juno, 6, asks: how many tail feathers does a peacock have?

   1. Between 0 and 20 feathers

   2. Between 50 and 100

   3. Between 100 and 200

   4. Every peacock has a different number of feathers, from 50 to 1,000

4. Harriet, 8, asks: how do bees hear?

   1. Through their toes

   2. Bees can’t hear or sense vibrations

   3. With their ears

   4. Through an organ at the base of their antennae

5. Bear, 6, asks: how many spots does a cheetah have?

   1. Cheetahs have 12 spots

   2. 2,000–3,000 spots

   3. 7,000 spots – the same as the number of languages spoken around the world

   4. None – they’re stripey!

Solutions

1:B - A balloon floats when the balloon itself and the gas inside it are lighter than the air it displaces. Helium is lighter than air, meaning a helium balloon will float, whereas a balloon filled with the regular air that you breathe into it will not., 2:A - When muscles are met with resistance (when you lift weights, for example), the muscles get tiny injuries and tears. The body repairs these micro-tears, making the muscles stronger and larger., 3:C - On average, a peacock has between 100 and 200 tail feathers. These feathers are each up to 1.5 metres long., 4:D - Bees have a structure at the base of their antennae called the Johnston’s organ. This contains tiny hairs that sense how different sound vibrations cause the antennae to move. Bees can also sense vibrations in other ways, but this is the main one., 5:B - Cheetahs have between 2,000 and 3,000 spots on their body. The spots are used to blend into their surroundings when they are hunting prey or hiding from predators.

Scores

1. 5 and above.

2. 4 and above.

3. 3 and above.

4. 2 and above.

5. 0 and above.

6. 1 and above.