Do all the planets ever line up and does popcorn get mouldy? The kids’ quiz

1. Hayes, 8, asks: do all of the planets ever line up?

   1. It’s virtually impossible – it happens about once every 396 billion years

   2. Yes, every new year

   3. Once every 10 years

   4. No, the planets would be thrown out of orbit

2. Araliya, 11, asks: why are so many people allergic to nuts?

   1. Nuts contain a unique toxin that affects everyone in the same way

   2. Nuts have learned how to affect more people

   3. Genetic and environmental factors

   4. Eating nuts causes the immune system to shut down temporarily

3. Leo, 7, asks: what’s quantum chromodynamics?

   1. It’s the study of time

   2. It’s the scientific theory of how things called quarks and gluons interact

   3. It’s the study of big cars

   4. It’s a James Bond film

4. Stanley, 7, asks: how many pound coins would you need to stack up to reach the sun?

   1. 1 million

   2. 100,000

   3. About 10 billion

   4. More than 50 trillion

5. Seb, 7, asks: does popcorn get mouldy?

   1. Yes, if it’s exposed to moisture or if it’s stored incorrectly

   2. No – popcorn is immune to mould due to its salt

   3. No – once it’s been popped, popcorn becomes a natural preservative

   4. Popcorn kernels can only go stale, they never grow mould

Solutions

1:A - A perfect alignment of all eight planets in a straight line happens approximately once every 396 billion years! However, partial alignments occur. On 28 February 2025, seven planets aligned in a rare “planetary parade”., 2:C - Scientists believe allergies have become more common partly due to environmental factors – such as pollution and less exposure to microbes – as well as because of genetics., 3:B - Quantum chromodynamics is the theory that explains how quarks, the building blocks of protons and neutrons, are held together by “the strong interaction” – one of the fundamental forces of nature. This force is carried by gluon particles, which “glue” quarks together., 4:D - The average distance from Earth to the sun is approximately 150 million kilometres. A British one-pound coin is 2.8 millimetres thick. To reach the sun, you would need to stack about 53.6 trillion pound coins together!, 5:A - Yes, both unpopped popcorn kernels and popped popcorn can develop mould if exposed to moisture and badly stored!.

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.

Molly Oldfield hosts Everything Under the Sun, a podcast answering children’s questions. Do check out her books, Everything Under the Sun and the new Everything Under the Sun: Quiz Book.