UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz : Science and Technology MCQs on principles applied to hot air balloon flight, Project Kuiper and more (Week 106)

QUESTION 1

Which of the following concepts/principles is/are applied to hot air balloon flight?

1. Conservation of energy

2. Thermodynamics

3. Buoyancy

4. Newton’s First Law of Motion

5. Centripetal Force

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 2 and 3 only

(b) 1, 3 and 5

(c) 3, 4 and 5

(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

Explanation

— A person died in Rajasthan’s Baran district after one of the ropes tethering a hot air balloon to the ground snapped, hurling the man several feet in the air.

Science behind the air balloons

— In concept, the balloon is the most basic of all flying aircraft. It comprises a cloth enclosure containing a petrol lighter than the surrounding atmosphere. Because the air in the envelope is less thick than its surroundings, it rises and carries the basket containing passengers or freight with it.

— The physics of balloon flight is based on the principles of fluid dynamics. In a hot air balloon, thermodynamics governs the fundamental principle of lift: heating causes air to become less dense, resulting in buoyancy.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 2

With reference to the Project Kuiper, consider the following statements:

1. It is an initiative by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

2. It aims to increase global broadband access through a constellation of more than 3,000 satellites in low Earth orbit.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

— Amazon is to launch the first 27 satellites for its Project Kuiper internet network next week, marking a long-awaited start to the company’s plan to create a huge constellation to challenge Elon Musk’s Starlink system. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

— Project Kuiper is an effort that aims to improve worldwide broadband access by deploying a constellation of over 3,000 low-Earth orbit satellites. Its objective is to provide fast, cheap broadband to unserved and underserved regions all around the world. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 3

With reference to the graphics processing unit, consider the following statements:

1. A GPU is a specialised processor which has been designed to perform multiple tasks concurrently.

2. It can contain from two to up to 16 cores.

3. The GPU is far slower than the central processing unit (CPU).

4. They are used as a co-processor to increase performance.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) Only three

(d) All four

Explanation

— Google launched a new computer chip, called Ironwood. It is the company’s seventh-generation TPU, or tensor processing unit, which has been designed to run artificial intelligence (AI) models.

— A graphics processing unit (GPU) is a specialised processor (a type of application-specific integrated circuit, or ASIC) that is designed to do many tasks concurrently rather than sequentially. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— Modern GPUs include thousands of cores that divide complex problems into dozens or millions of distinct jobs and execute them in parallel, a notion known as parallel processing. This makes GPUs far more efficient than CPUs. Hence, statements 2 and 3 are not correct.

— In some cases, it is more economical to complete a work sequentially rather than in parallel. As a result, modern GPUs are used as co-processors to boost performance. Hence, statement 4 is correct.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 4

The term ‘Sunbird’ was in the news. It refers to:

(a) the first crewed mission to establish a long-term presence at the Moon for science and exploration

(b) NASA’s new rocket to study the outermost part of the sun

(c) Nuclear fusion powered rocket

(d) mission to study binary star system

Explanation

— Elon Musk’s SpaceX aims to push the boundaries of space exploration, but a British business called Pulsar Fusion is developing an ambitious nuclear fusion-powered rocket called Sunbird.

— Richard Dinan, CEO and founder of Pulsar Fusion, told CNN that “it’s very unnatural to do fusion on Earth.” Fusion does not want to work in an atmosphere; space is a considerably more rational, practical environment to undertake fusion, because that is where it wants to occur anyhow.”

— Sunbird is still in the early phases of manufacturing and faces various hurdles, but Pulsar Fusion says it plans an orbital demonstration in 2027.

— Furthermore, the nuclear fusion-powered rocket might propel spacecraft at speeds of up to 805,000 km/h, much exceeding the Parker Solar Probe, the fastest object ever built, which reaches 692,000 km/h. If the nuclear fusion-powered rocket is operational, it will shorten the time required to reach Mars in half and Pluto in four years.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 5

Consider the following layers of the atmosphere:

1. Troposphere

2. Stratosphere

3. Exosphere

4. Mesosphere

5. Thermosphere

What is the correct chronological order of these layers, going from bottom to top?

(a) 2—1—4—3—5

(b) 1—2—4—5—3

(c) 1—2—5—4—3

(d) 2—1—4—5—3

Explanation

— The interaction of solar ultraviolet light with molecular oxygen (O2) naturally produces ozone in the stratosphere, which is located between 15 and 30 kilometres above ground.

— The earth’s atmosphere is made up of five major layers and several secondary ones. The principal layers, from lowest to highest, are the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere.

(Text source: http://www.noaa.gov)

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

Note: To read more about the Ozone layer: World Ozone Day 2024: Preserving the Earth’s umbrella, why and how

Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 106)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 106)

Daily subject-wise quiz —  Science and Technology (Week 105)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 105)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment and Geography (Week 105)

Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 105)

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