Science trivia
Name a famous equation or formula
Everyone has a first answer to “Name a famous equation or formula”. The game is about the second, the third and the tenth: 109 answers are accepted, ranked by how rarely people think of them.
The obvious answers
Say one of these and you stay near the surface, with 10 points.
- E=mc2
- a2+b2=c2
- F=ma
- Euler's identity
- Quadratic formula
The next answers people reach for
A step further down, worth 25 points each:
- Schrodinger equation
- Maxwell's equations
- Einstein field equations
- Navier-Stokes equations
- Dirac equation
- Drake equation
- Black-Scholes equation
- Ideal gas law
- Ohm's law
- Heisenberg uncertainty principle
- Bayes' theorem
- Newton's law of universal gravitation
- Euler's formula
- Planck's equation
- de Broglie equation
How deep does “Name a famous equation or formula” go?
- The Tip5 answers · 10 ptsE=mc2 · a2+b2=c2 · F=ma
- Below the Surface15 answers · 25 ptsSchrodinger equation · Maxwell's equations · Einstein field equations …
- The Deep35 answers · 50 ptsHidden until you play
- The Abyss53 answers · 85 ptsHidden until you play
- Below the Iceberg1 answer · 100 ptsOne legendary answer, waiting in the game
The Deep holds 35 answers starting with A, B, C, E, F, G, H, K, L, M, N, P, R, S, T, V and W. The Abyss has 53 more, and one legendary answer waits below them all.
By the numbers
- 109 answers in total, 106 of them longer than one word.
- Shortest: “F=ma”. Longest: “Newton's law of universal gravitation”.
- B, L and H are the most common first letters; together they start 29% of the answers.
- 22 answers can be typed more than one way: “Rocket equation” counts as Tsiolkovsky rocket equation.
Tips for a rarer answer
- Start with B: 11 of the answers begin with it.
- E=mc2, a2+b2=c2 and F=ma are safe but shallow. Aim past them.
- For people, think of the scientists behind a law or a unit you already know.
Play science trivia nowSee all 109 answers A–Z
Questions about this prompt
- What do most people say for “Name a famous equation or formula”?
- The usual first answers are E=mc2, a2+b2=c2, F=ma, Euler's identity and Quadratic formula. In Icillion they are worth 10 points each, the least of any level.
- How many answers are there to “Name a famous equation or formula”?
- 109 in all: 5 on The Tip, 15 Below the Surface, 35 in The Deep, 53 in The Abyss, and a single legendary answer Below the Iceberg.
- Which answers to “Name a famous equation or formula” are the shortest and the longest?
- The shortest accepted answer is “F=ma” and the longest is “Newton's law of universal gravitation”.
- How hard is “Name a famous equation or formula”?
- Hard. It rewards people who know the subject well. It comes up in Free play on Hard and Mixed.
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How deep does your knowledge go?
Seven prompts a day, twenty seconds each. Obvious answers float on the tip of the iceberg; rare ones sink all the way to the trench.
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