US Adults Fail Basic Science Literacy 1038
TaeKwonDood writes "Do you want the bad news first or the good news? The good news is that about 80% of Americans think science knowledge is 'very important' to our future. The bad news is most of those people think it's up to someone else to get knowledgeable. Only 15% actually know how much of the planet is covered in water (47% if you accept a rough approximation of the exact number) and over 40% think dinosaurs and humans cavorted together like in some sort of 'Land Of The Lost' episode. What to do? Pres. Obama thinks merit pay for teachers makes sense. Yes, it will enrage the teachers' union, but it might inspire better people to go into science teaching. It's either that or accept that almost 50% of Americans won't know how long it takes the earth to go around the sun."
47% (Score:5, Funny)
47%? Last I heard, it was between 70-75%. The top three results from Google for the query "earth covered by water" all say that as well.
Was that 47% derived using a different definition, or is TaeKwonDood a charter member of the Science Is Only For Nerds Club?
Factual errors in submission (Score:2, Funny)
50% of Americans won't know how long it takes the earth to go around the sun
Heresy! Everyone knows the sun revolves around the Earth, and it takes 6,000 years for it to pass around all four corners.
Re:Factual errors in submission (Score:3, Funny)
6600 years ago (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Wha? (Score:5, Funny)
approximately write
Fucking facepalm. I can't believe I typoed that. :(
How long it takes the earth to go around the sun? (Score:2, Funny)
24 hours.
Re:Wha? (Score:1, Funny)
I'd thought it was on purpose.
Re:Surprise. (Score:5, Funny)
Yo man, why you down on us playas and our science skills? We gotta use some mad science skills to get the honeys. For instance ya gotta know the correlation coefficient that describes the relationship between yo bling and yo hos, to maximize the amount of hos per dollar of bling. And is the relationship between those sweet rims on yo pimped out ride, and gettin the honeys best modeled by a linear or logistic model? Mendelian genetics is important to know so you can figure out whether a girl's sister gonna be hot. We playas all about the science.
Re:Americans are bad at literacy generally. (Score:5, Funny)
But everyone knows that the British are prone to over-generalisation.
Re:6600 years ago (Score:5, Funny)
I'm trying to imagine, if I were an omnipotent being, why the hell I would bother with all that.
Then it hit me. God is playing the ULTIMATE version of Sid Meier's Civilization.
God chose to play as the Americans, and everyone else gets free will because we are the AI players.
I personally think god isn't doing very well economically; and he needs to increase his science rate.
Do you know what "irony" is? (Score:5, Funny)
It's like "stony" or "woody" but a lot better to make swords out of?
Re:Wha? (Score:3, Funny)
Fucking facepalm.
that's how you kids are calling it these days?
Re:47% (Score:5, Funny)
I think that's due more to a concentration of geeks: no one picks nits like a geek. People on other forums may notice, but they won't necessarily feel the need to pimp slap you for it.
Re:Aside from that... that isn't scientific litera (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Learn things that matter (Score:2, Funny)
How can walking around -not- being afraid of a T-Rex not be relevant in a person's daily life/career?
Actually in the classroom (Score:3, Funny)
"Yet, when the secular progressives run everything literacy is now less than it was when GOD was actually in the classrooms."
God had to graduate sometime.
Re:47% (Score:4, Funny)
the program usually doesn't work.
Or it will work in new and exciting ways.
Re:47% (Score:3, Funny)
Re:47% (Score:3, Funny)
The best mis-spelling I saw of "count" was "ocunt".
Re:47% (Score:2, Funny)
#define viod void ...
#define flaot float
#define ent int
Re:47% (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Aside from that... that isn't scientific litera (Score:5, Funny)
How many states are there?
Three: Solid, Liquid, Gas.
How many MAJOR branches of the government are there and name them.
Three: Federal, State/Provincial, Municipal
How many stripes and stars are on the USA flag?
It depends on the year. Currently there are 63.
Name 3 countries in europe.
Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan
Name 3 countries in Asia.
Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan
Name 3 countries in south america.
The Netherlands, The United Kingdom, France
Name 3 countries in north america.
The Netherlands, The United Kingdom, France
(You gotta love transcontinental countries, and overseas protectorates.)
Explain how you can calculate your approximate destination time from your speed and distance.
The time at a destination changes approximately by one hour for every fifteen degrees of longitude. It will not be affected by speed, although at relativistic velocities the traveller's perception is that time slows down.
Re:And it's a statistics game... (Score:2, Funny)
People, the parent is not the real kdawson (the editor). An editor has a little slashdot symbol next to his name. This guy has the username "kdawson (3715)" but actually has a very high user ID, 1344097.
Unless it's the REAL kdawson making it look like a fake kdawson is trying to imitate the real kdawson. You know...the old double switcheroo trick?
Those Slashdot editors have great powers and could probably do it as they plan their world takeover
Re:Aside from that... that isn't scientific litera (Score:1, Funny)
I wish I could get 85 mpg. Is 6 feet the proper distance for a good draft?
Re:47% (Score:2, Funny)
Yo man thats wrong. Childrenz learn what you sayin is the right way. Not t'other way round. Know what I'm sayin dog? They don't need no school for dat. What da most peoples says is right is right and that all there is to it. Peace.
Re:47% (Score:3, Funny)
Re:47% (Score:3, Funny)
Technically that would be punctuation, not grammar.
No! Yellow! (Score:4, Funny)
Aaaaaagh!