About 25% of Americans Don't Know the Earth Revolves Around the Sun

[VanTesla]

About 25% of Americans Don't Know the Earth Revolves Around the Sun

Does the Earth go around the Sun or does the Sun go around the Earth? And while we are at it, do antibiotics kill viruses?

Do you know the answers to the above science questions? Apparently many Americans don't. About 1 in 4 people tested in a recent survey conducted by the National Science Foundation think the Sun revolves around the Earth. It looks like most of these folks are still living in the educational Dark Ages.

Lest you think the sample size was too small, 2,200 people were asked 10 science questions, and the average result was 6.5 correct, according to the poll released on Friday, and reported by Phys.org [http://phys.org/news/2014-02-americans-unaware-earth-circles-sun.html]. So the number or respondents was fairly substantial to pull numbers from. Other science questions that received mixed responses:


Did the universe begin with a huge explosion? Only 39% answered yes correctly.
Did human beings, as we know them today, develop from earlier species of animals? Only 48% correctly said yes.
Do antibiotics kill viruses? Only 51% correctly answered no.


There is hope, however, as most Americans really like science and seem to hold scientists in high regard. But then the results seem to indicate that while they may like science, they may not necessarily read enough about it.

Source: NPR [http://phys.org/news/2014-02-americans-unaware-earth-circles-sun.html]



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This would be big if the study had a decent size of actual people tested to it... 2,200 people out of a population around 313.9 million estimated at the year of 2012 has absolutely no bearing on what the level of education or awareness of the average US citizen has... A study on this level is considered a complete waste of time if it is trying to evaluate the whole country or even the smallest state in the country. All this paper does is give people that skim read it the thought that most USA citizens are complete idiots which may or may not be true, but this polling is not one that proves either case.

These crap pollings/statistics need to stop coming out as if they prove anything, but just propagate bs and waste time and money... The only actual way to do it somewhat correctly is to get at least enough people that can give some actual population percentage that is a whole number and not something ridiculous as 0.000000000000000001% of a population...

 

[Someone Depressing]

There was a different survey a couple of years back, one of the questions was: If Earth revolves around the Sun, how much time does it take to make a full revolution? Around 30% answered one day.

Also, how does one "kill viruses" anyway? Virus is a single organic molecule, it's not even an organism of any description. It isn't even alive.

That's a good point. It's like stabbing a table in revenge because you hit your shin on it.

All in all, I hope this isn't true. Oh God, I hope it isn't.

And if it is I hope the only people asked were in the southern states. Then it's ok.

 

[Skeleon]

Also, how does one "kill viruses" anyway? Virus is a single organic molecule, it's not even an organism of any description. It isn't even alive.

Nah, viruses are way more complex than being just one molecule. Look at this cute bugger:

Spoiler: A bacteriophage

It can inject its genetic material into bacterial hosts like a syringe and is assembled from a number of separate parts that are put together by its host before release.

As for viruses being alive or not, that's an interesting question because it gets to the definitions of life. They don't have their own metabolism, but they reproduce, mutate, evolve, contain genetic material etc.; that whole life-thing is pretty iffy to define in some areas.

Lastly, that question about the universe stemming from an explosion seems kind of misleading to me when you consider it's apparently more viewed as an expansion of space and time than an actual explosion or anything. There was no space nor time for anything to explode in before it. In fact, the very idea of "before it" is supposedly nonsensical since there was no time, right? Now my head hurts. I like biology, but physics is a bit much for me.

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

[i/]And like that...[/i]

[i/]The news section became Religion and Politics[/i]

I do I agree that more data would be nice. These numbers are pretty vague.

That being said, I'm sorry, but belief does not change scientific data. In a battle of evidence, there is mountains more to support the big bang and evolution than any other concept someone could bring up.

 

[shrekfan246]

We don't use the vast majority of these "Fun Facts" and so you're brain kicks them out for more important things in life like money management, the proper way to cook chicken so you don't all die, and how to juggle chainsaws.

Yeah, but who cares about all of that when you can make another "lolMurrica" joke, right?

Besides, the Big Bang? "Explosion"? Talk about simplification. While I don't doubt they caught people who simply believe God did it, it's equally plausible there were just skeptics or people who do keep up with modern science.

 

[VanTesla]

I can't imagine how such results are possible. I knew the answers when I was in 5th grade, if not earlier. And that viruses are different from bacteria.

t amout of peopl polled does not show anything of what the majority of us americans actully know and not know. They could poll one wit 2 million people and have half of them have all answered wrong and still it would not prove even a fraction of how all americans think. Th best a survey of 2 million would do is be to analyse one of the bigger States in the USA if all the peple polled where from there and not multiple states tht have different leves of education and practices.

 

[Skeleon]

The belief based questions, like the evolution and start of the universe, is not fair to ask. They answered wrong because they believe differently. That's just a low-blow.

Now the earth rotating question is inexcusable.

Yeah, I get annoyed when people say you answered an opinion based question 'wrong'.
If the question starts with 'In your opinion...' there cannot be an incorrect answer.

That's silly. "In my opinion, the world is flat, has four corners and is hung in space." That doesn't become any less factually false just because it's "my opinion". Of course they can ask in this way to see whether the opinion people hold on the subject is correct or not. Also, according to the OP, it wasn't even phrased as an "in your opinion,..."-question.

You can say it's your right to be wrong and base your view of the world on your beliefs, sure, but you can't go all-out Solipsist on people and act like no objective reality exists out there that people can actually investigate. The moment you do that, everything you say becomes irrelevant.

 

[Riverwolf]

First post!

My first thoughts when I read that: As a suburban American living roughly 30 miles east of San Francisco who went to a public school that taught Columbus was the first guy to propose a round Earth and that he was the first European in the Americas and got along perfectly well with the natives, I, too, have little faith in our education system and our overall collective knowledge*.

HOWEVER, I do have to wonder how many of those responses might have been due to getting the two mixed up. I have not been diagnosed with dyslexia, but when I first read "does the Earth circle the Sun or does the Sun circle the Earth", I still get initially confused, not because I don't know the correct answer (of course the Earth orbits the Sun in an imperfect circle, and in fact I'm also aware that the Earth used to have a lower orbit), but because I tend to get a bit confused by phrases like that and often have to take a minute in order to figure out which one is which (and I also have trouble differentiating left from right).



*Knowledge specifically, not intelligence; intelligence isn't a measure of how many random factoids a person knows, but how well a person can use what knowledge is had as a tool for furthering whatever is desired... a pet definition I developed from years of lonely thinking to myself about it based on some of the things I've read and seen; feel free to challenge it.

 

[gamerguy20097]

We Americans also vote republican too. Yet another reason to be ashamed of my country.

 

[direkiller]

Did the universe begin with a huge explosion? Only 39% answered yes correctly.

So 39% were wrong, and so were the makers of this survey.

Space expanded not exploded, there was no release of energy due to rapid oxidation of a chemical, or violent rupturing of a pressurized container.

 

[Weaver]

A little annoyed at the "Did the universe begin with a huge explosion?" question.
While the big bang is the leading theory, and it's a pretty good one, we're still not really to the point where we should consider it absolute fact (or call it an explosion).

 

[Muspelheim]

First post!

*Knowledge specifically, not intelligence; intelligence isn't a measure of how many random factoids a person knows, but how well a person can use what knowledge is had as a tool for furthering whatever is desired... a pet definition I developed from years of lonely thinking to myself about it based on some of the things I've read and seen; feel free to challenge it.

Welcome, welcome! Even if it does feel like welcoming someone inside a house when an elephant has been sick all over the front room, welcome none the less!

That is a rather good philosophy, I must say. It's a bit like the old "I have an idea". Everyone, after all, has an idea. The tricky part is doing something with that idea. That is what's really impressive.

[i/]And like that...[/i]

[i/]The news section became Religion and Politics[/i]

Cribdeath is leftist fascist gays fault!

((It's been a while since I roleplayed.))

We Americans also vote republican too. Yet another reason to be ashamed of my country.

Well, c'mon, there are perfectly sensible Republicans as well. The basic Republican idea is, while not my cup of tea, perfectly sensible. As little government involvement into daily life as possible, amongst other things. The trouble is that the party leadership wants to cash in all those sweet extremist votes, as well.

 

[Nieroshai]

There was a different survey a couple of years back, one of the questions was: If Earth revolves around the Sun, how much time does it take to make a full revolution? Around 30% answered one day.

Also, how does one "kill viruses" anyway? Virus is a single organic molecule, it's not even an organism of any description. It isn't even alive.

Actually a virus is quite alive, and you kill them with poison or smothering like our immune system does.

Though these figures suddenly explain, Justin Bieber, Sarah Palin and how GeeDubya got two terms in office.

And to be fair, knowledge of the earth revolving around the sun dates back to the ancient greeks and romans. Astrologers moe or less figured the earth had to be revolving around something going by the constellations visible in the sky at a given time of year and how they moved around the sky.

But seriously...Americans, do something about this... less fighting about your right to own 20 guns and more fighting for your children's rights to a a proper education.

What you don't realize is that on the same poll the US is ahead of the entire EU on getting the answer correct. Think about that. Nearly every nation that derides the US did WORSE. The US placed FIFTH of all nations polled.

 

[Nieroshai]

We Americans also vote republican too. Yet another reason to be ashamed of my country.

Classy. Letting your distaste for a party (and not the one running the country during one of our biggest economic crises) bias you to believe a bogus poll, and one that in fact still has the US beating out Europe as a whole on correct answers. Please do think before you hate, it is always a shame to see it crop up.

 

[Flatfrog]

Sounds like the survey was expecting the common, simplified answers. Because the earth orbits the sun only from the sun's frame of reference.

Not true. If we're going to be a bit more accurate, the two of them rotate around their common centre of gravity, but because of the difference in mass (and because of the influence of all the other planets), that's pretty much the same as the Earth revolving round the Sun.

The relativity principle doesn't apply here because it's an accelerating frame of reference. There is no frame of reference in which the Sun could be said to be rotating around the Earth. The forces are all wrong.

 

[Nieroshai]

There was a different survey a couple of years back, one of the questions was: If Earth revolves around the Sun, how much time does it take to make a full revolution? Around 30% answered one day.

Also, how does one "kill viruses" anyway? Virus is a single organic molecule, it's not even an organism of any description. It isn't even alive.

That's a good point. It's like stabbing a table in revenge because you hit your shin on it.

All in all, I hope this isn't true. Oh God, I hope it isn't.

And if it is I hope the only people asked were in the southern states. Then it's ok.

We did better on the poll than ALL of Europe. That educational utopia, as the internet makes it sound. Even if it is true, and indeed if the South is to blame, that would mean if just Georgia dropped off the map, America would have scored at least 2nd instead of 5th. Instead of Europe.

 

[Flatfrog]

As for viruses being alive or not, that's an interesting question because it gets to the definitions of life. They don't have their own metabolism, but they reproduce, mutate, evolve, contain genetic material etc.; that whole life-thing is pretty iffy to define in some areas.

True enough but I think most definitions of life exclude viruses. They contain genetic material, but they don't and can't do anything with it; all the apparatus for reproduction is appropriated from the host cell. So I think to say 'they reproduce' is pushing the definition quite a bit.

Also on a more philosophical level we can't say that reproducing, and evolving are criteria for life because otherwise we're into a difficult territory about the origin of life. Life had to evolve from non-life, and the only way for that to happen is for some intermediate form to exist which reproduced but wasn't alive. I think life has to involve some kind of metabolism.

 

[VanTesla]

We Americans also vote republican too. Yet another reason to be ashamed of my country.

Not trying to be rude, but that statement is quite ignorant. There is nothing wrong with being ignorant unless you stay that way. I dislike both parties in congress and both sides are mostly corrupt and have their fair share of idiots that speak louder than the vast majority of either party... There are good republicans as there bad and same for democrats. Both have very differing opinions on subjects and how to go about them, but many are able to at least compromise in the past. Also both parties as of now have being changing drastically in both extremes with newer people coming in some good and more so bad in my opinion. I have friends on both sides but they can actually have a civil discusion without yelling at each other that one is a fool or idiot. If you also look at history the parties have been going back and forth on leaning left or right and still are right now to appease to their constituents and not the the USA as a whole. Also if we want to talk about how both sides are so similar look at how Obama still uses many of the practices of the Bush era that was so hated by the majority of democrats and yet since he is in charge they only once in a blue moon may say something about it, but still support him... Same with Republicans hating on some ideas he has that boarder on what they intended when they had control because he is the opposition. Neither party is perfect and both are large with their fair share of corruption and fools.