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US Adults Fail Basic Science Literacy

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."

28 of 1,038 comments (clear)

  1. 47% by Lord+Grey · · Score: 5, Funny

    Only 15% actually know how much of the planet is covered in water (47% if you accept a rough approximation of the exact number)...

    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?

    --
    // Beyond Here Lie Dragons
    1. Re:47% by SatanicPuppy · · Score: 4, 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.

      --
      ad logicam Claiming a proposition is false because it was presented as the conclusion of a fallacious argument.
    2. Re:47% by lxs · · Score: 3, Funny

      the program usually doesn't work.

      Or it will work in new and exciting ways.

    3. Re:47% by Belial6 · · Score: 2, Funny

      That is a perfect example. EVERY time I type 'calendar', I have to make a effort to make sure that I spell it correctly.

    4. Re:47% by thewils · · Score: 2, Funny

      The best mis-spelling I saw of "count" was "ocunt".

      --
      Once I was a four stone apology. Now I am two separate gorillas.
    5. Re:47% by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      #define viod void
      #define flaot float
      #define ent int ...

    6. Re:47% by ApproachingLinux · · Score: 3, Funny

      you have to compile with the -dwim (do what i meant) option

    7. Re:47% by sgt+scrub · · Score: 1, 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.

      --
      Having to work for a living is the root of all evil.
    8. Re:47% by oh_bugger · · Score: 3, Funny

      at least nobody misunderestimated it

      --
      Go home and shave your giant head of smell with your bad self
    9. Re:47% by jeremyp · · Score: 2, Funny

      Technically that would be punctuation, not grammar.

      --
      All I want is a secure system where it's easy to do anything I want. Is that too much to ask ~~ Randall Munroe
  2. Factual errors in submission by ShaunC · · 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.

    --
    Thanks to the War on Drugs, it's easier to buy meth than it is to buy cold medicine!
    1. Re:Factual errors in submission by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 2, Funny

      Don't blame them, they were educated stupid by their government and their schools...

  3. 6600 years ago by drolli · · Score: 5, Funny

    the earth was fully covered with water, right before god created dry land and put all the fossils which seem to be older inside. The he created the animals in a way that their DNA looks like inherited from each other and created some species which are there to prove that he can also create species which evolve. All this is kind of obvious, so what are your irrelevant anti-christian scientific questions all about?

    1. Re:6600 years ago by sakdoctor · · Score: 4, 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.

  4. Re:Wha? by Ninnle+Labs,+LLC · · Score: 5, Funny

    approximately write

    Fucking facepalm. I can't believe I typoed that. :(

  5. How long it takes the earth to go around the sun? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    almost 50% of Americans won't know how long it takes the earth to go around the sun.

    24 hours.

  6. Re:Wha? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I'd thought it was on purpose.

  7. Re:Surprise. by flyingsquid · · Score: 5, Funny
    Well, at least pimps, hos and playas are merely indifferent to science. They don't actively work to discredit it, suppress it or redefine it as something else.

    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.

  8. Re:Americans are bad at literacy generally. by Curmudgeonlyoldbloke · · Score: 5, Funny

    But everyone knows that the British are prone to over-generalisation.

  9. Do you know what "irony" is? by Pope · · Score: 4, Funny

    It's like "stony" or "woody" but a lot better to make swords out of?

    --
    It doesn't mean much now, it's built for the future.
  10. Re:Wha? by Leafheart · · Score: 2, Funny

    Fucking facepalm.

    that's how you kids are calling it these days?

    --
    --- "When you gotta do something wrong. You gotta do it right. (Fighter)"
  11. Re:Aside from that... that isn't scientific litera by edittard · · Score: 3, Funny

    You need to a finite verb to that sentence.

    --
    At the bottom of the /. main page it says 'Yesterday's News'. Well they got that right.
  12. Re:Learn things that matter by IrquiM · · Score: 2, Funny

    How can walking around -not- being afraid of a T-Rex not be relevant in a person's daily life/career?

    --
    This is blinging
  13. Actually in the classroom by ClosedSource · · Score: 2, 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.

  14. Re:Aside from that... that isn't scientific litera by camperdave · · Score: 5, Funny

    ok let's start with simpler things.

    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.

    --
    When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
  15. Re:And it's a statistics game... by thomasdz · · 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

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  16. Re:Aside from that... that isn't scientific litera by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I wish I could get 85 mpg. Is 6 feet the proper distance for a good draft?

  17. No! Yellow! by Joe+the+Lesser · · Score: 3, Funny

    Aaaaaagh!

    --
    "I only speak the truth"
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