Author
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Topic: If you thought science education was bad in the US
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Snuckles
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 2764
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posted 05 January 2007 05:16 PM
If you thought science education was bad in the US, check out this guy on France's version of 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire?'. The question he is asked is "What revolves around the Earth?". He has four choices, the Moon, the Sun, Mars, Venus. Pretty simple right? Not so. And what's even worse is that a majority of the audience didn't know either. [ 05 January 2007: Message edited by: Snuckles ]
From: Hell | Registered: Jun 2002
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Steppenwolf Allende
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 13076
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posted 05 January 2007 07:35 PM
Ah fer ^*(#Y!*( #9(*R^@()) #*#$#W^)*^ #&*&*@!!Everybody know it revolves around Dubya's ranch. God, through Pat Robertson of course, says so. So 56 per cent of that French audience thought it was the sun?! Must be a Gaulist crowd.
From: goes far, flies near, to the stars away from here | Registered: Aug 2006
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Legless-Marine
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 13423
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posted 05 January 2007 10:06 PM
quote: Originally posted by Snuckles:
And what's even worse is that a majority of the audience didn't know either. [ 05 January 2007: Message edited by: Snuckles ]
Galileo surrenders.
From: Calgary | Registered: Oct 2006
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Bubbles
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 3787
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posted 06 January 2007 06:52 PM
quote: The question he is asked is "What revolves around the Earth?". He has four choices, the Moon, the Sun, Mars, Venus. Pretty simple right?
But one must admit that the question is a bit deceptive, and not realy all that simple. The Moon turns around the Earth, but so does Mars. And yet the question implies that only one on the list turns around the Earth. It seems that who ever put the question together, was the one that needed more education.
From: somewhere | Registered: Feb 2003
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N.Beltov
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 4140
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posted 07 January 2007 11:03 AM
I've looked up the word "revolve" and the second definition refers to movement in a circular orbit. But in fact, the moon does NOT move in a circular orbit around the earth. The moon does not really orbit the earth at all. The precise physics is that BOTH the moon and the earth orbit the "centre of gravity" between them. The centre of gravity of the "moon-earth system" is a point between the two bodies. The "moon orbits the Earth" concept would have to ignore the fact that the mass of the Earth is subjected to the moon's gravity as well as vice versa. This stuff is covered in any first year university Physics course.The actual shape is an ellipse not a circle. [A circle is a special case of ellipse such that the two foci are the same point or something like that.] This "centre of gravity" stuff can get confusing. For example, looking at the "Earth-Sun system" in isolation, the difference in mass is so large that one of the foci is within the Sun, even if it is not the exact centre. [ 07 January 2007: Message edited by: N.Beltov ]
From: Vancouver Island | Registered: May 2003
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N.Beltov
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 4140
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posted 07 January 2007 11:46 AM
Kepler's Laws:1. Planets move in orbits that are ellipses. 2. The planets move such that the line between the Sun and the Planet sweeps out the same area in the same area in the same time no matter where in the orbit. 3. The square of the period of the orbit of a planet is proportional to the mean distance from the Sun cubed. For those interested in the difference between an ellipse and a circle and the construction of a drawing of an ellipse, have a look here: drawing an ellipse and other neat stuff. The line from A to the pencil point plus the line from B to the pencil point add up to the same number wherever the pencil point is on the ellipse. It is equal to twice the length of the semi-major axis. [ 07 January 2007: Message edited by: N.Beltov ]
From: Vancouver Island | Registered: May 2003
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quart o' homomilk
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 13309
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posted 07 January 2007 02:14 PM
quote: Originally posted by Southlander: Ok so you passed physics! Still the best answer is the moon, but a contestant could argue any other answer except venus is correct. No? Any arguements for venus?[ 07 January 2007: Message edited by: Southlander ]
Given that "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus", then either the earth revolves around women, or the earth-woman system is what is revolving, or men revolve around women. QED! [ 07 January 2007: Message edited by: quart o' homomilk ]
From: saturday | Registered: Oct 2006
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Bubbles
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 3787
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posted 07 January 2007 07:54 PM
We might have to revise our Astronomy text books.My somewhat dated Eigth edition Van Nostrand Astronomy text book has planets, comets and meteor streams, all revolving around the sun. And as most of us know comets tend to have long elongated orbits, that seem anything but circular. That seems to suggest that there is a decided lack of communication between the English department and the science department, when they cannot agree on a common usage of the word 'revolve'. Royal commission, anyone? This is about education afterall. Maybe Harper will organize a multi-religious prayer session, asking for some devine guidance.
From: somewhere | Registered: Feb 2003
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Palamedes
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 13677
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posted 08 January 2007 12:33 PM
You know, we can all sit here and pat ourselves on the back for being so much smarter than the French - but something like this has nothing to do with being smart. I don't think too many of us figured out for ourselves that the moon revolves around the Earth. We learned it in school.And perhaps, the French decided that knowing astronomy wasn't of all that much use to the majority of its citizens and didn't bother to teach them. Perhaps they showed them how to make a radio with only a few parts, or how to make wine. And if Canadians don't know these things, I'm sure the French would laugh and tell us how idiotic we are. Just because we learn something at an early age, does not mean that all people that haven't learned it are stupid.
From: Toronto | Registered: Dec 2006
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