Subscriber Discussion

1 In 4 Americans Do Not Know The Earth Goes Round The Sun?

RW
Rukmini Wilson
Feb 15, 2014

Apparently according to the NSF's latest poll.

Who are these people? Are they aware that most people think the opposite, yet just don't buy it?

Did they figure out on their own the world was round but didn't have enough time to work out a heliocentric theory?

Do you think you know anyone who believes the sun goes around the earth? If not, who/where are these people?

JH
John Honovich
Feb 15, 2014
IPVM

I'll play devil's advocate.

What does it matter what they believe here? What practical impact does this have on their lives or society?

Jeez, I bet half of all integrators installers think that coverage area is determined simply by resolution. That's screwed up and it practically impacts the systems they deploy.

RW
Rukmini Wilson
Feb 15, 2014

What does it matter what they believe here?

To me the who and the why are the more important questions because they might imply where the educational failure has taken place and suggest a remedy. Optomistic I'm sure but don't you think there might be some correlation betwen resolution confusion and more basic assumptions?

Or do you think it is mere coincidence that 2200(survey size)/4 is 550, or roughly the number of U.S. Avigilon dealers? :) JK

RW
Rukmini Wilson
Feb 15, 2014

I know you are not running a science class here but what percentage of your highly technical readership do you think would get the following question correct?

We experience Day and Night because

a. the Sun revolves around the Earth

b. the Earth revolves around the Sun

c. Neither

d. Both

I would hope > 90%, but who knows?

HL
Horace Lasell
Feb 16, 2014

One "good" question deserves another...

How about proper English? Would you say five plus seven IS eleven or ARE eleven?

RW
Rukmini Wilson
Feb 16, 2014

Mine was a "serious" trick question...:)

Here's one with a real world integrator focus:

If a Dahua mini-dome and a pack of Lucky Strikes cost $110 together and the camera costs $100 more than the smokes, how much do the smokes cost alone?

Hint: It's not $10.

Smartass answers welcomed.

JH
John Honovich
Feb 16, 2014
IPVM

Now I know you are kidding, $105 for a Dahua mini-dome, that's far too expensive - ha ha ha...

RW
Rukmini Wilson
Feb 16, 2014

$105 for a Dahua mini-dome, that's far too expensive

Your right, here my revised question:

If (1) rugged beige mini-dome and (1) pack of full-flavored rolled tobacco sticks cost $110 together...

Lesson learned: Include line-item detail, get even your jokes price shopped!

AB
Alain Bolduc
Feb 16, 2014

Another good question is how someone who believes the earth is flat might explain Day and Night. ;)

Avatar
Marty Major
Feb 16, 2014
Teledyne FLIR

Since nobody else anwered....

c. Neither

Night and day are caused by the earths rotation on it's own axis - as it orbits the sun. It takes a year for the earth to complete it's orbit around the sun, and only 1 day/night for the earth to rotate once on it's axis.

Avatar
Carl Lindgren
Feb 15, 2014

It does? I thought that The Earth orbits The Sun. Silly me!

RW
Rukmini Wilson
Feb 18, 2014

Touche!

Although if one wanted to nit-pick one could say there is no priveledged frame of reference in any case. Probably not what people were thinking when they got it "wrong".

Avatar
Carl Lindgren
Feb 16, 2014

Here's one that may require some deep thinking, depending on your knowledge of science:

Why are there seasons, especially summer and winter?

  1. The Earth's orbit brings it closer to The Sun in the summer and farther away in the winter.
  2. The tilt of The Earth's axis brings hemispheres closer to the North or South Pole during the winter and farther away in the summer.
  3. The tilt of The Earth's axis causes The Sun's gravity to bring the hot core closer to the surface in the hemisphere experiencing summer.
  4. The tilt of The Earth's axis allows longer hours of daylight in the summer, which warms the surface of the planet.
  5. The "tilt" or "wobble" in The Earth's axis causes a change in the direction of ocean currents; bring warm water up from the tropics in the summer and cold water down from the poles in the winter.
  6. The "tilt" or "wobble" in The Earth's axis disturbs air currents, bringing cold air down from the poles in the winter and warm air up from the tropics in the summer.
  7. Some combination of the above.
  8. None of the above.
Avatar
Carl Lindgren
Feb 16, 2014

Bonus question:

Why is The Earth's axis tilted in the first place?

Avatar
Carl Lindgren
Feb 16, 2014

And the bonus question?

Avatar
Carl Lindgren
Feb 16, 2014

"The leading flat-earther theory holds that Earth is a disc with the Arctic Circle in the center and Antarctica, a 150-foot-tall wall of ice, around the rim. NASA employees, they say, guard this ice wall to prevent people from climbing over and falling off the disc."

AB
Alain Bolduc
Feb 17, 2014

That looks a lot more like the Kennedy Space Center than it does Antarctica. ;) Must have something to do with be global warming. I wonder what we'll do once that 150-foot-tall wall of ice melts away?

Avatar
Carl Lindgren
Feb 17, 2014

It is. I would have pasted a background of a glacier behind him but my artistic skills are minimal... ;-(

JA
J. A. 'Cal' Calcaterra
Feb 17, 2014

Oh fun. :-) Anyone ever read Worlds in Collision? A book written by Immanuel Velikovsky.

Culled from the Internet. "The book postulated that around the 15th century BCE, Venus was ejected from Jupiter as a comet or comet-like object, and passed near Earth (an actual collision is not mentioned). The object changed Earth's orbit and axis".

Carl Sagan went ballistic. www.velikovsky.info/Carl_Sagan_and_Immanuel_Velikovsky‎

A side note. To the 'bong' reference and the stuff that goes into them.

Search |carl sagan pot| Way to many response to just point out just one.

JA
J. A. 'Cal' Calcaterra
Feb 16, 2014

OK folks, Night and Day? What belief was one taught, by whom and when?

When it comes to Beliefs.

Mine is, "I believe. You believe. What you want to believe". Works with the rehearsed know it all door knockers and their pamphlets. So well that when a group of three showed up and I responed with same. The leader paused, and said. "Touche" and shuffled the rest down the street.

As to the proper English and them trick questions? Bottom line, it's what is in hand that 'counts'.

Most times common sense (sence for non-mainlanders?) trumps proper anything.

Wait. Lemme check with Miss Manners. Welcome - Miss Manners Always good for a chuckle.

Just my dollar $3.98

U
Undisclosed #1
Feb 16, 2014

I have no idea what this post even means. I think you were attempting humor, but I can't be sure.

JA
J. A. 'Cal' Calcaterra
Feb 16, 2014

There is a truism in there somewhere. :-) Take your pick. Beliefs that is.

JA
J. A. 'Cal' Calcaterra
Feb 17, 2014
Hmm, Another thought. Remembering some dialog in another forum sometime back. A reply stated. "I'm a lawyer. AND I don't know what he is talking about. Someone else responded with. How did you pass the bar? Or in this case. Might be, How did you get a business license?
JH
Jim Hall
Feb 16, 2014

Cal, beg pardon, but might I ask are these the same three "door knockers that came A calling" the other day, or a new bunch of hooligans?

Maybe you can get a restraining order.

Avatar
Brian Rhodes
Feb 16, 2014
IPVMU Certified

This thread is bizarre. I really don't mind off-topic subjects, but this one spent too much time at the bong.

JH
Jim Hall
Feb 16, 2014

Brian, I'm not sure why you replied to me, I don't take of a bong, never have, never will (god help me). And were in agreement about the bizarre, thats where I was going... One of the first chats I read when joining up while back was that Onssi architect one where I remembered reading somethin similar that I didn't much ken back then, nor now:

We all have beliefs. And I believe. You believe. What you want to believe.
Well it works when the door knockers come A calling with all the prepared/rehearsed (BS?) answers. Example one Sunday morning three came in force. I offered same after listening to their words. The leader said, 'Touche' and left.

Though I wish I had just been up front right off the bat, 'stead of trying to be all clever. Pride. :(

Avatar
Brian Rhodes
Feb 17, 2014
IPVMU Certified

My reply wasn't a direct criticism of you any anyone else. Just an observation. Somedays we talk about beards, introversion, or North Korea.

JA
J. A. 'Cal' Calcaterra
Feb 17, 2014
Hooligans? Jim, Search |door knockers with pamphlets| Never came to your door? The "believe" comment worked then and Still. For ALL that have strange agendas. Even here? :-)
UI
Undisclosed Integrator #2
Feb 17, 2014

All those replies...and so little energy into asking "Why?" Why do those people think that? Is it a failing of our teachers? Is it a failing of our society for being easy on people who simper... "But science is hard."? What was the construct of the question or questions? Who did they ask...scientists or did new English speakers? There is plenty to discuss here with the quest of understanding why.

JA
J. A. 'Cal' Calcaterra
Feb 17, 2014
Why's? Does this count? "OK folks, Night and Day? What belief was one taught, by whom and when?"
U
Undisclosed #1
Feb 17, 2014

What causes night and day is not anchored to any 'belief' system.

It is a physical thing that can be proven - unlike belief systems.

U
Undisclosed
Feb 17, 2014

Ah, but that statement "It is a physical thing that can be proven", is a belief system.

One that I share with you, but still a belief system.

U
Undisclosed #1
Feb 17, 2014

Belief System:

"A belief system is a set of mutually supportive beliefs. The beliefs of any such system can be classified as religious, philosophical, ideological, or a combination of these."

I don't see physical listed. :)

To your abstract point, everything that we experience can be construed as a 'belief'- whether physical or not.

U
Undisclosed
Feb 17, 2014

And many of our belief systems are so tightly held that we refuse to admit that they are belief systems and insist that they are fact and then go to outrageious length to justify our blind spot. :)

AB
Alain Bolduc
Feb 17, 2014

The original statement, or question, was:

"1 In 4 Americans Do Not Know The Earth Goes Round The Sun?"

This refers to knowledge, not to any particular belief system. The fact that people have information about something and choose not to believe it is one thing. The inference here is that they don't have that knowledge to begin with, so it does appear that somewhere, somehow, this information isn't reaching these people.

What's worrysome about a statement like this is that although this should fall into the most basic of knowledge categories in our day and age, where information about almost anything is so readily available, that seems like too big an assumption to make.

UI
Undisclosed Integrator #4
Feb 18, 2014

Those are all valid questions, Cal.

U
Undisclosed #3
Feb 17, 2014

UI
Undisclosed Integrator #4
Feb 17, 2014

maybe it had small *chance* of being WTE, but not now that you make everyone self-concious with buzkill

U
Undisclosed #3
Feb 17, 2014

Then my work is done here.

New discussion

Ask questions and get answers to your physical security questions from IPVM team members and fellow subscribers.

Newest discussions