General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsDo you know more about science and technology than the average American?
Take the Pew Science and Technology Knowledge Quiz.
http://www.pewresearch.org/quiz/science-knowledge/
I got 13/13 as an admitted science nerd.
NRaleighLiberal
(60,018 posts)freshwest
(53,661 posts)The results are sad, but correlate with how I think our country is going. The top 7% shown will control this country while the benighted masses hiss at them.
Meet the new ruling class, who did not see science as a liberal conspiracy or heretical. Just imagine what generations to come will do for a living, since respect for teachers is nil.
Even though Obama is doing what he can to show young people they need to excell, we have a lot of lost people now.
We joked about Conservapedia and the Creationist school texts. But they are destroying those who are caught to a life of poverty, discontent and little chance to participate fully in a democratic society; in fact they will bring it down.
RobinA
(9,894 posts)12/13. But I'm surprised people did as well as they did, considering some of the stuff I've heard from people around me. I'm also not thrilled about the gender gap on this basic stuff.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)Last edited Thu Apr 25, 2013, 04:15 PM - Edit history (1)
The only separation of the sexes we had was for gym class. We had girls who did great in math and all the sciences, chemistry, biology, etc. It wasn't notable. It was normal.
Except for nanotechnology, those questions were all part of what we were taught. The climate gas question was in studies of the different geologic periods, even how some species evolved because of man-made conditions.
We knew people caused climate change on a micro and macro level. We were taught about the Dust Bowl and how desertification in different civilizations in the past caused it and how to prevent it. As well as weather modification like cloud seeding. Basic scientific education was as common as learning the days of the week.
Droughts, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes or oil spills weren't called Acts of God by charlatans like Pat Robertson. No public figure would try to pray as his only solution like Rick Perry started with a few years ago. There was none of this insane 'women have things that shut pregnancy down in rape' crap.
Sex ed wasn't controversial, neither was evolution, labor, progressive social movements. We learned the differences between capitalism, co-operatives as a natural outgrowth of agrarian and urban societies, socialism and communism.
We could not graduate from an American history class without knowing the wars, the timeline of events during every presidential term, the Constitution, Federalism, the Amendments, how aws were made, all state and national capitols and world geography. Basic civics.
I attended WPA-built schools in a working class neighborhood. I graduated from the public high school in the south in the late sixties. I can't fathom how we got to point of the superstitious drivel that is being pumped into people's heads from the right and the left as well. Magical thinking is what I call it and it will destroy working democracy and belief in equality.
BTW, that's from a real text book. It would be funny if it wasn't.
mimi85
(1,805 posts)We love to talk and show off how smart we think we are, don't we?
freshwest
(53,661 posts)And this is a friendly:
mimi85
(1,805 posts)I def wasn't trying to be a smart ass. Darn internet, it's so hard to hear one's voice or see their movements. It truly has made "reading" another person all but impossible. I wasn't trying to be "smart" just making a observation on human nature. Believe me, I took the quizzes as well!
RainDog
(28,784 posts)whew!
Egalitarian Thug
(12,448 posts)awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)as to chemical reactions, I answered "sugar dissolving" instead of "nail rusting"
on edit: oops, I thought you said 12/13.
Benton D Struckcheon
(2,347 posts)and I totally & categorically deny any nerdiness absolutely whatsoever anywhere on my person. So there!
lastlib
(23,271 posts)not a nerd, per se, but d$#& smart!
(in my next life, I want to be rich instead of brilliant!)
bravenak
(34,648 posts)I know it's a lot to ask.
Wounded Bear
(58,694 posts)bravenak
(34,648 posts)So sad.
Union Scribe
(7,099 posts)Maybe we can be nerds in training.
Wounded Bear
(58,694 posts)It's the most common in the universe, but not our atmosphere.
4_TN_TITANS
(2,977 posts)And I'm far from a science nerd.
aristocles
(594 posts)burnodo
(2,017 posts)I had to stop and think a bit on a couple of them.
Jeff In Milwaukee
(13,992 posts)But I was an English major.
MrSlayer
(22,143 posts)Idiotically chose oxygen before thinking about it for a second.
demosincebirth
(12,541 posts)Demonaut
(8,924 posts)Mojorabbit
(16,020 posts)mimi85
(1,805 posts)I just totally guessed.
rightsideout
(978 posts)But I was an art major in college. LOL.
X_Digger
(18,585 posts)Snarkoleptic
(5,998 posts)I'm sure several of us have stealth freeper accounts, anyone willing to post the test over there?
It would be an interesting experiment.
lapfog_1
(29,219 posts)cherokeeprogressive
(24,853 posts)Damn nitrogen.
laundry_queen
(8,646 posts)TDale313
(7,820 posts)Rain Mcloud
(812 posts)So,now I know better.
I guess that is why steel rusts so readily,nitrogen is an oxidizer.
AtheistCrusader
(33,982 posts)In fact, it's used to prevent rust, or includes in a list of benefits, not causing rust/oxidation for some applications like car tires.
AtheistCrusader
(33,982 posts)'Nitrogen-Oxygen'.
Behind the Aegis
(53,975 posts)12/13 ain't too bad though.
diane in sf
(3,918 posts)narnian60
(3,510 posts)ChazII
(6,205 posts)DreamGypsy
(2,252 posts)...which planet you were on...
A very poorly designed quiz. Many apologies to the Jovian, Saturnian, and Uranian DUers out there. You wouldn't believe how difficult is for us earthlings to get accommodation for diversity.
delinquimus, delinquimus maxima
Brother Buzz
(36,458 posts)magellan
(13,257 posts)That was fun!
nenagh
(1,925 posts)olddots
(10,237 posts)I freak out on tests, graduated high school at 19 and have the brain of a pea
lunasun
(21,646 posts)I admit not knowing much science wise at all but still above more than 85% of the public
Not good news for America if a science dummy like me is in the top 15-20%!
Gman
(24,780 posts)The stats of people who do poorly are incredible. And the dumber people are the more likely they are to vote Republican. The GOP has an interest in keeping people ignorant. Fox News is the perfect example.
Snarkoleptic
(5,998 posts)Multiple Scientific Studies Confirm: Extreme Conservatism Linked To Racism And Low I.Q.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/101661795
Gman
(24,780 posts)But those are only the latest studies. The research has been going on and published now for several years. They all seem to be sound studies. There are a couple out that even indicate conservatism is a disorder.
Snarkoleptic
(5,998 posts)For me, this book explained a lot of behavior that I'd previously been puzzled by. I downloaded it and read it on my daily train commute, nearly missed my stop as I neared the end.
From the author-
This book was written in 2006, halfway through George W. Bushs second term as president. A great deal was wrong with America then, and I thought the research on authoritarian personalities could explain a lot of it. Since then a new administration has been elected, and although it has had to deal with a very serious economic crisis brought on by others, it is taking steps to correct some of what is wrong.
However, the forces that largely caused the problems have remained on the scene, and are more active today than ever before. As I try to show in the Comment on the Tea Party Movement (link to the left), the research findings in this book apply at least as strongly to America today as they did four years ago. Indeed, the events of 2009 and 2010 have confirmed conclusion after conclusion in The Authoritarians. I wrote in 2006 that the authoritarians in America were not going to go away if they lost the 2008 election, that they would be infuriated if a new president tried to carry out his mandate. That has certainly been the case.
If you check the hit counter on this page, youll see that this site has been visited nearly 300,000 times so far. The feedback Ive gotten from those who have read The Authoritarians enables me to give you the major reason why you might want to do so too. It ties things together for me, people have said, You can see how so many things all fit together. It explains the things about conservatives that didnt make any sense to me, others have commented. And the one that always brings a smile to my face, Now at last I understand my brother-in-law (or grandmother, uncle, woman in my car pool, Congressman, etc.).
Maybe itll work that way for you too.
Bob Altemeyer
May, 2010
alittlelark
(18,890 posts)The only one I had to think about for a few seconds was atmosphere.
I hope their results are not accurate.
LeftInTX
(25,515 posts)immoderate
(20,885 posts)I better. I'm licensed to teach this stuff.
--imm
ohheckyeah
(9,314 posts)I agree - damn nitrogen. I should have known better.
customerserviceguy
(25,183 posts)And I found it quite simple, even after a few beers. The fact that I was in the top 7% was the most stupefying thing about that whole experience.
Snarkoleptic
(5,998 posts)Some interesting insight into the data sample.
http://www.people-press.org/2013/04/22/publics-knowledge-of-science-and-technology/
eridani
(51,907 posts)Brain deterioration? Lower average educational attainment? 13/13, what almost everyone got except for a few who missed one.
RobinA
(9,894 posts)wasn't around, or around much, when you guys were in school. I'm 55 and plate tectonics was a page mention in a science book. If you look at a current science text and it's got chapters. The only reason I know fracking is I live in PA. No fracking back in my school days.
TrogL
(32,822 posts)Make7
(8,543 posts)Bobbyboozhay66
(6 posts)..yes
lpbk2713
(42,766 posts)Missed the blood cell Q.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,826 posts)JI7
(89,262 posts)gateley
(62,683 posts)LiberalAndProud
(12,799 posts)Unlike the science nerds posting before me, I'm science impaired.
Bannakaffalatta
(94 posts)Somebody needs to put a little more money and a little less union-busting into the education system. That's grade 6 level science (and no technology). Why do people not know?
Matariki
(18,775 posts)that's what I thought. Kind of surprised at the simplicity of those questions.
rrneck
(17,671 posts)That was a very easy test. It's a little disconcerting since I am not really all that into science.
BainsBane
(53,054 posts)TekGryphon
(430 posts)BlueJazz
(25,348 posts)opiate69
(10,129 posts)icarusxat
(403 posts)This would bring our average to over 100%...I didn't even have to check my DL...
Heywood J
(2,515 posts)Seriously. I got 13/13 and then promptly forgot that I had just crossed one of the boundaries between age groups... six months ago. Yes, I failed at filling in my own age properly.
opiate69
(10,129 posts)Dammit, I don't feel 44!
El Fuego
(6,502 posts)CBHagman
(16,987 posts)Believe me, I'm relieved, as I don't claim any particular knowledge of science, though I read a bit here and there.
NightWatcher
(39,343 posts)Oh, and thanks too.
Marrah_G
(28,581 posts)Go Vols
(5,902 posts)and I just got home from the bar and smoked a bowl.
Should be harder,did Jesus ride dinosaurs?
silverweb
(16,402 posts)[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]Way too easy.
BootinUp
(47,179 posts)Fuck...our society is going downhill.
Show me the Money!!!!!!!
NYC_SKP
(68,644 posts)It didn't seem like very complex information.
13/13
exboyfil
(17,865 posts)Science nerd as well. Just got done helping my 9th grade daughter do animal dissections at home for a comparative anatomy project (after helping my older daughter study for a Calculus quiz).
mrs_p
(3,014 posts)And I second guessed myself on the one I missed.
ecstatic
(32,727 posts)The question about which gas makes up most of the earth's atmosphere. I simply forgot. Still inexcusable.
zipplewrath
(16,646 posts)Anyone can have a "duh" moment. A momentary mental confusion where you screw up something you actually know perfectly well. I'd be more concerned if you got it wrong, and argued with the answer.
And that one is a very common error by the by. I was a bit surprised they put it in there. You'll find that in various "brain teasers" where they try to "trick" you into giving a wrong answer.
Control-Z
(15,682 posts)Or, are DUers actually as brilliant as we claim to be?
caraher
(6,279 posts)Or at least those who disclosed their scores.
DirkGently
(12,151 posts)krispos42
(49,445 posts)Took about 60 seconds.
Half of that, or more, I knew in middle school reading 1950's sci-fi books.
daleanime
(17,796 posts)then I'm not the only one.
Nay
(12,051 posts)cynatnite
(31,011 posts)I really know very little about it, but I know it's been discussed a lot on DU.
It was the fracking question.
DreamGypsy
(2,252 posts)...where the correct answer could be natural grass?
cynatnite
(31,011 posts)I should've paid attention to the discussions about it here on DU.
Renew Deal
(81,869 posts)I got this one wrong...
Which gas makes up most of the Earth's atmosphere?
lumberjack_jeff
(33,224 posts)The 7% of the public who can answer the questions correctly apparently all post at DU.
Diremoon
(86 posts)I see that a lot of people here did well. If PEW had broken down by political inclination, I suspect that liberals would have been shown to have a better understanding than conservatives. (13/13 - I was competitive about grades in school too).
wryter2000
(46,076 posts)BainsBane
(53,054 posts)Which I consider good since I am very far from a science nerd. Those were common knowledge questions though.
octothorpe
(962 posts)I always use sunblock when I used my microwave. Also, I don't understand the question about iPod nanos. And the earth doesn't have an atmosphere, we have gravity instead. Such a lame test.
....such a lame response on my part too.
13/13...I don't see how anyone could do poorly on that.
PD Turk
(1,289 posts)nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)13/13
brett_jv
(1,245 posts)Why are people posting ANSWERS to some of the questions in their Reply Title? That's lame.
This test was uber-easy for anyone with any semblance of a science background.
Poll_Blind
(23,864 posts)PB
demosincebirth
(12,541 posts)octothorpe
(962 posts)Even though I got them all right, it was more like "oh yeah, I recall something about red blood cells carrying oxygen" or "I recall something about nitrogen making up most of our atmosphere." Past that, I have little to no useful knowledge in my head about either of those. I suspect that most of everyone else who hasn't taught or worked with any of those topics in depth, wouldn't be able to give a basic presentation on them.
demosincebirth
(12,541 posts)interesting stuff.
Mopar151
(9,992 posts)You know a whole bunch of stuff they don't teach in school.
Loudestlib
(980 posts)What maters most in life is not what you have, it's what you do with what you have that counts.
Xyzse
(8,217 posts)Wait a tic, I just saw a 4th grader test earlier that made me hurt due to the "stupid"...
Ok, fine, I guess this wasn't a joke.
juxtaposed
(2,778 posts)DreamGypsy
(2,252 posts)Jupiter, Saturn, or Uranus?
DU extraterrestials!
Junkpet
(40 posts)tularetom
(23,664 posts)I'd say 9 of the questions are common sense and the remaining 4 require a bit of knowledge of biology, chemistry or physics.
caseymoz
(5,763 posts)Science nerd, too.
Richard D
(8,761 posts)Pretty easy test.
HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)doesn't take a science nerd to score well on that test.
i find it hard to believe the statistics. Only 59% of college grads correctly answered that electrons are smaller than atoms?
I just don't believe that.
SCVDem
(5,103 posts)You scored better than 93% of the public and the same as 7%.
I'm a science geek.
I think it started with Fireball XL-5
Mr. X
(72 posts)Had a derp moment on question 2, thought that electrons were atoms. I realized I derped up after I hit next question, no back button.
The majority of this stuff is basic knowledge though... Which kinda makes me fear for the future of our world since even with my brainfart I still got more right the the majority of people who would take this test.
... I'm interested as to what Michele Bachman's or Sarah Palin's score would be.
rightsideout
(978 posts)And I build and service electric vehicles and build battery packs. I should know my electrons.
prairierose
(2,145 posts)I forgot to click on one answer before I hit next question....silly...I told myself the answer and hit next question and then thought...oops...there was no going back, only forward...rats
Zoeisright
(8,339 posts)Biology degree here.
Common Sense Party
(14,139 posts)But it was pretty easy. Nitrogen was the toughest one.
sakabatou
(42,170 posts)blackspade
(10,056 posts)Was that supposed to be hard?
The results of the study are appalling.
Mopar151
(9,992 posts)And either read one wrong, or there's a typo - coulda sworn the question said "white" blood cells.
Apparently Jeff Foxworthy (secret nerd - he was an engineer for Honeywell) was aiming a little high with "Are you smarter than a fifth-grader?"
Gore1FL
(21,151 posts)We are the 7%!
UrbScotty
(23,980 posts)Response to Snarkoleptic (Original post)
LastDemocratInSC This message was self-deleted by its author.
ReRe
(10,597 posts)... 11 out of 13.
Wounded Bear
(58,694 posts)The really sad part to me is that almost all of those questions are things that should be mentioned in many, many news stories but aren't for fear of freaking out the fundies.
If people heard these things more often in the context of disaster and weather reporting, they'd be better informed.
Our infotainment industry is letting us down as much as the education system. Plus, it doesn't have the excuse of the kind of constant attacks that have been made on education in America. Our media is stupid because it is more profitable to be that way.
Idiocracy was a predictive documentary.
DreamGypsy
(2,252 posts)I got my gender wrong!!!! Damn.
Thor_MN
(11,843 posts)Granted, I admit I'm a science geek as well.
tammywammy
(26,582 posts)freethought
(2,457 posts)A bit too easy if you ask me.
AsahinaKimi
(20,776 posts)Seems I missed a question.
nutsnberries
(1,772 posts)piece o'cake.
dballance
(5,756 posts)If people who have a HS Diploma or GED can't pass that test I'm very disappointed.
Blue_In_AK
(46,436 posts)You scored better than 75% of the public, below 15% and the same as 10%.
Not too bad for someone who does not and never has understood physics. Besides, I'm old and I was a legal secretary/paralegal all my life. How am I supposed to know all this stuff? Osmosis?
alp227
(32,047 posts)spin
(17,493 posts)JTG of the PRB
(5,103 posts)Looks like I might know a thing or two after all!
freshwest
(53,661 posts)The only question I had issues with, but answered the way I know it's done, was the human testing. I have issues on that...
Tikki
(14,559 posts)Tikki
Apophis
(1,407 posts)This quiz is proof that we need more funding for schools.
No Vested Interest
(5,167 posts)10/13.
Senior person here, poli sci & history studies; never took a chemistry course.
Some of those terms were not even known (to average person) when I was in school.
Excuses don't count, though.
ancianita
(36,130 posts)We'z kinda smart round heah.
Warpy
(111,328 posts)and not just science geeks like me.
ErikJ
(6,335 posts)KauaiK
(544 posts)This seemed pretty basic to me and I am definitely NOT a science geek.
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)You answered 13 of 13 questions correctly.
You scored better than 93% of the public and the same as 7%.
Nabbysensei
(19 posts)Is this test even real? I mean I'm not surprised everyone here on DU did well, it's just to easy. I took the test and my first response was, O.o. Really !??
This test is obviously an Alien plot to weed out the more productive workers amongst us. I used a false gender, hopes that keeps me safe. "hides"
Vestigial_Sister
(182 posts)Blue_In_AK
(46,436 posts)Don't feel bad. It's been a l-o-n-g time since I was in high school.
MADem
(135,425 posts)What a moron--I got that wrong and KNEW the damn answer!
Ah, well--a regular dozen, not a baker's!!
NWLib
(9 posts)and a highschool drop out. Not bad.
Lil Missy
(17,865 posts)DJWBlue
(33 posts)Bette Noir
(3,581 posts)I don't consider myself a "science nerd," but a well-read and curious person without advanced education in physics or math. As an RN, I am pretty well-versed in the biosciences, but nothing out of the ordinary.
I wonder how many would score 100% on a really hard test?
grantcart
(53,061 posts)8 right.
Explains Professional wrestling and NASCAR though.
mimi85
(1,805 posts)If I got 11/13 it was totally easy. So no gloating!
Ilsa
(61,697 posts)Archaic
(273 posts)I found that very interesting.
13/13 here.
Thanks for the link.
diane in sf
(3,918 posts)defacto7
(13,485 posts)What was the science part? It was more common sense. I got the 13 but how utterly sad that it represents 7% of the population. It couldn't have always been that only 7% of the population would be able to answer those questions correctly. If someone missed one of the questions, big deal. But less than that and it's just not a good day for education. Sorry but I'm skeptical of Pew Research.
DeadEyeDyck
(1,504 posts)JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)Very interesting.
Live and Learn
(12,769 posts)The question were pretty easy. I am surprised at how poorly the majority did.
Edited to add: Now if it had been a geography quiz, I am sure I would have failed. Someone told me they were going to Halifax and I had to ask what country that was in. The really sad part is that I have actually been there before.
ManiacJoe
(10,136 posts)Had to reread some of the questions and answers....
DetlefK
(16,423 posts)You could answer these questions with knowledge you stumble upon while surfing the web or watching TV.
If they had asked: "How do greenhouse gases cause global warming?"
THAT would have required some thinking.
hobbit709
(41,694 posts)13/13
Turbineguy
(37,364 posts)the test was easy and I know more than 93% of the population on this subject.
HereSince1628
(36,063 posts)Bay Boy
(1,689 posts)...they snuck in? Clever bastards just snuck it in, making us agree that it's a real thing.
Savannahmann
(3,891 posts)Not sure I qualify as a science nerd.
PDJane
(10,103 posts)Mind you, I don't miss Home Economics. Useless class.
kentauros
(29,414 posts)so I was surprised at how easy that quiz was! Yes, I also got 13 out of 13, but I've found the following a much better quiz, for many (hopefully obvious) reasons:
http://freerice.com/
MindPilot
(12,693 posts)A bit of a science geek, but with very little formal education in the sciences. My degree is in Education.
I agree with some of the other posters here; those questions are not about "science" so much as just general what I like to call "walkin' around knowledge"...stuff you need to know to get though the day. I went through that as fast as I could read and click; the only one I think I had to slow down for was the example of a chemical reaction.
Another indictment of our educational system; and channels that call themselves "History", "Science", and "Discovery" should actually be about those things instead of Boo-Boo and woo-woo.
LibertyLover
(4,788 posts)a history major in college. Woot! Actually I like science a lot. Has anyone been watching the 4 part Nova series on Australia? If not, you are missing a treat.
LWolf
(46,179 posts)I don't know anything about laser technology, and haven't spent time studying the atmosphere. I don't read much of any kind of science except that related to health, diet, or gardening. I'm not a science nerd of any kind, although I certainly value science.
warrior1
(12,325 posts)FarCenter
(19,429 posts)Only 31% of college grads know that the atmosphere is mostly nitrogen? Awful, considering that atmospheric physics is a "hot" topic.
whttevrr
(2,345 posts)That question made me wonder if the 11 dimensional quantum foam was taken into consideration... or if an electron is more wavelike than particle can it really be measured directly? Then I figured it was more a classical Bohrs model they were using so I begrudgingly selected the so called correct answer.
But, could the existence of an excitation event cause an electron to take up more space than an atom? I mean, most of an atom is actually empty space. And, if given the right energy, couldn't an electron superpose to a greater volume than a low energy atom?
NCTraveler
(30,481 posts)You scored better than 85% of the public, below 7% and the same as 8%.
WilmywoodNCparalegal
(2,654 posts)Can't believe 93% of the population did worse. I didn't think those questions were particularly difficult. On edit: the nitrogen question gave me pause, but only because I learned that fact in Italy so I had to translate 'nitrogen' into Italian to make sure I was right. Nitrogen in Italian is azoto. And then I remembered.
spinbaby
(15,090 posts)13 out of 13.
RC
(25,592 posts)I got all 13 correct. 6th graders should be able to pass this with flying colors.
The dismal results of the test does not bode well for the educational system in this country.
workinclasszero
(28,270 posts)Better than 85% of the general public? Wow....
That explains fox "news", hate radio, teabaggers and the Republican Party I guess.
Yo_Mama
(8,303 posts)But according to this quiz, yes.
How can more than 30% of the respondents be answering less than half of these questions correctly? That doesn't seem possible.
moobu2
(4,822 posts)Hell Hath No Fury
(16,327 posts)Not too bad considering I took no science classes beyond high school and am not a science nerd.
mike_c
(36,281 posts)That is a sad statistic.
wryter2000
(46,076 posts)I don't see how the fracking question is science. There wasn't a single question about biology, botany, or anthropology in there. I guess I mean "natural sciences."
GoneOffShore
(17,340 posts)and I'm not a science nerd.
gcomeau
(5,764 posts)But for cripes sake, this is mostly stuff kids in grade school should know. It is *terrifying* that less than half the respondents know electrons are smaller than atoms. And only TWENTY PERCENT knew Nitrogen was the primary gas in the atmosphere?
I'm looking at the roll-up and the average score among college graduates was 10. AVERAGE. Which means there are tons of college grads out there scoring 8s and 7s. HOW???
RebelOne
(30,947 posts)but I got 11 out of 13. Most of the questions were simple knowledge.
nachosgrande
(66 posts)But in my defense, I was a lawyer.
JHB
(37,161 posts)From the page about the study, not the questions at the OP link:
http://www.people-press.org/2013/04/22/publics-knowledge-of-science-and-technology/
A plurality of Americans (44%) say that average American 15-year-olds rank at the bottom on standardized tests of science knowledge, when compared with students in other developed nations. That is incorrect: According to the most recent available data from the Program for International Student Assessment, U.S. students rank among the middle of OECD nations.
The survey finds that 35% correctly know that U.S. 15-year-olds are about in the middle when it comes to science knowledge; 7% say incorrectly that American students rank among the top of developed nations.
College graduates are more likely than those with less education to underestimate the performance of U.S. teens on standardized science tests. More than half of college graduates (56%) say that American students rank near the bottom among developed countries. That compares with 46% of those with some college experience who do not have a degree and 36% of those with no more than a high school education.
Of course, there are only campaigns for "solutions" to our "failing schools". There isn't exactly the same promotional budget to advertise that the problems of failing schools is somewhat more limited that interested parties would have you believe.
madmom
(9,681 posts)also missed the same question about our atmosphere. This from a lowly little high school graduate from about 40 years ago. I guess reading does make you smarter
Dash87
(3,220 posts)uponit7771
(90,359 posts)sendero
(28,552 posts).... but even though I got all 13 I'll admit there was one that I wasn't 100% sure about
Matariki
(18,775 posts)truebrit71
(20,805 posts)dembotoz
(16,826 posts)bklyncowgirl
(7,960 posts)War Horse
(931 posts)so I picked hydrogen. But I guess a lot of things would go 'boom' if that were the case...
ananda
(28,873 posts)I missed nitrogen being the most prevalent gas in the atmosphere.
WillyT
(72,631 posts)zappaman
(20,606 posts)Damn, I'm a science nerd!
auburngrad82
(5,029 posts)I missed which gas makes up most of the Earth's atmosphere?
I don't feel bad because only 31% of the demographic that scored the best on this question got it right.
Chisox08
(1,898 posts)I picked Hydrogen instead of Nitrogen. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe but somehow I forgot that nitrogen is the most abundant gas in our atmosphere.
ryan_cats
(2,061 posts)13 out of 13 but those question I knew the answers to in Jr. High or before.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)SamKnause
(13,110 posts)13 out of 13.
I was very pleasantly surprised.
I am 60 with only a high school education.
The internet has been a wonderful source of information and a great teaching tool for me.
I love watching documentaries, reading papers from around the world, listening to debates, following the world's politics, learning about new discoveries by anthropologists, keeping up with new scientific inventions etc.
20score
(4,769 posts)Buns_of_Fire
(17,191 posts)So I'm a second-tier geek. I can live with that.
GoCubsGo
(32,086 posts)One bright spot is that in the first graph of the overall results, it skews toward the high end., where more people know most of the answers. And, for the most part, the results are better as the population gets younger. Looking at the 65+ crowd, it's not surprising that most of the ignorant teabaggers are from this age group. But, it shocks me that the younger crowd doesn't know about greenhouse gases, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, or what's the substance that's being fracked. I thought kids these days were more up on that kind of stuff.
Mosby
(16,340 posts)control groups are going away due to ethical concerns.
Today the main approach is using multiple therapies for the IV but not a control group.
http://www.atsjournals.org/doi/full/10.1513/pats.200706-073JK
gcomeau
(5,764 posts)There were only two options presented and of the two one was VASTLY SUPERIOR.
You can nitpick plenty of multiple choice questions by saying they should have included another better answer in the choices but that wasn't the point. The point was seeing if people even understood the concept of taking basic steps to see if the results you are getting are actually because of the thing you are testing.
Mosby
(16,340 posts)But I understand that with a question like this one should pick the "best answer"
Look at the question:
Which is the better way to determine whether a new drug is effective in treating a disease? If a scientist has a group of 1,000 volunteers with the disease to study, should she
The best way is to test the new drug against the old drug. Testing the new drug against a control group is stupid, because we don't know if the new drug works better than the standard treatment.
Its almost like the pharm industry wrote that question.
gcomeau
(5,764 posts)It didn't ask to determine if the new drug was more effective than an older drug. It didn't even say there WAS an older drug. The new drug could very well have been and attempt to find a treatment for something there was no treatment for.
It asked to test to determine if the new drug was effective. That's it. Then it asked which of the two approaches listed was *better*. Since only one of them was even capable of differentiating the drug effect from any other source of an effect on the disease one was immeasurably better than the other.
MineralMan
(146,325 posts)The questions were so basic, yet only 7% got all thirteen right. I would have gotten them all correct when I was 10 years old. If that's where we are, things are very, very bad.
MineralMan
(146,325 posts)issues in that quiz weren't known when us geezers went to school.
Mostly, that's not true.
Fracking, for example, under the name of hydraulic fracturing was first used in the late 1940s, and I learned about it by reading a book about the oil business when I was 10 years old.
Plate tectonics was being discussed in the popular science magazines in the 50s, when I first learned about it. It explained nicely why South America and Africa look like they might have been together.
Nanotechnology didn't exist in my childhood, but the prefix "nano-" did, so that would have been obvious if I had seen that question in fifth or sixth grade.
We may not have studied all those things in school, but the information was certainly available for the curious among us.
I'm almost 68. If I hadn't gotten 13 right, I'd have seen my doctor about my mental state, frankly.
Liberal In Texas
(13,570 posts)Took less than a minute.
sweetapogee
(1,168 posts)just how dumb we are here they should put up one that contains second year High School Algebra.
brett_jv
(1,245 posts)I bet we all do smoking good on that one too.
Doing it now ...
Edit: Dang it ... missed one on teh news quiz:
"You answered 12 of 13 questions correctly along with 11% of responders."
I got my governors mixed up ...
Jim Lane
(11,175 posts)There's a heavy reliance on identifying public officials by their photos. I could see someone being very well informed but not knowing what some of these folks look like.
In the question where you're asked to pick Elizabeth Warren out of a group of photos, I knew her but didn't recognize one of the other women.
treestar
(82,383 posts)Better than I expected.
Didn't know Nitrogen was so prevalent.
I did not want to say lasers focus on sound ways but then remembered that the lasers in Star Wars made noise.
PA Democrat
(13,225 posts)I am no science nerd and have been out of school for a LONG time, but some basics just stick.
we can do it
(12,190 posts)cyberswede
(26,117 posts)Onyl 31% of college grads get that one right. I still feel stupid for missing it.
LongTomH
(8,636 posts)Bloody Hell!!!!! Are American really that dumb??????
Edited to add: OK the figures are for my demographic (65+); but, still --- Bloody Hell!
mimi85
(1,805 posts)And I suck at science, but I'm a political junkie. Multiple choice made it easy. Ask a friend to write down the answers, but don't give them the multiple choice and then THAT would be hard.
The other quiz is at http://www.pewresearch.org/quiz/the-news-iq-quiz/
kimbutgar
(21,177 posts)The one I got wrong was "Which gas makes up most of the Earth's atmosphere?" Nitogen is the correct answer, but I don't feel bad because only 31% of college graduates answered it correctly and it was the hardest question in the list. I guess going to all those museums though the years and watching science shows paid off.
Rex
(65,616 posts)nt.
kestrel91316
(51,666 posts)AnnieBW
(10,450 posts)Missed the question about what gas makes up most of our atmosphere.
Snarkoleptic
(5,998 posts)Overall, I'm convinced DUers are way smarter than the average peeps!