1 in 4 Americans Doesn't Know the Earth Revolves Around the Sun

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   Sychophantasticposted 10 years ago

   According to Discovery.com, 1 in 4 Americans does not know that the Earth orbits the Sun. Does this say anything about America? Who are these people?

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      janesixposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Seriously? That's weird.
      
      Are they all under 5 years old?

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         Melissa A Smithposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         I fail to see what is so strange or shocking about that. People here act as though it's like not knowing the Earth is round.

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      Sneha Sunnyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Really this IS weird!

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      A Troubled Manposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I think the term is, "Scientifically Illiterate". Of course, that is Discovery.com, not a whole lot of credibility there.

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      calculus-geometryposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Having done this line of work, I can tell you that whatever shocking result poll results you want to get, you can always get by taking your samples from bus stations, homeless shelters, and other places where you're apt to find people who have bizarre notions of reality.  If you do phone polls with land-line listings, the people most likely to stay on the phone with are those with nothing better to do, and pranksters who will give you crazy answers as revenge.  Normal people will hang up as soon as they know it's a survey.
      
      The other thing they do make the question different from the statistic.  They'll ask, "Do you have a map of Afganistan?" which will become "1 in 3 Canadians can't find Afganistan on map."   Please take these "shocking" stats with a big spoonful of salt.

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      TwerkZerkerposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I've met hundreds of people in my lifetime, and not one of them DOESN'T believe that Earth revolves around the Sun.
      
      Either this "statistic" is a load of crap or South Dakota is the brainiest state in the nation.

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         Melissa A Smithposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Did you actually ask hundreds of people this question?

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            gmwilliamsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            Melissa, even the most unsophisticated person knows that the earth revolves around the sun.  People may be unknowledgeable(cannot say the other words because such words are bannable)but not that unknowledgable about the most rudimentary basics of science.  What is said that 1 in 4 Americans don't know that the earth revolves around the sun is an exaggeration.  Can people be that clueless?  No, NOT in this day and time when knowledge is easily accessible. Conversely, if IT'S true, America has really regressed to a new scientific low.  This would take scientific illiteracy to ANOTHER level.

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               Melissa A Smithposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               Can't say I agree. It's your word against mine, and this so-called study also agrees with me. I do not find it to be a big deal to get the 'sun' question wrong. Knowledge is easily accessible but I've never found myself looking up anything related to astronomy. Everyone seems to have deficiencies in many areas of science and answer obvious questions wrong. Many people are unaware that 'bugs' are animals.

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                  Kathryn L Hillposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                  - you mean insects…?

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                     Melissa A Smithposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                     I mean anything that is considered a bug, insects, arachnids, annelids, certain mollusks. Mostly arthropods.

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                  gmwilliamsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                  Uh uh, Melissa, bugs are animals.  What else are they?  Please Melissa say that it isn't so please!  There are three forms which are mineral, vegetable, and animal.  I learned this in elementary school sciene class and read encyclopedias and books on the subject.  Now, I am SICK , thinking that there ARE actually people out there who DON'T know this basic scientific fact.  I am TIRED, now off to sleep.

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                     Kathryn L Hillposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                     well, I didn't know.. how could I? I never took a biology class. (dissected cats in Physiology) not one ever... Not explained in elementary school either!
                     
                     Animal: any of a kingdom (Animalia) of living things including many-celled organisms and often many of the single-celled ones (as protozoans) that typically differ from plants in having cells without cellulose walls, in lacking chlorophyll and the capacity for photosynthesis, in requiring more complex food materials (as proteins), in being organized to a greater degree of complexity, and in having the capacity for spontaneous movement and rapid motor responses to stimulation.
                     Source(s):
                     http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionar…
                     oh my ignorance!
                     But, now I know! Thanks, Melissa!

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                        Melissa A Smithposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                        Yes, there are many animals I can post here that certainly don't look like such.

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                     Melissa A Smithposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                     Now I'm confused...they taught you how to classify elements in elementary school with a game show?

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                        gmwilliamsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                        No, was taught by reading science books and by looking at slides in class.    My parents also taught me about scientific elements.   There were scientific encyclopedias on nature, science, and natural history.  I remember receiving such encyclopedias in 3rd grade.

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                           Kathryn L Hillposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                           Well, there you have it, gm!
                           
                           
                           I did not have those encyclopedia because my parents HAD TOO MANY CHILDREN and didn't have money for a complete set!.. We had a few unmatched ones .. but not a complete set like the RICH kids…
                           I'm just being funny.   I do not like being on your bad side, gm!

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                              gmwilliamsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                              You made me laugh, God bless you Kathryn.   I am now listening to the Alex Jones channel on the dismal state of America.  I was angry listening to this but you have made me laugh and made my day, again God bless and have a Blessed Night!

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                           Melissa A Smithposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                           Er it's just that I was a science major and I never heard the 'animal, mineral, vegetable' grouping anywhere. I looked it up and it's from a show called '20 questions'....

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   6. 84

      gmwilliamsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      YOU'RE joking, aren't you now?    Everyone knows that the earth revolves around the sun.   No one is that clueless.   Anyone who went to school knows THAT!  Even the most cloistered person KNOWS that!  You are taught that the earth revolves around the sun in 3rd grade science class;  I was!
      
      Isn't it amazing that there ARE still people who don't know that the earth revolves around the sun?
      No, it is totally implausible to say the LEAST!  C'mon people, no one can be that......well, UNKNOWING.  Was going to say something else but I will try to hold my tongue.  ARE such people still around?  Thought THE LAST REMNANTS of such folk died out by the 16th century!

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   awareposted 10 years ago

   the universe dose not revolve around what humans think. but most think we are the last word on things. nothings changes. we are still self centered

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   awareposted 10 years ago

   calculus? liked your post. nice to meet ya

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   Sed-meposted 9 years ago

   Maybe they are babies and if so, it's not their fault. They don't know their own names yet.
   
   (Also, shouldn't the title read "don't know"? So... never mind. S'all good.)

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      EncephaloiDeadposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      The NSF (National Science Foundation) poll, which is used to gauge U.S. scientific literacy every year, surveyed 2,200 people who were asked 10 questions about physical and biological sciences. On average, the score was 6.5 out of 10 -- barely a passing grade.
      
      http://news.discovery.com/space/astrono … 140214.htm

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         Sed-meposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Again, ages were not included. I fear they are only interviewing babies which would largely skew the study!

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            EncephaloiDeadposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            You don't seriously believe that, do you? Babies? Can babies even understand or respond to a poll? Obviously, these are all adults.

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               Sed-meposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               Oh my goodness. You are fun.

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            EncephaloiDeadposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            But of course, I didn't really expect you to do any homework yourself, but instead will just say something that makes no sense...
            
            "Researchers and government officials—particularly those responsible for scientific research and education—use data collected from the U.S. adult population to monitor public knowledge of and attitudes toward a variety of science-related issues and topics.
            
            Randomly selected English or Spanish speaking persons age 18 or over, living in noninstitutional arrangements within the United States"
            
            http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvyattitude/#sd

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               Sed-meposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               Huh... I guess it wasn't babies after all. Thanks for researching that for me, my friend.

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5. 76

   Kathryn L Hillposted 9 years ago

   And do you know why we have seasons? Do you realize astronomy is not taught in High School? Very few people have the opportunity to visit a Griffith Park type Observatory, a JPL or Cal Tech Open House or a space museum in their home town or nearby city. How many space museums are there in the US? How many teachers of Astronomy are there? How many people take Astronmy? Is it a required course in college?
   
   I took it in college because I was fascinated. Because I was encouraged to look up into the night sky and told the names of the planets and constellations as a child. We had a telescope and watched as the moon left our view so quickly due to the turning of the earth. 
   
   Today, there is so much real information that kids are not even introduced to unless through reading a text book in elementary school,(usually boring or hard to understand.) There is so much they do not know due the huge amount of entertainment encouraged and indulged in: Fantasy based videos, cartoons, video and computer games.
   I could go on… we all could.

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   wrenchBiscuitposted 9 years ago

   It's not surprising at all. At least 3 out of 4 Americans think Wendy Williams is a woman.

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      Kathryn L Hillposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      well, I wondered, but without seeing the proof…
      
      what IS your proof?
      
      curious

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         wrenchBiscuitposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         I don't understand your question. I'm one of the 3 out of 4!

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            Kathryn L Hillposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            Is Wendy Williams a man? How do you know if Wendy Williams is a man or not…Surely you do not believe Wendy Williams is a man without proof!  I mean actual Physical Proof! (a photo… a selfie..  a little drone fly with a video camera…)
            I guess thats what you're saying…
            never mind.

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               Sed-meposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               Why don't we all just google.

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                  Kathryn L Hillposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                  What? and believe the words we READ???? From the INTERNET?
                  (What do the words say, sed me/Beth?)

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                     Sed-meposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                     I googled. I got a shock dj turned tv host. Background says nothing of being born a man. I never know what anyone is talking about and now that I've googled, I feel even less informed.

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                        Kathryn L Hillposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                        - has any one invented that little drone fly, yet? oh, we're not in the golden ages yet.

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               wrenchBiscuitposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               Actually, I was bored and making a joke. But seriously. I have worked as a professional musician all my life, save for my time in the military. I have played everywhere: redneck honkytonks, biker bars, roadhouses, gay and lesbian bars. I have seen and conversed with many lesbians who have masculine features. In spite of this, none of them looked like a man to me.
               
               They simply looked like masculine women. Wendy Williams on the other hand "does not"  look like a woman with masculine features. Instead, she appears to be a man with feminine features. No, my instinct based on my experiences is not proof positive that Wendy is a man. But my instinct tells me that she is. One thing I find suspicious is that several years ago she showed pictures of herself as a little girl on one of her shows. Although I have seen childhood pictures of other celebrities, I have never seen them displayed in the context of a broadcast that appeared to have no connection to the photos being displayed. It's as if she was trying too hard to convince the public of her female gender.

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                  Sed-meposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                  It's amazing how non-astronomic this sounds.

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                     Kathryn L Hillposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                     Sed-me sez the funniest things. But, sometimes I don't get it…
                     what is 'non-astronomic?"

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                        Sed-meposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                        lol... sorry, I was just wondering what the op was on, so I went back and looked. I can see how this would have bunny trailed into wrench biscuits venues into biker, gay/lesbian bars etc. etc... but I still couldn't help but notice that it had nothing to do with the earth revolving around the sun. If it gives me more credibility with whatever subject we are talking about... I have spoken to quite a few lesbians as well. Does it matter if the ones I spoke to had masculine features or not? Let me know and I will include that info in my next post! I like to stay on topic.

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   Kathryn L Hillposted 9 years ago

   BTW music is what makes the world spin on its axis!  I bet people did not know that either.

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