The denizens of APS should score well on the Pew Research test of basic science

[zahc]

100%, even though some questions were slightly bogus.

[RocketMan]

Saw that test a few days ago.  Considered posting about it, but didn't want to add to the general disappointment most of us have in our current society of the walking brain dead.
It was an easy 100%, BTW.

[dogmush]

Saw that test a few days ago.  Considered posting about it, but didn't want to add to the general disappointment most of us have in our current society of the walking brain dead.
It was an easy 100%, BTW.

This.

It popped up on my Facebook feed from a mouth breather I know. Then they wanted to know how I got 100% on it.

[brimic]

This.

It popped up on my Facebook feed from a mouth breather I know. Then they wanted to know how I got 100% on it.

 

Everything on it is well below what my 7th grader is studying...

[RevDisk]

Doh. I was flying through the test and clinked Astronomy rather than Astrology because I didn't correctly read the question. Study of stars? Astronomy. It should have been labeled more correctly as pseudoscience or demonstratively false belief rather than "study of".

Regardless, astronomy still fits the question. "Which of these terms is defined as the study of how the positions of stars and planets can influence human behavior?"

Don't believe me, ask knowledgeable folks if Pluto a planet or not.   

[cambeul41]

I don't recall being asked my race at the end, just gender and age. Yet the distributions had three (why only three?) races listed.

We all know perfectly well the reason for that omission. It comes under the heading of, not asking questions to which you don't want the answer.

[Ned Hamford]

I honestly got the magnifying glass question wrong. *shrug*

Well just depends which way the light is shining into the glass right? Or if you went with another of the pictures; how crappy the lens is...

 Rather than go squinty I just went with the default 'object purpose' view, using light to lite a fire (or torment ants). 

12/12

Hurrah, another of the 6%

[gunsmith]

I got the sound question wrong and some other question, but I got my GED in the army and was busy adjusting headphones because I was listening to Bad Brains whilst testing .... so ... like .... I have a good excuse.

[K Frame]

Well just depends which way the light is shining into the glass right? Or if you went with another of the pictures; how crappy the lens is...

 Rather than go squinty I just went with the default 'object purpose' view, using light to lite a fire (or torment ants). 

12/12

Hurrah, another of the 6%

It depends on the shape of the lens.

[Perd Hapley]

I also found the magnifying glass question to be poorly executed.

[MechAg94]

I just figured since they said "magnifying glass", they were probably talking about using sunlight to burn ants so I went with the answer that best fit that.     What else would you use a magnifying glass for?

[roo_ster]

Oh, 100pct.

Why is astrology considered science?

Trivia for the day: The science known today as astronomy is derived from the ancient study of astrology. In ancient times, man had no reason to study the motion and relative positions of heavenly bodies except for astrological purposes.

That didn't take long.

Are you saying that having a calendar was an astrological purpose? Or that navigation was an astrological purpose? Or probably a number of other things I'm leaving out?

Answers to all of those questions are both YES and NO.

Depends on when you are asking.  Many contemporary more or less rigorous undisputed "sciences" started off their existence under slightly sketchy, less than rigorous circumstances. 

Astrology being a fine example.  There was plenty of empirical content that the old astrologers sussed out.  Even some Big Name historical astronomers/scientists still thought the stars could influence human events.

It's on a par with modern psychiatry?

Why do you hate astrology?

Psychiatry is still in the "astrology/sketchy" phase as a science and deserves scare quotes.

Well, the answer to the Denver thing is on the back of every box of mac and cheese!

Yep, learned that one as a kiddo before being introduced to it in science class.  It is pretty incredible what you can learn just by looking around.  Or reading mac & cheese boxes.

We all know perfectly well the reason for that omission. It comes under the heading of, not asking questions to which you don't want the answer.

Ayup.  Also, folks whose livelihood depends on not understanding particular empirical data will find a way to remain ignorant of that data, even if it ends up tattooed to their foreheads.

I'm not sure how so many got the sound thing wrong, since the correct answer has the answer built in (amplified... Louder)

Indeed.

Thank you for supporting my son's and daughter's continued study of Latin.

am·pli·fy  (ăm′plə-fī′)
v. am·pli·fied, am·pli·fy·ing, am·pli·fies
v.tr.
1. To make larger or more powerful; increase.
2. To add to, as by illustrations; make complete.
3. To exaggerate.
4. To produce amplification of: amplify an electrical signal.
v.intr.
To write or discourse at length; expatiate: Let me amplify so that you will understand the overall problem.
[Middle English amplifien, from Old French amplifier, from Latin amplificāre : amplus, large + -ficāre, -fy.]

[K Frame]

"Many contemporary more or less rigorous undisputed "sciences" started off their existence under slightly sketchy, less than rigorous circumstances. "

Such as alchemy morphing into chemistry.

[HankB]

I also found the magnifying glass question to be poorly executed.

I found that one to be trivially simple - in fact, I actually chuckled out loud when I saw it.

Of course, working in optical design & engineering for over three decades may have influenced my viewpoint . . . 

[Brad Johnson]

I found that one to be trivially simple - in fact, I actually chuckled out loud when I saw it.

Of course, working in optical design & engineering for over three decades may have influenced my viewpoint . . . 

Depends. Is your viewpoint concave, or convex?

Brad

[MechAg94]

"Many contemporary more or less rigorous undisputed "sciences" started off their existence under slightly sketchy, less than rigorous circumstances. "

Such as alchemy morphing into chemistry.

To me, alchemy was chemistry, just without knowledge of elements and the microchemistry we know now.  It was hard for people to distinguish it from magic due to what they didn't know.

[MechAg94]

Yep, learned that one as a kiddo before being introduced to it in science class.  It is pretty incredible what you can learn just by looking around.  Or reading mac & cheese boxes.

Which is pretty much where astronomy and astrology started.  The only TV show on was the night sky and everyone watched a little.  The practical side of it eventually became astronomy.  I imagine it was difficult to separate the two depending on who had the knowledge. 

[Perd Hapley]

The practical side of it? So ancient man had other reasons to observe the night sky than astrology?

[bedlamite]

Depends. Is your viewpoint concave, or convex?

Brad

convoluted

[Ron]

100% here also.

Actually I can see how some folks might miss one or two but I'm really surprised only 6% got 100% correct.
   
The polio question is more history of science than science IMHO. I have a cousin who had polio so I knew that answer from a very early age.
 

[zxcvbob]

Doh. I was flying through the test and clinked Astronomy rather than Astrology because I didn't correctly read the question. Study of stars? Astronomy. It should have been labeled more correctly as pseudoscience or demonstratively false belief rather than "study of".

Regardless, astronomy still fits the question. "Which of these terms is defined as the study of how the positions of stars and planets can influence human behavior?"

Don't believe me, ask knowledgeable folks if Pluto a planet or not.    

I believe that's why they included that one.  They didn't say astrology was a science, they just gave a simple definition of astrology.  It said something about stars, you knew the test was about science, so you picked astronomy without really reading the question. :D

I kinda wondered how many people got tripped up by that when I took it.

[lupinus]

12 for 12 without any real difficulty, only real thinking involved was taking a second to reread some of the questions/answers to make sure I was reading them right.

Wife got 5 our of 12. She is by no means an idiot, she just wasn't taught such things.

I blame it firmly on equal parts public schooling and moronic parents. Both of which she (and most of America) had in overabundance.

[cordex]

It occurred to me - didn't we do this quiz a couple of years ago?

[BlueStarLizzard]

It occurred to me - didn't we do this quiz a couple of years ago?

I don't think it was exactly this one, but it seems we do one like this annually.

We also generally do a history one and a government one as well.

I don't think we ever do math or literature...

[Ben]

Where's the physics quiz?

https://youtu.be/AEIn3T6nDAo?t=174