Business Insider - Here's The Basic Science Question That 1 in 4 Americans Got Wrong

[ComManDersFan57]

10 out of 10 because I like science. I certainly don't expect people who don't care about such things to know the answers. It doesn't necessarily mean they're stupid, it shows that they're uninterested. However, missing the one about the earth and sun makes me wonder. If the 10 questions were on pop culture, I'd probably miss all of them.

[TheGoodBits]

I got 100% correct answers, but I don't see the connection with the topic.

I used The Forrest Gump quote, because it says (in this case) that you shouldn't be labelled stupid through a test but through your actions.

Haha I was joking buddy.

[FrFan]

Haha I was joking buddy.

Sorry I was confused, or maybe stupid

[dfitzo53]

Also, how is the one about inheriting the tendency to have boys or girls through the male a well established, commonly known fact?

 

I didn't see anyone else answer this, so I figured I may as well.

 

Maleness is determined by the presence of a Y chromosome.  Since men are the only ones who have a Y chromosome, they are the only ones who can pass on maleness.  However, since all males also have an X chromosome, the chance of any one offspring being male or female is still 50%.  It's just that that 50% happens to be completely determined by the random assortment of the father's genes that the offspring gets.

 

I don't know about commonly known, but considering it's very basic level genetics, I'd say it ought to be commonly known for anyone who was awake in a decent high school biology class.  As far as well-established, it certainly is.

[GhostofSparta]

I don't know about commonly known, but considering it's very basic level genetics, I'd say it ought to be commonly known for anyone who was awake in a decent high school biology.  As far as well-established, it certainly is.

In addition, anyone in HS or College who has studied European history will remember Henry VIII, who beheaded/divorced his wives for not giving him sons. Every teacher I've ever had (and I took a few more history classes in college than most probably did because it's a passion of mine) take a minute there to point out that the male determines to sex of the child, so his male-less heir problem was his fault, not his wives'.

[Tom [Giants fan]]

I got them all correct but as a certified Science Teacher, I would be expected to.

[DCSaints_fan]

5. Electrons are smaller than atoms. True or false?

 

I found this one interesting ... perhaps this is not a good question because it implies that electrons and atoms have a definite "size" which can be measured.   But yet the wave-particle duality principle implies that they both exhibit wave-like behavior, where "size" isn't really meaningful,  and both can exhibit effects like quantum tunneling (at least for small nuclei like hydrogen and helium).  So both could be considered to be "point masses" which occupy no space at all.

 

So under a certain point of view, the answer could be false 

[China]

1 in 10 Americans think HTML is an STD, study finds

 

A recent study found that many Americans are lost when it comes to tech-related terms, with 11% saying that they thought HTML — a language that is used to create websites — was a sexually transmitted disease.

 

...

 

Besides HTML, there were some other amusing findings:

 

• 77% of respondents could not identify what SEO means. SEO stands for "Search-Engine Optimization"
• 27% identified "gigabyte" as an insect commonly found in South America. A gigabyte is a measurement unit for the storage capacity of an electronic device.
• 42% said they believed a "motherboard" was "the deck of a cruise ship." A motherboard is usually a circuit board that holds many of the key components of a computer.
• 23% thought an "MP3" was a "Star Wars" robot. It is actually an audio file.
• 18% identified "Blu-ray" as a marine animal. It is a disc format typically used to store high-definition videos.
• 15% said they believed "software" is comfortable clothing. Software is a general term for computer programs.
• 12% said "USB" is the acronym for a European country. In fact, USB is a type of connector.

Despite the incorrect answers, 61% of the respondents said it is important to have a good knowledge of technology in this day and age.

 

The study involved 2,392 men and women 18 years of age or older.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[BlueinBuf]

I have never heard the term SEO before. The rest are easy but I work in the circuitboard industry so tech terms come pretty natural to me.

[twa]

I have never heard the term SEO before. The rest are easy but I work in the circuitboard industry so tech terms come pretty natural to me.

 

me either, and yeah

[skinsmarydu]

let me guess they polled Colorado

I read this post to my husband and we're both still laughing.

Orbit was good too...ya musta woke up with yer funny on LOL

[Mark The Homer]

I got the big bang question wrong.  But I was taught Big Bang is a theory, and since it is a theory, it shouldn't be stated as a fact.  So I said false. 

 

Apparently, it is a fact.  But it's a theory at the same time.  So a theory is a fact?  Who knew?  Everybody but the dumbasses, apparently.

[The Evil Genius]

I got the big bang question wrong.  But I was taught Big Bang is a theory, and since it is a theory, it shouldn't be stated as a fact.  So I said false. 

 

Apparently, it is a fact.  But it's a theory at the same time.  So a theory is a fact?  Who knew?  Everybody but the dumbasses, apparently.

 

Well you could always go jump off a cliff and see if the theory of gravity applies.

 

[mcsluggo]

1 in 10 Americans think HTML is an STD, study finds

 

A recent study found that many Americans are lost when it comes to tech-related terms, with 11% saying that they thought HTML — a language that is used to create websites — was a sexually transmitted disease.

 

...

 

Besides HTML, there were some other amusing findings:

 

• 77% of respondents could not identify what SEO means. SEO stands for "Search-Engine Optimization"
• 27% identified "gigabyte" as an insect commonly found in South America. A gigabyte is a measurement unit for the storage capacity of an electronic device.
• 42% said they believed a "motherboard" was "the deck of a cruise ship." A motherboard is usually a circuit board that holds many of the key components of a computer.
• 23% thought an "MP3" was a "Star Wars" robot. It is actually an audio file.
• 18% identified "Blu-ray" as a marine animal. It is a disc format typically used to store high-definition videos.
• 15% said they believed "software" is comfortable clothing. Software is a general term for computer programs.
• 12% said "USB" is the acronym for a European country. In fact, USB is a type of connector.

Despite the incorrect answers, 61% of the respondents said it is important to have a good knowledge of technology in this day and age.

 

The study involved 2,392 men and women 18 years of age or older.

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

almost all of those questions measure consumerism more than they measure science.... 

[No Excuses]

I would be a lot more concerned about the lack of awareness about antibiotics. I've generally found it to be the case that people are highly misinformed about medicine in general in this country. It is why we are susceptible to activist propoganda and 'alternative' methods that are generally ineffective.

[Warhead36]

Only one I got wrong was the electron/atom one.

 

People in this country are stupid. Too much American Idol, Kardashians, and selfies.

[pjfootballer]

I would be a lot more concerned about the lack of awareness about antibiotics. I've generally found it to be the case that people are highly misinformed about medicine in general in this country. It is why we are susceptible to activist propoganda and 'alternative' methods that are generally ineffective.

 

I think for the most part, most American's are unaware of "any" medication they take and just do what the doctor says.  I fight my doctor all the time about him pushing a pill for everything.  I think as a society, we "over" medicate.  He wanted to put me on a gout preventative.  I decided to do a little research and found that pure 100% cranberry or cherry juice helps regulate uric acid, which causes gout when you retain an over abundance. 

 

I'm not saying that all alternative/natural medicines are better than manufactured, but I give them a try before taking a pill.  I do take a high BP/Cholesterol pill, but my doctor had to compromise on Caduet, the 2 in 1 pill.  I don't want to carry around a bag of pills when I'm 60.  BTW, the cranberry juice has worked and (knock on wood), I haven't had a gout attack in over 5 years. I drink a glass every other day or so.

 

I do agree that we should be better informed about the medications we are taking and that come life or death, if an alternative isn't working, then by all means, take the medicine to correct the problem.  I'm not anti-pill, I'm anti-overmedicate.