I apologise in advance if you are French..

Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM for Canon

09/15/2007 08:02:24 AM · #4

:-D

It makes me wonder if it's a North American thing, to know that the earth is not the centre of the solar system. Like

MAK may have been alluding to, the majority of flat-earthers stayed behind in Europe, while the round-earthers hopped on boats to cross the Atlantic.

In fairness, the results might have been just as bad, or worse, if it were a North American audience being polled. I wonder.

Hehe.

cbonsall

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

09/15/2007 08:31:09 AM · #5

Originally posted by Strikeslip:

:-D

It makes me wonder if it's a North American thing, to know that the earth is not the centre of the solar system. Like MAK may have been alluding to, the majority of flat-earthers stayed behind in Europe, while the round-earthers hopped on boats to cross the Atlantic.

In fairness, the results might have been just as bad, or worse, if it were a North American audience being polled. I wonder.

Hehe.

Yup, Considering how many americans believe the earth was created 6000 years ago I think plenty of flat earthers jumped on the mayflower......

Then again if I were in the audience and that question came up, if the player was too dumb to get it on there own I'd probably press "B - SUN" too!!!! I'm obviously a little bit evil

Message edited by author 2007-09-15 08:32:11.

NathanWert

Canon EOS-90D

Sigma 18-250 f/3.5 - 6.3 DC OS HSM

09/15/2007 10:42:56 AM · #6

Just don't ask any beauty contestants why 5% of Americans can't find America on a map.

*grin*

Cboydrun

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM

09/15/2007 11:14:12 AM · #7

wow... hilarious

strangeghost

Canon EOS-7D

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

09/15/2007 12:45:46 PM · #8

Such misconceptions about the universe are common. A surprising number of people harbor some wacky ideas that they don't even realize how mistaken they are. Take this little survey yourself and see how you do. Feel free to post your results here:

A Private Universe

Spork99

Canon EOS M6 Mk II

Canon EF-M 22mm STM Lens

09/15/2007 01:19:38 PM · #9

Originally posted by strangeghost:

I went 5 for 5.

UrfaK

Canon EOS-650/T4i Rebel

Canon EF-S 15-85mm IS USM

09/15/2007 01:32:59 PM · #10

Originally posted by strangeghost:

I'm humbled.. Got two wrong.. on the easiest ones.. *gag*

Creature

Nikon D70s

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED

09/17/2007 12:54:27 PM · #11

Originally posted by NathanW:

Just don't ask any beauty contestants why 5% of Americans can't find America on a map.

*grin*

And don't ask any photographers to convert 1/5 into a percentage.

*grin*

smardaz

09/17/2007 01:03:33 PM · #12

Originally posted by cbonsall:

Originally posted by Strikeslip:
:-D

It makes me wonder if it's a North American thing, to know that the earth is not the centre of the solar system. Like MAK may have been alluding to, the majority of flat-earthers stayed behind in Europe, while the round-earthers hopped on boats to cross the Atlantic.

In fairness, the results might have been just as bad, or worse, if it were a North American audience being polled. I wonder.

Hehe.

Yup, Considering how many americans believe the earth was created 6000 years ago I think plenty of flat earthers jumped on the mayflower......

Then again if I were in the audience and that question came up, if the player was too dumb to get it on there own I'd probably press "B - SUN" too!!!! I'm obviously a little bit evil

musta been exciting to be there when the earth was created....

(oops, here goes the thread hijack;))

Message edited by author 2007-09-17 13:04:28.

kyebosh

Canon EF 80-200 f/2.8L

09/17/2007 01:10:35 PM · #13

Originally posted by strangeghost:

4/5

Missed the last one, but I hate diagrams where you can't tell what the scale is. Anyways I am surprised how far the moon is from the earth.

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

09/17/2007 01:50:07 PM · #14

Okay, the way that test is worded is REALLY bogus, even though I KNEW the answers, I still got three wrong.

By trying to "dumb-down" the answers, the questions become trick questions to people who know the answers.

strangeghost

Canon EOS-7D

09/17/2007 02:01:14 PM · #15

I just went back and looked at the questions again (even though that meant taking the quiz again) and thought all the questions and answer choices were pretty straightforward factual wordings. I can't see what was "bogus" or badly worded. Examples??

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D

09/17/2007 02:45:39 PM · #16

1. Was I supposed to get out a ruler to see if the circle in answer A was slightly eliptical? D is an exaggeration, but the orbit IS elliptical and the sun IS closer to one end of the elipse than the other.

2. Answer D: "The Sun is higher in the sky and and provides more hours of daylight in June."

"The Sun is higher in the sky" doesn't say anything to me about the fact that the Sun's rays are striking the Earth's surface at a sharper angle than in the winter. Also, if I remember my lessons right, the angle is more important than the length of the day.

5. I guess I should have broken out the ruler again. Knowing that moon is about 250,00 miles from the Earth didn't help ;) Actually, I made this mistake because I was using the Earth's circumference of @25,000 miles as its DIAMETER in the diagram. I should have been using 8,000 miles.

So, maybe my reading comprehension sucked today, but I got confused enough to answer incorrectly 3 times when I have a pretty good understanding of the concept they're trying to teach in each situation.

FireBird

09/17/2007 03:24:43 PM · #17

Originally posted by chip_k:

Also, if I remember my lessons right, the angle is more important than the length of the day.

Length of day depends on angle. Determined by the tilt of the Earths axis and your latitude location along the limb of the earth with respect to the Sun.

Err. after missing one I might add: "I think" to the above. ;)

I missed one. The one on the moon phases. A stupid mistake. But the wording was, as chip_k indicated obtuse and precise. ;)

Message edited by author 2007-09-17 15:27:15.

raish

Olympus C-2500L

09/17/2007 04:50:22 PM · #18

I would like to blame a cheap and shoddy Internet connection and badly worded questions as well as poor knowledge of received biblical wisdom on the part of the authors of the test. I got 5 out of 5.

I dumbly failed to work out that the moon takes the same time to rotate about its axis as it does to orbit the earth (how else would you get a dark side of the moon?)

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

09/17/2007 10:32:44 PM · #19

Originally posted by raish:

(how else would you get a dark side of the moon?)

You'd form a band called Pink Floyd and record it.

DrAchoo

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

09/17/2007 11:33:31 PM · #20

Well the audience was obviously confused because the question was in French. They didn't mention this was filmed in Burbank.

Message edited by author 2007-09-17 23:33:58.

yanko

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Carl Zeiss 50mm ZE f/1.4 Planar T for Canon

09/17/2007 11:35:34 PM · #21

Am I the only one not able to see the link? When I click on it all I get is code. I'm using Fire Fox 2.0.0.6

ETA: Well third times the charm. Now it's working.

Message edited by author 2007-09-17 23:36:15.

viajero

Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS for Canon

09/17/2007 11:42:01 PM · #22

Originally posted by strangeghost:

They got their own first question wrong. As it says, the orbit of the earth is "nearly a perfect circle", which means it's not a perfect circle, it's an ellipse, with the sun at one of the focus points.

kyebosh

Canon EF 80-200 f/2.8L

09/17/2007 11:51:00 PM · #23

Originally posted by viajero:

Originally posted by strangeghost:
Such misconceptions about the universe are common. A surprising number of people harbor some wacky ideas that they don't even realize how mistaken they are. Take this little survey yourself and see how you do. Feel free to post your results here:

A Private Universe

They got their own first question wrong. As it says, the orbit of the earth is "nearly a perfect circle", which means it's not a perfect circle, it's an ellipse, with the sun at one of the focus points.

It is however MUCH closer to being a circle than the ellipses that where shown.