Science Quiz

Yep, softballs for sure. But Pew was trying to poll based on a bare-minimum level of scientific understanding.
 
The gender and age question were a little tricky but in the end I got them all right.
 
13/13

But note that there isn't any user feedback of which answer was selected before moving onto the next question - thus it's possible for someone to inadvertently pick the wrong answer.
 
overdrive148 said:
13/13. If you'll notice, all of the questions had a higher percentage of males answer correctly than females.

:)stirpot:)

//edit

Actually they beat us in one, my bad :p
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And if there was a similar test on English they'd kick our d*cks in the dirt!

(and on some, after getting out their magnifying glass) :yikes:
 
azure said:
And yet, only 31% of college grads got the question about the dominant atmospheric gas correct... :eek:
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****ing frightening that one was, it was the only result that I found shocking, "You don't know what you're breathing?" FMD, you would think everybody would get that....:nonod:
 
FlyingTiger said:
I think people may be getting a bit thrown off by the fact Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe and confusing it with the contents of our atmosphere.
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That means they fail reading comprehension as well, that doesn't make the result any better.:nonod:
 
Bob Noel said:
13/13

But note that there isn't any user feedback of which answer was selected before moving onto the next question - thus it's possible for someone to inadvertently pick the wrong answer.
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The one I selected changed tones.:dunno:
 
Henning said:
****ing frightening that one was, it was the only result that I found shocking, "You don't know what you're breathing?" FMD, you would think everybody would get that....:nonod:
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Why would they automatically know that? You have to remember, very few people are scuba divers. Most people likely think it's mostly oxygen considering that's what we need to live. Why would knowing what you breath matter to anyone? To know we breath air is enough knowledge for nearly everyone on earth.
 
Seriously, that was supposed to be a comprehensive quiz? I got 13/13 too but the only one issue I had was the particular question regarding sunscreen. They primarily block UV, but it would not be inaccurate to say that they block some IR too.
 
I'd address this quiz but I have to run out and steal something to feed my antibiotic addiction and then I'm going to go frac a diamond well.
 
I got 13 too. This is child's play.
Looking at the correct answer statistics, it seems that the atmosphere question is the one answered most incorrectly. I was surprised by the low responses on the laser question.
 
azure said:
And yet, only 31% of college grads got the question about the dominant atmospheric gas correct... :eek:
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I got that right but probably only because I have seen the question on my annual computer-based training "atmosphere" and "decompression sickness" units. I wouldn't give it a thought otherwise.

But I can still be part of the POA crowd because I got 13/13 even though I interrupted the test to put on sunscreen before getting my tea out of the microwave.
 
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Clark1961 said:
I'd address this quiz but I have to run out and steal something to feed my antibiotic addiction and then I'm going to go frac a diamond well.
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Everskyward said:
But I can still be part of the POA crowd because I got 13/13 even though I interrupted the test to put on sunscreen before getting my tea out of the microwave.
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I'm laughing so hard that I can't breathe, someone pass me some pure hydrogen :lol: :goofy: :rofl:
 
Dav8or said:
Why would knowing what you breath matter to anyone? To know we breath air is enough knowledge for nearly everyone on earth.
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I guess one could use that same argument about the constituency of water or knowledge of the existence of DNA. People in general know so little about the natural world around them yet seem to muddle along just fine. Knowledge isn't a highly valued commodity.
 
Dav8or said:
Why would they automatically know that? You have to remember, very few people are scuba divers. Most people likely think it's mostly oxygen considering that's what we need to live. Why would knowing what you breath matter to anyone? To know we breath air is enough knowledge for nearly everyone on earth.
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So they don't get suckered into putting the extra 22% nitrogen in their tires. :D 78% works fine.
 
Dav8or said:
Why would they automatically know that? You have to remember, very few people are scuba divers. Most people likely think it's mostly oxygen considering that's what we need to live. Why would knowing what you breath matter to anyone? To know we breath air is enough knowledge for nearly everyone on earth.
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Because it's part of the 6-8 grade science curriculum? They taught us this stuff before we hit high school in St Louis in the 70s, don't know about where and when you went to school.:dunno:

What I find shocking is not that people don't know, but that they don't want to know. To not know that information in our society requires willfull ignorance. Your response kinda points that out.
 
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Norman said:
So they don't get suckered into putting the extra 22% nitrogen in their tires. :D 78% works fine.
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:rofl::rofl::rofl: Holy crap I love getting those guys to sell me nitrogen tire fills in a 97 Passat.:rofl: The **** they come up with in their pitches....:lol: Then I try to convert them to helium for the extra gas mileage benefit.:rofl:
 
Henning said:
Because it's part of the 6-8 grade science curriculum? They taught us this stuff before we hit high school in St Louis in the 70s, don't know about where and when you went to school.:dunno:
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How many people remember what they were taught in 6-8 grade if they have had no reason to use that knowledge in the interim which for some people could be 60-70 years.
 
BigBadLou said:
I got 13 too. This is child's play.
Looking at the correct answer statistics, it seems that the atmosphere question is the one answered most incorrectly. I was surprised by the low responses on the laser question.
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Yes, Lasers, those cool devices that turn sound into light. Rock bands power their light shows with their PA system.:lol: If you walk into a show with a huge wall of speakers, you know the light show will be excellent.:lol:
 
Henning said:
I can recall nearly every day...:eek:
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Oh that's what it is. I have had the same unusual variety of experiences that you have had only I can't recall them enough to post them on the internet. :D
 
Henning said:
I can recall nearly every day...:eek:
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What were your lessons the 6th week of class in the 7th grade? How many questions were on each quiz/test? What were the questions for each?
 
Henning said:
:rofl::rofl::rofl: Holy crap I love getting those guys to sell me nitrogen tire fills in a 97 Passat.:rofl: The **** they come up with in their pitches....:lol: Then I try to convert them to helium for the extra gas mileage benefit.:rofl:
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When I raced cars I used to tell the competition that I used helium in the tires to lighten up the unsprung weight. So many people believed that. I also told them that we put pressurized helium in the roll cage to make the total weight less.... :rolleyes:

We did use nitrogen in the tires to keep the tire temps down plus the nitrogen does not expand when it gets hot. This keeps the tire pressure from rising during the race, which will throw off the suspension set up and cause loss of traction in the corners.

We also used compressed nitrogen to drive the air wrenches. We could use higher pressures with nitrogen than we could use with oxygen. Plus the nitrogen coming from the air wrench could be used to calm down brake fires.
 
Actually, helium would have reduced weight by some tiny amount.
 
pilot_dude said:
What were your lessons the 6th week of class in the 7th grade? How many questions were on each quiz/test? What were the questions for each?
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I doesn't work like that, it's an association driven visual recall.

But Mrs Meyers in 6th grade always had 20 question tests with each being worth 5 points in all subjects. Vicki Ferris sat in front of me and I'd play with her hair.
 
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Zeldman said:
We did use nitrogen in the tires to keep the tire temps down plus the nitrogen does not expand when it gets hot. This keeps the tire pressure from rising during the race, which will throw off the suspension set up and cause loss of traction in the corners.
.
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????? I don't think that is what the gas law says. Maybe I missed something ?????
 
Graueradler said:
????? I don't think that is what the gas law says. Maybe I missed something ?????
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Obviously you're depending on PV/T = PV/T and that only holds when one is actually dealing with a physical situation. Always keep in mind that none of the laws of physical behavior apply on the internet!
 
Zeldman said:
When I raced cars I used to tell the competition that I used helium in the tires to lighten up the unsprung weight. So many people believed that. I also told them that we put pressurized helium in the roll cage to make the total weight less.... :rolleyes:

We did use nitrogen in the tires to keep the tire temps down plus the nitrogen does not expand when it gets hot. This keeps the tire pressure from rising during the race, which will throw off the suspension set up and cause loss of traction in the corners.

We also used compressed nitrogen to drive the air wrenches. We could use higher pressures with nitrogen than we could use with oxygen. Plus the nitrogen coming from the air wrench could be used to calm down brake fires.
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More accurately, nitrogen will expand less than air due to its dryness. The thermodynamic coefficients of expansion for all three major atmospheric gas components are still approximately the same.
 
All of you who got 13/13 actually answered a question incorrectly.

Do you know which one?
 
OkieFlyer said:
All of you who got 13/13 actually answered a question incorrectly.

Do you know which one?
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I don't remember which, but I remember answering one thinking, "well, it's not right, but it's the only one in the right direction."
 
Henning said:
I don't remember which, but I remember answering one thinking, "well, it's not right, but it's the only one in the right direction."
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Which natural resource is extracted in a process known as “fracking”?

The answer is, none of the above.



This process of hydraulic fracturing involves pumping fluid down into the well bore at high enough pressure to create fractures in the rock formation. A sand slurry is pumped down the hole and into the cracks, essentially so when the pressure is bled off, the sand will support the cracks and not allow them to close back up. This is all to allow the oil and gas to flow more easily to the well so it can then be recovered. Oil and gas are not extracted by this process, and therefore, the question is invalid. In fact, since the process involves pumping stuff down hole, it's basically the opposite of "extracting" anything.
 
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OkieFlyer said:
Which natural resource is extracted in a process known as “fracking”?

The answer is, none of the above.



This process of hydraulic fracturing involves pumping fluid down into the well bore at high enough pressure to create fractures in the rock formation. A sand slurry is pumped down the hole and into the cracks, essentially so when the pressure is bled off, and sand will support the cracks and not allow the cracks to close back up. This is all to allow the oil and gas to flow more easily to the well so it can then be recovered. Oil and gas are not extracted by this process, and therefore, the question is invalid. In fact, since the process involves pumping stuff down hole, it's basically the opposite of "extracting" anything.

In addition, fracking has been practiced since the 40's and was developed to enhance oil recovery before natural gas was highly sought after. In our oil and gas history, drilling primarily for gas is a relatively new thing, and is really only practiced in a few areas of the country. Oil, with a few recent exceptions, has always been the name of the game. Natural gas, by in large, is a rather fortuitous by product.
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That's a reasonably good technical explanation which of course has nothing to do with the average person's perceptions. When dealing with information intended for the masses such as this quiz, one must go with the flow. All of it is typical for our "soundbite" social/political mentality...

and there is no "k" in fracing...
 
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