Posted on 04/22/2014 7:48:56 AM PDT by NewHampshireDuo
I got this email from a relative. Scary how uneducated some "educated" people are. These are middle class 30s people with good jobs, a mix of high school and college graduates.
I was at my friend’s house last night and there were a bunch of people over.
It was really nice out so we stayed outside most of the time. When the stars started to appear I used an app on my phone that lets you look up in the sky and it identifies what stars/planets/constellations you’re aiming the phone at.
One thing lead to another and a person made a comment about “all the stars in our solar system”. I said there was only one star and that there were hundreds of billions of stars in our galaxy. She was completely confused.
So I went around and asked people “how many stars in our solar system” – not a single person answered ONE.
And one tried to convince me that the sun revolves around the earth. She started to get angry when I kept disagreeing with her and she told me that just because that’s what science says doesn’t mean it’s true.
So this morning I went into work and asked everyone at work how many stars are in our solar system – I got a bunch of “you’ve got to be kidding me, I don’t know” or “Hmmm… 15?”
And someone even said “the sun isn’t a star”.
I’m just completely speechless!
It goes back to the Scarecrow in Wizard of Oz, after he got his diploma. “The sum of the
square roots of any two sides of an isosceles triangle is equal to the square root of the
remaining side.” Ha. Say it fast enough, and you look smart!
My favorite Arthur C. Clarke work is “Fountains of Paradise”. He did some great engineering/scientific research about a space elevator that made the book very interesting.
lol You can’t get more New Moon than an eclipse!
Noah’s flood was about 20,000 years ago.
In OUR solar system? One. That big bright ball that rarely illuminates the Minnesota sky in daytime.
Shirley Neil misspoke, right?
It’s just a meme, I just don’t like the guy and find that graphic hilarious.
A lot of FReepers tell me that "just because that’s what science says doesn’t mean it’s true." (Sometimes they're even right.)
I was 8 when it came out. I didn't know a parsec from a parsnip. However, when I watched it after growing up, yeah, it stood out.
Given the nature of the “Kessel Run,” it actually makes sense. However, I’ve no doubt that’s an Expanded Universe alteration in order to save Lucas from himself.
Dave’s not here.
Was WWI before or after WWII?
Omg, is that for real?
I wouldn’t be too scared. It’s a trick question. Designed to exploit the nature of the human brain.
Nice, a fellow Star Wars nerd on FR. Was scrolling down specifically to see if anyone would dispute that.
Just read some of the science threads on FR! :-)
I could easily see myself answering "9", until I realized what the question actually was.
Close only counts in...
CA....
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