Virgil Showlion
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Post by Virgil Showlion on Feb 20, 2014 19:41:07 GMT -5
i.e. STEM majors. Geology still counts as a science. But, you don't have to be a geologist to be interested in practical applications of geothermal heat sources. I'm an accountant living near a geothermal power plant. I'm interested. I'm also interested in goethermal space heating. And I suspect that most miners, working in stifling heat hundreds of feet underground, aren't STEM majors, either. There are lots of reason why even a liberal arts major might find knowing that the earth's temperature increases the further you go below the surface to be a useful bit of information. Hey, you might even consider using geothermal heat sources to keep snow and ice from building up on your airport runways and ramps so passengers, like me, are not inconvenienced by weather caused delays. The issue with geothermal is always i) cost, ii) accessibility, and iii) corrosion. Most geothermal vents are corrosive enough to eat through steel pipes in a matter of years. That limits the usefulness of geothermal to a very few locations, and it severely limits the scale of implementation. The only country I know that's had any success at all with it is Israel, and even there it's not exactly pretty. As for geothermal energy being of interest to non-STEM people: yes, you'll always get a few. But during a flight delay, I daresay most people don't sit on the tarmac wondering whether the airport should invest in geothermally heated runways. You've just got a bit of nerd in you.
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ken a.k.a OMK
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Post by ken a.k.a OMK on Feb 20, 2014 19:59:42 GMT -5
Wow I got them all correct! <----says the liberal arts major. I think the questions test basic understanding of science across a broad range of subjects within science. In some ways it is trivia like a pp mentioned, but OTOH this kind of basic knowledge should be understood by people. Yeah, the laser question probably isn't useful in day to day life, but we use lasers all the time for things so why not know a bit about it? The test results would probably be more accurate if it was 50 questions instead of 10. I happened to be lucky that I knew these basic questions, but I'm sure there are other basic questions I don't know the answer to. I get the feelling you all are calling me stupid because I don't know about lasers- - Let's be honest here, I'm stupid in more significant areas than that Not at all dear. Now remember to put your hands over your ears when around lasers.
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tskeeter
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Post by tskeeter on Feb 20, 2014 20:28:16 GMT -5
But, you don't have to be a geologist to be interested in practical applications of geothermal heat sources. I'm an accountant living near a geothermal power plant. I'm interested. I'm also interested in goethermal space heating. And I suspect that most miners, working in stifling heat hundreds of feet underground, aren't STEM majors, either. There are lots of reason why even a liberal arts major might find knowing that the earth's temperature increases the further you go below the surface to be a useful bit of information. Hey, you might even consider using geothermal heat sources to keep snow and ice from building up on your airport runways and ramps so passengers, like me, are not inconvenienced by weather caused delays. The issue with geothermal is always i) cost, ii) accessibility, and iii) corrosion. Most geothermal vents are corrosive enough to eat through steel pipes in a matter of years. That limits the usefulness of geothermal to a very few locations, and it severely limits the scale of implementation. The only country I know that's had any success at all with it is Israel, and even there it's not exactly pretty. As for geothermal energy being of interest to non-STEM people: yes, you'll always get a few. But during a flight delay, I daresay most people don't sit on the tarmac wondering whether the airport should invest in geothermally heated runways. You've just got a bit of nerd in you. Darn accoutants. Just a bunch of engineer wannabes.
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ken a.k.a OMK
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Post by ken a.k.a OMK on Feb 20, 2014 20:32:58 GMT -5
I'm not going to touch that comment as I'm an Electrical Engineer. Oh I got 10 out of 10 right.
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Miss Tequila
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Post by Miss Tequila on Feb 20, 2014 20:51:29 GMT -5
I get the feelling you all are calling me stupid because I don't know about lasers- - Let's be honest here, I'm stupid in more significant areas than that Not at all dear. Now remember to put your hands over your ears when around lasers. [br Phew...for a minute you all were making me feel stupid....
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Angel!
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Post by Angel! on Feb 20, 2014 22:39:05 GMT -5
Start asking more practical questions like "T/F: It takes more energy to stop a car than to stop a freight train?", "T/F: Spinning a merry-go-round generates an outward-acting force on its riders?", "T/F: Carbon monoxide detectors should be placed on the ceiling since carbon monoxide is lighter than air?", etc., and I'd bet you'd see significantly higher scores across the board. Frankly, nobody except STEM majors and trivia buffs really care that the center of the Earth is hot or that lasers aren't made out of sound waves. That kind of information is useless and easily forgotten. As a stem major, I honestly don't think those questions are all that great. The first one depends on speed, although the assumption would be they are going the same speed. For the second, I wouldn't call it an outward force, but rather a tangential force. The force does not radiate outward from the center. Probably only a significant difference for those of us who spent several semesters in school drawing force diagrams and calculating moments, but if i was given that question i would be really confused as to what response you wanted. And for the third, while carbon monoxide is not lighter than air, some people do recommend the detectors be placed high because carbon monoxide often comes from a heat source and the fact that it is heated causes it to rise. So I could easily get that wrong if I've heard that detectors should be placed high without knowing why.
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Virgil Showlion
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Post by Virgil Showlion on Feb 21, 2014 0:57:35 GMT -5
Start asking more practical questions like "T/F: It takes more energy to stop a car than to stop a freight train?", "T/F: Spinning a merry-go-round generates an outward-acting force on its riders?", "T/F: Carbon monoxide detectors should be placed on the ceiling since carbon monoxide is lighter than air?", etc., and I'd bet you'd see significantly higher scores across the board. Frankly, nobody except STEM majors and trivia buffs really care that the center of the Earth is hot or that lasers aren't made out of sound waves. That kind of information is useless and easily forgotten. As a stem major, I honestly don't think those questions are all that great. The first one depends on speed, although the assumption would be they are going the same speed. True, although since a freight train weighs ~5,000 times as much as a sedan, one could reasonably draw the "correct" conclusion. For example, a freight train crawling forward at walking speed has more energy than a car traveling at 280 mph. For the second, I wouldn't call it an outward force, but rather a tangential force. The force does not radiate outward from the center. Probably only a significant difference for those of us who spent several semesters in school drawing force diagrams and calculating moments, but if i was given that question i would be really confused as to what response you wanted. I'm talking about the normal force. Laypeople wouldn't be aware of terms like "tangential" and "normal". And all people would have to do is think about what they have to do on a merry-go-round. If you don't want to get thrown outward like a rag doll, you'd better hold on. Granted, you'd be thrown in a direction tangential to your point of departure if you let go, but the centrifugal force is in the normal (outward) direction until and unless you do. And for the third, while carbon monoxide is not lighter than air, some people do recommend the detectors be placed high because carbon monoxide often comes from a heat source and the fact that it is heated causes it to rise. So I could easily get that wrong if I've heard that detectors should be placed high without knowing why. Carbon monoxide actually is lighter than air (specific gravity of 0.97 relative to air), and detectors are supposed to be placed on or near the ceiling (how close is a matter of some debate). I hadn't heard of the "often comes from a heat source" argument.Hence a bit of tweaking needed, but they're still decent questions.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2014 7:01:31 GMT -5
I am curious what Virgil thought of #10.
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Angel!
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Post by Angel! on Feb 21, 2014 10:08:12 GMT -5
I guess I should have been more specific. Carbon monoxide is slightly lighter than air, but not enough to make any difference in where it goes in a room. If it did, then we would also find that nitrogen with a specific gravity of .97 also would rise up and all the oxygen with a specific gravity of 1.1 would sink to the floor. We would notice a big difference in our ability to breathe just between sitting on the floor and standing up.
Carbon monoxide has basically the same specific gravity as nitrogen which make up almost 80% of our air. So it mixes in just the same as nitrogen.
The only reason to place CO detectors high is because the air is likely heated, which would make it rise.
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tloonya
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Post by tloonya on Feb 21, 2014 10:36:29 GMT -5
I got 2 wrong. #4 and #6. And I just want to say it's been many a few years since I was in school and I have no kids to help with homework. It's not that I'm stupid and/or can't remember shit! Will you be dear and post me link to the test?
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Peace Of Mind
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Post by Peace Of Mind on Feb 21, 2014 11:06:55 GMT -5
Here you go tloonya: Questions: 1. The center of the Earth is very hot. True or false? 2. The continents have been moving their location for millions of years and will continue to move. True or false? 3. Does the Earth go around the sun, or does the sun go around the Earth? 4. All radioactivity is man-made. True or false? 5. Electrons are smaller than atoms. True or false? 6. Lasers work by focusing sound waves. True or false? 7. The universe began with a huge explosion. True or false? 8. It's the father's gene that decides whether the baby is a boy or girl. True or false? 9. Antibiotics kill viruses as well as bacteria. True or false? 10. Human beings, as we know them today, developed from earlier species of animals. True or false? But I won't give you the answers until you take the test. {SPOILER! Click to show} Answers (% who got it correct):1. True (84%); 2. True (83%); 3. Earth around the sun (74%); 4. False (72%); 5. True (53%); 6. False( 47%); 7. True; (39%); 8. True (63%); 9. False (51%); 10. True (48%)
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Virgil Showlion
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Post by Virgil Showlion on Feb 21, 2014 11:11:22 GMT -5
I am curious what Virgil thought of #10. When writing a science quiz, write as the quiz-writers would.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2014 11:11:53 GMT -5
I am curious what Virgil thought of #10. When writing a science quiz, write as the quiz-writers would. What do you think the answer is? T or F?
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Virgil Showlion
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Post by Virgil Showlion on Feb 21, 2014 11:28:04 GMT -5
When writing a science quiz, write as the quiz-writers would. What do you think the answer is? T or F? I believe Adam and Eve were man's first ancestors, and the lineage stated in Genesis. Whether they were created to resemble some earlier species of hominid, I don't know. Hence the answer would depend on the semantics of the term "developed from".
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tloonya
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Post by tloonya on Feb 21, 2014 11:37:42 GMT -5
Questions:
1. The center of the Earth is very hot. True or false? TRUE.
2. The continents have been moving their location for millions of years and will continue to move. True or false? TRUE
3. Does the Earth go around the sun, or does the sun go around the Earth? Earth goes. Sun is lazy SOB!
4. All radioactivity is man-made. True or false? NO. Its been there.
5. Electrons are smaller than atoms. True or false? FALSE
6. Lasers work by focusing sound waves. True or false? FALSE 7. The universe began with a huge explosion. True or false? FALSE (is that bing bang theory?)
8. It's the father's gene that decides whether the baby is a boy or girl. True or false? TRUE (this is why I don't get why men are pissed off at the baby sex if its all their fault anyway?)
9. Antibiotics kill viruses as well as bacteria. True or false? TRUE
10. Human beings, as we know them today, developed from earlier species of animals. True or false? FALSE but TRUE by Darvin. So...how do I answer THAT?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2014 11:37:58 GMT -5
What do you think the answer is? T or F? I believe Adam and Eve were man's first ancestors, and the lineage stated in Genesis. Whether they were created to resemble some earlier species of hominid, I don't know. Hence the answer would depend on the semantics of the term "developed from". what would you answer if you were given that quiz in school?
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ken a.k.a OMK
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Post by ken a.k.a OMK on Feb 21, 2014 11:39:14 GMT -5
#10 Evolution vs Creationism. No right answer.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2014 11:56:09 GMT -5
Not bad tloonya. You got #7, & #10 wrong, but I think it's due to religious beliefs. #9 is also wrong. Which is why they are pushing people to stop asking for antibiotics for a virus. They won't help!
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tloonya
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Post by tloonya on Feb 21, 2014 11:59:40 GMT -5
Not bad tloonya. You got #7, & #10 wrong, but I think it's due to religious beliefs. #9 is also wrong. Which is why they are pushing people to stop asking for antibiotics for a virus. They won't help! I couldn't get #10 wrong because I had answered it MAYBE basically...\ So what is right? Darvin's theory? Speak for yourself, monkey
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2014 12:00:51 GMT -5
Thanks! Yes I will have a banana!!
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chiver78
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Post by chiver78 on Feb 21, 2014 12:03:00 GMT -5
Not bad tloonya. You got #7, & #10 wrong, but I think it's due to religious beliefs. #9 is also wrong. Which is why they are pushing people to stop asking for antibiotics for a virus. They won't help! #5 and 6 are wrong, too. electrons are components of atoms, so they can't be pieces larger than the whole. the lasers, y'all already explained that to Tina.
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tloonya
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Post by tloonya on Feb 21, 2014 12:05:04 GMT -5
Thanks! Yes I will have a banana!! I wouldn't mind to become from a tiger...or even a dog...but red/assed monkey Thanks. So next time I should say that just to be right even if I do not freaking believing it?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2014 12:05:23 GMT -5
Yuo on #5, but she said FALSE on #6. Laser are light, not sound.
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Virgil Showlion
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Post by Virgil Showlion on Feb 21, 2014 12:11:47 GMT -5
I believe Adam and Eve were man's first ancestors, and the lineage stated in Genesis. Whether they were created to resemble some earlier species of hominid, I don't know. Hence the answer would depend on the semantics of the term "developed from". what would you answer if you were given that quiz in school? I would answer as the quiz-writers would: true. I would answer "true" for #8 although it's already been pointed out in this thread that #8 isn't technically true. There are forums for debating contentious theories. Writing a quiz isn't one of them. The goal of writing a quiz is to write down what the test-writer wants put down and hence to score well. The only situation where I might dig my heels in is if the problem was mathematical in nature. For example, there's a classic brainteaser out there that asks the reader to calculate the probability of an "other sibling" being male, and many educators (indeed many vetted brainteaser sites) will adamantly hold fast to "1/3" as a solution, despite "1/2" being the correct answer. They lack sufficient understanding of conditional probability and it can be all but impossible to persuade them. If such a question came up on a quiz and I knew the instructor held "1/3" to be the correct answer, I would be very tempted to write down "1/2" in a kind of 1984-esque one man rebellion, but whether I'd actually do so would depend on whether or not I felt I could reason with the instructor. If not, I see no profit in penalizing myself and then beating my head against the wall. Answers on quizzes simply aren't that important.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2014 12:14:50 GMT -5
When taking any kind of test, the point is to get the highest score possible. Know your audience and give them the answers they want, not necessarily what you believe the answer should be.
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tloonya
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Post by tloonya on Feb 21, 2014 12:16:14 GMT -5
Yuo on #5, but she said FALSE on #6. Laser are light, not sound. Who is You? And who is 'she'? And I know laser is a light. However that was not a question. 6. Lasers work by focusing sound waves. True or false? FALSE Laser does not work by focusing sound waves. How is it wrong? You people have 'knowledge disable'. You still unsure about right answers... When you find out - come back to me and judge me THEN!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2014 12:17:54 GMT -5
Hey, I said you were right ("Yuo" was supposed to be "Yup")! Gotta give credit where credit is due, after all. And I am sure that chiver just misread it. It's happened to all of us.
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chiver78
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Post by chiver78 on Feb 21, 2014 12:18:29 GMT -5
Yuo on #5, but she said FALSE on #6. Laser are light, not sound. my bad. I had the post written out, then went back to make sure I had everything I needed and re-read #6 wrong. so much for my trying to multi-task. I'm on hold trying to straighten out some of my travel information for tonight.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2014 12:19:09 GMT -5
Like I said. It happens to all of us.
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mmhmm
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Post by mmhmm on Feb 21, 2014 12:19:56 GMT -5
I knew all the answers. However, questions #7 and #10 are problematic in that both pit science against religion. When your religious beliefs tell you one thing is true and science tells you another thing is true, if you're a very religious person you'll choose the answer that fits your religious beliefs, even if you're well aware of the scientific conclusion.
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