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heavy boots |
Doran
Chief Marshal
Galactic Navy
Joined: March 29, 2003
Posts: 4032
From: The Gideon Unit
|  Posted: 2009-08-27 15:44
http://www.phys.ufl.edu/~det/phy2060/heavyboots.html
Heavy Boots
About 6-7 years ago, I was in a philosophy class at the University of Wisconsin, Madison (good science/engineering school) and the teaching assistant was explaining Descartes.
He was trying to show how things don't always happen the way we think they will and explained that, while a pen always falls when you drop it on Earth, it would just float away if you let go of it on the Moon. My jaw dropped a little. I blurted "What?!" Looking around the room, I saw that only my friend Mark and one other student looked confused by the TA's statement. The other 17 people just looked at me like "What's your problem?" "But a pen would fall if you dropped it on the Moon, just more slowly." I protested.
"No it wouldn't." the TA explained calmly, "because you're too far away from the Earth's gravity." Think. Think. Aha! "You saw the APOLLO astronauts walking around on the Moon, didn't you?"
I countered, "why didn't they float away?"
"Because they were wearing heavy boots." he responded, as if this made perfect sense (remember, this is a Philosophy TA who's had plenty of logic classes). By then I realized that we were each living in totally different worlds, and did not speak each others language, so I gave up.
As we left the room, my friend Mark was raging. "My God! How can all those people be so stupid?" I tried to be understanding. "Mark, they knew this stuff at one time, but it's not part of their basic view of the world, so they've forgotten it. Most people could probably make the same mistake."
To prove my point, we went back to our dorm room and began randomly selecting names from the campus phone book. We called about 30 people and asked each this question: 1
1. If you're standing on the Moon holding a pen, and you let go, will it
a) float away,
b) float where it is,
or c) fall to the ground?
About 47 percent got this question correct. Of the ones who got it wrong, we asked the obvious follow-up question:
2. You've seen films of the APOLLO astronauts walking around on the Moon, why didn't they fall off?
About 20 percent of the people changed their answer to the first question when they heard this one! But the most amazing part was that about half of them confidently answered, "Because they were wearing heavy boots."
MORE ON THE BURNING QUESTION OF HEAVY BOOTS
I decided to settle this question once and for all. Therefore, I put two multiple choice questions on my Physics 111 test, after the study of elementary mechanics and gravity.
13. If you are standing on the Moon, and holding a rock, and you let it go, it will:
(a) float away
(b) float where it is
(c) move sideways
(d) fall to the ground
(e) none of the above
25. When the Apollo astronauts wre on the Moon, they did not fall off because:
(a) the Earth's gravity extends to the Moon
(b) the Moon has gravity
(c) they wore heavy boots
(d) they had safety ropes
(e) they had spiked shoes
The response showed some interesting patterns! The first question was generally of average difficulty, compared with the rest of the test: 57% got it right. The second question was easier: 73% got it right. So, we need more research to explain the people who got #25 right but did not get #13 right!
The second interesting point is that these questions proved to be excellent discriminators: that is, success on these two questions proved to be an extremely good predictor of overall success on the test. On the first question, 92% of those in the upper quarter of the test score got it right; only 20% of those in the bottom quarter did. They generally chose answers (a) or (b). On the second question, 97% in the upper quarter got it right and 33% in the lower quarter did. The big popular choice of this group was (c)...33% chose heavy boots, followed closely by safety ropes at 27%.
A telling comment on the issue of fairness in teaching elementary physics: Two students asked if I was going to continue asking them about things they had never studied in the class.
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$yTHe {C?}
Grand Admiral
Sundered Weimeriners
Joined: September 29, 2002
Posts: 1292
From: Arlington, VA
| Posted: 2009-08-27 16:15
The point of this article is that it explains why if you get a BA in anything that isn't Science or Math you are worthless.
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Kanman
Grand Admiral
Pitch Black
Joined: August 26, 2005
Posts: 1017
From: Virginia, United States
| Posted: 2009-08-27 16:18
I give up. I refuse to remain a part of this civilization. I am going to go live in a shack on a deserted mountain and await death of old age.
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$yTHe {C?} said:
The point of this article is that it explains why if you get a BA in anything that isn't Science or Math you are worthless.
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My sentiments exactly.
[ This Message was edited by: Kanman on 2009-08-27 16:21 ]
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-Shadowalker-
Admiral
Galactic Navy
Joined: September 23, 2007
Posts: 709
From: Shadows
| Posted: 2009-08-27 18:08
Lemme give my opinion on the matter:
Im going to guesse the reason why, (they wore heavy boots) was the most chosen answer... For one thing, you have to take into consideration that these ppl that are answering your question is under the influence of the earths gravity atm you ask the question, there fore there mind imediatly things of the effects of earths gravity where or not the question is of the moon, even though that contradicts question 13. I will also say that the population also has a movie to go on, and can visually see what happens compared to what happens, say on the SpaceStation. Going along with that, most people will say, "Well, the moon is in space, theres no air there, there must not be any gravity because theres no atmosphere, so you have to wear heavy boots to keep you on the ground."
and what people fail to see there is that the "boots" have to be attracted to the moon somhow; and if they think hard enough then they might say, "but if the boots keep you ong the ground something has to keep it there, say gravity, so if the boots stay on the ground than that must mean that people are attracted to the moon too." and while this is going on they might think back to the space staion clips that theyve seen and then they go on and on and on and on etc...
Now the second question, question 13; most ppl probably havent seen a film or movie about an astronaught droping a rock to the moon's surface. There-fore they (he/she) will imediatly think of being in or on the space station and will think it will float away, contradicting everything they thought of about the astronaughts on the moon, even though they are still there, on the moon, talking about the same stuff.
Most of what im saying is that they are most likely puting there answers on visually what they have seen... if you catch my drift, even if they are in a physics class, alot of things and how the mind works uses visuals.
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Shigernafy
Admiral
Joined: May 29, 2001
Posts: 5726
From: The Land of Taxation without Representation
| Posted: 2009-08-27 18:14
No, the reason is they're total morons who don't understand basic concepts of physics.
And I happen to have a BA and am not worthless. Though it is in Political Science....
[ This Message was edited by: Shigernafy on 2009-08-27 18:15 ]
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Feralwulf
Grand Admiral
Joined: January 24, 2004
Posts: 1729
From: sitting somewhere drinking beer
| Posted: 2009-08-27 18:39
* -Shadowalker- @154570 sent to Friends: "i wounder what would happen if we put blackout from transformers in the middle of a zombie war"
nuff said
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 rnrn
Don't mess with old dudes...age and treachery will always overcome youth and skill!
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Eledore Massis [R33]
Grand Admiral
Templar Knights
Joined: May 26, 2002
Posts: 2694
From: tsohlacoLocalhost
| Posted: 2009-08-27 18:46
1/6th
or ~17%
How come people Can't Remember that ??
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DS Discordion
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$yTHe {C?}
Grand Admiral
Sundered Weimeriners
Joined: September 29, 2002
Posts: 1292
From: Arlington, VA
| Posted: 2009-08-27 19:24
Quote:
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On 2009-08-27 18:14, Shigernafy wrote:
No, the reason is they're total morons who don't understand basic concepts of physics.
And I happen to have a BA and am not worthless. Though it is in Political Science....
[ This Message was edited by: Shigernafy on 2009-08-27 18:15 ]
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You are The Anomaly. You will soon be taken down a rabbit hole, fall in love with a very lesbian-looking woman, and finally not ruin a character by pretending that your acting skills are suited to you actually speaking.
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Fattierob
Vice Admiral
Joined: April 25, 2003
Posts: 4059
| Posted: 2009-08-27 19:46
Quote:
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On 2009-08-27 16:15, $yTHe {C?} wrote:
The point of this article is that people suck.
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-Shadowalker-
Admiral
Galactic Navy
Joined: September 23, 2007
Posts: 709
From: Shadows
| Posted: 2009-08-27 21:22
Quote:
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On 2009-08-27 19:46, Fattierob wrote:
Quote:
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On 2009-08-27 16:15, $yTHe {C?} wrote:
The point of this article is that most people suck.
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fixd
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Fattierob
Vice Admiral
Joined: April 25, 2003
Posts: 4059
| Posted: 2009-08-27 22:41
Quote:
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On 2009-08-27 21:22, -Shadowalker- Ewrote:
fixd
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Your optimism is dissapointing.
[ This Message was edited by: Fattierob on 2009-08-27 22:47 ]
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Lark of Serenity
Grand Admiral
Raven Warriors
Joined: June 02, 2002
Posts: 2516
| Posted: 2009-08-28 02:09
to whoever said people without degrees in science/math are useless, kindly remember that this article is about the idiocy of people TAKING those same courses.
intelligence is sadly a rare resource.
actually... to take it a step further, many people in science/math have ATROCIOUS faults, like an inability to acurately gauge social, political and economic issues, things that are not wholly logical. This is representative both in their actions (voting, who they yell at in town hall meetings, etc) and the implications of their own work (do you think the average engineer considers the greater social ramifications of building design? the shape of a space directs power, attention, respect, etc.).
[ This Message was edited by: Lark of Serenity on 2009-08-28 02:13 ]
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Shigernafy
Admiral
Joined: May 29, 2001
Posts: 5726
From: The Land of Taxation without Representation
| Posted: 2009-08-28 06:42
Yeah, death to engineers!
.... I'm at a loss to explain the point of this thread anymore. Why so serious? It kills the enjoyment.
Lets go back to talking about how I'm better than everyone else.
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* [S.W]AdmBito @55321 Sent \"I dunno; the French had a few missteps. But they're on the right track, one headbutt at a time.\"
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Sixkiller
Marshal
Courageous Elite Commandos
Joined: May 11, 2005
Posts: 1786
From: Netherlands
| Posted: 2009-08-28 06:50
Quote:
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On 2009-08-27 16:15, $yTHe {C?} wrote:
The point of this article is that it explains why if you get a BA in anything that isn't Science or Math you are worthless.
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economics?
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BackSlash
Marshal
Galactic Navy
Joined: March 23, 2003
Posts: 11183
From: Bristol, England
| Posted: 2009-08-28 09:09
Shoot them all.
If I was sat there, I'd just sit there with my mouth open. My brain stalls when I'm around people that are that stupid. I suppose it's like a self-defence mechanism, protecting itself from stupidity everywhere.
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