From Turn Left at the Llama’s Farm (via Tom’s Astro Blog) comes this scary picture…
I am not surprised a random contestant on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" might not know what the closest star to the Earth is. I could easily be disheartened to see that 20% of the audience didn’t know either. I could even quote statistics * saying that fewer than half the American public knows it takes a year for the Earth to go around the Sun.
But I want to hedge my bet here. Years ago, when I was in high school, I was on the local quiz bowl team. I got the same question in a practice round. I was a smartass (shock! Horror!) and blurted out "Alpha Centauri!" My friend laughed and said no. Smacking myself on the forehead (probably literally, I was a bit of a drama queen back then) I corrected myself and said, "I mean Proxima Centauri!" –Alpha Cen is actually a triple star system, and the third star is a dinky red dwarf that’s actually a trillion or so miles closer to the Sun than the main pair.
My friend laughed again and said, "Nope." I could have kicked myself. I realized the question asked what was the closest star to the Earth, not the closest star to the Sun. The answer is, of course, the Sun.
So I can almost forgive that befuddled Millionaire contestant, since I screwed this exact question up once upon a time… but I can’t quite seem to muster it. The question is written down in front of her, and she had time to study it. I wonder. Does she just not know? Is she simply someone who doesn’t care about the world around her? Or is she just an average person, inquisitive and curious, but a victim of our ever-increasingly failing science education system?
So I’ll withhold judgment on her. But whichever way this falls, there is one thing that is clear to me: everyone should know the answer to this question. And too many still don’t. I don’t have an immediate answer to this problem of science illiteracy (it’s not just astronomy, of course, that’s suffering). I don’t think anyone does. But I bet the internets are helping a bit. Having incredible images easily available is a huge boon to public understanding. And I’ll keep my little corner of the Universe active posting those images — and explaining them — as long as I am able.
* In the "Science and Engineering Indicators 1996" survey run by the National Science Board, 47% of the people surveyed answered correctly when asked, "How long does it take for the Earth to go around the Sun: 1 day, 1 month, or 1 year".
December 17th, 2005 at 2:57 pm
This is a trick question from way back in school. I must admit to have fallen for it on more than one occasion. My biggest disappointment though was not getting the answer wrong or being fooled. No, the biggest disappointment has always been that the person asking it, wasn’t really interested in astronomy or even just a little bit curious about the wonders of our universe.
December 17th, 2005 at 3:35 pm
That question’s a famous trick one… But usually, when you are asked, it’s as a joke, or just like that. You don’t have the answer listed in your face.
December 17th, 2005 at 4:05 pm
That question was asked on a recent show called Beauty and the Geek. The premise was pairing up a nerdy guy with a beautiful girl in a series of contests against other teams. The girls were supposedly dim and intellectually uncurious beauties. One of them was asked which star was closest to the earth, and I was thinking, “Proxima Centauri.” She answered the sun.
December 17th, 2005 at 4:23 pm
To be honest, I think it’s a combination of being on a high-pressure game show (which seems to make even intelligent people dumb sometimes) and the fact that we just don’t THINK of the Sun as a star. As interested in astronomy as I am, I honestly think the first answer out of my mouth would be Proxima Centauri, perhaps even Alpha Centauri. They’re STARS, while the Sun is… well, the Sun! Even if you know that the Sun is a star and have been taught that in school, it’s a fact that just doesn’t seem to sit well in the brain. It just seems unnatural in some way. Just my two cents.
December 17th, 2005 at 4:34 pm
It’s only a trick question when it’s not multiple choice. When it’s multiple choice, you have to be an absolutely retarted ignorant moron to not get it right.
December 17th, 2005 at 6:52 pm
She should had Phil as a Phone-a-Friend.
He would have got it.
Most likely.
December 17th, 2005 at 6:53 pm
“retarted” indeed…
December 17th, 2005 at 6:54 pm
Well, this time…
December 17th, 2005 at 8:17 pm
Not to mention, Proxima Centuri (or Alpha Centuri) was not even mentioned, so its not really a trick question if your too dim (pun) to catch on to the trick. How could, given those options, not know the answer. Gee, which is closest, three distant objects I’ve never heard of, or the giant ball of hydrogen burning before me, lighting the planet. Sheesh.
December 17th, 2005 at 8:26 pm
I agree with RPM. I also made the same mistake as the BABlogger.
December 17th, 2005 at 8:36 pm
RPM, you don’t have to be stupid to miss the question; that’s the whole point of the end of my post. Ignorant, yes, but the cause of that ignorance is the cause for my concern.
December 17th, 2005 at 9:17 pm
When you’re under pressure, the mind plays all kinds of tricks. You can look straight at the right answer and just not see it, or even look at the answer, understand it and decide it’s wrong for completely spurious reasons. Or even just not know that the Sun is a star, simply because it has never come up before in one’s life, to no ill effect whatsoever.
Not everyone can know everything. Whatever education system you have, there are going to be some people who aren’t going to know something a majority of the world are going to regard as basic. The bigger the knowledge base, the more likely that is. And let’s face it, the sum of all the knowledge in the world is huge these days.
What bothers me is that the researchers who thought up the question didn’t even bother with BA’s obvious wrong answers. How much money was this question for?
December 17th, 2005 at 9:26 pm
By the way, I think it’s time that somebody did some research into the answers that people give the kind of surveys that Phil notes at the end there, because that failure rate is just too high to be believable, frankly, even if you believe that the American education system is as bad as some claim.
December 17th, 2005 at 11:34 pm
OK then, here’s a question you could really argue about:
What is the furthest planet from the Sun?
Glad to see that the BA is still, like Bush in the pre-election debate, promoting interest in the ‘internets’.
December 18th, 2005 at 12:20 am
A while back I tried something similar during the spring / summer, as people cam in, in the bright sunlight, I asked if they could see the star light.
Only a few twigged
December 18th, 2005 at 1:08 am
On my very first day as a guide at Griffith Observatory in the summer of 1973 (I was going to be a college junior the following Fall), an elderly lady approached me and asked, “Are astronomers observing the planets all the time?” I reassured her, “Yes, all the time.” But then I asked why. Her concern, apparently, was the in the time of Copernicus, the Earth had been the center of the solar system (she did say “solar system” and not Universe), and now we were third from the Sun, and she was concerned that some kind of switch like that would happen again. True story, I swear.
I think that a lot of the public is interested in Science and either half-hears a story or hears a story and imposes their own “Private Universe” (old film worth seeing again) on it.
I think that the solution rests with Science teachers to be sure that the visual or aural impression they leave on kids’ ideas is as vivid as possible to convince the kid of the validity of an argument.
Too many times kids just want to regurgitate an answer to get it right on a test/quiz or to take the path of least resistance — that is, the path of least thought. But then they’ll just propagate the misconception to their own kids or the people they meet.
And we should all feel free to confront — in as nice a way as possible for “regular folk” and in as harsh a way as possible for people who control the educational purse-strings of the government — people who expound sloppy thinking and just plain falsehoods. (Like the Intelligent design folks, like our ill-ustrious President, etc.)
— Steve >>>>
December 18th, 2005 at 1:20 am
Which star is closest to Earth? What the hell is a ‘Star’?
December 18th, 2005 at 2:02 am
The very basic definitions of astronomy like “star”, “planet”, “commet” are not taught in the school as it appears from the comment of Woo
December 18th, 2005 at 3:07 am
Here’s a question for historians of science. Who first proved that the stars are bodies like our Sun? Or when was this first hypothesized? It’s doesn’t appear to be self evident to primitive civilizations, or is it?
There was a funny piece in Science about a civilization who couldn’t see the point of the Sun, because it only comes out in the daytime, the time when it’s least needed.
December 18th, 2005 at 4:59 am
if that poll is accurate, be very afraid, but i seriously doubt that it is
polls almost never are
December 18th, 2005 at 5:43 am
Antipodean, I recall reading somewhere that around 5-10% of all respondants in surveys pick “don’t know” or simply pick an answer at random no matter how simple the question is. So survey results can never be more accurate than to within about 5%, and my guess is they’re considerably less accurate than that most of the time.
Christian, your question:
“What is the furthest planet from the Sun?”
is a very difficult one to answer.
A few years ago I would have said Neptune. Then Pluto was again further from the Sun than Neptune and I would have said Pluto. Now I’m not so sure. For the Solar System, it could be Sedna or Quauor (sp?) or Pluto or Neptune, depending on how you define a planet.
But, now I’ve thought about the question a bit more, none of the furthest planets from the sun have names – I don’t know the names of ANY exoplanets, let alone how far any of them are from the Sun. So, my answer is the simplest one : I don’t know.
BTW, I think I quite like the sound of being “retarted”. You could have started a new trend, RPM.
But, back on topic : the contestant in the picture has obviously had time to think about the question, because she has chosen to ask the audience and the result has been displayed.
In a recent edition of the show in the UK, the question (for £500,000) cropped up: who was the first Astronomer Royal? The options were William Herschel, Edmond Halley, Isaac Newton and John Flamsteed, and the contestant seemed to have a pretty good idea of who three of the four were and what they had done, but she didn’t know who John Flamsteed was. And, as I’m sure you all know, John Flamsteed was the right answer. She played it safe and went home with £250,000 (about $400,000US or thereabouts), which sounds like a useful sum of money to me.
December 18th, 2005 at 10:24 am
| “The very basic definitions of astronomy
| like “star�, “planet�, “commet� are not
| taught in the school as it appears from
| the comment of Woo”
Hold on… What’s astronomy?
December 18th, 2005 at 10:55 am
Furthest planet from the Sun? In our system or out?
December 18th, 2005 at 11:37 am
Some folks who submit comments to this blog seem to throw stones from the doorway of their glass houses. I find it a bit ironic that someone would accuse another of stupidity while spelling “retarted” and another would criticize the former while apparently unaware of the different constructions of “your” and “you’re!”
As one of my high school English teachers frequently reminded her classes, “Ignorance can be repaired. Stupidity is permanent.” Be kind.
I agree with BA’s point. The problem seems to be that most people are ignorant of all things scientific, and there seems to be no public concern with that fact. Most kids are fascinated by the wonders of the universe and everything it contains. They can be moved to remark, “awesome” by a knowledgable and motivated teacher. I’ve seen it happen repeatedly. In their naivete, kids choose the perfect word.
Why does that wonder die? I don’t think most folks see the connection between science and our hope for the future. Science will be our salvation if we earn it, but most people look to the supernatural for guidance.
December 18th, 2005 at 12:24 pm
Hold on hold on. Admittedly, astronomy doesnt have definitions for ’star’ or ‘planet’ etc, because theres some debate about what quallifies. However, even without precise definitions, science agrees that Earth is a planet, and our Sun in a star. Whatever ultimate precise definitions are eventually agreed upon, will include the Sun as a star, and Earth as a planet.
Also, I seriously doubt that the woman on the show was having trouble because of that point, your just trying to be contrary.
December 18th, 2005 at 12:29 pm
“you’re”^ expletive deleted im not an english major
December 18th, 2005 at 12:37 pm
Well the general knowledge required for game shows such as these often do not spill over into the realm of science. You’ll need to know alot about everything to do well but not know too much about science. The reason for that is stated above. The GREAT majority of people are scientifically uneducated.
And that is something that doesn’t seem to be getter better.
December 18th, 2005 at 12:55 pm
Reliable, watch your language.
December 18th, 2005 at 2:12 pm
I must ask a question: wich is the most DISTANT star to the earth/sun?
Is there an answer?
December 18th, 2005 at 2:23 pm
One thousand years ago, people had very little perspective on the universe. They had very little information on the earth and what they saw in the sky, like the stars, the planets, comets, etc. They would be amazed about the information available today.
I share everyone’s dismay because much of what science has uncovered for everyone isn’t being absorbed.
Keep in mind, however, a lot of people don’t have perspective on a lot of other things. Many people are just as passionate about history, government, etc, which the general populace should know more about also.
Incidentally, “Who wants to be a Millionaire?” had this question for $1,000,000:
How long does it take the sun’s rays to reach Earth?
A: 4 Minutes. B: 8 Minutes. C: 12 Minutes. D: 14 Minutes
If I remember correctly, the contestant got it right.
Now, I would consider THAT to be (though I knew the answer too).
December 18th, 2005 at 2:24 pm
…THAT to be trivial (though I knew the answer too).
December 18th, 2005 at 2:33 pm
Woo asked: Hold on… What’s astronomy?
It’s like astrology, but based on facts and observations
December 18th, 2005 at 4:51 pm
Your, You’re, Yore – Aren’t they all the same?
Mars, Venus, Eros – Aren’t they all the same?
Perhaps Science isn’t the only area where we’re ignorant. Grammar may be a poorly understood by the average American despite the ten years of mandatory training (third grade through twelfth).
jbs
December 18th, 2005 at 7:38 pm
Many, many people believe there are stars in our solar system other than the Sun. I teach an intro astronomy class in a 4-year college. I TELL them the Sun is the only star in our solar system; I SHOW them (via computer animations) that the Sun is the only star in the solar system and that the closest star is very far away; I have them EXPLORE this concept on their homework. Yet, come exam time, I still have students telling me about the many stars in the solar system (and no, they are not simply confusing the terms “galaxy” and “solar system”). On a recent exam, one student drew a picture of the solar system, showing Polaris right *at* Earth’s north pole! These sorts of misconceptions are very prevalent, and deeply ingrained in people’s minds. I know this well, yet I am always amazed that otherwise intelligent people hold such basic misconceptions about science. But then, we all probably have embarrassingly basic misconceptions in some field.
December 18th, 2005 at 9:47 pm
| Woo asked: Hold on… What’s astronomy?
| It’s like astrology, but based on facts and observations
Ah. Then I’m wondering – Saturn, will I be unlucky in love this month?
In all honesty, the ‘closest star’ question is the type of thing that I could see myself doing, even though I know better. We always talk about how we are able to finally “see the stars” once the Sun goes down. Logically, if you wanted to see a star, the daytime would be a prime time to do it.
It’s easy to see the Sun as one thing (a sun, naturally) and all those other points-of-light as stars (usually including other planets). That’s the “real world” version of a star, and I can’t blame anyone who gets confused when asked to provide an answer under pressure… Especially if they are unlucky in love.
December 19th, 2005 at 1:32 am
I was reading your blog and decided to test it out on my colleague who shares the office with me – his answer was – the MOON. I just stopped laughing… I know it is sad, but it is so hiliarious!
December 19th, 2005 at 4:14 am
“…I TELL them the Sun is the only star in our solar system…”
Actually that’s not true. “planet” means “wandering star”.
December 19th, 2005 at 9:03 am
Christian Burnham: I seem to remember that one of the earliest proponents of the view that the stars were other suns was Nicholas of Cusa; certainly Giordano Bruno held that view. If you count the view, however, that there were other kosmoi then Democritus probably gets the credit. A kosmos in this sense is a system composed of a central disk and a sky-sphere with stars and sun and planets attrached to it, with void on the outside. (Strange, no? A flat earth-geocentric cosmology but with the view that there were arbitrarily many of them!) As for finding evidence that the stars were the same sort of thing as the sun, I don’t know what sort of evidence you’d want. Spectroscopic methods were invented in the 19th century, but it was long before then that the view was accepted.
December 19th, 2005 at 9:28 am
I think that the 20% that voted wrong did it on purpose. Maybe they thought, if she’s too stupid to get this one, she doesn’t deserve the million.
Can’t really blame them
December 19th, 2005 at 10:58 am
Is Phil testing our “skepto-meters” again?
My first reaction to this picture was that it had been given the Photoshop treatment. My thought was that either Proxima Centauri or Alpha Centauri was originally listed for option “B,” and someone figured it would be a good opportunity to make a point.
Having choice “B” simply listed as “Sun” just seems a little suspect to me. Wouldn’t “Sol” have looked more appropriate there? Or at the very least “Our Sun” or “The Sun?” Plus (unless as some others have mentioned she was just really, really nervous), it seems to me having the option “Sun” listed in front of you would be pretty hard to ignore. If this question is for real, then obviously it’s one of the first few questions ($100 – $500 range) in the game. She would have known (as is the pattern of the show) that it wasn’t a trick and that there was an obvious answer. I could see balking if you were pulled off the street Jay Leno style and asked out of the blue, but having the correct answer read aloud to you should have rung a few bells, no matter what you think the sun is.
Also, as I recall, it was pretty hard to actually get on this show, let alone into the hot seat. I think we can be reasonably sure that this woman was not “dumb.” I guess there is a chance she was just really nervous, but I’m still thinking it’s been doctored.
Although, maybe I’ve been just spending too much time on this site.
December 19th, 2005 at 1:22 pm
You walk into a room with orangutan, a chimpanzee and a gorilla.
What is the smartest primate in the room?
…always remember that yours is not the only point of view.
December 19th, 2005 at 3:03 pm
I’m going to go with the chimpanzee. After all, he doesn’t have to work for a living.
Jason Said:
>Having choice “B� simply listed as “Sun� just seems a little suspect to me. Wouldn’t “Sol� have looked more appropriate there? Or at the very least “Our Sun� or “The Sun?�
No, that actually sounds like Who Want’s to be a Millionaire.
December 19th, 2005 at 3:59 pm
Jason, I think you’re correct about this being photo-shopped. I watch Millionaire every day and I remember this question. I also remember that I wasn’t sure of the answer. If “Sun” was an option, I would have been screaming at the TV.
December 20th, 2005 at 9:43 am
It could have been photoshopped.
But would 80% of the audience gotten it correct if option B were “Proxima Centauri” or even “Alpha Centauri”?
December 23rd, 2006 at 2:13 pm
I’m especially shocked because there were only four options, one being the Sun. I guess the only possible explanation was that she thought that the Sun wasn’t a star, but instead is put here to trick her. Silly mistakes like Proxima Centauri is not possible here because that wasn’t even an option!