Do you understand how much science?

By the end of each year, many newspapers and magazines will come to a "Top Ten" What the selection. "Time" magazine's "Top Ten scientific discoveries", the ninth is: "Do you understand how much science?" The reason is that, according to the latest survey: U.S. adults have a "civic scientific literacy," the ratio, from 1988 10% up to 28%; that is to say, every four adults in the United States there is a point to understand science. 

"Civic scientific literacy" (the mainland of "quality") is the English translation of civic science literacy; the term in 1975 by the University of Pennsylvania professor of physics classes ‧ Jer-Min Shen (Benjamin SP Shen) proposed by referring to the general citizens in public affairs in deciding when to be understanding of scientific knowledge and methods. In addition, Shen also proposed "practical" and "culture" scientific literacy, and "civic scientific literacy" side by side; the former refers to the line can not know the real way to solve the problem, while the latter is to simply appreciate the attitude and access to scientific knowledge. But talking about scientific literacy, the majority refers to the "civic scientific literacy." 

Study of scientific literacy in American society more than two decades of Michigan State University Professor Miller (Jon Miller), to the idea of Shen made a further derivative, he thinks that scientific literacy should include the following three points: First, to understand basic scientific vocabulary; II understand the scientific process or the nature of the pursuit; Third, know technology on individuals and society. Therefore, whether it is Miller or the United States Science Foundation (NSF) designed questionnaire civic scientific literacy, are the main contents of these points. 

I would like to readers in a certain someone like me curious: Is this questionnaire how difficult it? Whether they have the scientific literacy? NSF site I found this questionnaire, listed below for readers to try. 13 title in nine questions correct (70%), even if there is a scientific accomplishment. 

1. Geocentric high temperature. 

2. All of the radioactive substances are man-made. 

3. Confocal laser is produced by sound waves. 

4. Electronic than atomic small. 

5. The origin of the universe was a huge explosion. 

6. Millions of years ago, the location of all continents have been moving forward, at present remains the case. 

7. The Earth around the sun or the earth's rotation around the sun? How long will it take to lap? 

8. From his father's genes, determine the child's sex. 

9. Antibiotics can kill viruses and bacteria. 

10. Today's human beings, from the earlier development of certain animal species. 

11. Doctors tell a couple of the genetic make-up, saying that their chance of a quarter of children will suffer from some sort of genetic diseases. If their first child this disease, it is not to say that, the next three children will not have problems? 

12. With 11 questions the same situation, it is not to say that the husband and wife each child born, have the same risk? 

13. Scientists want to know a drug whether it is useful for the treatment of hypertension. The first scientists to make drugs to 1000 patients with hypertension to see how many of them reduced blood pressure; the second scientists want drugs to 500 patients with hypertension, while 500 are not administered, and then look at the two group among the respective numbers of patients with lower blood pressure. The two doctors practice which is better? Why? 

According to Miller, the selection of these issues to a hundred years after the principle of correct knowledge is not tricky. Moreover, the achievements of American adults is not high, but in the 33 participating countries second only to Sweden, in Japan, the Soviet Union above. As a result of Taiwan and China, as well as the implications of the survey, talk about next time. 

Answer 

1 pairs; 2 wrong; 3 wrong; 4; 5; 6; 7 of the Earth around the sun to turn around a year too; 8; 9 wrong; 10 pairs; 11 wrong; 12; 13 is second place is better because the control group.