# 25% of Americans think the Sun revolves around the Earth. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 23, 2004, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-of-americans-think-the-sun-revolves-around-the-earth/276363 "2004-11-23T21:47:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-of-americans-think-the-sun-revolves-around-the-earth/276363/21 "2004-11-23T22:36:29Z")
This bowling ball falls faster thatn this feather; clearly things fall at different rates! ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-of-americans-think-the-sun-revolves-around-the-earth/276363/22 "2004-11-23T22:36:40Z")
> [@Bean Counter](#): > > It is the movement of Mars that specifically points out the problem of an Earth-centric galaxy. As the Earth approaches and passes Mars in their respective orbits around the Sun, Mars seems to move backwards across the sky. Not something that would happen if everything was orbiting the Earth. Epicycles Dude! Crystal spheres in which the planets are embedded upon the vault of the heavens. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-of-americans-think-the-sun-revolves-around-the-earth/276363/23 "2004-11-23T22:38:25Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > Epicycles Dude! Crystal spheres in which the planets are embedded upon the vault of the heavens. I don’t know about the other planets, but I am pretty sure the Earth is supported upon the backs of an infinite number of turtles. ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-of-americans-think-the-sun-revolves-around-the-earth/276363/24 "2004-11-23T22:38:33Z")
This bowling ball falls faster than this feather; clearly things fall at different rates! ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-of-americans-think-the-sun-revolves-around-the-earth/276363/25 "2004-11-23T22:50:08Z")
> [@Gangster Octopus](#): > > I don’t know about the other planets, but I am pretty sure the Earth is supported upon the backs of an infinite number of turtles. Drive the new Infinity Turtle. Leave Copernicus in the dust. ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-of-americans-think-the-sun-revolves-around-the-earth/276363/26 "2004-11-23T22:56:53Z")
> [@Ilsa\_Lund](#): > > This bowling ball falls faster than this feather; clearly things fall at different rates! Well your posts certainly fall at different rates. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-of-americans-think-the-sun-revolves-around-the-earth/276363/27 "2004-11-23T22:58:20Z")
> [@Raygun99](#): > > Well your posts certainly fall at different rates. Clearly, one fell further. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-of-americans-think-the-sun-revolves-around-the-earth/276363/28 "2004-11-23T23:06:11Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > Are you kidding? Education is supposed to teach people things. That the earth revolves around the sun is pretty fucking basic education. Your world implies people don’t go to school and believe are entitled to believe whatever they believed when they were 8. Where, along the scale of “pretty fucking basic education” is [Galilean Transformation](http://www.bun.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~suchii/galilean.html). Does it enter the scale after you left it, or do you understand the concept? Simple motion has no absolute frame of reference. > [@tdn](#): > > You really think 25% of Americans meant it in that way? Of course not. I’m just hoping that, say, 3% did. The hope makes me sleep easier. > [@Gamaliel](#): > > 92% of college grads and 76% of high school grads answered correctly, while only 52% of those who didn’t graduate high school got it right. I don’t think you can attribute this to overanalyzing the question. No, as I say, I’m just hoping there were two or three percent that decided to quibble instead of giving the answer the interviewer was clearly looking for. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-of-americans-think-the-sun-revolves-around-the-earth/276363/29 "2004-11-23T23:10:30Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Where, along the scale of “pretty fucking basic education” is [Galilean Transformation](http://www.bun.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~suchii/galilean.html). Does it enter the scale after you left it, or do you understand the concept? Simple motion has no absolute frame of reference. As you should have worked out from subsequent replies, I didn’t think you meant that. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Cid_Viscoso)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-of-americans-think-the-sun-revolves-around-the-earth/276363/30 "2004-11-23T23:16:01Z")
> [@Gamaliel](#): > > There’s no hope for us. > > According to a National Science Foundation survey, 25% of Americans think the Sun tools around the Earth. Neat survey. Thanks. 🙂 You know what, though? I am a farmer. I understand the importance of photoperiod. How does knowledge of Earth’s place in Space help me? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-of-americans-think-the-sun-revolves-around-the-earth/276363/31 "2004-11-23T23:26:02Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > As you should have worked out from subsequent replies, I didn’t think you meant that. From which of your subsequent replies in this thread should I have gleaned this? ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-of-americans-think-the-sun-revolves-around-the-earth/276363/32 "2004-11-23T23:41:26Z")
Yeah, but are they Republicans or Democrats? ---
**Author:** ![threemae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f9b8f/32.png) [@threemae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threemae)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-of-americans-think-the-sun-revolves-around-the-earth/276363/33 "2004-11-23T23:45:42Z")
Just out of curiosity, has anyone ever done a study on how many people lie when taking these basic science tests? Come on, if someone posted a thread in GQ asking, “So, does the sun revolve around us or is it the other way around?” some significant portion of the replies would be smart-asses saying, “Why of course the sun revolved around us, numbnuts, that was proved way back in 350 B.C. with the infamous Geocentric Proof which got the author exiled from Athens two months later.” ---
**Author:** ![davenportavenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@davenportavenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davenportavenger)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-of-americans-think-the-sun-revolves-around-the-earth/276363/34 "2004-11-23T23:48:01Z")
> [@SmackFu](#): > > Also, Question K on links between smoking and lung cancer is pretty good proof that saturation advertising does work. 94% correct over all people! Clearly, what we need to do is fund a series of annoying MTV-style commercials wherein sanctimonious teenagers visit astronomy labs to uncover The Truth about the sun. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-of-americans-think-the-sun-revolves-around-the-earth/276363/35 "2004-11-23T23:49:29Z")
> [@Ilsa\_Lund](#): > > This bowling ball falls faster than this feather; clearly things fall at different rates! What about the relationship between hemlines and interest rates? Down with panties, says me 😛 ! ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-of-americans-think-the-sun-revolves-around-the-earth/276363/36 "2004-11-23T23:58:39Z")
> [@Ilsa\_Lund](#): > > This bowling ball falls faster than this feather; clearly things fall at different rates! Just what kind of vacuum are you living in!?!? Because in the one I’m living in, they fall at the same rate. ---
**Author:** ![Brutus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Brutus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brutus)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-of-americans-think-the-sun-revolves-around-the-earth/276363/37 "2004-11-24T00:05:16Z")
> [@NurseCarmen](#): > > Just what kind of vacuum are you living in!?!? > > Because in the one I’m living in, they fall at the same rate. It is well documented by learned men of the Church that the Whoosh falls at a faster rate than the feather. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-of-americans-think-the-sun-revolves-around-the-earth/276363/38 "2004-11-24T00:09:40Z")
[You people are all educated stupid.](http://www.timecube.com/) Your surveys will not save you. ---
**Author:** ![laigle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@laigle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/laigle)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-of-americans-think-the-sun-revolves-around-the-earth/276363/39 "2004-11-24T00:09:47Z")
> [@lno](#): > > Interestingly, correct answers peaked at baccalaureate and declined for graduate/professional for questions B, D, K, N, P, and Q. Yeah, but that throws in the MBAs. Plus a lot of us post-grads have trouble functioning in an environment that doesn’t transmit embittered sarcasm. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-of-americans-think-the-sun-revolves-around-the-earth/276363/40 "2004-11-24T00:20:06Z")
Shouldn’t we be arguing about whether the sun ORBITS the earth, rather than "revolves around it? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-of-americans-think-the-sun-revolves-around-the-earth/276363.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-of-americans-think-the-sun-revolves-around-the-earth/276363.md?page=3)