Scientific Literacy Quiz

[Baddad (Marty)]

Hi Steve,

What was your son's score?

[JethroB76 (Jeff)]

Stupid cloud question
44/50 here.

[tlgerdes (Trevor)]

Originally Posted by kinetic

.
And....what dinosoar appeared on a US stamp!!!!? yeah great science q

Steve

The Brontosaur exists in my Flintstones universe I have Brontosaurus burgers every week.

[AstralTraveller (David)]

I seems a lot of us have complained about the cloud question. As I remember the correct answer was that a cumulonimbus is a cumulous cloud that is actually raining - or words to that effect. I've looked at The Australian Climatic Environment (Linacre & Hobbs) a very technical book, The Australian Weather Book (Colls & Whitaker), the BoM site and the NOAA site and nowhere can I find the act of precipitating as a defining feature. Linacre and Hobbs state that 'Where thunderstorms may form, the cloud is called cumulonimbus.' (my emphasis) The definition seems to be that it is a cloud of great vertical extent which has reached the top of the troposphere and developed the classic anvil top. This makes sense to me because first, no other cloud is defined in such a way and second, there are such things as dry storms with no rain but plenty of lightening which indicates strong convective circulation and so great vertical development. [The World Meteorological Organisation is the authority if anyone want to follow this up.]

So at the moment my hypothesis is that the quiz was wrong. It happens. Everyone mark yourself up 1.

[Baddad (Marty)]

Hi David,

Nimbus = rain producing. I remember learning it in primary school. Also I think wikipedia has a similar definition. "It already has rain or snow falling." Therefore precipitation is the most correct answer.

[mithrandir (Andrew)]

Originally Posted by Baddad

Hi David,

Nimbus = rain producing. I remember learning it in primary school. Also I think wikipedia has a similar definition. "It already has rain or snow falling." Therefore precipitation is the most correct answer.

Since when was wikipedia authoritative? Good on them though for taking the site down in protest about SOPA.

BOM says "nimbus (rain-bearing)" and nothing about whether that rain is falling, was falling or ever will fall.

I'm voting with David.

[Baddad (Marty)]

Originally Posted by mithrandir

Since when was wikipedia authoritative? Good on them though for taking the site down in protest about SOPA.

BOM says "nimbus (rain-bearing)" and nothing about whether that rain is falling, was falling or ever will fall.

I'm voting with David.

Hi Andrew,

Ok.

Cheers

[Baddad (Marty)]

Hi,
I was inclined to agree on some points that were illustrated on this thread.
One in particular. "the test has significant science history content".
Yes I agree that it does.
The test is not a science test in the true sense. It is "Science Literacy"
Therefore the history content is justified.
Simply that the test composers have made it a literacy test on science allows the objectionable content.

Most of you would score much higher on your own subjects. To score high on that test you need to be a kind of jack of all trades and a master of none. (Which I only partially agree with)

Like a cartoonist. He is a good artist but not great. He has a good imagination, but not great. His command of language is good, but not great. However he makes a great cartoonist. (That is my arguement. A jack of all trades can be a master of something.)

My point is if you specialise in a subject or a number of subjects then like most you miss out on some others.

I would be interested to see what results astrologists achieve. I don't believe I have seen any anywhere. I think they are hiding from this test.

I believe that to score over 25 you are an absolute geek or nerd. Someone who was beat up or bullied at school but now is the bully's boss. LOL

I think it is a safe bet that an astrologist (don't beat me using that word on forum) would not score better than 24.

Anyone up to the challenge? Does anyone have friends that they do not confess easily to having. Ask them to do the test. Tell them if they score 10 they are a science guru.

Cheers

[AstralTraveller (David)]

Originally Posted by Baddad

Hi David,

Nimbus = rain producing. I remember learning it in primary school. Also I think wikipedia has a similar definition. "It already has rain or snow falling." Therefore precipitation is the most correct answer.

I know the Latin but also understand that 'derivation' is different to 'definition'. I also read the Wiki but thought two undergad text books written by people with qualification in the area and working in the area backed up by two web site of relevant organisations was more authoritive than Wiki.

The American Meteorological Society entry on cumulonimbus reads:



cumulonimbus—(Abbreviated Cb.) A principal cloud type (cloud genus), exceptionally dense and vertically developed, occurring either as isolated clouds or as a line or wall of clouds with separated upper portions. These clouds appear as mountains or huge towers, at least a part of the upper portions of which is usually smooth, fibrous, or striated, and almost flattened as it approaches the tropopause. This part often spreads out in the form of an anvil (incus) or vast plume. Under the base of cumulonimbus, which is often very dark, there frequently exist virga, precipitation (praecipitatio), and low, ragged clouds (pannus), either merged with it or not. Its precipitation is often heavy and always of a showery nature. The usual occurrence of lightning and thunder within or from this cloud leads to its popular appellations: thundercloud, thunderhead (the latter usually refers only to the upper portion of the cloud), and thunderstorm. Cumulonimbus is composed of water droplets and ice crystals, the latter almost entirely in its upper portions. It also contains large water drops, snowflakes, snow pellets, and sometimes hail. The liquid water forms may be notably supercooled. Within a cold air mass in polar regions, the fibrous ice crystal structure may extend virtually throughout the cloud mass. Cumulonimbus always evolves from the further development of cumulus congestus, which, in turn, usually has resulted from the growth of cumulus (Cb cumulogenitus). This complete development may initiate also from stratocumulus castellanus (Cb stratocumulogenitus) or from altocumulus castellanus (Cb altocumulogenitus). In the latter case the cumulonimbus base is particularly high. It may also, but infrequently, develop from a portion of altostratus or nimbostratus (Cb altostratogenitus or Cb nimbostratogenitus). The formative process of cumulonimbus starts as a result of convection from the earth's surface or instability in the upper air, or both simultaneously. It therefore has a predominant diurnal cycle similar to that of cumulus. Cumulonimbus is rare over the polar regions, and becomes increasingly frequent with decreasing latitude, and is, in fact, an almost regular climax of the diurnal cloud cycle in the humid areas of the tropical regions and in humid and unstable air masses penetrating the temperate latitudes. Because of its great vertical size and of the magnitude and variety of forces that act within and upon it, cumulonimbus is a vertical cloud factory. In addition to the complex of accessory features it may possess, which includes tornadoes (tuba), it may also be responsible for the formation of nearly all of the other cloud genera. Cumulus congestus always preexists, and therefore is often easily confused with, cumulonimbus. A cloud is called cumulus congestus until its upper portion begins to show the diffuseness or fibrous quality indicative of ice crystal predominance. Only cumulonimbus is accompanied by lightning, thunder, or hail; only cumulus congestus can rival the intensity of its shower-type precipitation. See cloud classification, thunderstorm.
http://amsglossary.allenpress.com/gl...=cumulonimbus1

[renormalised (Carl)]

I got 43/50, which I'm actually disappointed with. When I read through the ones I got wrong, I realised I knew what the answers were....I should've got full marks. I made the mistake of just glancing at the questions when I initially did the test, so I missed crucial bits of info. Mainly because the damn thing was taking so long to go through!!!.

[telemarker (Keith)]

42/50 with a couple of stupid mistakes by not reading the question properly. The biology was easy, got a PhD in Zoology so it should be. A wasted education if it wasn't