17 Feb 14
2 edits
Originally posted by humyYou could start here:
Simple; its the same reason why nobody else has done so here including yourself; I don't have their contact details. If I did, I would.
http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/contact.cfm
Or here:
http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvyattitude/
See the phone number at the bottom
There is also lots of information about the methodology on the website.
Actually I am not certain thats the right place. Maybe its here:
http://www3.norc.org/gss+website/
More research is required.
[edit]
http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvyattitude/spaquest.pdf
This is a phone survey.
Page 21
Question reads:
Does the Earth go around the Sun, or does the Sun go around the Earth?
1> Earth goes around Sun
2> Sun goes around Earth
17 Feb 14
Originally posted by twhiteheadIn the way the question is formulated (in your later post), both answers are correct. But I would probably have picked "Earth goes around the Sun" considering what they probably intended to ask.
So given a survey which asked 'does the earth revolve around the sun?' with a yes/no answer what would your answer have been?
I would like to know what percentage of people don't really read or think about such questions in surveys ie just how much error margin there is.
My maths teacher claimed that in a class of 40, there was always someone who go ...[text shortened]...
So in the survey, if they asked whats 2+2, what is the percentage of people who get it wrong?
18 Feb 14
Originally posted by KazetNagorraI suppose you can accurately say there is no "preferential frame of reference" when looking only at the sun and earth, and taking nothing else into consideration. But when you consider the (movement of) other planets then it's evident which single object those planets are revolving around... they are revolving around the sun. And when you look at the suns relationship to other stars in our galaxy then it's evident our star is revolving around the central mass of a spiral galaxy.
It is actually a bit inaccurate to say the Earth revolves around the Sun. It would be more precise to say they revolve around each other, since there is no preferential frame of reference.
All mass exerts a pull on all other mass so the planets of our solar system must be pulling and tugging on our sun. But the sun clearly has more of an influence on the planets than the planets do on the sun as evidenced by how the planets have remained in the same orbital positions, and as evidenced by how our sun has stayed in the same relative position to its nearest neighboring stars... the gravitational influence of the planets have not caused our sun to drift from its present position (between two galactic spirals).
18 Feb 14
Originally posted by lemon limeOf course. It just so happens to be that if you take the Sun as the center of your frame of reference, the other planets have "nice" orbits too, whereas they have "strange" orbits if you take the Earth as the center of your frame of reference.
If we can say (because of no preferential frame of reference) the sun is revolving around the earth, can we say the sun is also revolving around all of the other planets as well?
Perhaps the "natural" frame of reference in the Solar system is the center of gravity of the Solar system. This center of gravity is close to, but not identical to the center of gravity of the Sun itself. The Sun will have some kind of motion about the center of gravity of the Solar system.
18 Feb 14
Originally posted by EladarThe National Science Foundation probably didn't think to make it a fair poll.
How many of these people were US citizens? How many were educated in the United States? What was the socio-economic make up of the group?
Give them your email - they'll be in touch soon Einstein.
18 Feb 14
Originally posted by KazetNagorraOff the top of my head isn't it only when Saturn & Jupiter are aligned that the solar system centre of gravity strays outside of the sun? (only just)
Of course. It just so happens to be that if you take the Sun as the center of your frame of reference, the other planets have "nice" orbits too, whereas they have "strange" orbits if you take the Earth as the center of your frame of reference.
Perhaps the "natural" frame of reference in the Solar system is the center of gravity of the Solar system. T ...[text shortened]... n itself. The Sun will have some kind of motion about the center of gravity of the Solar system.
18 Feb 14
Originally posted by wolfgang59That may be (I haven't investigated the dynamics of the Solar system in detail). Still, the center of gravity of the Sun and of the Solar system will practically never be identical.
Off the top of my head isn't it only when Saturn & Jupiter are aligned that the solar system centre of gravity strays outside of the sun? (only just)
18 Feb 14
Originally posted by KazetNagorraincorrect. the moon revolves around the earth which revolves around the sun. period. the sun revolves around the center of the galaxy.
It is actually a bit inaccurate to say the Earth revolves around the Sun. It would be more precise to say they revolve around each other, since there is no preferential frame of reference.
what you are saying only happens with objects of roughly the same mass.
18 Feb 14
Originally posted by ZahlanziIf you consider two point masses with arbitrary, finite masses and initial velocities such that one obtains stable orbits, then you will find that in the frame of reference of the one mass, the other revolves around it, while in the frame of reference of the other mass, the first one revolves around it. This is true irrespective of the mass ratio.
incorrect. the moon revolves around the earth which revolves around the sun. period. the sun revolves around the center of the galaxy.
what you are saying only happens with objects of roughly the same mass.
What you are probably thinking about is the situation where you have two objects of similar mass orbiting the center of gravity of both objects, e.g. a binary star.
18 Feb 14
Originally posted by ZahlanziFrames of reference aside, the planets and sun orbit their common centre of gravity, which has already been pointed out, is not always within the sun - and is almost never at the centre of the sun.
What you are saying only happens with objects of roughly the same mass.
This results in the Sun appearing to 'wobble' and this effect is one of the techniques we use to detect planets around other stars.
The moon on the other hand orbits the earth/moons centre of gravity and together they orbit the solar systems centre of gravity in a complicated spiral dance.
18 Feb 14
Originally posted by wolfgang59The National Science Foundation has not political objectives? How is it funded? How does it get money? Why would it need more funding?
The National Science Foundation probably didn't think to make it a fair poll.
Give them your email - they'll be in touch soon Einstein.