(no subject)

[theweaselking]

Useful science: a mathematical proof that, in most cases of reasonably flat floors, any 4-legged table can be rotated so that all 4 legs will touch the floor and it will remain stable.

In Kansas, the National Academy of Sciences and the National Science Teachers Association have informed the school board that they cannot use copyrighted material from either group if their education "standards" include teaching creationism as scientifically valid.

Comments

[unnamed525.livejournal.com]

So, the NAS and the NSTA have told Kansas that they have to be stupider than they already are?
Seems like throwing gasoline on a fire to try to put it out.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

More like "If you can't play with our toys without breaking them, you can't play with our toys."

[unnamed525.livejournal.com]

It's still keeping teachers, who don't have direct control over what they forced to teach, from using good materials, which hurts the education of the children.

[cmseward.livejournal.com]

Any mathematicians out there know if that paper is normal for a math paper? It seems awfully informal (for a peer-reviewed journal) to this chemist. I know it was linked through Nature, but it really does look odd.

[paoconnell.livejournal.com]

IIRC the ends of three legs (e.g. three points) will always define a plane--high school Euclidean geometry. I'd say the proof is suspect.

On Kansas: the school board needs to understand that creationism (and "intelligent design," whose basis is creationism) basically is a religious assertion without any corroborating evidence. I woud say NAS and NSTA are trying to distance themselves from these assertions.

[cmseward.livejournal.com]

I meant specifically the language used in the paper, like the "Anybody eating lunch or drinking coffee at the terrasse of the CERN cafeteria has had the following problem." in the Introduction (from the PDF linked through arXiv).

[caerlas.livejournal.com]

Wouldn't it be wonderful noe to include a theory that the universe is a dingleberry on the ass of a gigantic space whale? If you're going to teach creationism in school, bring some variety with you.

[catlin.livejournal.com]

heh Yay teachers groups. God... I wish it were election time again, to boot those ultraconservative jerks out, again. Obviously they learned nothing last time.