Passing it Along
School officials in Victoria, Australia, say it’s too hard for students to calculate equations using the constant 9.8 meters/second/second — the acceleration of gravity at Earth’s surface — so it’s changing the Year 12 physics exam for the Victorian Certificate of Education to use a rounded-off figure of 10 m/s/s. Close enough? No: “The difference could cause a parachutist or bungee jumper to plummet into the ground, or the launching of a rocket to fail,” say people who actually understand physics. After hearing the criticism the Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority announced that it would not penalize students who used the correct figure. (RC/Melbourne Herald Sun, Australia) ...No penalty for wrong answers, no penalty for the right ones — modern education in a nutshell.Author’s Note: Magician/paranormal debunker James “The Amazing” Randi wrote about this story in his newsletter: http://archive.randi.org/site/jr/070805the.html#2
Original Publication Date: 26 June 2005
This story is in True’s book collections, in Volume 11.
This story is in True’s book collections, in Volume 11.
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