Pop Quiz
For anyone who is interested, I've put together a pop quiz. The quiz may be oriented towards my American neighbours, but is open to anyone who is interested.
How many times does the letter "E" appear in the following word: Watermelon
Nope, it's not a trick question. Sounds easy enough? I hope so! But what if the word was spoken to you instead of written?
Please watch the following video:
To give you a little bit of background, the show is called Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?. The contestant is Kellie Pickler, an American Idol finalist who started a successful recording career.
The 'premise of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?' is to pit adults against grade school kids, and see who can best answer grade 5 questions. I do not have cable TV at home, and I rarely watch television, so I've never seen an entire episode of the show. However, from what I can gather online, the 5th graders are most likely chosen because they are head of their class. In other words, I don't think they qualify as your average fifth grader.
The goal of this article is not attack, or defend Kellie Pickler. There are plenty of sites that took care of that. I'm not going to attack the show either, because it obviously exists for entertainment purpose. The only thing I'm going to say is that I don't think it's fair to judge someone's intelligence solely on their memorization skills.
The Piccolo is a member of what musical family: woodwinds, strings or percussion.
Please watch the following video:
Again, we get an unwittingly humorous response from Pickler. Yes, I admit I laughed and shook my head — especially since I knew the response to the question.
However, is it fair to expect a rising country star to remember her grade 5 knowledge? How many of us remember the knowledge that was crammed into us during grade school?
Some may say that knowing what a piccolo is has no impact in their adult life, and is wasted knowledge. On the other hand, I'm surprised that as a musician, Pickler did not know about the instrument.
Budapest is the capital of what European country
If you haven't seen the following video, it's worth the watch. Hint: The answer is in the video.
To be fair, I did not know the answer of the top of my head.
Being a teacher myself, I often hear questions by begins with "this might be a stupid question, but..." Personally, I believe that the only question that qualifies at dumb or stupid is the one that goes unasked. Thus, the question, though humorous, is in my opinion very valid. However, the question betrayed an alarming ignorance in terms of basic geography. I find it concerning that some Americans are not even sure what France is.
But, let's carry on with our quiz.
Who donated the Statue of Liberty to the United States of America?
One of America's most recognized landmark, the Statue of Liberty, is a gift from a foreign nation. Need a hint? Without this nation, the American probably would not have succeeded in pushing back the British and winning their independence. Need another hint? What about Freedom Fries?
That's right. France is the country that designed, build and donated the Statue to the United States. The two nations enjoyed close ties and supported each others in times of needs. Without the help of France, the war for independence could have easily been crushed by the British.
What is the name of the American ambassador that negotiated the military alliance with France?
Benjamin Franklin, a writer, scientist, politician and founding father negotiated the critical alliance with France that permitted the fledgling nation to declare their independence and prosper. He wrote "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
That's a strong statement. For bonus points: why does trading liberty for safety gets you neither?
What happens to the circumference of a circle as the radius is increased?
Oh no! A math question!
When was the last time you had to worry about the diameter of a circle as the radius is increased? For that matter, what the heck is a circumference and a radius?
I'll make it easy for you. The answer is: the circumference of the circle increases in relation to the radius. For bonus points: how do you calculate the circumference of a circle using the radius?
Here's a quote for you: "As our circle of knowledge expands, so does the circumference of darkness surrounding it."
Please take a moment to think about this quote before we move ahead. What does it say about knowledge and ignorance?
Who said "Imagination is more important than knowledge."?
I’ll give you the answer right away: the quote is from Albert Einstein, a German physicist who formulated the (in)famously popular formula: E=mc2. (For bonus points: what does the formula mean?)
The above quote is very popular on motivational and spiritual paraphernalia. It sounds like Einstein is giving us a license to stop learning since whatever I imagine will be more important that what I know. As long as you're imaginative, you can get along in life, right?
"Imagination is more important than knowledge." is usually all that is quoted, but I think that most people do not know the context — or the rest of the quote for that matter.
Here's the full quote: "I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution."
I personally believe that this quote summarize what E=mc2 has brought to the world. Einstein studied and learned the rules of classical physics. His knowledge was vast, and so was the 'diameter' of ignorance. Taking his knowldge to the next level, Einstein challenged the very foundations of physics, and opened an entirely new world of understanding. His theory of relativity allowed physics to progress and evolved in fashions that were completely unimaginable — and unintuitive — before June 30th, 1905.
How much knowledge did Einstein need to get to his revolutionary idea? To get an idea, please read his revolutionary paper, ON THE ELECTRODYNAMICS OF MOVING BODIES. Does that sound like the work of someone who chose to forgo his formal education?
What is the meaning of the Latin phrase "Cogito, ergo sum"?
If you are still with me, congratulation! Now, we are in the realm of Latin.
The answer to the question is "I think, therefore I am." The phase was popularized by René Descartes in his work: Principles of Philosophy. In this work, Descartes tries to validate his knowledge and beliefs. He boldly dares to establish certainty not by attempting to prove what is real, but by eliminating what cannot be proven to be real. At the end, he comes to the conclusion that there is nothing that can be certain to exists, except for his thoughts. He thinks — he exists. Descartes treats this as the start of knowledge and understanding. This is the very pillar on which we can build our understanding.
'I think, therefore I am' does not establish any proofs. All it does is establish a foundation — a pillar on which to build knowledge. We cannot learn from what we know. We can only learn from what we don't know.
From this point forward, we can continue to build a foundation from which we can model the very universe around us. Since everybody (assuming that you are not alone and the other beings are real) has a different perspective, we need to provide a foundation which is common to all.
What is the name of the Medieval English Franciscan friar known as 'Doctor Mirabilis'?
Doctor Mirabilis was a theologian, philosopher and considered by many to be the grandfather of modern science. His contributions and discoveries range from gunpowder to optics.
The real name of Doctor Mirabili is Roger Bacon. He is quoted as saying "If in other sciences we should arrive at certainty without doubt and truth without error, it behoves us to place the foundations of knowledge in mathematics."
Mathematics is not a new subject of research. The foundations that we are using have been around for thousands of years — some are from times immemorial. It may surprise some, but mathematics is far from static. It is still a growing field. Every year, ten of thousands of new theorems and proofs are discovered and documented.
However, what's interesting about mathematics is that it's about the only knowledge that is truly universal. No matter who you are, where you come from or what your education, two plus two always equals four. This is one of the things that make mathematics so valuable. Unlike anything else that you learn in school, math is not going to change on you.
Because math as close to a universal language as we have, I would like to propose that we place that on the pillar established by Descartes.
Who was the third president of the United States of America and principal author of the Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence is the founding document of the United States of America. From a beautifully crafted letter addressed to the citizen of the thirteen original colonies, the United States was born. From the courage of a handful of people that was spread to an entire nation, blood was shed in the name of rights and liberty. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
Wow! Everyone — not just the kings and emperors — is entitled to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
But lets go back to the original question. Who was the third president? His name is Thomas Jefferson, and he is a personal hero of mine. If it were not for him, there is a chance that the United State as we know it would not exist today. Jefferson is often described as a polymath or a renaissance man. He not only helped found the United States, but was a remarkable scientist, inventor and a powerful humanitarian.
The United States enjoyed remarkable scientific achievement that fostered its dominant position in the world. This may be thanks to Jefferson's stance. "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."
And speaking of science, that brings us to the next question:
What scientific endeavour did John F. Kennedy launch but did not live to see?
In 1961, John Fitzgerald Kennedy challenged his nation with the following words: "...I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him back safely to the earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish."
The speech was bold, especially since the United States was playing catch-up with the Soviet Union. By the time Kennedy made his announcement, the USSR has already launched the first artificial satellite and the first animals in space. They where the first to send a satellite in orbit around the moon and to land an unmanned probe on the moon. Shortly after Kennedy's announcement, the USSR has sent the first man in space. The US had a lot of catching up to do.
Yet, in 1969, six years after Kennedy's assassination and for the first time in the history of mankind, a man walked on the moon bearing the stars and stripes over his left shoulder.
The moon landing is probably humanity's grandest achievement to date, and it's easy to see why Kennedy is remembered for that. However, Kennedy has done more than launch the space program. During his inaugural speech, he boldly state "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country."
It's a powerful statement, but placed in full context, even more powerful. Kennedy is not asking his fellow Americans to abandon everything so that their energy is fully dedicated to serving the US. He is reminding Americans that they are enjoying their freedom thanks to the hard work off their ancestors — and that the current generation is responsible to maintain this freedom. He continues by saying "My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man."
So, did you feel you got a good grade? Don't worry about the score. That's not the important part. As a teacher, I feel that rote memorization is not learning. Passing or failing quizzes is not learning. Learning may not even be that your circumference of knowledge expands. So, what is learning?
I've got my idea on what is learning. I believe that this article highlights what I think of learning and ignorance. But fundamentally, learning is not about increasing the complexity of our understanding. It's about reducing the complexity of our understanding.
You probably noticed a number of political statements strewn in the article. I won't hide from them. My concern lies in the complacency of some members of society. Everyone is unique. Everyone has something unique to contribute. What are you contributing?
How many times does the letter "E" appear in the following word: Watermelon
Nope, it's not a trick question. Sounds easy enough? I hope so! But what if the word was spoken to you instead of written?
Please watch the following video:
To give you a little bit of background, the show is called Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?. The contestant is Kellie Pickler, an American Idol finalist who started a successful recording career.
The 'premise of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?' is to pit adults against grade school kids, and see who can best answer grade 5 questions. I do not have cable TV at home, and I rarely watch television, so I've never seen an entire episode of the show. However, from what I can gather online, the 5th graders are most likely chosen because they are head of their class. In other words, I don't think they qualify as your average fifth grader.
The goal of this article is not attack, or defend Kellie Pickler. There are plenty of sites that took care of that. I'm not going to attack the show either, because it obviously exists for entertainment purpose. The only thing I'm going to say is that I don't think it's fair to judge someone's intelligence solely on their memorization skills.
The Piccolo is a member of what musical family: woodwinds, strings or percussion.
Please watch the following video:
Again, we get an unwittingly humorous response from Pickler. Yes, I admit I laughed and shook my head — especially since I knew the response to the question.
However, is it fair to expect a rising country star to remember her grade 5 knowledge? How many of us remember the knowledge that was crammed into us during grade school?
Some may say that knowing what a piccolo is has no impact in their adult life, and is wasted knowledge. On the other hand, I'm surprised that as a musician, Pickler did not know about the instrument.
Budapest is the capital of what European country
If you haven't seen the following video, it's worth the watch. Hint: The answer is in the video.
To be fair, I did not know the answer of the top of my head.
Being a teacher myself, I often hear questions by begins with "this might be a stupid question, but..." Personally, I believe that the only question that qualifies at dumb or stupid is the one that goes unasked. Thus, the question, though humorous, is in my opinion very valid. However, the question betrayed an alarming ignorance in terms of basic geography. I find it concerning that some Americans are not even sure what France is.
But, let's carry on with our quiz.
Who donated the Statue of Liberty to the United States of America?
One of America's most recognized landmark, the Statue of Liberty, is a gift from a foreign nation. Need a hint? Without this nation, the American probably would not have succeeded in pushing back the British and winning their independence. Need another hint? What about Freedom Fries?
That's right. France is the country that designed, build and donated the Statue to the United States. The two nations enjoyed close ties and supported each others in times of needs. Without the help of France, the war for independence could have easily been crushed by the British.
What is the name of the American ambassador that negotiated the military alliance with France?
Benjamin Franklin, a writer, scientist, politician and founding father negotiated the critical alliance with France that permitted the fledgling nation to declare their independence and prosper. He wrote "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
That's a strong statement. For bonus points: why does trading liberty for safety gets you neither?
What happens to the circumference of a circle as the radius is increased?
Oh no! A math question!
When was the last time you had to worry about the diameter of a circle as the radius is increased? For that matter, what the heck is a circumference and a radius?
I'll make it easy for you. The answer is: the circumference of the circle increases in relation to the radius. For bonus points: how do you calculate the circumference of a circle using the radius?
Here's a quote for you: "As our circle of knowledge expands, so does the circumference of darkness surrounding it."
Please take a moment to think about this quote before we move ahead. What does it say about knowledge and ignorance?
Who said "Imagination is more important than knowledge."?
I’ll give you the answer right away: the quote is from Albert Einstein, a German physicist who formulated the (in)famously popular formula: E=mc2. (For bonus points: what does the formula mean?)
The above quote is very popular on motivational and spiritual paraphernalia. It sounds like Einstein is giving us a license to stop learning since whatever I imagine will be more important that what I know. As long as you're imaginative, you can get along in life, right?
"Imagination is more important than knowledge." is usually all that is quoted, but I think that most people do not know the context — or the rest of the quote for that matter.
Here's the full quote: "I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution."
I personally believe that this quote summarize what E=mc2 has brought to the world. Einstein studied and learned the rules of classical physics. His knowledge was vast, and so was the 'diameter' of ignorance. Taking his knowldge to the next level, Einstein challenged the very foundations of physics, and opened an entirely new world of understanding. His theory of relativity allowed physics to progress and evolved in fashions that were completely unimaginable — and unintuitive — before June 30th, 1905.
How much knowledge did Einstein need to get to his revolutionary idea? To get an idea, please read his revolutionary paper, ON THE ELECTRODYNAMICS OF MOVING BODIES. Does that sound like the work of someone who chose to forgo his formal education?
What is the meaning of the Latin phrase "Cogito, ergo sum"?
If you are still with me, congratulation! Now, we are in the realm of Latin.
The answer to the question is "I think, therefore I am." The phase was popularized by René Descartes in his work: Principles of Philosophy. In this work, Descartes tries to validate his knowledge and beliefs. He boldly dares to establish certainty not by attempting to prove what is real, but by eliminating what cannot be proven to be real. At the end, he comes to the conclusion that there is nothing that can be certain to exists, except for his thoughts. He thinks — he exists. Descartes treats this as the start of knowledge and understanding. This is the very pillar on which we can build our understanding.
'I think, therefore I am' does not establish any proofs. All it does is establish a foundation — a pillar on which to build knowledge. We cannot learn from what we know. We can only learn from what we don't know.
From this point forward, we can continue to build a foundation from which we can model the very universe around us. Since everybody (assuming that you are not alone and the other beings are real) has a different perspective, we need to provide a foundation which is common to all.
What is the name of the Medieval English Franciscan friar known as 'Doctor Mirabilis'?
Doctor Mirabilis was a theologian, philosopher and considered by many to be the grandfather of modern science. His contributions and discoveries range from gunpowder to optics.
The real name of Doctor Mirabili is Roger Bacon. He is quoted as saying "If in other sciences we should arrive at certainty without doubt and truth without error, it behoves us to place the foundations of knowledge in mathematics."
Mathematics is not a new subject of research. The foundations that we are using have been around for thousands of years — some are from times immemorial. It may surprise some, but mathematics is far from static. It is still a growing field. Every year, ten of thousands of new theorems and proofs are discovered and documented.
However, what's interesting about mathematics is that it's about the only knowledge that is truly universal. No matter who you are, where you come from or what your education, two plus two always equals four. This is one of the things that make mathematics so valuable. Unlike anything else that you learn in school, math is not going to change on you.
Because math as close to a universal language as we have, I would like to propose that we place that on the pillar established by Descartes.
Who was the third president of the United States of America and principal author of the Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence is the founding document of the United States of America. From a beautifully crafted letter addressed to the citizen of the thirteen original colonies, the United States was born. From the courage of a handful of people that was spread to an entire nation, blood was shed in the name of rights and liberty. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
Wow! Everyone — not just the kings and emperors — is entitled to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
But lets go back to the original question. Who was the third president? His name is Thomas Jefferson, and he is a personal hero of mine. If it were not for him, there is a chance that the United State as we know it would not exist today. Jefferson is often described as a polymath or a renaissance man. He not only helped found the United States, but was a remarkable scientist, inventor and a powerful humanitarian.
The United States enjoyed remarkable scientific achievement that fostered its dominant position in the world. This may be thanks to Jefferson's stance. "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."
And speaking of science, that brings us to the next question:
What scientific endeavour did John F. Kennedy launch but did not live to see?
In 1961, John Fitzgerald Kennedy challenged his nation with the following words: "...I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him back safely to the earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish."
The speech was bold, especially since the United States was playing catch-up with the Soviet Union. By the time Kennedy made his announcement, the USSR has already launched the first artificial satellite and the first animals in space. They where the first to send a satellite in orbit around the moon and to land an unmanned probe on the moon. Shortly after Kennedy's announcement, the USSR has sent the first man in space. The US had a lot of catching up to do.
Yet, in 1969, six years after Kennedy's assassination and for the first time in the history of mankind, a man walked on the moon bearing the stars and stripes over his left shoulder.
The moon landing is probably humanity's grandest achievement to date, and it's easy to see why Kennedy is remembered for that. However, Kennedy has done more than launch the space program. During his inaugural speech, he boldly state "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country."
It's a powerful statement, but placed in full context, even more powerful. Kennedy is not asking his fellow Americans to abandon everything so that their energy is fully dedicated to serving the US. He is reminding Americans that they are enjoying their freedom thanks to the hard work off their ancestors — and that the current generation is responsible to maintain this freedom. He continues by saying "My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man."
So, did you feel you got a good grade? Don't worry about the score. That's not the important part. As a teacher, I feel that rote memorization is not learning. Passing or failing quizzes is not learning. Learning may not even be that your circumference of knowledge expands. So, what is learning?
I've got my idea on what is learning. I believe that this article highlights what I think of learning and ignorance. But fundamentally, learning is not about increasing the complexity of our understanding. It's about reducing the complexity of our understanding.
You probably noticed a number of political statements strewn in the article. I won't hide from them. My concern lies in the complacency of some members of society. Everyone is unique. Everyone has something unique to contribute. What are you contributing?
Labels: freedom
posted by J-F Bilodeau at
8:08 AM
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