What percentage of US adults understand leap day?

[lxskllr]

I thought every 4 years we were all supposed to leap in the air at midnight so that the Earth wasn't weighted down and could catch up enough to stay in synch with the sun.

That's only in the western hemisphere. They're supposed to crouch on the eastern side.That's how it works.

 

[DrPizza]

I think I'll ask during lunch today and keep an informal tally.

 

[Nemesis 1]

Better Question ? Do adults really understand why They went from a 13 month year to a twelve month year . Which removes 4 weekends from the workers . That relates to today . But in ancient times it also removed 4 Sabbath days. The ans lies in a deck of cards

 

[Schfifty Five]

Better Question ? Do adults really understand why They went from a 13 month year to a twelve month year . Which removes 4 weekends from the workers . That relates to today . But in ancient times it also removed 4 Sabbath days. The ans lies in a deck of cards

Your usage of periods annoy me.

 

[BurnItDwn]

I would say 90% of adults understand the reasoning for having a leap day.

 

[Newbian]

It's the special day created for extra time to drink and bury bodies.

 

[Fritzo]

Is this one of those "I need to show others than I'm smarter than you are" posts?

 

[mugs]

I can feel the eyes of people who have yet to read this glazing over.

Let me tell you a story. I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. When I was in the 7th grade, I was helping a teacher set up some maps before class (I had arrived a couple minutes early after lunch). During the conversation she said the following:

"Most of your classmates cannot find the United States on a World map, California on a US map or San Francisco on a California map."

That day in class, she was proven correct when at least half of the people in the class failed at the above tasks.


What I am trying to say is that seems that seem so completely common sense or common knowledge to those with even the most average of intelligence and education, may be completely beyond others.

I know some very intelligent and well-educated people who I would be willing to bet a lot of money do not understand why we have a leap day (And many of those individuals are Jewish and have been told of the leap month in the Hebrew Calendar their whole life, too).

MotionMan

Didn't you go to a decent private school?

 

[Arcadio]

My guess is that only a small percent of people around the world know the reason behind leap years. Yesterday, I did my part, though: I explained the concept to two eight-graders.

 

[Printer Bandit]

why not make a year exactly 365 days? time is arbitrary anyways.

 

[lxskllr]

why not make a year exactly 365 days? time is arbitrary anyways.

Time isn't arbitrary. Its division, and categorization are, but time itself(from a day to day macro aspect) is fixed by the solar system.

 

[jupiter57]

My guess is that only a small percent of people around the world know the reason behind leap years. Yesterday, I did my part, though: I explained the concept to two eight-graders.

Let me guess, they cornered you, a 7th. grader, in the bathroom, intending to take your lunch money.
You stammered out the first thing that came to mind, thereby saving you from an ass-whipping, AMIRITE?

Or did they beat your ass anyway?

 

[CPA]

I just wish I was born on February 29th, that way I would age at a rate of one quarter what all other humans age.

 

[TecHNooB]

This is one of those things where the difference between knowing and not knowing is you informing the other person.

 

[MotionMan]

Didn't you go to a decent private school?

I went to public school K-8.

MotionMan

 

[MotionMan]

why not make a year exactly 365 days? time is arbitrary anyways.

Do you know what a "year" is in the astronomical sense?

MotionMan

 

[Exterous]

I just wish I was born on February 29th, that way I would age at a rate of one quarter what all other humans age.

Yes but it would be a very long time before you could drink, drive, vote and would pose some very akward and creepy sexual relationship issues

 

[Jeff7]

There's going to be a leap second in June. If only 10% can explain leap days, I think we're looking at 0.1% for leap seconds.

"No, seriously. The Moon and Earth are on a path to be tidally locked with one another. The Moon is slowing down Earth's rotation until the point where the orbital duration of the Moon will equal 1 long day."

Blank stare.
Engage error processing routine.
Kick out and resume thinking in a random location.
"I like turtles."


Or talk about the relativistic effects at work on time measurements in GPS satellites.

 

[MotionMan]

I just wish I was born on February 29th, that way I would age at a rate of one quarter what all other humans age.

If I could choose a birthday, I would choose 2/29 (Though I do like my birthday now).

MotionMan

 

[CPA]

Yes but it would be a very long time before you could drink, drive, vote and would pose some very akward and creepy sexual relationship issues

yeah, but when i finally did hit that age, I would have about 3x more time to enjoy them...

 

[MotionMan]

I recently explained to my 7 year old son what it meant by June 21 being the longest day of the year and December 21st being the shortest.

He understood it on the first try.

I wish I could say that some of the adults I know could do that, too.

MotionMan

 

[fenrir]

110% of US adults understand leap day

LOL. Excellent post that is right to the point.

 

[Printer Bandit]

Do you know what a "year" is in the astronomical sense?

MotionMan

julian, draconic, lunar, vague, heliacal, sothic, gaussian, or besselian "year"?

 

[Golgatha]

The sun, being the angry center of our solar system, felt no need to bow to our mathematical fiats and said screw you to the calendar guild, who had to make do.

Those seconds add up. Also, to make it more complicated, I give you the leap century!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Century_leap_year

 

[MotionMan]

julian, draconic, lunar, vague, heliacal, sothic, gaussian, or besselian "year"?

How about the "year" where it takes the Earth 365.5 days to go around the Sun?

MotionMan