Ei8ht 6ix Se7en 5ive Thr3e 0h Nin9

I'm glad I don't have a TV in my new apartment, but if I did, I'd be watching Law & Order: Complex Variables Unit CSI: Bourbaki Prime Suspect 24 Numb3rs! FBI Special Agent Don Eppes recruits his genius brother Charlie (ahem) who uses a mathematical equation to solve the crime! It's like Quincy, only with a slide rule instead of forceps!

"You see, the thing here is that the button for 5 doesn't light up."

"...I think I'm gonna be sick..."

Sorry, that was "Law & Order: Elevator Inspectors Unit".

Moebius Stripper takes some comfort in the results of a CBS poll. Not me. CBS isn't exactly well-known for its believable statistics. At least “Don't be ridiculous; of course not” should have been one of the possible answers.

I suppose we math folks can hope that Numb3rs will have the same effect on mathematics that CSI had on forensics and LA Law had on lawyers—those TV shows made kids more interested in their respective professions. But somehow, given Suresh's glowing review, I doubt it.

More reactions from clueless dogs and ponies here, here, here, and here.

Comments

[Moebius Stripper]

But that poll you linked was about people's beliefs in evolution versus creationism. Sure, a lot of people have no idea what they're talking about, but i see no reason to doubt that that poll isn't an accurate reflection of what people think about the way human beings come to be.

In any case, even if the CBS poll was loaded, it's comforting that someone (or someones...) skewed it so that people appear more mathematically ept that they are, rather than less. One does tire of the "*giggle* I could never do math! There's no point in doing math!" that one hears from one's students.

[Jeff Erickson]

"But that poll you linked was about people's beliefs in evolution versus creationism." According to the poll, 37% of people want schools to teach creationism instead of evolution, and 65% want them to teach creationism and evolution together. So the other -2% prefer teaching only evolution? Too bad CBS didn't bother to ask.

Um, no. It's not believable.

But yes, it's nice that CBS is skewing the Numb3rs poll away from the usual tee-hee-math-is-so-hard attitude.

[Moebius Stripper]

I'm going to be unnecessarily charitable and offer that a sizable number of the "teach evolution and creationism" crew hold the same beliefs as me: that creationism should be taught as an example of a specious argument whose acceptance relies upon scientific illiteracy. Just about everyone I know thinks that creationism is bunk, but I know very few people who can effectively refute the pseudoscience behind the most sophisticated arguments in the creationism argument. (The egregious misunderstanding of the second law of thermodynamics comes to mind.)

But I digress. I should mention that I really don't take online polls as gospel, anyway. (Last year, I wrote a letter to the editor of the Globe and Mail after they ran an online poll with the question "would you donate an organ to save the life of a stranger?" Apparently, 2/3 of people would. I asked what we should make of the fact that a mere 3.5% of eligible Canadians donate blood.)