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What Happened To Numeracy?

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ToraToraTora | 15:11 Wed 04th Jan 2023 | News
218 Answers
https://news.sky.com/story/all-pupils-in-england-to-study-maths-until-18-under-rishi-sunaks-new-mission-12779266
Not sure what the PM means by, pupils will study Maths until 18, I assume he means the ones that are still in education. Anyway I find it shocking that:
"Around eight million adults in England have the numeracy skills of primary school children, " - so what happened? Why are we so innumerate as a nation? I'm not talking about Calculus here just basic 'rithmetic.
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nothing, you claim to know what a Parsec is yet you won't say? Tell you what, look it up, I don't mind, I know you.
Parsec was done to death long ago on here, get back to bothering the Leader of HM Opposition if you want a rammy.
I don't claim to know. I said I vaguely remember it is something to do with the arc of the Earths' orbit. I haven't Googled it.
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ok doug what is it then?
I really don't know what you're point is here, TTT. Time for a brew. Take care all. Byeeeeeeee!!!
Unless the definition of a parsec is known or provided, how is anyone meant to calculate the distance in light-years?
Hectoring is such an unattractive trait.
Agreed douglas. I'm wondering if there is any point in trying to answer the OP once some posters have got their teeth into an argument. You just get ignored in the noise and fury - signifying nothing.
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10cs: "Where are you going with this, TTT? I know what a parsec is and how it is used. Not being a professional astronomer or mathematician, why do I need to know more than that? I vaguely recall that its something to do with the arc of the Earths' orbit. Or maybe not! Hey ho! " - clearly you don't know!
//Unless the definition of a parsec is known or provided, how is anyone meant to calculate the distance in light-years?//

I sort of half explained it, Corby (and no, I did not and have not looked it up). It is short for "parallax second". This is from memory, so it may not be spot on:

if you observe a body in space and draw a line to it from the earth, and then observe the same object six months later (when the Earth is on the opposite side to the Sun) and draw another line to it, you can form a triangle (with the Earth's diameter as its base). When the angle at the top of the triangle is two seconds of an arc, the distance to the object will be around 3 light years (can't recall the exact figure). The definition of parsec is when the triangle formed by the radius of the Earth's orbit subtends the angle at one second of an arc.

So you have a right-angled triangle where you know the length of the "opposite" side (the Earth's radius) and using the tangent ratio (opposite/adjacent) you can calculate the length of the adjacent side (the distance from the Earth to the object) when the angle is one second. This turns out to be a bit over three light years (about 18 million million miles). Unfortunately my "four-figure tables" do not go down to seconds of an arc, so I'll have to rely on the figure which others have calculated. But I calculate the tangent ratio (93million/18million million) to be approximately 0.000005167.

I think that's about right. But I may be wrong! :-)
^^^ one correction:

"...you can form a triangle (with the Earth's diameter as its base)."

Should read:

you can form a triangle (with the diameter of the Earth's orbit as its base).

NJ, the question asked was, "how many ligth years in a Parsec?" [sic]

From Wikipedia, "The parsec unit...is defined as the distance at which 1 au subtends an angle of one arcsecond"

Without knowing what "1 au" and "one arcsecond" are, how can someone calculate the answer?

I wonder how often, in everyday life, does the distance of a parsec have any relevance?
Zebu 17.29
"For example;
Student measures the length and width of a room and finds their respective values to be 4 metres and 3 metres. Multiplying these two values (4 x 3) gives 12 square metres or 12 m²
Subsequently student purchases carpet to cover floor of room."

I think 12 square meters and 12m² are a bit different if you're ordering carpet!
Numeracy, TTT? I think they went user_inactive for a while and returned a while later in an elevated position...
Carrott... there the same thing to me. Maybe your thinking of 12 metres square?
Is this a thread for TTT to once again remind us all as to how highly intelligent he is?

Asking for a friend.
This diktat came from a thicko who recently asked a homeless man if he worked in the Business sector :-/
'Not being a professional astronomer or mathematician, why do I need to know more than that?'

Ah, so we've reached the point at which we need to know how Math works have we. Great. I wondered where it was.
I don't know, ZM, I can honestly say I use very little maths in daily life. Paying for stuff with a credit card, I don't even have to count my change. I've never had to deal with a parsec. Obviously this won't be true of everyone, or even of a majority.

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