A Man Says His Math Equation Sparked A Terrorism Scare The root of the problem here is ignorance and how clueless a huge portion of the American population is when it comes to anything beyond basic arithmetic. As a retired engineer I can attest to the fact that it's nearly impossible to explain what I used to do to many people because they lack the background to comprehend even the most basic concepts of math and physics. In part it's the education system which does a poor job of producing graduates with anything more than the ability to perform basic arithmetic, but more to the point it's our culture in general which glorifies entertainment and sports over science and mathematics.
Frank Zappa said it best: Some scientists claim that hydrogen, because it is so plentiful, is the basic building block of the universe. I dispute that. I say there is more stupidity than hydrogen, and that is the basic building block of the universe.