3 ms·
I had known about some of this before like the eclipses being evidence of a round earth and how the estimate for the size of earth from the well story. From th
by hfsktr 14y ago
I had known about some of this before like the eclipses being evidence of a round earth and how the estimate for the size of earth from the well story.
From this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Theories-Everything-Illustrated-History-Science/dp/0792239121 http://www.amazon.com/Theories-Everything-Illustrated-Histor...
What I found most fascinating about the explanations (I was in pre-calc at school at the time) was the math involved.
During my classes (or any math class I've ever been in) they gave us formulas and equations but no meaning or real world context. If they'd told us how we could use the distance and angles to figure out what they'd figured out so long ago I think the math would have been much more interesting and brought home the point of why it is relevant to anything.
- lifeisstillgood 14y agoAnd that is exactly why I want to collect all the great experiments of history and give them to kids at the right ages to do - to calculate the size of the earth using pencils and shadows and skyline others kids in different countries for their measurements - it's got to stick in the brain better
- bonobo 14y agoI think it's a fantastic idea. The most difficult things for me to learn were always those which I don't know how to apply or those which I don't know where they came from. You can't reason over something that seems like magic.
- lifeisstillgood 14y agoOK - so can we start something? https://github.com/lifeisstillgood/importantexperiments4kids https://github.com/lifeisstillgood/importantexperiments4kids I think I can get support for something like this from STEMAmbassadors of the UK. I shall see. Comments?