Irving
01-31-2014, 16:37
Have any of your heard of this yearly contest that Alan Alda started? It's called the Flame Challenge. Here is the website: http://www.centerforcommunicatingscience.org/the-flame-challenge-2/what-is-color/
The challenge is to have scientists explain complex concepts in such a way that 11 year-olds can understand the answer. The idea was stemmed by an experience Alan had as a kid. He once asked his teacher what a flame was, and she just said, "Oxidation" and kept right on with the lecture without any further explanation. Alan decided to see what could be done about narrowing the communication gap between people who know the answer, and the person asking the question. I'm sure we've all been faced with a situation where you know and understand something, but completely fail at explaining it to another person. Bitcoins comes to mind for me.
Last year the question was "What is time?" This year's question is "What is color?" Check it out.
The challenge is to have scientists explain complex concepts in such a way that 11 year-olds can understand the answer. The idea was stemmed by an experience Alan had as a kid. He once asked his teacher what a flame was, and she just said, "Oxidation" and kept right on with the lecture without any further explanation. Alan decided to see what could be done about narrowing the communication gap between people who know the answer, and the person asking the question. I'm sure we've all been faced with a situation where you know and understand something, but completely fail at explaining it to another person. Bitcoins comes to mind for me.
Last year the question was "What is time?" This year's question is "What is color?" Check it out.