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Date: | Mon, 4 Dec 2006 12:06:13 +0000 |
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ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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At 18:51 03/12/2006, David L. Smith wrote:
>Lots more correct info can be found at
>http://amasci.com/wing/airfoil.html
'Explanations' sometimes seem like translations from mathematical
language into spoken language and no translation can ever be perfect.
A clearer understanding of something written in a foreign language
comes from thinking about several different translations.
We often mislead visitors into asking, "What's THE explanation?" As
if there were only one! This bothers me. Hearing some quick-and-easy
recital of 'the explanation' is too often an excuse for people to
stop thinking and wondering.
Thankfully, good exhibits balance 'explanation' with exploration,
experimentation and experience. Instead of just nodding politely and
pretending to understand, visitors need to rearrange and play with
the apparatus and FEEL the forces...
And I think it's good for us to continue to be amazed that a jumbo
jet and a fish can fly. If we don't feel the emotion, how can we
communicate it?
[log in to unmask] * http://www.interactives.co.uk
*
Give people facts and you feed their minds for an hour.
Awaken curiosity and they feed their own minds for a lifetime.
*
Ian Russell
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