Archive Index ... Column Index
By: Beth Bemis
This is your last chance for Estimation and Measurement at Explorit Science Center; "Bigger Than a Breadbox" will end on Sunday, February 2. Estimation and measurement are an important part of every day.
How many mornings have you hit the snooze alarm begging for just another few minutes. And don't those minutes speed past! But if you're sitting in a meeting, watching the second hand on your watch make its way around the dial, those "same" few minutes feel like hours.
This relative sense of time affects our ability to accurately estimate the passage of time. If you are extremely busy and have a million things to do, time will seem to go very rapidly. But, what if you're sitting still, doing nothing? What happens when you feel bored? Time seems to stand still. What about if you're waiting for somebody or something and there are other things you need to be doing? How does the passage of time feel? Yet, in each of these instances, the minutes or seconds take the same amount of time.
Time isn't the only thing people have difficulty estimating...volume is also a challenge. The way products are packaged in stores is a direct result of how people, in general, estimate volume. We want to get the most for our money, so we tend toward the "larger" package of two similar items. Next time you go to a store, do a comparison. See which item you are drawn toward first.
In the front entrance of "Bigger Than a Breadbox", there are two containers filled with pinto beans. One is tall and cylindrical, and the other is a cube. If you were to choose one of these containers, which would you want? Which is larger? Come to Explorit and see; hurry, before time runs out!
Explorit Science Center is located at 3141 5th Street in East Davis. Public hours are Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Sunday from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m., and Tuesday through Friday from 2:00 to 4:30 p.m. Admission is $3; members, teachers, and children under 4 are free. For more information, call Explorit at 756-0191.
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Because "Bigger Than a Breadbox" is ending on Sunday, Explorit will be closed to the public on Monday, February 3-Friday, February 7 to put up
the coming exhibition, "The Power Pair: Electricity & Magnetism." "The Power Pair" will open on Saturday, February 8. Come and get a real charge!
Also on February 8, Dale Lockwood will present "How Do You Fly a Satellite?" Dale is a computer consultant for the space industry. Join family and friends at Explorit for some great hands-on activities at 2:00 p.m.
February will be a busy month for Explorit, with many weekend programs. On Sunday, February 16, Joel Kitzmiller will present "Bird Biology" to help celebrate Duck Days. On Saturday, February 22, Jeff Hardlicka will present "Math-A-Magic", and on Sunday, February 23, UC Davis Engineering Clubs will be doing demonstrations to celebrate National Engineering Week.
Stay up-to-date with this column for updates on special programs. Also, you can call Explorit at 756-0191 for scheduled events and more information.
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Spring Vacation Classes at Explorit will be held March 31-April 4 for kids in grades K-5. Let your children experience fantastic science adventures!
Look for the Eggs-travaganza and Egg Olympics. Find out the hard-boiled truth about eggs and conduct amazing egg-speriments. Be a super science sleuth and solve science mysteries. Learn the secrets of the past as you investigate dinosaur fun-damentals. And that's just Monday and Tuesday! Other exciting classes such as Tracks, Trails and Animal Tales, The Light Fantastic, and Sandy Surprises await exploration later in the week.
Spring Vacation Class information and registration forms will be arriving at members' homes next week inside Science Centered, Explorit's quarterly newsletter. Children in the Davis school district will be receiving flyers through the schools in a few weeks. Visitors to Explorit will find flyers in the front lobby. Check out the class schedule at our web site: http://www.dcn.davis.ca.us/GO/EXPLORIT/. And, you can always call 756-0191 for information and registration by phone or to have a flyer mailed to you.