- Publisher: MIT Technology Review
- Editor: Allison Arieff
- Published: June 26, 2024
What if your favorite childhood toys like balls, Frisbees, and jacks could predict the future?
In a November 1984 story for Technology Review, Carolyn Sumners, curator of astronomy at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, described how toys, games, and even amusement park rides could change how young minds view science and math. “The Slinky,” Sumners noted, “has long served teachers as a medium for demonstrating longitudinal (soundlike) waves and transverse (lightlike) waves.” A yo-yo can be used as a gauge (a “yo-yo meter”) to observe the forces on a roller coaster. Marbles employ mass and velocity. Even a simple ball offers insights into the laws of gravity. While Sumners focused on physics, she was onto something bigger...
Read the full story on MIT Technology Review's site or in the magazine:
Many thanks to Allison Arieff, MIT Technology Review Editorial Director.
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