My 6 year old daughter just asked me....

[Sh4rkyBloke]

I told her it was 'cos the sun was low in the sky but she wasn't having that as enough of answer, so I tried the "Calvin's dad" approach (from the Calvin and Hobbes cartoon strips) and said it was because the sun was puffed out after running all the way across the sky all day.

I have that very one on my wall at work... I can see me using such silly answers when the truth is just too dull for her inquisitive mind.

 

[Lazy-Commuter]

I have that very one on my wall at work... I can see me using such silly answers when the truth is just too dull for her inquisitive mind.

I've tried using the dad's answer to "why are old photos black and white?" .. "because the world used to be black and white". But they're not having it at all.

 

[Arch]

Don't see the point in flannelling them - eldest has always been taught to be careful around roads/cars as if one hits you then you'd probably be dead (although Death as a concept is another whole can of worms to open!)... as a consequence she has good awareness of traffic and does not mess about by roads and we've no concerns about her running into the road (like some parents we see grabbing their kids when they approach within spitting distance of a road).

It's much more relaxing to be around a kid who knows to be careful. One of first concepts my nephew was taught, with the help of babysign, was 'hot!'. If something is hot, you don't touch it. Next time he came up to my Mum's, he went into the living room, looked for the fireplace, pointed to it, and signed hot to us, and then did the same with the cooker in the kitchen - so we all knew that he knew not to touch.

My sister has also used it as a handy shortcut - anything sharp is 'hot', as are thorny shrubs....

On the subject of questions, my sister went through a phase of waking my Mum at 3 in the morning to ask things like "Is the Earth a planet?" and "How old were you when you were my age?"

I can't wait for Oli to be asking tricky questions.

 

[Bman]

I've tried using the dad's answer to "why are old photos black and white?" .. "because the world used to be black and white". But they're not having it at all.

I was told as a kid that Jimmy Hendrix died from electrocution when plugging in his electric guitar! I believed it up until I saw Austin Powers!

 

[Angelfishsolo]

I remember Carl Sagan talking about this. It was his 'creation'. Hew was musing with his baby child in the room about tyhe largest number and she 'said' googol. He then when on to think as you did about the googol +1 and ended up with a googol plex.

When I was a kid, we had a kids' encyclopedia which talked about the biggest number being a googol (and yes, the name is linked to web-supremos google).
We were impressed by this knowledge, till it occurred to us that you could add 1 and make it bigger. I've never taken 'facts' at face value since

 

[Piemaster]

Anyone see Dave Gormans program 'Genius' a few weeks back?
The contestants theory was on true opposites. eg the opposite of 'knife' is......
Most people would answer 'fork', but that isn't really the opposite, just something we associate with 'knife'
The real opposite would be something that has the opposing function to that of a knife ie cutting.
So the opposite of knife is 'glue'
There was also prime opposites - something that performs an action and can also perform the opposite action. eg. a hammer puts nails in, but can also be used to remove them.

Anyone got a suggestion of an opposite for 'bike' ?
(I don't have an answer - yet)

 

[craigwend]

...Daddy, whats the opposite of opposite

Any ideas what I should tell her

Opposite?

 

[Yellow Fang]

What is the opposite of 1? You might think -1, and -1 x -1 = 1, which is a bit like saying the opposite of opposite is the same. However, in boolean logic, on is represented by 1 and off by 0. That sort of makes sense too, because the absence of light is darkness. However you'd think the opposite of 0 is ꝏ. Total darkness is hard to achieve, white total light would mean cramming the room full of photons, so there must be a level below which it is considered dark (0) and above which it is considered light (1). What does Bertrand Russell have to say about it?

 

[Sh4rkyBloke]

What is the opposite of 1? You might think -1, and -1 x -1 = 1, which is a bit like saying the opposite of opposite is the same. However, in boolean logic, on is represented by 1 and off by 0. That sort of makes sense too, because the absence of light is darkness. However you'd think the opposite of 0 is ꝏ. Total darkness is hard to achieve, white total light would mean cramming the room full of photons, so there must be a level below which it is considered dark (0) and above which it is considered light (1). What does Bertrand Russell have to say about it?

Not a great deal, he doesn't talk much any more... what, with being dead and all..

 

[Sh4rkyBloke]

Anyone got a suggestion of an opposite for 'bike' ?
(I don't have an answer - yet)

Using your logic it could be 'sitting still'.

A bike is for travelling around and uses wheels.
Sitting still means no travelling with no wheels.

 

[yenrod]

...Daddy, whats the opposite of opposite

Any ideas what I should tell her

Opposite !

 

[swee'pea99]

...Daddy, whats the opposite of opposite

Any ideas what I should tell her

Yes. You should tell her to go and get her jamies on and brush her teeth and get to bed.

 

[Hover Fly]

The opposite of "bike" must be "bike" going the opposite direction.

 

[Arch]

Using your logic it could be 'sitting still'.

A bike is for travelling around and uses wheels.
Sitting still means no travelling with no wheels.

No, the opposite would be chair - it's the thing, not the concept (yes, I saw Genius, love it, loved it on the radio too - the opposites thing was on the radio series to start with)

But you sit on a bike, so the opposite should involve standing, or lying still. A bed perhaps.

 

[Piemaster]

No, the opposite would be chair - it's the thing, not the concept (yes, I saw Genius, love it, loved it on the radio too - the opposites thing was on the radio series to start with)

But you sit on a bike, so the opposite should involve standing, or lying still. A bed perhaps.

I can go along with the bed. However a bike is a self-propelled transport means, so though the bed fits as it isn't human powered it needs a bit of non-human input. How about one of those beds that adjusts to different shapes with electric motors.