5th-grader finds mistake at sonian

[Guest guest]

A good question is why didn't they change it during those 27 years if they knew it was wrong?

While no previous visitors to the museum had brought up the error, it has long rankled the paleobiology department's staff, who noticed it even before the Tower of Time was erected 27 years ago, she said.

"The question is, why was it put up with that on it in the first place?" Ramsdell said.Planning your summer road trip? Check out AOL Travel Guides.

[Guest guest]

It is nice to know that someone listened.

Kim

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080402/ap_on_fe_st/odd_smarter_than_smithsonian;_ylt=AmmH7th9ETF7PWJVnlmSJJMZ.3QA

5th-grader finds mistake at sonian

57 minutes ago

ALLEGAN, Mich. - Is fifth-grader Kenton Stufflebeam smarter than the sonian? The 11-year-old boy, who lives in Allegan but attends Alamo Elementary School near Kalamazoo, went with his family during winter break to the sonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History in Washington.

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Since it opened in 1981, millions of people have paraded past the museum's Tower of Time, a display involving prehistoric time. Not one visitor had reported anything amiss with the exhibit until Kenton noticed that a notation, in bold lettering, identified the Precambrian as an era.

Kenton knew that was wrong. His fifth-grade teacher, Chapman, had nearly made the same mistake in a classroom earth-science lesson before catching himself.

"I knew Mr. Chapman wouldn't tell all these students" bad information, the boy told the Kalamazoo Gazette for a story published Wednesday.

So Stufflebeam took his son to the museum's information desk to report Kenton's concern on a comment form. Last week, the boy received a letter from the museum acknowledging that his observation was "spot on."

"The Precambrian is a dimensionless unit of time, which embraces all the time between the origin of Earth and the beginning of the Cambrian Period of geologic time," the letter says.

The solution to the problem would not involve advanced science but rather simply painting over the word "era," the note says.

"We did forward a copy of the comment and our paleobiology department's response to the head of the exhibits department," said Lorraine Ramsdell, educational technician for the museum.

While no previous visitors to the museum had brought up the error, it has long rankled the paleobiology department's staff, who noticed it even before the Tower of Time was erected 27 years ago, she said.

"The question is, why was it put up with that on it in the first place?" Ramsdell said.

Excited as he was to receive the correspondence from museum officials, he couldn't help but point out that it was addressed to Kenton Slufflebeam.

In Allegany.

[Guest guest]

asked: " A good question is why didn't they change it during

those 27 years if they knew it was wrong? "

Here's why. From observation, I have learned that for NTs, good enough

is ok. For Aspies, the only good enough is when it's correct.

Raven

Co-Administrator

[Guest guest]

You've probably hit the nail on the head. That and the eggheads that made the display didn't want to change it because that would be to admit a mistake and bruise their egos.

I hypothosis that they figured no one would notice and they didn't want to spend money. An 11 year old should point out their errorsPlanning your summer road trip? Check out AOL Travel Guides.

[Guest guest]

>

> asked: " A good question is why didn't they change it during

> those 27 years if they knew it was wrong? "

>

> Here's why. From observation, I have learned that for NTs, good

enough

> is ok. For Aspies, the only good enough is when it's correct.

>

> Raven

> Co-Administrator

>

I hypothosis that they figured no one would notice and they didn't want

to spend money. An 11 year old should point out their errors

[Guest guest]

asked: " A good question is why didn't they change it during

those 27 years if they knew it was wrong? "

Raven answered: " Here's why. From observation, I have learned that

for NTs, good enough is ok. For Aspies, the only good enough is when

it's correct.

mimi chimed in with: " I hypothosis that they figured no one would

notice and they didn't want to spend money. An 11 year old should

point out their errors. "

Some day, ask or me to tell the members of SS the story of Cub

in December of 2006, a retired Marine Drill Sargeant, being in the

dark recesses of Mammoth Cave and the correction made to the

retelling of the War of 1812. LOLOLOL.

I was never so scared in my life and thinking to myself, " We're going

to be left in the bowels of this cave, never to be seen or heard from

again. "

Raven

Co-Administrator