Neil deGrasse Tyson is a brilliant physicist and a frequent visitor to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. His insights on the role of astrophysics in our daily lives are stupendous. Check out the video below at minute 5:54.
When he asked, “What kind of thoughts do you have in a given day?” I realized that my recovery from my ED also includes pondering other life questions than just “why am I fat?” Hence this post.
But he disappointed me by denying the vital and glorious role that Barbie plays in Physics. Check out this interview with him. His shocking dolls comment occurs towards the end, around 42:30 – 43:30.
Unbelievable how he can in one minute describe how a messy house is good for you, or how spilled milk teaches physics, then follow it by denying Barbie’s greatness. “I’ve yet to find a law of physics that a child can experiment with using dolls.” Dr. Tyson, I’m disappointed in you, but since you’re otherwise compelling and even quite the hottie, I’ll forgive you and educate you as well.
Here are some ways in which Barbie helps us learn science.
- Barbie as projectile: Bungee Barbie
- Gravity experiments
- Friction: slide her down a slide
- Materials: why are different parts of her body made out of different materials?
- Water: why does her hair not get flat and dark like ours when we wash it?
- Perspective: how big a doll house does Barbie need to be proportional to a human house?
- Mechanics: why do her legs bend that way, then oddly snap back just when you don’t want them to?
- Electricity
- Volume: how do you get those clothes on, or how big do your homemade Barbie clothes have to be to fit?
- Mysteries of Life: what happens to those missing Barbie shoes?
- Robotics: Barbie leg as prosthetic finger
- Data and rational thinking: keeping track of your collection of Barbies, classifying them and organizing them
- Ecology: Treetop Barbie
Dr. Tyson, I do hope you start thinking outside your own box, and thanks for helping me get outside my own.
