Challenge #01757-D296: Flinging For Science
Bored Science class discovers Trebuchet. (Medieval rock flinger). -- Anon Guest
The substitute teacher, there for a month, didn't know shit about science. In fact, they had strong anti-science beliefs and would not easily be swayed on this. The school heard the classes' complaints and did exactly nothing about it.
So they got together during the lunch hour and plotted how to prove that science worked despite anyone's beliefs. "Okay. We got 'flat earth' and a gif of the earth turning isn't going to cut it. Pictures of space are faked. We can't use anything modern."
"Physics," said Jess. "Gallileo. Mediaeval siege weapons. Flat earth formula versus round earth formula." She showed them her phone and a page she had bookmarked. The flat earth cannon ball would go up at a continuous angle, and then vector at an angle on the falling side. And, the class had to note, be off by a significant percentage. She added, "I have a model trebuchet that can shoot marshmallows. We can do this with like half a bag and the back oval."
Monique said, "Why do you have a trebuchet?"
"Shits and giggles."
Fair enough.
It started with scales and math on the board. Weighing the marshmallows individually and mathematically predicting how far the model trebuchet would throw them according to both theories. And then, on a day when the wind couldn't interfere, they would put the theory into practice.
Which was, conveniently, the next day. The Marshmallows were re-weighed before launch, and the anti-science quote-unquote teacher got to watch every single one of them hit the mark for the curved earth 'theory'. The back oval was peppered with little 'team globe' flags and the pro-science people cheered at every one.
Then they backed all of this up with the phases of the moon. No matter where you are on the planet, when there's a shadow on the moon, it is always round. At no point in history has the moon ever looked like a screwdriver. Even when the sun is out and the moon is visible, it has a curved shadow across it.
And what shape, logically speaking, always casts a curved shadow? It's not a disc.
Next on their list was all the proof about how old the Universe was and how old the planet was. Which was a philosophical debate concerning why their anti-science substitute could believe in a deity that lied to them.
That teacher quit inside of two weeks, claiming that they couldn't deal with the 'insufferable know-it-alls'.
[AN: Nonny just named my personal favourite mediaeval siege weapon.]
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / scottman]
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