Note: In this post, Sukanya introduces what the skill of estimation is about and how she goes about helping children to develop this ability in her 5-hour course. The next edition of the course is linked ,here. During the first test of an atomic bomb on 16 July, 1945, merely three weeks before the real bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, one important question was the yield of the weapon. During the test, the Nobel-prize winning physicist Enrico Fermi, one of the leaders of the team, estimated that it was about 10 kilotons. This was more than a mere guess. As the shock-wave from the explosion hit the Base Camp where Fermi was observing the test, he threw a handful of paper scraps into the air and watched how far the shock moved them. Then with a few straightforward assumptions, he made an estimate that turned out to be reasonably accurate . The actual yield turned out to be 19 kilotons.
Intelligent Estimation: An Essential Skill
Intelligent Estimation: An Essential Skill
Intelligent Estimation: An Essential Skill
Note: In this post, Sukanya introduces what the skill of estimation is about and how she goes about helping children to develop this ability in her 5-hour course. The next edition of the course is linked ,here. During the first test of an atomic bomb on 16 July, 1945, merely three weeks before the real bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, one important question was the yield of the weapon. During the test, the Nobel-prize winning physicist Enrico Fermi, one of the leaders of the team, estimated that it was about 10 kilotons. This was more than a mere guess. As the shock-wave from the explosion hit the Base Camp where Fermi was observing the test, he threw a handful of paper scraps into the air and watched how far the shock moved them. Then with a few straightforward assumptions, he made an estimate that turned out to be reasonably accurate . The actual yield turned out to be 19 kilotons.