If you count down 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, you could shout "mark" instead of
"zero" and launch on the mark. That would correspond to the
time-honored way of specifying times immediately before they occur and
saying "mark" at the actual time. Of course, it still might confuse
everyone just as much as launching on "one".
Ken Caviness
-----Original Message-----
From: phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
[mailto:phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu] On Behalf Of Michael
Edmiston
Sent: Tuesday, May 02, 2006 10:34 PM
To: Forum for Physics Educators
Subject: [Phys-l] This Thursday at 3:02:01
Around the beginning of April, the math professors here circulated an
e-mail, that I presume came from elsewhere, stating that April 5 at
1:02:03 AM was special because the time and date would be 01:02:03
04-05-06.
I stated that May 4 would be better because we could have 06-05-04
03:02:01, and these would be in the correct order of year-month-day
hour-minute-second.
My idea made it to the president who decided we should have some sort of
celebration. One of the math professors suggested it looked like a
countdown, so maybe the Science Department should detonate something.
Not wanting to get in trouble with Homeland Security, I figured it would
be better to launch a model rocket.
Of course we're going to do it at 3:02:01 PM rather than AM, but that's
okay.
So, if you looking for an excuse to launch a model rocket with one of
your classes... here's a fun excuse.
For us, it turns out that Thursday is our last exam day, and the last
exam ends at 3:00 PM. I'm giving my Astronomy exam during that exam
period. That makes the rocket launch even better. So the astronomy
class is going to make cookies and brownies and we're inviting the
campus to a "countdown party" to count down the end of the term, to
launch a rocket, and make note of the interesting date and time. I'm
starting the astronomy exam early so the class will have time to finish
and prepare for the invited guests. I hope the students will stay
focused during the exam.
If we're going to shout 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 then I guess we have to start
this 6 second countdown at 03:01:56, and I guess we will launch on one
rather than zero.
Michael D. Edmiston, Ph.D.
Professor of Physics and Chemistry
Bluffton University
Bluffton, OH 45817
(419)-358-3270
edmiston@bluffton.edu