[nukkad] Children asked to jump for science

["Nelson Fernandes" <>]

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 Thursday, 9 August, 2001, 14:32 GMT 15:32 UK
Children asked to jump for science


Hundreds of thousands of pounding feet will launch Science Year

Schools across Britain are being asked to let children jump together in
their playgrounds to help kick start Science Year.
At 11am on 7 September, children will jump for a minute in a nation-wide
experiment.

Scientists want to measure the impact on machines used to monitor
earthquakes.

And the event will go into the record books as the "greatest simultaneous
jump in history".

The jump is being held to launch Science Year, a government-funded campaign
which aims to promote science among pupils aged between 10 and 19.

Record books

It will be recorded by the Guinness Book of Records.

David Hawksett of the Guinness Book of Records said he thought the jump
would get Science Year off to a good start.

"This is what we call a precedent-setter," he said.

"We hope this is a challenge that will be taken up around the world but we
suspect that possibly the UK will hold this one for some time."

If the sound of hundreds of thousands of pounding feet makes some people
think an earthquake is taking place, it will not be the first time.

In 1995, Londoners contacted Scotland Yard saying they had felt an
earthquake tremor.

But Alice Walker, a seismologist at the British Geological Survey said the
band Oasis had been to blame.
"Investigations revealed that 20,000 rock fans had been jumping up and down
to Oasis in Earl's Court and tremors were being reported from up to one mile
away.

"It will be interesting to see if hundreds of thousands, and possibly
millions of school students can beat Oasis."

The experiment - which is being billed as The Giant Jump - will be the first
official event of Science Year.

As well as the jump in schools, other jumps and launch events will be held
across Britain.

Science Year is being run by a group called Nesta (National Endowment for
Science, Technology and the Arts) which was set up by an Act of Parliament
to promote innovation in science, technology and the arts.

So far 3,500 schools are said to have signed up to take part in the Giant
Jump.

To take part, schools have to register at www.scienceyear.com.



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