False AssumptionsFalse Assumptions

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Story #1Story #1Justin Summers owns a vacation house in

northern Ontario which has an A-shaped roof. One side of the roof faces north and the other side faces south. The prevailing winds from the north are usually quite strong. The strange thing is that the stronger the north wind blows, the stronger the resulting updraft on the south side of the roof. Therefore, if a rooster was to lay an egg on the peak of the roof during a strong northerly wind, on which side should the egg fall most of the time?

Story #1Story #1Answer: The

direction the egg falls doesn’t matter because roosters don’t lay eggs!

False Assumption: That the rooster (male), being a chicken, was a hen (female) and could lay eggs. http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/2007/05/070527200437.jpg

Story #2Story #2There is a cabin on the side of a mountain. Three people are inside and they are dead. How did they die?

Story #2Story #2Answer: They were

killed in a plane crash. The three people were the pilot , co-pilot, and navigator. They crashed in a snow storm.

False Assumption: That the cabin was a mountain cabin. It was actually the cabin, or cockpit, of a jetliner.

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Story #3Story #3It is a hot August afternoon. The location

is the living room in an old Victorian mansion. The 7-foot window is open and the curtains are blowing in the breeze generated by the thunderstorm that just passed. On the floor lie the bodies of Bill and Monica. They are surrounded by puddles of water and broken glass. Neither Bill or Monica has any clothes on (only G-rated thoughts please). How did they die?

Story #3Answer: They

suffocated. The storm winds blew open the window, which knocked their fish bowl off the table, and it crashed onto the floor.

False Assumption: That Bill and Monica are human when they are actually goldfish.

Story #4Story #4A man is walking down the street. He sees a bar and enters. He asks the bartender for a glass of water. The bartender pulls out a gun and points it at him. The man says, “Thank you” and leaves the bar. What happened?

Story #4Story #4Answer: The man who asked for the glass of

water had the hiccups. The bartender pulled the gun to scare the hiccups away.

False Assumption: That the bartender pulled the gun in order to kill the man.

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Story #5Story #5A man leaves home and makes three left turns. He returns home again. On the way, he passed two men with masks. Who were the two men?

Story #5Story #5Answer: The

umpire and the catcher.

False Assumption: That the man was walking on city streets and he passed two criminals wearing ski masks. He is really on a baseball field.

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Story #6 Story #6 A man and his son were rock climbing on a particularly dangerous mountains when they slipped and fell. The man was killed, but the son lived and was rushed to the hospital. The old surgeon looked at the young man and declared, “I can’t operate on this boy, he is my son!” How can this be?

Story #6Story #6Answer: The old surgeon is the boy’s mother.

False Assumption: That the old surgeon is a man.

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Story #7Story #7Preston and his men searched the

frozen tundra for escaped convict Ben Barker. Just as they were about to give up, one of Preston’s men spotted a body. Barker was found lying dead in the snow. There were no tracks leading to or from the body. The cause of death was partially due to the unopened pack on his back. Barker did not die of thirst, hunger, or cold. What was in Barker’s pack that led to his death?

Story #7Story #7Answer: An

unopened parachute

False Assumption: That Barker’s “pack” was a backpack, not a parachute pack or that he arrived there somehow by land, not by air.

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Story #8Story #8Two train tracks run parallel to each other, except for a short distance where they meet and become one track over a narrow bridge. One morning, a train speeds onto the bridge. Another train coming from the opposite direction, also speeds onto the bridge. Neither train can stop on the short bridge, yet there is no collision. How is this possible?

Story #8Story #8Answer: The trains

were crossing the bridge at different times of the morning.

False Assumption: Sounds like the two trains had arrived at the bridge at the same time; it was just the same morning.

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Story #9Story #9There is an ancient invention still used in some parts of the world today that allows people to see through walls. What is it?

Story #9Story #9Answer: WindowsFalse Assumption: (1)

The walls are totally solid and opaque. (2) The walls are not part of a house. (3) Somehow, windows weren’t “invented.” (4) Windows aren’t that ancient. (5) “Some parts of the world” means only a few places, not commonly found.

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Story #10Story #10Sly Hand, the famous magician, claims he can tell the score of any football game before it even starts. Many think he is psychic and possesses supernatural powers. How is it that he can be accurate about the score 100 percent of the time?

Story #10Story #10Answer: There really is no magic. The score of

any football game before it starts is always “zero-to-zero.”

False Assumption: That the “score” was the final score. Also, we don’t assume any score exists before the game begins.

http://www.softpedia.com/screenshots/Football-Scoreboard_1.png

Story #11Story #11It is a stormy, snowy day…

…There is a man dead inside a shack. There are no windows and the only door is locked from inside. There is no way in or out. The man has a stab wound. There is a puddle of water and blood next to him. How did he die?

Story #11Story #11Answer: He stabbed

himself with an icicle!

False Assumption: That the water was always liquid and certainly not in the form of an icicle, not to mention that suicide by icicle stabbing is not very common! http://alloveralbany.com/images/falling_ice_sign.jpg

The Final 4-1-1!The Final 4-1-1!False assumptions, or even misconceptions,

can lead scientists down a different path away from potentially life-altering discoveries.

Scientists must strive to be objective, non-biased reporters of observable data.

Logical inferences and conclusions can then be supported by the data when reported out to the scientific community.

As scientists, remember to think “outside the box” and consider all possible outcomes, not just the most obvious or expected ones.

HOMEWORK (Hee, Hee!)HOMEWORK (Hee, Hee!)1.) In your notebooks, write three historically

significant false assumptions that relate to any field of science.

Example: The Earth was once believed to be flat! (Do NOT use this example as one of your three false assumptions!)

2.) Also in your notebooks, write your own original false assumption story. Be sure to include the “answer” to your story and the most likely false assumption(s) readers will make after reading your story.

AcknowledgementsAcknowledgementsFalse Assumptions stories courtesy of

Evolution and the Nature of Science Institutes (http://www.indiana.edu/~ensiweb/home.html).

PowerPoint adaptation of activity by Jason Lopez, Wilcox High School, Santa Clara, CA.