Wednesday, December 27, 2006 3:51 PM
Kenneth Gerard PINTO
The Science of Santa Claus
This comes a few days late, but it is a fun read nonetheless. Dr Larry Silverberg from North Carolina State University
explains how Santa (plausibly) makes his deliveries, using science and technology:
With his cherubic smile and twinkling eyes, Santa may appear to be
merely a jolly old soul but he and his North Pole elves have a lot
going on under the funny-looking hats, Silverberg says. Their advanced
knowledge of electromagnetic waves, the space/time continuum,
nanotechnology, genetic engineering and computer science easily trumps
the know-how of contemporary scientists.
While Silverberg's explainations border on the fantastical, he argues, "Children shouldn’t put too much credence in the opinions of those who
say it’s not possible to deliver presents all over the world in one
night. It is possible, and it’s based on plausible science."
Well, as
Arthur C. Clarke wrote, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
With that thought, we hope that you have a magical holiday season!