Periodic Table of Sorry, I've Got To Take This Call

 
I realized today that, throughout my academic career, I have not had to memorize the Periodic Table. Ever.

     Then I asked myself why such a big deal? After some thought, I came to the conclusion that, like most of my education as a child, we were encouraged to memorize, not learn. That pretty much sums up my K-12 experience. I got through so many classes simply by memorizing stuff and not actually internalizing the information into an intellectual experience (but there were some great teachers, too).  Looking at the Periodic Table, for example, I realize that science is a "feeling" - sort of how you feel when you calculate a math problem and know it's the right answer.
     Knowledge of science leads to more questions. Kids should be excited about hearing how we have Gas Giants and Terrestrial Planets all within our own solar system!  You can't just fly up to to Venus and say, "Hey, mind if I take a look around?" We've tried that already with rather crushing results.

...but maybe someday...

     After taking some eye-opening astronomy courses, I see the world more through the eyes of logic and science and it feels right, comfortable. I can really see tangible connections where they were not present before, especially in music and the arts, and even socially. I think it really takes understanding the greater connections here and beyond before a true understanding of what is right in front us occurs. Those frustrations of trying to figure out how big Jupiter is or what the atomic weight of bla bla bla may seem tedious, and really, in the specifics of things -- who cares?

     BUT, in the grand scheme, seeing WHY it matters knowing an atomic weight or the size of a planet somehow (for me, anyway) sort of humbles me and brings me to one of science's greatest messages: You don't know everything and you never will but keep trying, anyway!
     How truly small I feel, yet connected at the same time, to everyone and everything around me. I will never fathom how large a Gas Giant is or how far away the Orion Nebula really is (yet we can still see it with binoculars!!!). I really don't know if I've made any sense here, but I just needed to get that out.

~~~~~

If you'd like to learn more about astronomy, you can download Stellarium, an open-source planetarium. It's super fun to explore. 

Be in control of your own universe through Dan Dixon's Universe Sandbox. 

You control EVERYTHING and it's cool to shoot things at planets. 

You never know what you'll discover.