Fun Science Facts

• There are 206 bones in the adult human body and there are 300 in a child's body. As we grow, some of the bones fuse together.


• Fleas can jump 130 times higher than their own height. In human terms, this is equal to a 6 foot person jumping 780 feet into the air.


• Velcro was invented 50 years ago.


• The human eye blinks an average of 4,200,000 times a year.


• It takes approximately 12 hours for food to entirely digest.


• An inch of rain water is equal to 15 inches of dry, powdery snow.


• 40% to 50% of body heat can be lost through the head as a result of its extensive circulatory network.


• The ears of a cricket are located on its front legs, just below the knee.


• Sound travels about 4 times faster in water than in air.


• The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.

Reading Tip of the Week: Fact and Opinion

Do you know the difference between a fact and an opinion? In a nutshell, you can't argue with a fact, but you can argue with an opinion.

For example, 2 + 2 = 4. That's a fact. It has always been a fact, and it will always be a fact. No one can change it. It doesn't matter whether you are talk about grains of sand or entire planets. Two somethings plus two somethings equals four somethings. Period. You can't disagree with it, because it's absolutely true. (That's why math facts are called math facts!)

On the other hand, if I say, "Titanic is a great movie," someone - maybe even you - might have hated that movie. That person would disagree with my opinion and have one of his or her own! If you can argue or disagree, it's an opinion.

Think about witnesses in a courtroom. They are only supposed to give facts - what they saw or heard. They are not supposed to give their opinions. They can say, "I saw the defendent take money out of the cash register," because if that's what happened, it's the truth. They can't say, "The defendent is a nice guy," because other people may not agree.