Maybe they meant to say that there are more neurons in the brain than people in a small city. :)
BTW, in what context was this brain power statement made? I couldn't find anyone making that claim on the internet (usually the most likely location for unreliable claims). Rick Dr. Rick Froman Psychology Department Box 3055 x7295 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Proverbs 14:15 "A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps." -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Paul Smith Sent: Monday, July 17, 2006 12:39 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: [tips] Re: Why our students seem so dense I recently came across a group taught that "the human brain uses enough energy to power a small city". Not a one of them questioned the claim for a moment. Sounds good, must be true, I guess. (My crude guestimate says it's more like about a half a watt-hour per day, so it'd have to be a REALLY small city, I think) Paul Smith Alverno College Milwaukee On 7/17/06, Michael Scoles <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > I just walked by a classroom used to train future teachers. These > classrooms can be identified readily by the large number of posters on the > wall. A poster near the door proclaimed, "There are 10 trillion nerve cells > in the brain!" > > A Penn & Teller "Bullsh*t" episode addresses the problems people have with > large numbers. They suggest a counting method that might work here. Let's > just say that the brain has a ****-load of neurons. > > Obviously, going beyond that level of precision would confuse future > teachers. > > > Michael T. Scoles, Ph.D. > Associate Professor of Psychology & Counseling > University of Central Arkansas > Conway, AR 72035 --- > To make changes to your subscription go to: > http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang= english > --- To make changes to your subscription go to: http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang= english --- To make changes to your subscription go to: http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang=english
