Saturday, May 21, 2016

Would a student be allowed to present information on flat earth theory in a science fair?

Firstly, it's important to acknowledge that "Flat Earth" is not a theory at all. In fact, the group of people who make up the "Flat Earth Society" rely on a hypothesis that has already been proven to be incorrect. A very, very long history of scientists (astronomers, physicists, geographers, etc..) have demonstrated that Earth is an oblate spheroid. Although this point was argued hundreds (and even thousands) of years ago, it is no longer up for scientific debate. Our current knowledge is very, very certain that the Earth is not flat.


Since a science fair is an opportunity to present current science (and new knowledge), it would not be appropriate to present "Flat Earth" as scientific fact. It wouldn't even be appropriate to present "Flat Earth" as a topic of true debate— at least not among scientists. On the other hand, if the point of presenting the "Flat Earth" hypothesis is to point out the things we know to be incorrect, then you might bring it up. You might also bring it up as a standing example of how some people present things as factual debates, when really there is no debate at all among experts.

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