Posted by Steve Holmes2 at 11:49 on 2011 Feb 03
I’ve just looked at the programme again (I had it on video as I was out that night) and listed an entire A4 page of errors. Apart from the astounding claim mentioned in my first email, another good one was that the earth’s rotational axis was stable because of its spin speed. She then went on to describe how Mars was not stable but didn’t mention that its rotational speed is almost exactly the same as that of the earth! And of course Venus spins almost upright despite having a day which is considerably longer than its year! Again – oh dear.The real problem is that those without the knowledge to assess this nonsense for what it is will just believe it (well – it’s on the BBC, so it must be true). No wonder educational standards are dropping if this is what is taught in schools as well – apparently the presenter does a lot of work with children (which certainly showed in her presentational style!)What is to be done?