Y3 Stem Assembly

6.11.20

PART 2 BY 3S

STEM Assembly Part 2�Science Fiction versus Science Fact�

• Look at our teachers, parents and grandparents, they were all young once! When we think of our grandparents when they were our age in Year 3 we have to ask ‘ What everyday things did they grow up without, that now we take for granted?’

• For example, dishwashers, solar calculators, mobile phones and cash machines. The interesting thing is that the scientific knowledge required to make these products was already known in the 1970s. So why were they not commonplace then? And why have these applications of science become part of our everyday lives now, whilst other things have not?

• For science to be useful we must be able to apply it to something – to make it work
• for us. You could say that all science is science fiction (like imagined science) unless it can be used! Mobile ‘phones, dishwashers and cash machines have become a reality because people wanted them.
• People are willing to pay for items like mobile ‘phones, so it is profitable for manufacturers to spend money developing the science into reality. If people had not bought mobile ‘phones, this would not have happened.

Which Science Fiction ideas did people predict in the past?�

• If we look back to old Science Fiction books, TV programmes and films or films about the future such as ‘Back to the future’ predictions were made about how we would be living now and how different technologies would be assisting us in life. Let’s have a look at how some of these scientific predictions have become a reality.

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• In Back to the Future II, Marty’s future kids wear headsets at the dinner table to make and receive calls and watch TV. With the introduction of Google Glass in 2013, and gaming headsets, virtual reality is not far off!

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• Fingerprint recognition
• Most of us don't use it to get into our house, but fingerprint recognition is now a major part of many people's lives, being used on several smartphones to unlock them or pay for items.

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Video calls

Marty's video call with his co-worker in Back to the Future II seemed like a futuristic dream, but with FaceTime, Skype and more recently Zoom and Teams, the video call has evolved to become an essential of everyday life.

• In an 1960’s episode of "Star Trek" featured replicators that could 3D print food and everyday objects in a few seconds. Scientists are now using 3D printing technology to make objects out of plastic, metal, and glass, though the process is not nearly as fast.

• “The Jetsons" cartoon in 1962 featured a high-tech watch that could stream videos in colour. While modern smartwatches don't have this feature yet, the Jetsons watch had a similar design to what we see today.
• Today's smartwatches, such as the Apple Watch, can make phone calls, look at photos, and much more.

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• In the 1953 novel "Fahrenheit 451," the author wrote about "seashells" and "thimble radios" that resemble earbuds and headsets with Bluetooth capability. Millions of people today listen to songs and take phone calls with Apple's wireless AirPods.

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�Science-fiction author Isaac Asimov predicted the rise of cars with "robot-brains" after visiting the World's Fair in 1964. More than 50 years later, companies are testing self-driving cars.

Driverless cars are still being tested, but their proponents say this technology could help with traffic jams and reduce crashes. Many companies are aiming to get their driverless cars on the road before 2030. Louis

What didn’t turn into a reality?�

• Flying cars and Robots in the home

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• So as you can see lots of the predictions for the future came true. And there may be someone in this room who might be an inventor of something wonderful in the future.

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• Well, in the words of Captain Kirk from Star Trek himself, who was also a space traveller, “The future is coming, it always does.”

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�Please bow your heads for our prayer�

• Dear Lord,
• Thank you for creating such a wonderful and amazing world for us to live in! Help us to understand all of your creation a little better, so that we can live in harmony within it. May we use our knowledge and understanding of science – the ‘laws’ of the Universe – to add to the beauty of your world, for the benefit of every wonderful creation that exists upon it.
• Amen

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• We hope you enjoyed our assembly.