FILE - In this April 26, 2013 file photo, actor and sometimes science professor Alan Alda speaks during an interview on the campus of Stony Brook University, on New York's Long Island. Alan Alda is now posing the question "How do you explain color to an 11-year-old?," to scientists around the world. It’s part of a contest he started three years ago called the “Flame Challenge,” to encourage scientists to find better ways of clearly explaining how science works to the general public. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
December 10, 2013 - 9:04 PM
MINEOLA, N.Y. - How do you explain colour to an 11-year-old?
Actor and sometimes science professor Alan Alda is posing the question to scientists around the world.
It's part of a contest he started three years ago called the "Flame Challenge."
The former MASH actor wants to encourage scientists to find better ways of clearly explaining how science works to the general public.
He figures if an 11-year-old can understand it, everyone else should.
He first asked scientists to explain a flame. Then he asked to define time. Now he wants to focus on colour.
The contest is affiliated with the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University in New York.
News from © The Associated Press, 2013