Shelley Klein - Out of the Mouths of Babes...: Children say the funniest things

An eminent professor of statistics submitted this anecdote to Pass the Port. He once took his young son and daughter to an evening for children at Harvard University Observatory. Unfortunately a cloudy sky meant that, apart from a fleeting view of the moon, the powerful telescopes showed nothing. As a result, the children (mostly under ten but extremely precocious) and their doting parents were instead given a talk by a bright young astronomer. The talk was on Sizes of Heavenly Bodies and as the astronomer spoke, using the prop of a huge balloon, over a hundred tiny hands scribbled down pencilled notes.

At the end of the talk, the lecturer opened the floor to questions. The first hand shot up and a seven-year-old boy read out a carefully prepared question from a slip of paper.

Will the lecturer please tell us how far it is from the Earth to the planet Mercury?

It depends, the lecturer said, unwilling to commit to an exact figure, on the time.

Well, say at six-thirty?

Dear God,

We read Thomas Edison made light. But in school they taught us that you did. So I bet Edison stoled your idea.

Sincerely,

Donna (age 7)