From a student midterm. Found it on the way to the Second Cup this morning.
Why is the earth round? Describe how the moon was formed.The earth is round due to gravity forming it into a sphere. The moon was formed when a large body struck the earth blasting debris off of the earth which then formed a ring around the earth (this is due to earth’s gravitational field) This ring eventually condensed and became the moon.
That’s an explanation? Jesus. Why did gravity make the earth a sphere? Why did the ring condense into a moon? Where did the “large body” come from and why haven’t we been hit by further large bodies?
That answer above is fucking bullshit, and the kid got full marks for it: 5 out of 5. Fucking crap.
Apparently, there’s a pretty good chance that we will be hit by large bodies in the not-too-distant future…So, maybe the economic worries are moot.
Just keep your eye on that supercollider. I don’t think we’ve heard the last of it.