Plus, in space, you can grow girl-shaped antennae on your newly gigantic head.

Thanks but no thanks...that "french fry" experiment from spurlock's "Super Size Me' was enough McDonalds based science for me.

Mark (from Boing Boing) says:

I caught this nonsensical fact on a McDonald's Happy Meal bag today. It says: "You can jump 6 times higher in space." "I don't think that's correct. If you jumped off a massive platform in space, you'd just keep going. They must've meant the moon."

What was his first clue-- the picture of the moon the girl was leaping from? Oh noes Mark, you better go catch her before she disappears into the void of space after leaping from that massive crater-filled platform!

Here's a thought: Why does Mark feel compelled to prove his understanding of junior high school science versus a happy meal bag?

Well, it's not technically incorrect. You can indeed jump 6 times higher in space (assuming you define jumping as pushing away from another solid object). Of course, once you get to 6 times the distance you can jump on Earth, you will find it rather difficult to stop and return to whatever object you jumped from.

Giant steps are what you take...walking on the moon. I hope my leg don't break...walking on the moon.

feet don't hardly make a sound, walking on the mood.

As a scientist, that offends me. Then again, I think people haven't seen what's being taught in middle school these days, so the idea that this may be the first time a middle schooler has seen something vaguely science-related might be foreign.

Here's a thought: Why does Mark feel compelled to prove his understanding of junior high school science versus a happy meal bag?

For the same reason you feel compelled to ask this question. :)

At least it's not creationism?

Synergy,
off-topic, but very on-topic in my life at the moment, and you happened to cross my path :)..how does a science-loving, very intelligent 8 yr. old get a decent education?? Nobody wants to teach science, there are no gifted programs around, my son is made fun of for his interests-- and he is very likely beyond what is taught to the middle school kids. He was stuck in the office one day and started explaining DNA--correctly--to an 8th grader who was clueless. I wish I knew what to do for him....

kenposan:

He's a megalomaniacal freak? I'd buy that... :> I have to apologize for trolling again.

You think that's bad science on food packaging?

How about "Mars is the closest planet to the sun, but it's not the hottest -- Venus is!"

From http://flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=373696182&size=l via boing-boing.net

Now *that's* bad science on food packaging!

PixieDust,

If you don't know about it already, check out CTY, which is a summer program run by Johns Hopkins University. I was a very smart, science-minded kid who grew up in a rural area with little access to the kind of education I craved, and it pretty much saved my life. I don't know if 8 is old enough, even for the "little kid" programs, but it's certainly worth keeping in mind for the coming years.