On: Tsung-Dao Lee, physicist who challenged a law of n...

[Modified3019]

“Try to teach an alien on a telephone about left and right” actually sounds like a fun game to try with a class full of kids.

I would solve this particular circumstance by using the andromeda galaxy (“the closest galaxy”) as a reference, but it definitely stumped me for a bit.

[samanator → Modified3019]

You can't use cancellation or heavenly bodies:

"He is far away, or in some strange location, and he cannot see anything we can see. For instance, we cannot say, “Look at Ursa major; now see how those stars are arranged. What we mean by ‘right’ is …” We are only allowed to telephone him."

[Modified3019 → samanator]

Ah good catch, I somehow still assumed same galaxy.

Thinking about it, ironically I think the direct mention of Ursa Major might have played a part in that.

[noworld → samanator]

"imagine that we were talking to a Martian"

[indoordin0saur → noworld]

I think by Martian he just meant "alien". Obviously if you're on Mars you could use all sorts of celestial bodies to demonstrate chirality.

[verzali → noworld]

" he cannot see anything we can see. For instance, we cannot say, “Look at Ursa major; now see how those stars are arranged"

[lern_too_spel → Modified3019]

The rest of the story about developing a way to communicate with the alien is a significant part of Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary, which is also a good book for kids.

[Gunax → Modified3019]

I would love to try it, but I think the problem is hard enough to explain to an adult. I think it's difficult to describe the constraints. I've tried to explain this problem to adults and they just didn't really get it and the problem sounds like either a riddle or a bunch of nonsense rather than a physics problem with deep implications for the laws of nature.