November 6, 1999

Today the Explorers combined their critical thinking and research skills with their knowledge of science to solve several mysteries.

The explorers first used a computer simulation of a bungee jump to gather the data needed to make a judgement on a fictional court case. Sally Suehappy, the plaintiff, was suing the Happy Go Lucky Carnival for damages because she blamed them for causing her to hit the ground during her bungee jump. The explorers first analyzed the evidence they were given, including Sally's weight, the supposed height of the jump platform and the waiver form that Sally signed at the carnival. Then, the explorers tested several different jump scenarios using the computer simulation. They varied Sally's weight and the platform height to determine what actually happened that day at the carnival. After analyzing the evidence, the explorers debated who should be found at fault and made a ruling. They decided that Sally had lied about her weight, and the carnival was mistaken about the height of the platform. However, if Sally had not lied about her weight, she would not have hit the ground. The explorers ruled in favor of Sally, but did not award her any monetary compensation.

The explorers then moved onto another case. This time, they played the role of Disease Control Investigators. They were presented a situation in which an entire school was shut down because every student in school got sick from the flu. The explorers used a computer simulation of a flu epidemic to test the effects of recovery rates and infection rates on the number of students who got sick from various flu strains.

After a short break, the explorers began a large investigation. Ebonee played the role of a Durham Police Detective who needed the class' help to find out who was poisoning cans of chicken soup. Det. Ebonee gave the students a document that she believed was important to the investigation. The students examined the document closesly for clues. They determined who were suspects and were given transcripts of interviews with each of the suspects. After gathering their evidence, the explorers gathered together to piece together the evidence and figure out who poisoned the soup and why. You can try to solve this case yourself by visiting the Adler Foods Mystery.