atrecord:

Hi all,


Interesting debates and viewpoints since i posted it previously. Anyway, I've since found out that such questions cannot be asked anymore, as it is not clear-cut. Teachers should just aske something that is definitely living, or definitely non-living. Cannot ask about something that was once living...

wonder whether I should tell the teacher.

atrecord:

Hi,


I'm sure many of you have come across this question before:
Is orange a living or non-living thing?

This came out in DD's test last week. She is in P3.

Does anyone have the answer?

tks.

MadScientist:

I am a trained molecular biologist, and I say it is living.


1. I can find cells in the orange. Each cell has a nucleus, and also has functional mitochondria, etc. It is still undergoing respiration and all other cellular activities that is required for any living thing, cell or multicellular.

2. For those who claim that if given food water and air, it cannot survive... How about plant tissue culture, where we take plant cells and pop them into a matrix of nutrients (food and water), then grow little shoots out of them?

Seriously, our kids are going to get confused... The teachers teaching them do not have the sense nor the avenues to provide leeway in reasoning.

The flaw in the question is what is defined as a \"thing\"

My points above show that it is living, period.

But the ambiguity comes from THING... What's a \"thing\"?

Dictionary.com says...

noun
1.
a material object without life or consciousness; an inanimate object.
2.
some entity, object, or creature that is not or cannot be specifically designated or precisely described: The stick had a brass thing on it.
3.
anything that is or may become an object of thought: things of the spirit.
4.
things, matters; affairs: Things are going well now.
5.
a fact, circumstance, or state of affairs: It is a curious thing.


So you see the language issue is quite distinct from the scientific issue here?

Trust me, there are others... Like what is an aim and what is a hypothesis.
The schools have the definition the opposite of how we real scientist use it... Our hypotheses qualifies as the schools' definition of aim, and vice versa.

CMF:

My thought process on this is that a plucked fruit (apple, orange etc) is a non living thing, as (even) if given air, food and water it will not survive.


But seeds (in the fruit or otherwise) would be considered a living thing as (if) they are given air, food and water (ie. suitable conditions) they may be able to survive.

Sun_2010:

To the kind attention of all parents


The orange is now officially declared non-living.

As per the latest report just in, unable to bear all this questioning about its identity and on the discrimination it is being meted out to it even , the orange has committed suicide , leaving behind a suicide note.
We reproduce the note verbatim. It read
\"Its not fair!!
There are so many fruits why me?? :frustrated:
On orange is an Orange is an orange!
Teachers , Go pick on someone your size. :rant:
\"
http://i46.tinypic.com/j161dg.jpg\">

atrecord:

Actually, just thought of this:


I have a wooden working table.
Is it a living or non-living thing?

atrecord:

Actually, just thought of this:


I have a wooden working table.
Is it a living or non-living thing?

verykiasu2010:

if the teacher knows the answer, he/she won't be asking .......... :rotflmao: :rotflmao:

verykiasu2010:

if the teacher knows the answer, he/she won't be asking .......... :rotflmao: :rotflmao:

LOLMum:

ksi:

[quote=\"LOLMum\"]
So orange is non living thing is the right answer. Can share the reason why?

If we want to be technical about this, the most accurate answer should be \"once alive\" and this is one of the classification too.

ksi:

LOLMum:

[quote=\"atrecord\"]

Actually when my DD first asked, I told her orange is a living thing. To me, non-living things mean things that are non-organic in nature, like the bus or my shirt, etc. Then when she was marked wrong, and came home to complain that I taught her the wrong thing, it got me curious...

So orange is non living thing is the right answer. Can share the reason why?

LOLMum:

atrecord:

Actually when my DD first asked, I told her orange is a living thing. To me, non-living things mean things that are non-organic in nature, like the bus or my shirt, etc. Then when she was marked wrong, and came home to complain that I taught her the wrong thing, it got me curious...

So orange is non living thing is the right answer. Can share the reason why?

atrecord:

In any case, I have just found out that such questions should not be asked anymore, simply because it is so ambiguous. I'm considering whether to talk to DD's science teacher about it, but am hesitant that i'll be labelled as troublesome...