Alan Alda asks scientists to explain: What's time?

Alan Alda asks scientists to explain: What's time?
In this April 19, 2012, file photo, actor Alan Alda attends a screening at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Alda, the host of of PBS's "Scientific American Frontiers," and a founder of the Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University, is sponsoring an international contest for scientists, asking them to explain in terms a sixth-grader could understand: "What is time?" (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, File)

(AP)—Professor Alan Alda has a homework assignment for scientists. Yes, that Alan Alda.

The actor known for his Emmy-Award-winning work on the TV show "MASH," is a founder of the Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University on eastern Long Island.

Alda tells The Associated Press the center is sponsoring a contest asking to explain, in terms a sixth-grader could understand: "What is time?"

Well-known for his for science, Alda is the longtime host of the Public Broadcasting Service's "Scientific American Frontiers."

He says society must have a better understanding of science.

This is the contest's second year. Last year, scientists were asked to explain what a flame is. Alda says he was 11 years old when he asked a teacher that question and got an answer he didn't understand.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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