Left side of Mars

Question

Imagine that you have to explain the terms "left" and "right" to a Martian by phone. How would you do it?

Deepa · Accepted Answer

with the help of heart beat? that heart is on the left side is where you hear the beatings!!?

Bubr · Answer

Hey, he's a Martian! He has 12 hearts on both sides of his body!

Deepa · Answer

Ehh? poor fellow!

Deepa · Answer

what if he gets mayocardial infarction?

Bubr · Answer

on which side?<img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' alt='Emotion: smile'/>

Deepa · Answer

dont you think then, all the 12 hearts will be connected? what a creature!!!

Bubr · Answer

I'd rather imagine 1 heart working and 11 in reserve in case of heart attack

So how about left/right?

Deepa · Answer

so, how are YOU going to explain to that martian? ( BTW, are you left handed or right handed?)

Bubr · Answer

I am right-handed. But a lot of children born during the last several years (whom I know) exhibit preference to left hand. Much more than there are left-handed people among my coevals. Maybe, the tradition to force children to use right hand for writing is over. Do parents in India re-teach their child if he/she wants to write with left hand?

About explanation - I have one similar to yours, only if we could engage astronomy. Say, I could explain that the equator of Earth (a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis, intersecting Earth in the middle of diameter) divides out planet into Northern and Southern hemispheres. We call Northen hemisphere the part of the Earth which has more land than another. If he looks at Earth so that Norhern hemisphere is on top, and Southern - on bottom, then the terminator (line dividing night from day) moves to his LEFT.

The key point is that north differs from south by the area of land - a pure incidence.

I know that it is IMPOSSIBLE to explain left/right by pure math because these conceptions don't relate to mathematics. It's not so easy to explain it by pure physics because of some symmetry of physics laws. Maybe, some specific physical processes where this symmetry breaks - maybe they could be of any use.

But yet - if a Martian knows human anatomy, we can say that heart is on one's LEFT provided that the human stands with his feet on bottom, head on top, and Martian looks at the same direction as human. If he knows astronomy, then morning on Earth moves from RIGHT to LEFT if you observe Earth so that north is on top. Both explanations seem rather weak because they are based on some nature's chance: heart is on the left, Earth rotates clockwise if you look on it in direction 'little land - much land'.

Maybe there are more general explanations?

Deepa · Answer

Excellent!! I think the rotation of the earth is more acceptable for this theory.  umm-mm now a days, yes the tradition of right handed has gone in India too. Parents now are more aware of the consequence of forcibly changing the dominant hand. It may disturb the brain!!

Left side of Mars

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬