Beth Klein, age 12, of Twin Falls, Ida., for her question:

HOW BIG IS BIG BEN?

Big Ben is the giant bell in the clock tower of the House of Parliament in London. The bell is seven and one half feet high, nine feet in diameter, and weighs 13.5 tons.

Big Ben made its first sound in 1859. It was first heard on radio on New Year's Eve in 1923. On New Year's Eve in 1949, the tower and its clock were floodlighted and the sound and picture went to television viewers for the first time.

Why is the bell called Big Ben? It was installed during the time that a tall, stout popular man named Sir Benjamin Hall served as Commissioner of Works. He was called Big Ben and the members of Parliament named the bell for him.

The clock that goes with Big Ben is famous for its accuracy. The clock's mechanical works weigh about five tons. Until 1913 it was wound by hand, but since that time an electric motor has wound the clock.