View
0
Download
0
Category
Preview:
Citation preview
Aastewbi
Acompreheroids,galwhatdrivesinaryplan
This
©2014
S
hensivecoulaxiesandsNeptunenetarysyst
about
www
curriculum
Supercharg
STRPAREN
ursethattdmore.Stu’sinternaltemsworkttheelectr
Createdb
w.Sup
misalignedw
gedScience
RONT/TE
teachesthudentswillfurnace,k,diffractlromagneti
byAuroraLi
percha
withtheCal
P.O.Box4
ONOEACHE
hebigidealldiscoverdiscoverhlightintoiicspectru
ipper,Supe
arged
liforniaStat
4418,SanL
OMR’SGU
asaboutstrMartianshowtoideitsrainbowm,andso
rchargedSc
dScien
teStandard
LuisObispo,
MYUIDE
tars,planesunsets,eentifymetwsignatumuchmo
cience
nce.co
sandSTEM
,CA93403
ets,moon,clipsesanteorites,lereswhileore.
om
MforScience
(805)617
comets,ndtransitsearnhowlearning
e.
7‐1789
,
©2014SuperchargedScience 2 www.SuperchargedScience.com
IntroductionGreetings,andwelcometotheunitonastronomy.Ihopeyouwillfindthishelpfulinpreparingtoteachyourstudents,exhaustivelythoroughincontentandawholelotoffun,becausethat’swhenstudentsandteachersdotheirbestwork.
Thiscurriculumcoursehasbeenpreparedtobecompletedoverseveralweeks,completing1‐2lessonsperweek.Youwillfindthatthereare14lessonsoutlinedtotakeyoufromanintroductionofastronomyonthroughseveraladvancedprojectswhicharecomplexenoughtowinaprizeatthesciencefair.Ifyoucompletethiscourseandsendyourkidsoff,you’llfindtheirhighschoolteachersentirelyblownawaybytheirmasteryofthesubject.EachlessonhasaTeacherPageandaStudentWorksheet.
ThefollowingfeaturesareoneachsetoftheTeacherPages:
Overview:Thisisthemaingoalofthelesson. SuggestedTime:Makesureyouhaveenoughforcompletingthislesson. Objectives:Thesearethecoreprinciplescoveredwiththislesson. Materials:Gatherthesebeforeyoustart LabPreparation:Thisoutlinesanypreparationyouneedtodoaheadoftime. Lesson:Thisoutlineshowtopresentthetopictothestudents,stirsupinterestandgetsthestudents
motivatedtolearnthetopic. LabTime&Worksheets:Thisincludesactivities,experiments,andprojectsthatreinforcetheconceptsand
reallybringsthemtolife.You’llalsofindworksheetsthatmakeuptheirScientificJournal. BackgroundLessonReading:Thisisoptionaladditionalreadingmaterialyoucanutilizeaheadoftimeto
helpyoufeelconfidentwhenthestudentsaskquestionsduringtheLabTime.Idon’trecommendgivingthisreadingtothekidsbeforehand.Ifyoumustshareitwiththem,thendosoafterthestudentshavegottenachancetorollaroundwiththeactivities.Doingthisteacheskidstoasktheirownquestionsbygettingcuriousabouttheconceptsthroughtheexperiments,thewayrealscientistsdointherealworld.
Exercises&AnswerKey:Howwelldidyouteach?Howwelldidtheylearn?Timetofindout. Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestions
thattheycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyourclasstime.
ImmediatelyfollowingtheTeacherPagesare“StudentWorksheets”foreachoftheactivities.Eachsetofstudentworksheetshasthefollowingsections:
Overview WhattoLearn Materials LabTime&Worksheets Exercises
Inadditiontothelessons,wehavealsopreparedthefollowingitemsyou’llfinduseful:
ScientificMethodGuide MasterMaterialsandEquipmentList LabSafetySheet
WrittenQuiz(withAnswerKey)
LabPracticalTest(withAnswerKey)
MasterMaterialsListforAllLabs
Thisisabrieflistofthematerialsthatyouwillneedtodoalloftheactivities,experimentsandprojectsineachsection.Thesetofmaterialslistedbelowisjustforonelabgroup.Ifyouhaveaclassof10labgroups,you’llneedtoget10setsofthematerialslistedbelow.For10labgroups,aneasywaytokeeptrackofyourmaterialsistogiveeachgroupanumberfrom1to10,andmakeup10separatelabkitsusingsmallplastictubsorbaskets.Putonenumberoneachitemandfilleachtubwiththematerialslistedbelow.Labelthetubswiththesectionname,likeAstronomyStudyKitandyouwillhaveaneasywaytokeeptrackofthematerialsandbuildaccountabilityintotheprogramforthekids.Copytheselistsandsticktheminthebinforeasytracking.Feelfreetoreuseitemsbetweenlessonsandunitsections.Mostmaterialsarereusableyearafteryear.
BakingsodaBallbearingormagneticmarbleBalloons(4)BlackpaperBouncyballCalciumchlorideCalculatorCamera(videoorstillcamera)CardboardorsmallpieceofclayCDorDVDChalkClockDiffractiongratingEmptyCDCaseFeatherFlashlightGallonmilkjugcontainerHandheldmagnifyingglass
Indexcards(3)Magnet(strong!)MarkersMeasuringtapePencilPhenolredorredfooddyePieceoffabricPlasticwrapPopsiclesticksProtractorRemotecontrolforTVorstereoRulerSaltSandScaletoweighyourselfScissorsSkewerSmallballs(5)
SoupcansorplasticcontainersSteelwoolStopwatchStringSunblockSunglassesTackorneedleTape(regularanddouble‐sided)TennisballThermometers(4)ThinplasticcuttingboardUVbeads(thesechangecolorswhenexposedtotheSun,5)VinegarWaterbottles(7)WaxpaperYardsticks/metersticks(2)
©2014SuperchargedScience 4 www.SuperchargedScience.com
TABLEOFCONTENTS
Introduction...............................................................................................................................................................................................................2
MasterMaterialsListforAllLabs.....................................................................................................................................................................3
UnitPrep.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................5
LabSafety...................................................................................................................................................................................................................6
TeachingScienceRight.........................................................................................................................................................................................7
EducationalGoals....................................................................................................................................................................................................9
Lesson#1:Stars,Planets,andBlackHoles.................................................................................................................................................11
Lesson#2:SolarSystemScaleModel...........................................................................................................................................................17
Lesson#3:Atmospheres....................................................................................................................................................................................24
Lesson#4:LunarPhases....................................................................................................................................................................................28
Lesson#5:EclipsesandTransits....................................................................................................................................................................34
Lesson#6:RustyBalloon...................................................................................................................................................................................38
Lesson#7:Meteorites.........................................................................................................................................................................................42
Lesson#8:Neptune’sFurnace.........................................................................................................................................................................47
Lesson#9:BinaryPlanetarySystems...........................................................................................................................................................52
Lesson#10:BuildYourOwnSolarSystem................................................................................................................................................58
Lesson#11:WatchYourWeight.....................................................................................................................................................................67
Lesson#12:Sundial.............................................................................................................................................................................................74
Lesson#13:Diffraction......................................................................................................................................................................................83
Lesson#14:InfraredVision..............................................................................................................................................................................88
Lesson#15:UVLight...........................................................................................................................................................................................93
Lesson#16:StarWobble...................................................................................................................................................................................99
Lesson#17:SpaceTelescopes......................................................................................................................................................................103
Astronomy2Evaluation..................................................................................................................................................................................108
Astronomy2Quiz...............................................................................................................................................................................................111
Astronomy2LabPractical.............................................................................................................................................................................114
TheScientificMethod.......................................................................................................................................................................................115
VocabularyfortheUnit....................................................................................................................................................................................117
©2014SuperchargedScience 5 www.SuperchargedScience.com
UnitPrep
Thisisashortlistofthingsthatyoumaywanttoconsiderasyouprepareforthisunit.
StudentLabBooks:Ifyou’rethekindofteacherwholikestopreparelabbooksforyourkids,nowisagoodtimetodothis.YoucancopytheIntroductionforKidsandtheStudentWorksheetsforeachoftheexperiments,3‐holepunchthem,andsticktheminabinder.You’llwantonebinderperstudent.
ScienceJournals:Oneofthebestthingsyoucandowithyourstudentsistoteachthemhowtotakenotesinajournalasyougoalong.Thisisthesamewayscientistsdocumenttheirownfindings,andit’salotoffuntolookbackatthesplatteredpageslateronandseehowfaryou’vecome.Ialwaysjotdownmyquestionsthatdidn’tgetansweredwiththeexperimentacrossthetopofthepagesoIcanresearchthesetopicsmore.
MasterSetofMaterials:Ifyouplanondoingallthelabsinthisunit,you’llwanttostartgatheringyourmaterialstogether.There’samastermaterialslistsoyou’llhaveeverythingyouneedwhenyouneedit.
TestCopies:Studentswilltaketwotestsattheendofeachsection.Therearequizzesandlabpracticaltestsyoucancopyandstashawayforwhenyouneedthem.
ClassroomDesign:Asyouprogressthroughtheunits,you’llbemakingdemosoftheexperimentsandkidswillbemakingposters.Youcanhangtheseuponyourbulletinboards,stringthemfromtheceiling,ordisplaytheminauniqueway.Ialwaysliketosnapphotosofthekidsdoingtheirexperimentsandhangthoseupalongwiththeirbestlabssotheycanseetheirprogressaswegoalong.
©2014SuperchargedScience 6 www.SuperchargedScience.com
LabSafetyGoggles:Theseshouldbewornwhenworkingwithchemicals,heat,fire,orprojectiles.Theseprotectyoureyesfromchemicalsplatter,explosions,andtinyfast‐movingobjectsaimedattheeyes.Ifyouwearglasses,youcanfindgogglesthatfitoverthem.Don’tsubstituteeyeglassesforgoggles,becauseofthelackofsideprotection.Eyeglassesdon’tprovidethisimportantprotection.
CleanupMesses:Yourlabareashouldbeneat,organized,andspotlessbeforeyoustart,duringyourexperiment,andwhenyouleave.Scientistswastemoretimehuntingforlostpapers,piecesofanexperiment,andtryingtorepositionsensitiveequipment…allofwhichcouldhaveeasilybeenavoidedhadtheybeentaughtorganizationalskillsfromthestart.
DisposeofPoisons:Ifapoisonoussubstancewasused,created,orproducedduringyourexperiment,youmustfollowtheproperhandlingproceduresfordisposal.You’llfinddetailsforthisintheexperimentsasneeded.
SpecialNotesonBatteries:Donotusealkalinebatterieswithyourexperiments.Findthesuper‐cheapkindofbatteries(usuallylabeled“HeavyDuty”or“SuperHeavyDuty”)becausethesetypesofbatterieshaveacarbon‐zinccore,whichdoesnotcontaintheacidthatalkalinebatterieshave.Thismeanswhenyouwireupcircuitsincorrectly(whichyoushouldexpecttodobecauseyouarelearning),thecircuitswillnotoverheatorleak.Ifyouusealkalinebatteries(likeEnergizerandDuracell)andyourstudentsshortacircuit,theirwiresandcomponentswillgetsuper‐hotandleakacid,whichisverydangerous.
NoEatingorDrinkingintheLab:Allfoodsanddrinksarebannedfromyourclassroomduringscienceexperimentation.Whenyoueatordrink,youruntheveryrealriskofingestingpartofyourexperiment.Forelectricityandmagnetismlabs,alwayswashyourhandsafterthelabisovertorinseofftheleadfromtheelectricalcomponents.
NoHorsePlay:Whenyougoofaround,accidentshappen,whichmeanschemicalsspill,circuitsshort,andallkindsofhazardscanoccurthatyouweren’texpecting.Neverthrowanythingtoanotherpersonandbecarefulwhereyouputyourhands–itcouldbeinthemiddleofasensitiveexperiment,especiallywithmagnetismandelectricity.Youdon’twanttoruntheriskofgettingshockedorelectrifiedwhenit’snotpartofyourexperiment.
Fire:Ifyouthinkthere’safireintheroom(evenifyou’renotsure),letyourteacherknowrightaway.Iftheyarenotaround(theyalwaysshouldbe),smotherthefirewithafireblanketoruseafireextinguisherandsendsomeonetofindanadult.Stop,drop,androll!
Questions:Ifyou’renotsureaboutsomethingstopandask,nomatterwhatit’sabout.Ifyoudon’tknowhowtoproperlyhandleachemical,dopartofanexperiment,ask!Ifyou’renotcomfortabledoingpartoftheexperiment,thendon’tdoit.
©2014SuperchargedScience 7 www.SuperchargedScience.com
TeachingScienceRightTheseactivitiesandexperimentswillgiveyouatasteofhowsciencecanbetotallycoolANDeducational.Butteachingscienceisn’talwayseasy.There’salotmoretoitthanmosttraditionalsciencebooksandprogramsaccomplish.Ifyourstudentsdon’trememberthesciencetheylearnedlastyear,youhaveaproblem.
Whatdokidsreallyneedtoknowwhenitcomestoscience?Kidswhohaveasolidscienceandtechnologybackgroundarebetterequippedtogotocollege,andwillhavemanymorechoicesoncetheygetoutintotherealworld.
Learningscienceisn’tjustamatterofmemorizingfactsandtheories.Onthecontrary,it’sdevelopingadeepcuriosityabouttheworldaroundus,ANDhavingasetoftoolsthatletskidsexplorethatcuriositytoanswertheirquestions.Teachingscienceinthiswayisn'tjustamatterofputtingtogetheratextbookwithafewscienceexperimentsandkits.
Scienceeducationisathree‐stepprocess(andImeanteachingscienceinawaythatyourstudentswillreallyunderstandandremember).
Herearethesteps:
1.Getkidsgenuinelyinterestedandexcitedaboutatopic.
2.Givethemhands‐onactivitiesandexperimentstomakethetopicmeaningful.
3.Teachthesupportingacademicsandtheory.
Mostsciencebooksandcurriculumjustfocusonthethirdstepandmaythrowinanexperimentortwoasanafterthought.Thisjustisn’thowstudentslearn.Whenyouprovideyourstudentswiththesethreekeys(inorder),youcangiveyourstudentsthekindofscienceeducationthatnotonlyexcitesthem,butthattheyrememberformanyyearstocome.
Sowhatdoyoudo?First,don’tworry.It’snotsomethingthattakesyearsandyearstodo.Itjusttakescommitment.
Whatifyoudon’thavetime?WhatI’mabouttodescribecantakeabitoftimeasateacher,butitdoesn’thaveto.Thereisawaytoshortcuttheprocessandgetthesameresults!ButI’lltellyoumoreaboutthatinaminute.First,letmetellyouhowtodoittherightway:
PuttingItintoAction
Stepone:Getstudentsgenuinelyinterestedandexcitedaboutatopic.Startbydecidingwhattopicyouwantyourstudentstolearn.Then,you’regoingtogetthemreallyinterestedinit.Forexample,supposeIwantmyfifth‐gradestudentstolearnaboutaerodynamics.I’llarrangeforthemtowatchavideoofwhatit’sliketogoupinasmallplane,orevenfindsomeonewhoisapilotandcancometalkwiththekids.Thisisthekindofexperiencethatwillreallyexcitethem.
Steptwo:Giveyourstudentshands‐onactivitiesandexperimentstomakethetopicmeaningful.ThisiswhereItakethatexcitementandletthemexploreit.Ihaveflyinglessonvideos,airplanebooks,andrealpilotsinteractwithmystudents.I’llalsoshowvideosonhowpilotsplanforaflight.Mystudentswilllearnaboutnavigation,figuringouthowmuchfuelisneededfortheflight,howtheweighttheplanecarriesaffectsitsaerodynamics,andsomuchmore.(AnddidIjustseeaspotforafuturemathlessonalso?)I’llusepilottrainingvideostohelpusfigure
©2014SuperchargedScience 8 www.SuperchargedScience.com
thisout(shortofalivedemo,avideoisincrediblypowerfulforlearningwhenusedcorrectly).
Mystudentsareincrediblyexcitedatthispointaboutanythingthathastodowithairplanesandflying.Theyareallpositivetheywanttobepilotssomedayandarealreadywantingflyinglessons(remember‐theyareonlyfifth‐graders!).
Stepthree:Teachthesupportingacademicsandtheory.Now,it’stimetointroduceacademics.Honestly,Ihavemypickofsomanytopics,becauseflyingincludessomanydifferentfields.Imeanmystudentsuseanglesandmathinflightplanning,mechanicsandenergyinhowtheengineworks,electricityinalltheequipmentonboardtheplane,andofcourse,aerodynamicsinkeepingtheplaneintheair(tonamejustafew).
I’mgoingtousethisasthefoundationtoteachtheacademicsideofallthetopicsthatareappropriate.Westartwithaerodynamics.Theylearnaboutliftanddrag,makepaperandbalsa‐woodglidersandexperimentbychangingdifferentparts.Theycalculatehowbigthewingsneedtobetocarrymoreweight(jellybeans)andthentrytheirmodelswithbiggerwings.Thenwemoveontothegeometryusedinnavigation.Insteadofdrawinganglesonablanksheetofpaper,ourworkspaceismadeofairplanemaps(freefromtheairport).We’reactuallyplanningpartofthenextflightmystudentswill“take”duringtheirgeographylesson.Suddenly,anglesarealotmoreinteresting.Infact,itturnsoutthatweneedabitoftrigonometrytofigureoutsomethings.
Ofcourse,a10‐yearoldcan’tdotrigonometry,right?Wrong!Theyhavenoideathatit’susuallyforhighschoolandlearnaboutcosinesandtangents.Throughoutthis,I’mgivingthemchancestotalkwiththepilotinclass,sharewhatthey’velearnedwitheachother,andevenplanarealflight.Howcoolisthattoakid?
Thekeyistofocusonbuildinginterestandexcitementfirst,andthentheacademicsareeasytogetstudentstolearn.Trystartingwiththeacademicsand...well,we’veallhadtheexperienceoftryingtogetkidsdosomethingtheydon’treallywanttodo.
TheShortcut:Okay,sothismightsoundlikeit’stime‐intensive.Ifyou’rethinking“Ijustdon’thavethetimetodothis!”Ormaybe“Ijustdon’tunderstandsciencewellenoughmyselftoteachittomystudentsatthatlevel.”Ifthisisyou,you’renotalone.
Thegoodnewsis,youdon’thaveto.Theshortcutistofindsomeonewhoalreadyspecializesintheareayouwantyourstudentstolearnaboutandexposethemtotheexcitementthatthepersongetsfromthefield.Then,insteadofyoubeingtheonetoinventanentirelynewcurriculumofhands‐onactivitiesandacademics,useasolidscienceprogramorcurriculum(livevideos,notcartoons).Thiswillprovidethemwithboththehands‐onexperimentsandtheacademicbackgroundtheyneed.
Ifyouuseaprogramthatisself‐guided(thatis,itguidesyouandyourstudentsthroughitstep‐by‐step),youdon’tneedtobehassledwiththepreparation.That’swhatthisunitisintendedtodoforyouandyourstudents.Thisprogramusesthesecomponentsandmatchesyoureducationalgoalssetbystatestandards.
Thisunitimplementsthethreekeystepswejusttalkedaboutanddoesthisallforyou.Myhopeisthatyounowhavesomenewtoolsinyourteachingtoolboxtogiveyourstudentsthebeststartyoucan.Iknowit’slikeawildrollercoasterridesomedays,butIalsoknowit’sworthit.Havenodoubtthatthatthecaringandattentionyougivetoyourstudents’educationtodaywillpayoffmanifoldinthefuture.
©2014SuperchargedScience 9 www.SuperchargedScience.com
EducationalGoals
Astrophysicscombinestheknowledgeoflight(electromagneticradiation),chemicalreactions,atoms,energy,andphysicalmotionallintoone.You’llsoonbediscoveringhowtomakearealscalemodelofthesolarsystem(andwheremostmodelsgowrong),you’lllearnaboutthedifferentatmospheresonplanets,howtocapturemeteorites,designasolarsystem,learnaboutdifferentspacemissionsandsomuchmore.
Herearethescientificconcepts:
Objectsintheskymoveinregularandpredictablepatterns.Thepatternsofstarsstaythesame,althoughtheyappeartomoveacrosstheskynightly,anddifferentstarscanbeseenindifferentseasons.
ThepositionoftheMoonchangesduringthecourseofthedayandfromseasontoseason. ThephasesoftheMoonandthelunarcycle. TheEarthisoneofseveralplanetsthatorbittheSun,andtheMoonorbitstheEarth. ThesolarsystemconsistsofplanetsandotherbodiesthatorbittheSuninpredictablepaths. Oursolarsystemincludesrockyterrestrialplanets(Mercury,Venus,Earth,andMars),gasgiants(Jupiter
andSaturn),icegiants(UranusandNeptune),andassortedchunksoficeanddustthatmakeupvariouscometsandasteroids.
Twoplanets(CeresandPluto)havebeenreclassifiedafterastronomersfoundoutmoreinformationabouttheirneighbors.
TheOortCloudholdsanestimated1trillioncomets.TheKuiperBeltholdschunksoficeanddust,likecometsandasteroidsaswellaslargerobjectslikedwarfplanetsErisandPluto.
Theappearance,generalcomposition,relativepositionandsize,andmotionofobjectsinthesolarsystem,includingplanets,planetarysatellites,comets,andasteroids.
HowtouseastronomicalunitsandlightyearsasmeasuresofdistancebetweentheSun,stars,andEarth. ThepathofaplanetaroundtheSunisduetothegravitationalattractionbetweentheSunandtheplanet. TheSun,anaveragestar,isthecentralandlargestbodyinthesolarsystemandiscomposedprimarilyof
hydrogenandhelium.TheSunusesnuclearreactionstogenerateitsenergy. ThepositionoftheSunintheskychangesduringthecourseofthedayandfromseasontoseason. Starsarethesourceoflightforallbrightobjectsinouterspace.TheMoonandplanetsshinebyreflected
sunlight,notbytheirownlight. Visiblelightisasmallbandwithinaverybroadelectromagneticspectrum. Whitelightisamixtureofmanywavelengths(colors),includinginfrared,ultra‐violet,visible,andmore.
Differentinstrumentsdetectandmeasuredifferentwavelengthsoflight. Galaxiesareclustersofbillionsofstars,andmayhavedifferentshapes.TheSunisoneofmanystarsinour
ownMilkyWaygalaxy.Starsmaydifferinsize,temperature,andcolor. Gravitationallensingoccurswhenblackholesandothermassiveobjectsbendlight.
Bytheendofthelabsinthisunit,studentswillbeableto:
DesignandbuildanexperimentthatshowshowtheshapeoftheMoonchangesovertime. Knowhowtodemonstratehowthepositionofobjectsintheskychangesovertime. Knowthecelestialobjectsinthesolarsystemandhowtheyrelateandinteractwitheachother. Measureandestimatethelengthandvolumeofobjects.
©2014SuperchargedScience 10 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Formulateandjustifypredictionsbasedoncause‐and‐effectrelationships. Conductmultipletrialstotestapredictionanddrawconclusionsabouttherelationshipsbetween
predictionsandresults. Constructandinterpretgraphsfrommeasurements.
Followasetofwritteninstructionsforascientificinvestigation.
©2014SuperchargedScience 11 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson#1:Stars,Planets,andBlackHolesTeacherSection
OverviewThisisanintroductiontoastronomyandwhyit’simportanttostudy.Todaystudents(andyou)willtakeanintergalacticstartourwithoutleavingtheirseats!You’llbewatchingthevideorightalongwiththekids.Thisvideoyou’reabouttowatchisbestwithabigbowlofpopcorn.
SuggestedTime:60‐75minutes
OverviewWe’regoingtocoveralotinthispresentation,includingstarslikeoursunaswellasdistantstars,iceandgasgiants,comets,asteroids,moons,ringedplanets,blackholesquasars,supernovaandmore.Thisisanoverviewofmanydifferentconceptswe’regoingtostudyinfurtherdepth,including:
TheSun,anaveragestar,isthecentralandlargestbodyinthesolarsystemandiscomposedprimarilyofhydrogenandhelium.
ThesolarsystemincludestheEarth,Moon,Sun,sevenotherplanetsandtheirsatellites,andsmallerobjectssuchasasteroidsandcomets.
Thestructureandcompositionoftheuniversecanbelearnedfromthestudyofstarsandgalaxies. Galaxiesareclustersofbillionsofstars,andmayhavedifferentshapes. TheSunisoneofmanystarsinourownMilkyWaygalaxy. Starsmaydifferinsize,temperature,andcolor.
Materials(perlabgroup)
Metalball(likeaballbearing)ORamagneticmarble Strongmagnet(thestrongestoneyouown).IhaveaneodymiummagnetthatIamusing. Thinplastic,cardboard,orwoodsheet(likeatableorcuttingboard).Makesurethemagnetcaninfluence
themetalballthroughit(don'tusemetal.) SmallbouncyballandtennisballORatennisballandabasketball(youneedtwoballsofdifferentsizes)
LabPreparation
1. Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.2. ReadovertheBackgroundLessonReadingbeforeteachingthisclass.3. Watchthevideoatthebeginningofthissectiontoprepareyourselfforthisclass.
BackgroundLessonReading
Oursolarsystemincludesrockyterrestrialplanets(Mercury,Venus,Earth,andMars),gasgiants(JupiterandSaturn),icegiants(UranusandNeptune),andassortedchunksoficeanddustthatmakeupvariouscometsandasteroids.
Twoplanets(CeresandPluto)havebeenreclassifiedafterastronomersfoundoutmoreinformationabouttheirneighbors.CeresisnowanasteroidintheAsteroidBeltbetweenMarsandJupiter.BeyondNeptune,theKuiper
©2014SuperchargedScience 12 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Beltholdsthechunksoficeanddust,likecometsandasteroidsaswellaslargerobjectslikedwarfplanetsErisandPluto.
BeyondtheKuiperBeltisanareacalledtheOortCloud,whichholdsanestimated1trillioncomets.TheOortCloudissofarawaythatit’sonlylooselyheldinorbitbyourSun,andconstantlybeingpulledgravitationallybypassingstarsandtheMilkyWayitself.TheVoyagerSpacecraftarebeyondtheheliosphere(theregioninfluencedgravitationallybyourSun)buthavenotreachedtheOortCloud.
Starsliketolivetogetherinfamilies.Galaxiesarestarsthatarepulledandheldtogetherbygravity.Somegalaxiesaresparsewhileothersarepackedsodenselyyoucan’tseethroughthem.Galaxiesalsoliketohangoutwithothergalaxies(calledgalaxyclusters),butnotallgalaxiesbelongtoclusters,andnotallstarsbelongtoagalaxy.
Dyingstarsblowoffshellsofheatedgasthatglowinbeautifulpatterns.WilliamHershel(1795)coinedtheterm“planetarynebula”becausetheoneshelookedatthrough18thcenturytelescopeslookedlikeplanets.Theyactuallyhavenothingtodowithplanets–theyareshellsofdustfeatheringaway.
Lesson
1. Thislabismostlydoneforyou–youdon’tevenhavetoteachifyoudon’twantto!Justfireupthevideoforthestudents,sitbackandenjoytheshow.Youcanhavethekidsfillouttheirquestionsandtableeitherduringoraftertheclass,ingroupsorindividually.Personally,Iencourageteamworkandgroupdiscussions,asthestudentsseemtocatchonmorewhentheyhaveotherstohelpthemoutonthepartstheymighthavemissed.
LabTime
1. Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.Handeachgrouptheirmaterialsandgivethemtimetolookoverthesheetandgetfamiliarwiththequestionsthatwillbeaskedaboutthepresentation.
2. Whenthevideoisup,askthekidstofillouttheirworksheet.3. Studentscansharetheirresultswithyouwhileyourecordthemontheboardforeveryonetosee.4. Leadthemintoadiscussionofwhattheythinkastronomyisandwhatitisn’t.5. Askthemtoshareonethingaboutastronomythattheynowknowbutdidn’tbeforetheywalkedintoyour
class.6. Finally,askthemtowritedownthreethingstheywanttoknowaboutastronomy.Givethemafewminutes
towritetheirideasdownandthenaskforshares.Youcanrecordtheirrequestsandposttheminyourclassroom.
Exercises
1. IsMercurythehottestplanet?Whyorwhynot?(No,Venusisbecauseit’sgotathickatmospherethatkeepstheheattrappedinside.)
2. Whatissolarwind?Whatprotectsplanetsfromit?(Mars,EarthandVenusarebathedinaflowofplasmathatcomesfromthesun,calledsolarwind.TheEarthhasamagneticfieldwhichactslikeaninvisiblecoattoprotecttheearthbecauseitdeflectsthesolarwindawayfromus,butVenusandMarsdon’thavethisprotectionsotheygetblastedwiththissolarwind.Solarwindisn’treallywind(there’snoairinspace,soitcan’tbelikethenormalkindofwind),butit’sastreamofhighlychargedparticlescomingfromthesun.)
©2014SuperchargedScience 13 www.SuperchargedScience.com
3. Canasteroidshavemoons?(Yes!Idaisanasteroiddetectedin1884,andin1993GalileospacecraftdiscovereditsmoonDactyl.)
4. WhyisIodifferentcolors?(Fromvolcanicactivity.)5. Canmoonshaveatmospheres?Doallplanetshaveatmospheres?(MoonslikeTitanhaveatmospheres.Not
allplanetshaveatmospheres,becauseofaplanet’slowgravity;theatmospherecangetblownawaybystrongsolarwinds.MercuryandMarshaveverythinatmospheres.)
6. HowmanyobjectsinthePlutosystem?(Four:Pluto,Charon,Hydra,andNix.)7. Nametwowaysyoucandetectblackholes.(LookforX‐rayemissions,lookforlightbendingaroundthe
blackhole,orlookforastarwobblingororbitingsomethingthatisn’tthere.)8. Ifastarcollapseswhenitrunsoutoffuel,thenwhydosupernovasexplode?(Whenthecoreofastar
collapses,itsmackstogethersoHARDthatitrebounds–itbouncesback.Whenitreboundsandbouncesbackout,itcollideswiththerestofthegasthatisstillfallinginward(rememberthefoilintheballoonexperiment?)Whenthereboundingcorehitsthein‐fallinggas,thecoreblastseverythingoutintospace…andthismakesagiantexplosion.)
9. Nametwoscientistswhocontributedtotheworkonblackholes.(StephenHawking,KarlSchwarzschild,RobertOppenheimer,RogerPenrose,AlbertEinstein,JohnMitchell…)
10. Whatisagalaxy,andhowisitdifferentfromaquasar?(Agalaxyisasystem,ofmillionsorbillionsofstars,togetherwithgasanddustthatisheldtogetherbygravity.Wethinkquasarsarethebrilliantcoresofagalaxy,whichispoweredbyablackhole.)
ClosureBeforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthattheycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyourclasstime.
©2014SuperchargedScience 14 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson#1:Stars,Planets,andBlackHolesStudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
OverviewGreetingsandwelcometothestudyofastronomy!Thisfirstlessonissimplytogetyouexcitedandinterestedinastronomysoyoucandecidewhatitisthatyouwanttolearnaboutastronomylateron.
WhattoLearnWe’regoingtocoveralotinthispresentation,includingstarslikeoursunaswellasdistantstars,iceandgasgiants,comets,asteroids,moons,ringedplanets,blackholesquasars,supernovaandmore.Thisisanoverviewofmanydifferentconceptswe’regoingtostudyinfurtherdepth,including:
TheSun,anaveragestar,isthecentralandlargestbodyinthesolarsystemandiscomposedprimarilyofhydrogenandhelium.
ThesolarsystemincludestheEarth,Moon,Sun,sevenotherplanetsandtheirsatellites,andsmallerobjectssuchasasteroidsandcomets.
Thestructureandcompositionoftheuniversecanbelearnedfromthestudyofstarsandgalaxies. Galaxiesareclustersofbillionsofstars,andmayhavedifferentshapes. TheSunisoneofmanystarsinourownMilkyWaygalaxy. Starsmaydifferinsize,temperature,andcolor.
Materials
Metalball(likeaballbearing)ORamagneticmarble Strongmagnet(thestrongestoneyouown).IhaveaneodymiummagnetthatIamusing. Thinplastic,cardboard,orwoodsheet(likeatableorcuttingboard).Makesurethemagnetcaninfluence
themetalballthroughit(don'tusemetal.) SmallbouncyballandtennisballORatennisballandabasketball(youneedtwoballsofdifferentsizes)
LabTime
1. IsMercurythehottestplanet?Whyorwhynot?
2. Whatissolarwind?Whatprotectsplanetsfromit?
3. Canasteroidshavemoons?
4. WhyisIodifferentcolors?
5. Canmoonshaveatmospheres?Doallplanetshaveatmospheres?
©2014SuperchargedScience 15 www.SuperchargedScience.com
6. HowmanyobjectsinthePlutosystem?
7. Nametwowaysyoucandetectblackholes.
8. Ifastarcollapseswhenitrunsoutoffuel,thenwhydosupernovasexplode?
9. Nametwoscientistswhocontributedtotheworkonblackholes.
10. Whatisagalaxy,andhowisitdifferentfromaquasar?
Writedownthreethingsyoureallywanttoknowaboutastronomy.
1.
2.
3.
©2014SuperchargedScience 16 www.SuperchargedScience.com
PlanetariumStarShowTable
Planet InterestingFactYouDidn’tKnow‘TilNow
HomeworkThisevening,findanarticleorstorythatdescribeshowastronomy(knowledge,equipment,discoveries,etc.)improvesourlives.Bringthearticletoschool.Ifyoubringinanarticlethatnooneelsebringsin,yougetextrapoints.
©2014SuperchargedScience 17 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson#2:SolarSystemScaleModelTeacherSection
Overview:Thislabisaboutbuildingascalemodelofthesolarsystem,bothinthedimensionsoftheplanetsaswellasthedistancesbetweenthem.
SuggestedTime:30‐45minutes
Objectives:Studentswilllearnhowoursolarsystemismostlymadeupofemptyspace,andthatthedistancesbetweentheobjectsarehuge.
Materials(perlabgroup)
Measuringtape Ruler(metricorinches) Popsiclesticks Markers Indexcards Tape Tennisball Grassyfieldoroutdoorareatospreadout
LabPreparation
1. Findalargeareathatyoucanletthekidsmarkoffwiththeirsticks.Theywillbeprovidedapproximate(average)orbitaldistancesandsizesforbuildingtheirownscalemodelofthesolarsystem.
2. Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.3. ReadovertheBackgroundLessonReadingbeforeteachingthisclass.4. Watchthevideoforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.
BackgroundLessonReading
AGreekmathematician,Eratosthenes,wasthefirstpersontomeasuretheEarth’scircumferenceaswellascalculatethetiltoftheEarth’saxis,bothwithremarkableaccuracy.ScientiststhinkhewasalsothefirsttocorrectlycalculatethedistancefromtheEarthtotheSun.Hissystemoflatitudeandlongitudeisstillusedtoday.
Thediameterofoursolarsystemisalittlehardertofigureout,sincetheexactboundarystillhasn’tbeenexploredthoroughlyyetinordertoprovideenoughinformationaboutwhatshouldbeincludedandwhatdoesn’tbelong.Formeasuringlargedistances,astronomersuse“AU”or“au”meaningastronomicalunit.OneAUisthedistancefromtheEarthtotheSun,or93millionmiles(150millionkm).
GianDomenicoCassinimadethefirstgoodplanetmeasurementsin1672byusingparallax.Here’showhedidit:Ifyouholdyourhandoutatarm’slengthandlookatitwithonlyoneeyeatatime,you’llseeyourhandshiftslightlybackandforth.Thisiscalledparallax.Thishappensbecauseyoureyesareseparatedbyacoupleinches.Ifweknowhowfarapartyoureyesare,andcarefullymeasurethehowfaryourhandappearstoshift,wecanfindouthowlongyourarmis.
©2014SuperchargedScience 18 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Nowimaginedoingthisbutinsteadofthedistancebetweenyoureyes,we’llusethedistancetheEarthmoveswhenit’sononesideoftheSunversustheother,likeinwinterandsummer.Thespacingbetweentheeyesnowisn’tacoupleinches;it’snearly2AU’sapart.Bycarefullymeasuringhowmuchanobjectappearstoshift,wecanfindouthowfarthatobjectisfromus.
TodayweusearadiosignalandtimehowlongittakesthesignaltotravelfromtheEarthtoaspacecraftparkedinorbitaroundanotherplanet.Sincethesignaltravelsatthespeedoflight(186,000milespersecond),it’seasytofindouthowfarawaytheobjectis.ScientistsalsobounceradarsignalsoffaplanetandtimehowlongittakestoechobacktoEarth,muchthesamewaythepolicecanfindoutyourspeedusingaradargun.
Lesson
1. Holdupabeachballandaskthekidshowlargeasheetofpaperthey’dneedtomakeascalemodelofthesolarsystemiftheSunwasthisbig(yourbeachballshouldbeabout12”indiameter).Theywouldneedasheetofpapernearlyamilelong!
2. Askthekidshowtheywouldmeasurethedistanceofafootballfieldiftheyonlyhadaruler.Thenaskhowwouldtheymeasurehowhighatreeis(withoutclimbingit)usingthesameruler.Nowaskhowthey’dmeasurethedistancetotheMoon.
3. Explaintothekidsaboutparallax(fromtheBackgroundReading),mentioningthatthiswasoneofthefirstwayswefiguredoutthedistancestotheplanets.Sincetheplanetsmoveintheirorbits,scientistshadtotakethatintoaccountwhentheydidtheirmeasurementsandcalculations.
4. Letthestudentsknowthatinordertogetthehangofhowbigandfarawaycelestialobjectsreallyare,we’regoingtomakeascalemodelofthesolarsystem.
5. Askyourstudentstodrawthesolarsystemontheboard.Don’tcorrectanymistakesjustyet(ifany).Moststudentswilltendtodrawtheplanetsevenlyspacedapart.Theywillcorrecttheirmistakesthenexttimeyouaskthisquestioninthenextlesson.
6. Whenbuildingthismodel,startbymarkingoffthelocationoftheSun(youcanusechalk,apapercirclecutto2.63”(66.8mm)orplaceatennisballasaplaceholderfortheSun).Therestisforthemtofigureout.
LabTime
1. Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.2. Handeachgrouptheirmaterials.3. Ononeendofeachstick,writethenameofeachplanet/objectfromthetablebelow.4. Ontheotherend,drawthescalesizeoftheplanet.IftheplanetislargerthanthePopsiclestick,drawiton
anindexcardandtapeittothestick.Usethefraction‐to‐decimalconverterifneeded(dependingonyourruler).
5. Placeyourtennisballatoneendoftheareamarkedoffforyourexperiments.ThisistheSun.6. Usingthetablebelowandthemeasuringtape,measurethedistancefromtheSuntoMercury.Havealab
partnerholdoneendofthemeasuringtapeatthecenterofthetennisball(oranXyou’vemarkedonthegroundthat’sunderthetennisball).At10.4inches,placeyourPopsiclestickintothegroundsoitstandsup.Ifyou’reonconcrete,layitdownwiththedotrepresentingMercury10.4inchesawayfromtheSun.
7. Continuewiththerestoftheplanets,asfarasyouhaveroomtogo.Whichplanetdidyouhavetostopatbecauseyourareawasn’tbigenough?Ordidn’tyou?
©2014SuperchargedScience 19 www.SuperchargedScience.com
SolarSystemDataTable
AlldistancesaremeasuredfromthecenteroftheSun.TheSunis2.63”(66.8mm)indiameter.
Planet/Object ObjectDiameter DistancefromtheSunMercury 0.009inches 0.2mm 10.4inches 0.264m
Venus 0.023inches 0.5mm 1foot7.4inches 0.493m
Earth 0.024inches 0.6mm 2feet2.9inches 0.682m
Mars 0.013inches 0.3mm 3feet4.9inches 1.039m
Jupiter 0.27inches 6.8mm 11feet7.76inches 3.649m
Saturn 0.22inches 5.5mm 21feet4.3inches 6.51m
Uranus 0.089inches 2.2mm 42feet11.5inches 13.094m
Neptune 0.086inches 2.1mm 67feet4.2inches 20.529m
Pluto(dwarfplanet) 0.004inches 0.1mm 88feet6inches 36.975m
Exercises
1. Whatdoyounoticeaboutthepositionoftherockyterrestrialplanets?(TheyareallbuncheduptogetherclosetotheSun.)
2. Aretheicegiantsfurtherapartfromeachotherthanthegasgiantsare?(Neptune‐Uranusis9.8AUandSaturn‐Jupiteris5AUwhentheyareonthesamesideoftheSun.)
3. Mariner10took147daystoreachMercuryfromEarth.HowlongdoyouthinkitwouldtaketogettoNeptune?(Approximately12‐22years,dependingontheflightpathandthespeedchosen.)
4. IftheEarthis93millionmiles(150millionkm)fromtheSun,andCeresis413millionmiles(665millionkm)fromtheSun,wherewouldyouplaceitinyourscalemodel?(Ceresis4.4AUor3metersor9.91feetaway.Ifyourstudentshaven’tcoveredthisyet,it’sokaytoeyeballthedistanceandapproximateCerestobeaboutfourtimesthedistancefromtheSunthattheEarthis.)Findthedistancewiththisproportionequation:
.
=3meters.
©2014SuperchargedScience 20 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Herearefraction‐to‐decimalequivalentsforyourreferenceifneeded:
inch fraction
inch decimal
mm
1⁄64 0.015625 0.396875
1⁄32 0.03125 0.79375
3⁄64 0.046875 1.190625
1⁄16 0.0625 1.5875
5⁄64 0.078125 1.984375
3⁄32 0.09375 2.38125
7⁄64 0.109375 2.778125
1⁄8 0.125 3.175
9⁄64 0.140625 3.571875
5⁄32 0.15625 3.96875
11⁄64 0.171875 4.365625
3⁄16 0.1875 4.7625
13⁄64 0.203125 5.159375
7⁄32 0.21875 5.55625
15⁄64 0.234375 5.953125
1⁄4 0.25 6.35
17⁄64 0.265625 6.746875
9⁄32 0.28125 7.14375
19⁄64 0.296875 7.540625
5⁄16 0.3125 7.9375
inch fraction
inch decimal
mm
11⁄32 0.34375 8.73125
23⁄64 0.359375 9.128125
3⁄8 0.375 9.525
25⁄64 0.390625 9.921875
13⁄32 0.40625 10.31875
27⁄64 0.421875 10.71563
7⁄16 0.4375 11.1125
29⁄64 0.453125 11.50938
15⁄32 0.46875 11.90625
31⁄64 0.484375 12.30313
1⁄2 0.5 12.7
33⁄64 0.515625 13.09688
17⁄32 0.53125 13.49375
35⁄64 0.546875 13.89063
9⁄16 0.5625 14.2875
37⁄64 0.578125 14.68438
19⁄32 0.59375 15.08125
39⁄64 0.609375 15.47813
5⁄8 0.625 15.875
41⁄64 0.640625 16.27188
21⁄32 0.65625 16.66875
inch fraction
inch decimal
mm
11⁄16 0.6875 17.4625
45⁄64 0.703125 17.85938
23⁄32 0.71875 18.25625
47⁄64 0.734375 18.65313
3⁄4 0.75 19.05
49⁄64 0.765625 19.44688
25⁄32 0.78125 19.84375
51⁄64 0.796875 20.24063
13⁄16 0.8125 20.6375
53⁄64 0.828125 21.03438
27⁄32 0.84375 21.43125
55⁄64 0.859375 21.82813
7⁄8 0.875 22.225
57⁄64 0.890625 22.62188
29⁄32 0.90625 23.01875
59⁄64 0.921875 23.41563
15⁄16 0.9375 23.8125
61⁄64 0.953125 24.20938
31⁄32 0.96875 24.60625
63⁄64 0.984375 25.00313
1 1 25.4
ClosureBeforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthattheycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyourclasstime.
©2014SuperchargedScience 21 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson#2:SolarSystemScaleModelStudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:Todayyougettomakeascalemodelofthesolarsystem.Byscalemodel,Imeanboththesizesoftheplanetswillbetoscaleaswellasthedistancesbetweentheplanets.Yourjobistomakeitasaccurateasyoucan.
WhattoLearn:Youwilllearnhowoursolarsystemismostlymadeupofemptyspaceandthatthedistancesbetweentheobjectsarehuge.You’llalsofindoutwherethatpeskydwarfplanetCeres(whichwasdiscoveredin1801andthoughttobeaplanet,butquicklywasdemotedtoanasteroidandlateradwarfplanet)lives.
Materials
Measuringtape Ruler(metricorinches) Popsiclesticks Markers Indexcards Tape Tennisball Grassyfieldoroutdoorareatospreadout
LabTime
1. Ononeendofeachstick,writethenameofeachplanet/objectfromthetablebelow.2. Ontheotherend,drawthescalesizeoftheplanet.IftheplanetislargerthanthePopsiclestick,drawiton
anindexcardandtapeittothestick.Usethefraction‐to‐decimalconverterifneeded(dependingonyourruler).
3. Placeyourtennisballatoneendoftheareamarkedoffforyourexperiments.ThisistheSun.4. Usingthetablebelowandthemeasuringtape,measurethedistancefromtheSuntoMercury.Havealab
partnerholdoneendofthemeasuringtapeatthecenterofthetennisball(oranXyou’vemarkedonthegroundthat’sunderthetennisball).At10.4inches,placeyourPopsiclestickintothegroundsoitstandsup.Ifyou’reonconcrete,layitdownwiththedotrepresentingMercury10.4inchesawayfromtheSun.
5. Continuewiththerestoftheplanets,asfarasyouhaveroomtogo.Whichplanetdidyouhavetostopatbecauseyourareawasn’tbigenough?Ordidn’tyou?
©2014SuperchargedScience 22 www.SuperchargedScience.com
SolarSystemDataTable
AlldistancesaremeasuredfromthecenteroftheSun.TheSunis2.63”(66.8mm)indiameter.
Planet/Object ObjectDiameter DistancefromtheSunMercury 0.009inches 0.2mm 10.4inches 0.264m
Venus 0.023inches 0.5mm 1foot7.4inches 0.493m
Earth 0.024inches 0.6mm 2feet2.9inches 0.682m
Mars 0.013inches 0.3mm 3feet4.9inches 1.039m
Jupiter 0.27inches 6.8mm 11feet7.76inches 3.649m
Saturn 0.22inches 5.5mm 21feet4.3inches 6.51m
Uranus 0.089inches 2.2mm 42feet11.5inches 13.094m
Neptune 0.086inches 2.1mm 67feet4.2inches 20.529m
Pluto(dwarfplanet) 0.004inches 0.1mm 88feet6inches 36.975m
ExercisesAnswerthequestionsbelow:
1. Whatdoyounoticeaboutthepositionoftherockyterrestrialplanets?
2. Aretheicegiantsfurtherapartfromeachotherthanthegasgiantsare?
3. Mariner10took147daystoreachMercuryfromEarth.HowlongdoyouthinkitwouldtaketogettoNeptune?
4. IftheEarthis93millionmiles(150millionkm)fromtheSun,andCeresis413millionmiles(665millionkm)fromtheSun,wherewouldyouplaceitinyourscalemodel?
©2014SuperchargedScience 23 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Herearefraction‐to‐decimalequivalentsforyourreferenceifneeded:
inch fraction
inch decimal
mm
1⁄64 0.015625 0.396875
1⁄32 0.03125 0.79375
3⁄64 0.046875 1.190625
1⁄16 0.0625 1.5875
5⁄64 0.078125 1.984375
3⁄32 0.09375 2.38125
7⁄64 0.109375 2.778125
1⁄8 0.125 3.175
9⁄64 0.140625 3.571875
5⁄32 0.15625 3.96875
11⁄64 0.171875 4.365625
3⁄16 0.1875 4.7625
13⁄64 0.203125 5.159375
7⁄32 0.21875 5.55625
15⁄64 0.234375 5.953125
1⁄4 0.25 6.35
17⁄64 0.265625 6.746875
9⁄32 0.28125 7.14375
19⁄64 0.296875 7.540625
5⁄16 0.3125 7.9375
inch fraction
inch decimal
mm
11⁄32 0.34375 8.73125
23⁄64 0.359375 9.128125
3⁄8 0.375 9.525
25⁄64 0.390625 9.921875
13⁄32 0.40625 10.31875
27⁄64 0.421875 10.71563
7⁄16 0.4375 11.1125
29⁄64 0.453125 11.50938
15⁄32 0.46875 11.90625
31⁄64 0.484375 12.30313
1⁄2 0.5 12.7
33⁄64 0.515625 13.09688
17⁄32 0.53125 13.49375
35⁄64 0.546875 13.89063
9⁄16 0.5625 14.2875
37⁄64 0.578125 14.68438
19⁄32 0.59375 15.08125
39⁄64 0.609375 15.47813
5⁄8 0.625 15.875
41⁄64 0.640625 16.27188
21⁄32 0.65625 16.66875
inch fraction
inch decimal
mm
11⁄16 0.6875 17.4625
45⁄64 0.703125 17.85938
23⁄32 0.71875 18.25625
47⁄64 0.734375 18.65313
3⁄4 0.75 19.05
49⁄64 0.765625 19.44688
25⁄32 0.78125 19.84375
51⁄64 0.796875 20.24063
13⁄16 0.8125 20.6375
53⁄64 0.828125 21.03438
27⁄32 0.84375 21.43125
55⁄64 0.859375 21.82813
7⁄8 0.875 22.225
57⁄64 0.890625 22.62188
29⁄32 0.90625 23.01875
59⁄64 0.921875 23.41563
15⁄16 0.9375 23.8125
61⁄64 0.953125 24.20938
31⁄32 0.96875 24.60625
63⁄64 0.984375 25.00313
1 1 25.4
©2014SuperchargedScience 24 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson#3:AtmospheresTeacherSection
Overview:Theatmosphereofaplanethasahugeeffectonitstemperature.We’regoingtosimulateconditionsonthreeoftheplanetsandmeasuretheirtemperatureovertime.
SuggestedTime:30‐45minutes
Objectives:Eachplanethasitsownuniqueatmosphericconditions.MarsandMercuryhaveverythinatmospheres,whileEarthhasadecentatmosphere(asleast,weliketothinkso).Venus’satmosphereissothickanddense(92timesthatoftheEarth’s)thatitheatsuptheplanetsoit’sthehottestrockaround.JupiterandSaturnaresogaseousthatit’shardtotellwheretheatmosphereendsandtheplanetstarts,soscientistsdefinethelayersbasedonthedensityandtemperaturechangesofthegases.UranusandNeptunearecalledicegiantsbecauseoftheamountsoficeintheiratmospheres.
Materials(perlabgroup)
4thermometers 3jarsorwaterbottles Plasticwraporclearplasticbaggie Waxpaper Stopwatch
LabPreparation
1. Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.2. ReadovertheBackgroundLessonReadingbeforeteachingthisclass.3. Watchthevideoforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.
BackgroundLessonReading
Venusishotenoughtomeltcannonballsandcrushanyspaceshipthattriestolandonthesurface.Carbondioxideisa“greenhousegas,”meaningthatsomewavelengthsoflightcanpassthroughit,butspecificallynotinfraredlight,whichisalsoknownasheat.LightfromtheSuneitherbouncesofftheuppercloudlayersandbackintospace,orpenetratesthecloudsandstrikesthesurfaceofVenus,warminguptheland.Thegroundradiatestheheatbackout,butthecarbondioxideatmosphereissodenseandthickthatittrapsandkeepstheheatdownonthesurfaceoftheplanet.Thinkofrollingupyourwindowsinyourcaronahotday.
TheheatissointenseonVenusthatthecarbonnormallylockedintorockssublimated(turnedstraightfromsolidtogas)andaddedtothecarbonintheatmosphere,tomakeevenmorecarbondioxide.
Lesson
1. Mercurydoesn’thavemuchofanatmosphere,whichisjustlikeabarethermometer.There’snothingtoholdontotheheatthatstrikesthesurface.Marsisinasimilarsituation.
©2014SuperchargedScience 25 www.SuperchargedScience.com
2. Earth’satmosphereissimulatedbyplacingthethermometerinabottle.TheEarthhasacloudlayerthatkeepssomeoftheheatontheplanet,butmostofitdoesgetradiatedbackintospace.Whenthecloudsareinatnight,theplanetstayswarmerthanwhenit’sclear(andcold).
3. Venus’sheavy,densecarbondioxideatmosphereissimulatedbyusingthewaxedpaper.Venusisthehottestplanetinoursolarsystembecauseoftherunawaygreenhouseeffectthattrapsmostoftheheatthatmakesitthroughtheatmosphere,bouncingitbackdowntothesurface.TheaveragetemperatureofVenusisover900oF.
4. JupiterandSaturn’satmospheresarethinnerlayersofhydrogenandheliumthandeeperinthecore.5. UranusandNeptunearecalledicegiantsbecauseoftheamountsoficeintheiratmospheres.Their
atmospheresarealsomadeofmostlyhydrogenandhelium.
LabTime
1. Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.2. Handeachgrouptheirmaterialsandgivethemtimetoperformtheirexperimentandwritedowntheir
observations.3. Placeonethermometerindirectsunlight.ThisisliketheatmosphereofMercuryandMars.4. Placeasecondthermometerinajarandcapit.Placethisinsunlight.ThisistheEarth’s,Jupiter’sand
Saturn’satmosphere.5. Linethesecondjarwithwaxortissuepaper.Placethethirdthermometerinthejarandcapit.Placeitnext
totheothertwoinsunlight.ThisistheatmosphereonVenus.6. Insertthefourththermometerintoaplasticbaggie,putitintothebottleandcapit.Makesurethebaggieis
loose.ThisisNeptuneandUranus.7. Recordyourdataobservationsinthetablebelow.
Exercises
1. Whichatmospherereachedthehighesttemperature?(Refertodatatable,butyoushouldfindthewaxedpaperheatedupthemost.Ifthebaggiejardid,thenyoupackedittootightlyinthejar.)
2. EachofthejarsreceivedthesameamountofenergyfromtheSun.Whyisthisnotquiteliketherealsolarsystem?(EachplanetisadifferentdistancefromtheSun,andreceiveslessenergythefurtheroutit’slocated.Thisexperimentworksbecauseit’soverashortperiodoftime,andwe’refiguringoutwhichconditionstrapheatthebest.)
Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthattheycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyourclasstime.
©2014SuperchargedScience 26 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson#3:AtmospheresStudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:ScientistsdoexperimentshereonEarthtobetterunderstandthephysicsofdistantworlds.We’regoingtosimulatethedifferentatmospheresandtakedatabasedonthemodelweuse.
WhattoLearn:Eachplanethasitsownuniqueatmosphericconditions.MarsandMercuryhaveverythinatmospheres,whileEarthhasadecentatmosphere(asleast,weliketothinkso).Venus’satmosphereissothickanddense(92timesthatoftheEarth’s)thatitheatsuptheplanetsoit’sthehottestrockaround.JupiterandSaturnaresogaseousthatit’shardtotellwheretheatmosphereendsandtheplanetstarts,soscientistsdefinethelayersbasedonthedensityandtemperaturechangesofthegases.UranusandNeptunearecalledicegiantsbecauseoftheamountsoficeintheiratmospheres.
Materials
4thermometers 3jarsorwaterbottles Plasticwraporclearplasticbaggie Waxpaper Stopwatch
LabTime
1. Placeonethermometerindirectsunlight.ThisisliketheatmosphereofMercuryandMars.2. Placeasecondthermometerinajarandcapit.Placethisinsunlight.ThisistheEarth’s,Jupiter’sand
Saturn’satmosphere.3. Linethesecondjarwithwaxortissuepaper.Placethethirdthermometerinthejarandcapit.Placeitnext
totheothertwoinsunlight.ThisistheatmosphereonVenus.4. Insertthefourththermometerintoaplasticbaggie,insertitintothebottleandcapit.Makesurethebaggie
isloose.ThisisNeptuneandUranus.5. Recordyourdataobservationsinthetablebelow,takingdataeverycoupleofminutes.
©2014SuperchargedScience 27 www.SuperchargedScience.com
AtmospheresDataTable
Don’tforgettolabelyourunits!
Time NakedThermometer
ClearJarThermometer
WaxJarThermometer
IceJarThermometer
ExercisesAnswerthequestionsbelow:
1. Whichatmospherereachedthehighesttemperature?
2. EachofthejarsreceivedthesameamountofenergyfromtheSun.Whyisthisnotquiteliketherealsolarsystem?
©2014SuperchargedScience 28 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson#4:LunarPhasesTeacherSection
OverviewTheMoonappearstochangeinthesky.Onemomentit’sabigwhitecircle,andnextweekit’sshapedlikeasidewaysbikehelmet.There’sevenonedaywhereitdisappearsaltogether.Sowhatgives?That’swhatthislabisallabout.
SuggestedTime:30‐45minutes
Objectives:StudentswilllearnhowtheMoon'sappearancechangesduringthefour‐weeklunarcycle.
Materials(perlabgroup)
Ball Flashlight
LabPreparation
1. Thislabworksbestifyourroomisverydark.Buttondownthoseshadesandmakeitasdarkasyoucan.2. Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.3. ReadovertheBackgroundLessonReadingbeforeteachingthisclass.4. Watchthevideoforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.
BackgroundLessonReading
TheSunilluminateshalfoftheMoonallthetime.Imagineshiningaflashlightonabeachball.Thehalfthatfacesthelightislitup.There’snolightonthefarside,right?SofortheMoon,whichhalfislitupdependsontherotationoftheMoon.AndwhichpartoftheilluminatedsidewecanseedependsonwherewearewhenlookingattheMoon.Soundcomplicated?Thislabwillstraighteneverythingoutsoitmakessense.
Onequestionyou’llhearis:Whydon’twehaveeclipseseverymonthwhenthere’sanewMoon?Thenextlessonisallabouteclipses,butyoucanquicklyanswertheirquestionsbyremindingthemthattheMoon’sorbitaroundtheEarthisnotinthesameplaneastheEarth’sorbitaroundtheSun(calledtheecliptic).It’sactuallyoffbyabout5o.Infact,onlytwicepermonthdoestheMoonpassthroughtheecliptic.
Thelunarcycleisapproximately28days.Tobeexact,ittakesonaverage29.53days(29days,12hours,44minutes)betweentwofullmoons.Theaveragecalendarmonthis1/12ofayear,whichis30.44days.SincetheMoon’sphasesrepeatevery29.53days,theydon’tquitematchup.That’swhyonMoonphasecalendars,you’llseeaskippeddaytoaccountforthemismatch.
AsecondfullMooninthesamemonthiscalledablueMoon.It’salsoablueMoonifit’sthethirdfullMoonoutoffourinathree‐monthseason,whichhappensonceeverytwoorthreeyears.
TheMoonisn’ttheonlyobjectthathasphases.MercuryandVenusundergophasesbecausetheyareclosertotheSunthantheEarth.IfwelivedonMars,thentheEarthwouldalsohavephases.
©2014SuperchargedScience 29 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson
1. Ifyouprefer,youcanrunthislabasademonstrationwhereyouaretheball‐holder(Moon)andavolunteerholdsastronglight(fortheSun),withthekidsallseatedinabigpileatthecenter(Earth).HavethekidsrecordtheirobservationsasyoucreatethedifferentphasesoftheMoon.
2. GooverthedifferentphasesoftheMoonwiththekidsbyaskingthemtocomeupanddrawyouapictureoftheEarthinthemiddleoftheboard.
3. AskkidstocomeupanddrawafullMoon(atthe9o’clockposition),firstquarter(12o’clockposition),thirdquarter(6o’clockposition),andnewMoon(3o’clockposition)ontheboard.Leaveplentyofspacebetweensoyoucanaddlabelsandadditionalphases.
4. WhichMooniswaxing(firstquarter)andwhichiswaning(thirdquarter)?LabeleachMoon.5. DrawawaxingcrescentMoonbetweenthefirstquarterandthenewMoonandlabelit.6. Askthekidswherethewaningcrescentshouldbe.(BetweenthethirdquarterandthenewMoon.)7. AskthekidswherethewaxinggibbousMoonshouldbe.(Betweenthefullandthefirstquarter.)8. DrawthewaninggibbousMoonbetweenthefullandthirdquarter.9. Nowaskthekidswherethesunlightiscomingfrom(totherightoftheboard).Drawarrowstowardthe
newMoontoshowthedirectionofthesunlight.
LabTime
1. Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.Youneedatleastthreepergroup.
2. Handeachgrouptheirmaterialsandgivethemtimetoperformtheirexperimentandwritedowntheirobservations.
3. AssignonepersontobetheSunandhandthemtheflashlight.Tellthemtostaystandingupaboutfourfeetawayfromthegroup.TheSundoesn’tmoveatallforthisactivity.
4. AssignonepersontobetheMoonandhandthemtheball.Tellthispersontostaystandingup,asthey’llbecirclingtheEarth.
5. TherestofthepeoplearetheEarth,andtheystandorsitrightinthemiddle(sotheydon’tgetaflashlightintheireyesastheMoonorbits).
6. StartwithanewMoon.ShinetheflashlightabovetheheadsoftheEarth.MovetheMoon(ball)intopositionsothattheballblocksallthelightfromtheflashlight.AsktheEarthkidshowmuchlighttheycanseeontheirsideoftheMoon(shouldbenone).WhichphaseoftheMoonisthis?__________________________________________________________________
7. NowtheMoonmovesaroundtotheoppositesideoftheEarthsothattheEarthkidscanseetheentirehalfoftheballlitupbytheflashlight.AsktheEarthkidshowmuchlighttheycanseeontheirsideoftheMoon(shouldbehalftheball).WhichphaseoftheMoonisthis?
__________________________________________________________________
©2014SuperchargedScience 30 www.SuperchargedScience.com
8. Nowfindthepositionsforfirstquarter.WheredoestheMoonneedtostandsothattheEarthkidscanseethefirstquarterMoon?
9. Continuearoundinacompletecircleandfilloutthediagrambelow.ColorinthecirclestoindicatethedarkhalfoftheMoon.Forexample,thenewMoonshouldbecompletelydarkened.
10. Nowit’stimetoinvestigatewhyVenusandMercuryhavephases.PuttheSuninthecenterandassignastudenttobeVenus.Venusgetstheball.
11. VenusshouldbewalkingslowlyaroundtheSun.TheSunisgoingtohavetorotatetoalwaysfaceVenus,sincetheSunnormallygivesofflightineverydirection.
12. TheEarthkidsneedtomovefurtheroutfromtheSunthanVenus,sotheywillbewatchingVenusorbittheSunfromadistanceofacoupleoffeet.
13. Earthkids:WhatdoyounoticeabouthowtheSunlightsupVenusfromyourpointofview?IsthereatimewhenyougettoseeVenuscompletelyilluminated,andothertimeswhenit’scompletelydark?Drawadiagrambelowofwhat’sgoingon,labelingVenus’sfullphase,newphase,halfphases,crescent,andgibbousphases.LabeltheSun,Earth,and8phasesofVenuslikewedidontheboardfortheMoonatthebeginningofthislesson.
Exercises
1. DoestheSunalwayslightuphalftheMoon?(Yes.Wedon’talwaysgettoseeit,whichisbecausetheMoonhasphases.)
2. HowmanyphasesdoestheMoonhave?(Eight)3. WhatisitcalledwhentheMoonappearstogrow?(Waxing)4. WhatisitcalledwhenyouseemorelightthandarkontheMoon?(Gibbous)5. Howlongdoesittakeforacompletelunarcycle?(About29½days)
Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthattheycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyourclasstime.
SOURCE:ONE‐MINUTEASTRONOMER
©2014SuperchargedScience 31 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson#4:LunarPhasesStudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:TheMoonappearstochangeinthesky.Onemomentit’sabigwhitecircle,andnextweekit’sshapedlikeasidewaysbikehelmet.There’sevenadaywhereitdisappearsaltogether.Sowhatgives?
WhattoLearnTheSunilluminateshalfoftheMoonallthetime.Imagineshiningaflashlightonabeachball.Thehalfthatfacesthelightislitup.There’snolightonthefarside,right?FortheMoon,whichhalfislitupdependsontherotationoftheMoon.AndwhichpartoftheilluminatedsidewecanseedependsonwherewearewhenlookingattheMoon.Soundcomplicated?Thislabwillstraighteneverythingoutsoitmakessense.
Materials
Ball Flashlight
LabTime
1. AssignonepersontobetheSunandhandthemtheflashlight.Staystandingupaboutfourfeetawayfromthegroup.TheSundoesn’tmoveatallforthisactivity.
2. AssignonepersontobetheMoonandhandthemtheball.Staystandingup,asyou’llbecirclingtheEarth.3. TherestofthepeoplearetheEarth,andtheystandorsitrightthemiddle(sotheydon’tgetaflashlightin
theireyesastheMoonorbits).4. StartwithanewMoon.ShinetheflashlightabovetheheadsoftheEarth.MovetheMoon(ball)intoposition
sothattheballblocksallthelightfromtheflashlight.AsktheEarthkidshowmuchlighttheycanseeontheirsideoftheMoon(shouldbenone).WhichphaseoftheMoonisthis?__________________________________________________________________
5. NowtheMoonmovesaroundtotheoppositesideoftheEarthsothattheEarthkidscanseetheentirehalfoftheballlitupbytheflashlight.AsktheEarthkidshowmuchlighttheycanseeontheirsideoftheMoon(shouldbehalftheball).WhichphaseoftheMoonisthis?
__________________________________________________________________
6. Nowfindthepositionsforfirstquarter.WheredoestheMoonneedtostandsothattheEarthkidscanseethefirstquarterMoon?
7. Continuearoundinacompletecircleandfilloutthediagrambelow.ColorinthecirclestoindicatethedarkhalfoftheMoon.Forexample,thenewMoonshouldbecompletelydarkened.
©2014SuperchargedScience 32 www.SuperchargedScience.com
LunarPhasesDataObservations
1. Nowit’stimetoinvestigatewhyVenusandMercuryhavephases.PuttheSuninthecenterandassignastudenttobeVenus.Venusgetstheball.
2. VenusshouldbewalkingslowlyaroundtheSun.TheSunisgoingtohavetorotatetoalwaysfaceVenus,sincetheSunnormallygivesofflightineverydirection.
3. TheEarthkidsneedtomovefurtheroutfromtheSunthanVenus,sotheywillbewatchingVenusorbittheSunfromadistanceofacoupleoffeet.
©2014SuperchargedScience 33 www.SuperchargedScience.com
4. Earthkids:WhatdoyounoticeabouthowtheSunlightsupVenusfromyourpointofview?IsthereatimewhenyougettoseeVenuscompletelyilluminated,andothertimeswhenit’scompletelydark?
5. Drawadiagrambelowofwhat’sgoingon,labelingVenus’sfullphase,newphase,halfphases,crescent,andgibbousphases.LabeltheSun,Earth,andalleightphasesofVenuslikewedidontheboardfortheEarthatthebeginningofthislesson:
ExercisesAnswerthequestionsbelow:1. DoestheSunalwayslightuphalftheMoon?
2. HowmanyphasesdoestheMoonhave?
3. WhatisitcalledwhentheMoonappearstogrow?
4. WhatisitcalledwhenyouseemorelightthandarkontheMoon?
5. Howlongdoesittakeforacompletelunarcycle?
©2014SuperchargedScience 34 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson#5:EclipsesandTransitsTeacherSection
Overview:Kidswillsimulatetransitsandthreedifferentkindsofsolareclipsesastheylearnhowplanets,stars,andmoonscanlineupindifferentcombinations.
SuggestedTime:30‐45minutes
Objectives:AtotaleclipsehappensaboutonceeveryyearwhentheMoonblockstheSun’slight.LunareclipsesoccurwhentheSun,Moon,andEartharelinedupinastraightlinewiththeEarthinthemiddle(andhencetheMoonisalwaysfull),whichhappensacoupletimeseachyear.Lunareclipseslasthours,whereassolareclipseslastonlyminutes.
Materials(perlabgroup)
2indexcards Flashlightorsunlight Tackorneedle Blackpaper Scissors
LabPreparation
1. Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.2. ReadovertheBackgroundLessonReadingbeforeteachingthisclass.3. Watchthevideoforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.
BackgroundLessonReading
Aneclipseiswhenoneobjectcompletelyblocksanother.Ifyou’rebigonvocabularywords,thenletthestudentsknowthateclipsesareonetypeofsyzygy(astraightlineofthreeobjectsinagravitationalsystem,liketheEarth,Moon,andSun).
AlunareclipseiswhentheMoonmovesintotheEarth’sshadow,makingtheMoonappearcopper‐red.
AsolareclipseiswhentheMoon’sshadowcrawlsovertheEarth,blockingouttheSunpartiallyorcompletely.Therearethreekindsofsolareclipses.AtotaleclipseblockstheentireSun,whereasinapartialeclipsetheMoonappearstoblockpart,butnotalloftheSun’sdisk.AnannulareclipseiswhentheMoonistoofarfromEarthtocompletelycovertheSun,sothere’sabrightringaroundtheMoonwhenitmovesinfrontoftheSun.
ItjustsohappensthattheSun’sdiameterisabout400timeslargerthantheMoon,buttheMoonis400timescloserthantheSun.ThismakestheSunandMoonappeartobeaboutthesamesizeintheskyasviewedfromEarth.Thisisalsowhytheeclipsethingissuchabigdealforourplanet.
Transitsarewherethediskofaplanet(likeVenus)passeslikeasmallshadowacrosstheSun.IotransitsthesurfaceofJupiter.Inrarecases,oneplanetwilltransitanother.Thesearerarebecauseallthreeobjectsmustaligninastraightline.
©2014SuperchargedScience 35 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Astronomersusethismethodtodetectlargeplanetsarounddistantbrightstars.Ifalargeplanetpassesinfrontofitsstar,thestarwillappeartodimslightly.
Note:Atransitisnotanoccultation,whichcompletelyhidesthesmallerobjectbehindalargerone.
Lesson
1. Usingabeachball(fortheSun),ping‐pongball(fortheMoon),andtennisball(fortheEarth),showthekidsthedifferenttypesofeclipsesasmentionedintheBackgroundReadingsection.
2. Youcandothisexperimentoutside,oriftheweather’snotcooperating(meaningthatthere’snoSun),handoutflashlightsandturndownthelightsinside.
LabTime
1. Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.2. Handeachgrouptheirmaterialsandgivethemtimetoperformtheirexperimentandwritedowntheir
observations.3. Tracethecircleofyourflashlightontheblackpaperandcutoutthecirclewithpaper.ThisisyourMoon.If
youareusingtheSuninstead,cutoutacircleaboutthesizeofyourfist.4. Makeatinyholeinoneoftheindexcardsbypushingatackthroughthemiddleofthecard.5. Holdthepunchedindexcardacoupleofinchesabovetheplainoneandshineyourlightthroughtheholeso
thatasmalldiskappearsonthelowercard.Movethecardsclosertogetherorfurtherapartuntilitcomesintofocus.ThediskoflightistheSun.
6. AskyourlabpartnertoslowlymovetheblackpaperdiskinfrontofyourlightasyouwatchwhathappenstotheSunonthebottomindexcard.
7. ContinuemovingtheblackpaperuntilyoucanseetheSunagain.8. Wheredoesyourcircleneedtobeinordertocreateanannulareclipse?Apartialeclipse?9. Filloutthetablebelow.
Exercises
1. Whatotherplanetscanhaveeclipses?(MercuryandVenusdon’thavemoons,andthemoonsofMarsaretoosmall.Jupiter,Saturn,UranusandNeptunecanhaveeclipsesastheirmoonsarelargeenoughandtheSunappearssmaller.PlutoandCharonareinaweirdorbitsothatonlyonesideofeitheronewilleverexperienceeclipses,andevenwhentheydo,it’severy120yearsorso.)
2. WhichplanetstransittheSun?(VenusandMercury)3. Howisasolareclipsedifferentfromalunareclipse?(AlunareclipseiswhentheEarthcomesbetweenthe
SunandMoon.AsolareclipseiswhentheMooncomesbetweentheEarthandSun.)4. Whatphasecanalunareclipseoccur?(OnlyonanightofafullMoon.)5. Canasolareclipseoccuratnight?(No,becausetheSunisn’tvisibleatnight.)
Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthattheycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyourclasstime.
©2014SuperchargedScience 36 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson#5:EclipsesandTransitsStudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:ItjustsohappensthattheSun’sdiameterisabout400timeslargerthantheMoon,buttheMoonis400timescloserthantheSun.ThismakestheSunandMoonappeartobeaboutthesamesizeintheskyasviewedfromEarth.Thisisalsowhytheeclipsethingissuchabigdealforourplanet.You’reabouttomakeyourowneclipsesasyoulearnaboutsyzygy.
WhattoLearn:AtotaleclipsehappensaboutonceeveryyearwhentheMoonblockstheSun’slight.LunareclipsesoccurwhentheSun,Moon,andEartharelinedupinastraightlinewiththeEarthinthemiddle.Lunareclipseslasthours,whereassolareclipseslastonlyminutes.
Materials
2indexcards Flashlightorsunlight Tackorneedle Blackpaper Scissors
LabTime
1. Tracethecircleofyourflashlightontheblackpaperandcutoutthecirclewithpaper.ThisisyourMoon.IfyouareusingtheSuninstead,cutoutacircleaboutthesizeofyourfist.
2. Makeatinyholeinoneoftheindexcardsbypushingatackthroughthemiddleofthecard.3. Holdthepunchedindexcardacoupleinchesabovetheplainoneandshineyourlightthroughtheholeso
thatasmalldiskappearsonthelowercard.Movethecardsclosertogetherorfurtherapartuntilitcomesintofocus.ThediskoflightistheSun.
4. AskyourlabpartnertoslowlymovetheblackpaperdiskinfrontofyourlightasyouwatchwhathappenstotheSunonthebottomindexcard.
5. ContinuemovingtheblackpaperuntilyoucanseetheSunagain.6. Wheredoesyourcircleneedtobeinordertocreateanannulareclipse?Apartialeclipse?7. HowwouldyousimulateMercurytransitingtheSun?Whatwouldyouuse?8. Filloutthetablebelow.
©2014SuperchargedScience 37 www.SuperchargedScience.com
EclipsesandTransitsDataTable
Forthesecondcolumn,describewhereyourobjectwascomparedtotheflashlight/Sun,andhowlargeitwas.Forthethirdcolumn,drawthechangeyousawintheSun.
TypeofEclipse WherewastheMoonlocated? Whatdiditlooklike?
Total
Partial
Annular
Transit
ExercisesAnswerthequestionsbelow:1. Whatotherplanetscanhaveeclipses?
2. WhichplanetstransittheSun?
3. Howisasolareclipsedifferentfromalunareclipse?
4. Whatphasecanalunareclipseoccur?
5. Canasolareclipseoccuratnight?
©2014SuperchargedScience 38 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson#6:RustyBalloonTeacherSection
Overview:Marsisbasicallyarustyburp,asit’sgotathickcoatingofironoxideonthesurface.Atnight,theplanetlooksreddishbecausethelightreflectingoffthesurfaceisred.Buthowdoyougetrustonanentireplanet?
SuggestedTime:30‐45minutes
Objectives:Marsiscoatedwithironoxide,whichnotonlycoversthesurfacebutisalsopresentintherocksmadebytheMartianvolcanoes.Studentswillperformachemistryexperimentthatinvestigatesthedifferentkindsofrustandshowsthatgiventherightconditions,anythingcontainingironwilleventuallybreakdownandcorrode.
Materials(perlabgroup)
Fouremptywaterbottles Fourballoons Water Steelwool Vinegar Water Salt
LabPreparation
1. Thislabisbestdoneovertwoconsecutivedays.Plantosetuptheexperimentonthefirstday,andfinishupwiththeobservationsonthenext.
2. Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.3. ReadovertheBackgroundLessonReadingbeforeteachingthisclass.4. Watchthevideoforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.
BackgroundLessonReading
Marshasasolidcorethatismostlyironandsulfur,andasoftpastel‐likemantleofsilicates(therearenotectonicplates).Thecrusthasbasaltandironoxide.TheironisintherocksandvolcanoesofMars,andMarsappearstobecoveredinrust.
When iron rusts, it’s actually going through a chemical reaction: Steel (iron) + Water (oxygen) + Air (oxygen) = Rust
Therearemanydifferentkindsofrust.Stainlesssteelhasaprotectivecoatingcalledchromium(III)oxidesoitdoesn’trusteasily.
Aluminum,ontheotherhand,takesalongtimetocorrodebecauseit’salreadycorroded—thatis,assoonasaluminumisexposedtooxygen,itimmediatelyformsacoatingofaluminumoxide,whichprotectstheremainingaluminumfromfurthercorrosion.
©2014SuperchargedScience 39 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Aneasywaytoremoverustfromsteelsurfacesistorubthesteelwithaluminumfoildippedinwater.Thealuminumtransfersoxygenatomsfromtheirontothealuminum,formingaluminumoxide,whichisametalpolishingcompound.Andsincethefoilissofterthansteel,itwon’tscratch.
Lesson
1. Rustisacommonnameforironoxide.Whenmetalsrust,scientistssaythattheyoxidize,orcorrode.2. Ironreactswithoxygenwhenwaterispresent.Thewatercanbeliquidorthehumidityintheair.3. Othertypesofrusthappenwhenoxygenisnotaround,likethecombinationofironandchloride.When
rebarisusedinunderwaterconcretepillars,thechloridefromthesaltintheoceancombineswiththeironintherebarandmakesagreenrust.
LabTime
1. Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.2. Handeachgrouptheirmaterialsandgivethemtimetoperformtheirexperimentandwritedowntheir
observations.3. Lineupfouremptybottlesonthetable.4. Labelyourbottlessoyouknowwhichiswhich:Water,Water+Salt,Vinegar,Vinegar+Salt5. Filltwobottleswithwater.6. Filltwowithvinegar.7. Addatablespoonofsalttooneofthewaterbottles.8. Addonetablespoonofsalttooneofthevinegarbottles.9. Stuffapieceofsteelwoolintoeachbottlesoitcomesincontactwiththeliquid10. Stretchaballoonacrossthemouthofeachbottle.11. Letyourexperimentsit(overnightisbest,butyoucanshortenthisabitifyou’reinahurry).12. Thetricktogettingthisonetoworkisinwhatyouexpecttohappen.Theballoonshouldgetshovedinside
thebottle(notexpandandinflate!).Checkbackoverthecourseofafewhourstoafewdaystowatchyourprogress.
13. Fillinthedatatablebelow.
Exercises
1. Whydidoneballoongetlargerthantherest?(Theballoonwillshowyouhowmuchgasisgenerated–thelargertheballoon,themoregaswasproduced.Therust(ironoxide)isthenameofthereactiontakingplacebetweenthesteelwoolandtheliquids.)
2. Whichhadthehighestpressuredifference?Why?(Checkresultsfromdatatable.Inthevideo,thebottlewithjustwaternotonlysuckedintheballoon,italsosuckedinthesidesofthewaterbottleitself,showingyouthatitusedtheoxygenintheairtogeneratetherust.You’llseethismoredramaticallywhenyouaddsalttothewaterbeforeaddingthesteelwool.)
Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthattheycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyourclasstime.
©2014SuperchargedScience 40 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson#6:RustyBalloonStudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:Marsiscoatedwithironoxide,whichnotonlycoversthesurfacebutisalsopresentintherocksmadebytheMartianvolcanoes.
WhattoLearn:Todayyougettoperformachemistryexperimentthatinvestigatesthedifferentkindsofrustandshowsthatgiventherightconditions,anythingcontainingironwilleventuallybreakdownandcorrode.When iron rusts, it’s actually going through a chemical reaction: Steel (iron) + Water (oxygen) + Air (oxygen) = Rust
Materials
Fouremptywaterbottles Fourballoons Water Steelwool Vinegar Water Salt
LabTime
1. Lineupfouremptybottlesonthetable.2. Labelyourbottlessoyouknowwhichiswhich:Water,Water+Salt,Vinegar,Vinegar+Salt3. Filltwobottleswithwater.4. Filltwowithvinegar.5. Addatablespoonofsalttooneofthewaterbottles.6. Addonetablespoonofsalttooneofthevinegarbottles.7. Stuffapieceofsteelwoolintoeachbottlesoitcomesincontactwiththeliquid.8. Stretchaballoonacrossthemouthofeachbottle.9. Letyourexperimentsit(overnightisbest,butyoucanshortenthisabitifyou’reinahurry).10. Thetricktogettingthisonetoworkisinwhatyouexpecttohappen.Theballoonshouldgetshovedinside
thebottle(notexpandandinflate!).Checkbackoverthecourseofafewhourstoafewdaystowatchyourprogress.
11. Fillinthedatatablebelow.
©2014SuperchargedScience 41 www.SuperchargedScience.com
RustyBalloonDataTable
What’sintheBottle? Whathappened?Describewhathappenedtothewool,bottle,andballoon.
ExercisesAnswerthequestionsbelow:
1. Whydidoneballoongetlargerthantherest?
2. Whichhadthehighestpressuredifference?Why?
©2014SuperchargedScience 42 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson#7:MeteoritesTeacherSection
Overview:Meteorsarethesmallestmembersofoursolarsystem,rangingfrompebblesizetosmallerthanagrainofsandandusuallyweighinglessthan2grams.Kidswilllearnhowtocollecttinymeteoritesveryeasily.TheywillalsobeabletotellameteoritefromanEarthrock.
SuggestedTime:30‐45minutes
Objectives:Ameteoroidisasmallrockthatzoomsaroundouterspace.WhenthemeteoroidzipsintotheEarth’satmosphere,it’snowcalledameteoror“shootingstar.”Iftherockdoesn’tvaporizeenroute,it’scalledameteoriteassoonasitwhacksintotheground.ThewordmeteorcomesfromtheGreekwordfor“highintheair.”
Materials(perlabgroup)
Whitepaper Unglazedwhiteporcelaintile Strongmagnet Handheldmagnifyingglass(optional)
LabPreparation
1. Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.2. ReadovertheBackgroundLessonReadingbeforeteachingthisclass.3. Watchthevideoforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.4. Puttogethera“Meteor‐right&Meteor‐wrong”bag(seeLessonbelowforinstructions).Youcanmakeone
foryourentireclass,oroneperlabgroup.5. Thislabisdoneintwoparts.Thefirstpartonlyneedsacoupleofminutesandcanbedonewhenthe
studentsfirstarriveinthemorning.Thesecondpartrequiresabout20minutes,andcanbedonejustbeforelunchtime.
BackgroundLessonReading
94%ofallmeteoritesthatfalltotheEartharestonymeteorites.Stonymeteoriteswillhavemetalgrainsmixedwiththestonethatareclearlyvisiblewhenyoulookataslice.
Ironmeteoritesmakeuponly5%ofthemeteoritesthathittheEarth.However,sincetheyarestronger,mostofthemsurvivethetripthroughtheatmosphereandareeasiertofindsincetheyaremoreresistanttoweathering.Morethanhalfthemeteoriteswefindareironmeteorites.TheyaretheoneofthedensestmaterialsonEarth.TheystickstronglytomagnetsandaretwiceasheavyasmostEarthrocks.TheHobameteoriteinNamibiaweighs50tons.
Sincenearlyallmeteoriteshavelotsofiron,theyareusuallyattractedtoamagnet.However,lodestoneisanEarthrockthatalsohasalotofiron.Ironisheavy,andmeteoritescontainalotofiron.Whenlookingthroughthepossibilities,removeanylightweightrocks,astheyarenotusuallymeteorites.
©2014SuperchargedScience 43 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Meteoritesaresmall.Mostnevergetbigenoughorhotenoughformetaltosinkintothecore,sothemajorityaremixedwithrockanddust(stonymeteorites).Thefewthatdogetbigandformmetalcoresarecalledironmeteorites.
MostmeteoritescomefromtheAsteroidBelt.Somemeteoritesgetadarkcrust,whileotherslooklikesplashedmetal.Theyarealldark,atleastontheoutside.
Rocksthathaveholesvaporizeorexplodewhentheygothroughtheatmosphere,theydon’tburnup.Onlystrongspacerockswithoutholesmakeittotheground.
Everyyear,theEarthpassesthroughthedebrisleftbehindbycomets.CometsaredirtysnowballsthatleaveatrailofparticlesastheyorbittheSun.WhentheEarthpassesthroughoneofthesetrails,thetinyparticlesentertheEarth’satmosphereandburnup,leavingspectacularmeteorshowersforustowatchonaregularbasis.ThebestmeteorshowersoccurwhentheMoonisnewandtheskyisverydark.
Meteoritesareblack,heavy(almosttwicethenormalrockdensity),andmagnetic.However,thereisanEarth‐maderockthatisalsoblack,heavy,andmagnetic(magnetite)thatisnotameteorite.Totellthedifference,scratchalinefrombothrocksontoanunglazedtile(orthebottomofacoffeemugortheundersideofthetoilettank).Magnetitewillleaveamark,whereastherealmeteoritewillnot.
Ifyoufindameteorite,headtoyournearestgeologydepartmentatalocaluniversityorcollegeandletthemknowwhatyou’vefound.IntheUSA,ifyoufindameteorite,yougettokeepit…butyoumightwanttolettheexpertsinthegeologydepartmenthaveathinsliceofittoseewhattheycanfigureoutaboutyourparticularspecimen.
AnnualMeteorShowers
Jan3‐4 QuadrantidsApr21‐22 AprilLyridsMay4‐5 EtaAquaridsJul28‐29 DeltaAquaridsAug12‐13 Perseids
Oct21‐22 OrionidsNov3‐13 TauridsNov16‐17 LeonidsDec13‐14 GeminidsDec21‐22 Ursids
Lesson
1. Tomakea“Meteor‐rightandMeteor‐wrong”bag,placeinabagthefollowingitems:a. 8‐10differentrocks,nomorethanthreeofwhicharerealmeteorites.Theydon’thavetobelarge.I
haveinminepumice(fromavolcano),lodestone(anaturallymagnetizedpieceofmagnetite,andoftenmistakenformeteorites),fossil(Ihaveaturtleshell,butyoucanuseanythingyouwant),tektite(dryfusedglass),pyrite(alsoknownasfool’sgold),marble(calciteordolomite),andacoupleofdifferentkindsofrealmeteorites(ironmeteorite,stonymeteorite,etc.)
b. Unglazedtilec. Magnet
2. Announcetotheclassthattheyaregoingonarockhunt.TheyaretofindwhichrocksaremeteoritesandwhichareEarthrocks.Ifyoudon’thaveaccesstorocksamplestoshare,showthekidspicturesofdifferentkindsofrockastheytrytoguessiftheyaremeteoritesornot.Here’showyoucantell:
©2014SuperchargedScience 44 www.SuperchargedScience.com
3. Asyoushowthekidsthedifferentsamplesofrocks,askthemtorecordtheirobservationsontheirdatasheet.
a. Sincenearlyallmeteoriteshavelotsofiron,theyareusuallyattractedtoamagnet.However,lodestoneisanEarthrockthatalsohasalotofiron.Ironisheavy,andmeteoritescontainalotofiron.Whenlookingthroughthepossibilities,removeanylightweightrocks,astheyarenotusuallymeteorites.
b. Meteoritesaresmall.Mostnevergetbigenoughorhotenoughformetaltosinkintothecore,sothemajorityaremixedwithrockanddust(stonymeteorites).Thefewthatdogetbigandformmetalcoresarecalledironmeteorites.
c. MostmeteoritescomefromtheAsteroidBelt.Somemeteoritesgetadarkcrust.Whileotherslooklikesplashedmetal.Theyarealldark,atleastontheoutside.Removeanylight‐coloredrocks.
d. Rocksthathaveholesvaporizeorexplodewhentheygothroughtheatmosphere,theydon’tburnup.Onlystrongspacerockswithoutholesmakeittotheground.Removeanyporousrocks.
e. Theonesyouhaveleftareeithermeteoritesorlodestone.Totellthedifference,scratchalinefrombothrocksontoanunglazedtile.Magnetite(lodestone)willleaveamarkwhereastherealmeteoritewillnot.
LabTime
1. Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.2. Handeachgrouptheirmaterialsandgivethemtimetoperformtheirexperimentandwritedowntheir
observations.3. Placeasheetofwhitepaperoutsideontheground.Dothisinthemorningwhenyoufirststartupclass.4. Afterafewhours(likejustbeforelunchtime),yourpaperstartstoshowsignsof“dust”.5. Carefullyplaceamagnetunderneaththepaper,andseeifanyoftheparticlesmoveasyouwigglethe
magnet.Ifso,you’vegotyourselfafewbitsofspacedust.6. Useamagnifyinglenstolookatyourspacemeteoritesupclose.
Exercises
1. Aremeteorsmembersofthesolarsystem?(Yes–theyarethesmallestmembers.)2. Howbigaremeteors?(Theyrangefrompebblesizetosmallerthanagrainofsand,usuallyweighingless
than2grams.)3. Whydowehavemeteorshowersatpredictabletimesoftheyear?(Everyyear,theEarthpassesthrough
thedebrisleftbehindbycomets.Theparticlesenterouratmosphereandburnup.Theonesthatmakeittothegroundaremeteorites.)
Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthattheycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyourclasstime.
©2014SuperchargedScience 45 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson#7:MeteoritesStudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:Ameteoroidisasmallrockthatzoomsaroundouterspace.WhenthemeteoroidzipsintotheEarth’satmosphere,it’snowcalledameteoror“shootingstar.”Iftherockdoesn’tvaporizeenroute,it’scalledameteoriteassoonasitwhacksintotheground.ThewordmeteorcomesfromtheGreekwordfor“highintheair.”
WhattoLearn:Meteoritesareblack,heavy(almosttwicethenormalrockdensity),andmagnetic.However,thereisanEarth‐maderockthatisalsoblack,heavy,andmagnetic(magnetite)thatisnotameteorite.Totellthedifference,scratchalinefrombothrocksontoanunglazedtile.Magnetitewillleaveamarkwhereastherealmeteoritewillnot.
Materials
Whitepaper Unglazedwhiteporcelaintile Strongmagnet Handheldmagnifyingglass(optional)
LabTime
1. Yourteacherwillshowyoudifferentsamplesofrocks.Recordyourobservationsonthedatasheetbelow.You’llfindcluesonhowtotellanEarthrockfromameteoritehere:
2. Sincenearlyallmeteoriteshavelotsofiron,theyareusuallyattractedtoamagnet.However,lodestoneisanEarthrockthatalsohasalotofiron.Ironisheavy,andmeteoritescontainalotofiron.Whenlookingthroughthepossibilities,removeanylightweightrocks,astheyarenotusuallymeteorites.
3. Meteoritesaresmall.Mostnevergetbigenoughorhotenoughformetaltosinkintothecore,somostaremixedwithrockanddust(stonymeteorites).Thefewthatdogetbigandformedmetalcoresarecalledironmeteorites.
4. MostmeteoritescomefromtheAsteroidBelt.Somemeteoritesgetadarkcrust.Whileotherslooklikesplashedmetal.Theyarealldark,atleastontheoutside.Removeanylight‐coloredrocks.
5. Rocksthathaveholesvaporizeorexplodewhentheygothroughtheatmosphere,theydon’tburnup.Onlystrongspacerockswithoutholesmakeittotheground.Removeanyporousrocks.
6. Theonesyouhaveleftareeithermeteoritesorlodestone.Totellthedifference,scratchalinefrombothrocksontoanunglazedtile.Magnetite(lodestone)willleaveamarkwhereastherealmeteoritewillnot.
FindingMeteorites
7. Placeasheetofwhitepaperoutsideontheground.Dothisinthemorningwhenyoufirststartupclass.8. Afterafewhours(likejustbeforelunchtime),yourpaperstartstoshowsignsof“dust.”9. Carefullyplaceamagnetunderneaththepaper,andseeifanyoftheparticlesmoveasyouwigglethe
magnet.Ifso,you’vegotyourselfafewbitsofspacedust.10. Useamagnifyinglenstolookatyourspacemeteoritesupclose.
©2014SuperchargedScience 46 www.SuperchargedScience.com
MeteoritesDataTable
RockSample#
Color? HeavyorLight?
LargeorSmall?
PorousorDense?
Magnetic? MarksonTile?
ExercisesAnswerthequestionsbelow:
1. Aremeteorsmembersofthesolarsystem?
2. Howbigaremeteors?
3. Whydowehavemeteorshowersatpredictabletimesoftheyear?
©2014SuperchargedScience 47 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson#8:Neptune’sFurnaceTeacherSection
Overview:We’regoingtodoachemistryexperimenttosimulatetheheatgeneratedbytheplanetusingcalciumchloride.
SuggestedTime:30‐45minutes
Objectives:Calciumchloridesplitsintocalciumionsandchlorideionswhenitismixedwithwater,andenergyisreleasedintheformofheat.Theenergyreleasedcomesfromthebondenergyofthecalciumchlorideatoms,andisactuallyelectromagneticenergy.Whenthecalciumionsandchlorideionsarefloatingaroundinthewarmsolution,theyarefreetointeractwiththerestoftheingredientsadded,likethesodiumbicarbonate,toformcarbondioxidegasandsodiumchloride(tablesalt).
Materials(perlabgroup)
Calciumchloride(lookincampingaislesforDri‐EzorhardwarestoresforSno‐Melt,makingsuretheonlyingredientinthepackageiscalciumchloride)
Sodiumbicarbonate(bakingsoda) Phenolredorredfooddye Resealableplasticbaggie Gallonmilkjugcontainer Straightpin Warmwater Coldwater
LabPreparation
1. Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.2. ReadovertheBackgroundLessonReadingbeforeteachingthisclass.3. Watchthevideoforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.
BackgroundLessonReading
Neptuneisoneoftheicegiantsofoursolarsystem,andthefurthestplanetfromthesun.Becauseit’sagasgiant,youcouldn’tlandyourspaceshiponthesurfacebecauseitdoesn’thaveone.You’dcontinuouslyfalluntilthepressurecrushedyourship.Andthenwhenyougotdownfarenough,you’dberoasted,becauseNeptuneradiates2.6timesmoreenergythanitgetsfromtheSun.That’simpressive,especiallysinceit’ssofarfromtheSun(30.1AU,ormorethan30timestheEarth‐Sundistance).TheaveragedailywindspeedonNeptuneis1,200mph.That’sfourtimesfasterthanthebiggesthurricanesonEarth!
NeptunehasmoremassthanUranuseventhoughit’ssmallerthanUranus.Theringsaroundtheplanetweren’tconfirmeduntilaspaceprobepasseditandsentusbackpicturesoftheblueplanet.It’shardforbackyardastronomerstofindthisplanet,sinceit’snotanaked‐eyeobject.Youneedacomplicated‐lookingsetofstarcharts
©2014SuperchargedScience 48 www.SuperchargedScience.com
oraGPStrackingsystemcoupledwithastronomicaldatatopointyourscopeintherightdirection.Eventhen,allyouseeisawhite‐bluelookingstar.
Althoughit’sagasgiant,it’sclassifiedasanicegiant,sincetherearelargeamountsofmethaneandammoniaicesintheupperatmosphere,givingtheplanetitsbluecolor.Thelargestof13moonsisTriton(nottobeconfusedwithSaturn’smassivemoon,Titan),whichorbitsNeptuneintheoppositedirectionfromtheplanet’srotationandalsoupataninclinefromtheplanet’sequator.
Lesson
1. We’resimulatingtheheatgenerationonNeptuneusingachemistryexperimentwithahotpack.2. Mostinstanthotpacksavailableindrugstoresworkonthissameprinciplewe’reabouttoinvestigate.
Whenthehotpackisneeded,thebagissqueezedtocausethewaterandsalttomix.Dependingonthesaltusedinthepack,energyiseitherabsorbed(coldpack)orgivenoff(hotpack).Ammoniumnitrateisthemostcommonlyusedsaltincoldpacks.Andcalciumchlorideisthemostcommonlyusedsaltinhotpacks.
3. Calciumchloridesplitsintocalciumionsandchlorideionswhenitismixedwithwater,andenergyisreleasedintheformofheat.Thisisthesameheatenergyyouwillfeelwhenholdingthebaggieandrubbingthepellets.
4. Dissolvingcalciumchlorideishighlyexothermic,meaningthatitgivesoffalotofheatwhenmixedwithwater(thewatercanreachupto140oF,sowatchyourhands!).Theenergyreleasedcomesfromthebondenergyofthecalciumchlorideatoms,andisactuallyelectromagneticenergy.
5. Whenthecalciumionsandchlorideionsarefloatingaroundinthewarmsolution,theyarefreetointeractwiththerestoftheingredientsadded,likethesodiumbicarbonate,toformcarbondioxidegasandsodiumchloride(tablesalt).Youcantellthere’scarbondioxidegasinsidewhenthebagpuffsup.
6. Asthegasinthebagincreases,itpuffsoutandincreasesthepressure.Thisstretchesthebagandsomeofthegasisreleasedouttheholesinthetopofthebag,bubblinguptothesurfaceofthemilkjug.Afterawhile,thewarmwaterwillalsoriseoutoftheholesduetothetemperaturedifferencebetweenthebagandjugandyou’llseereddriftuptothesurfaceofthemilkjug.TheheatgeneratedbyNeptuneisdeepinthecore,anditbubblesupandradiatesouttospace,justlikethewarmbagbubblingitscontentstothecoldwaterjug.Theentireplanetisawhirling,swirling,fast‐movingballofgasandicethatmovebecauseoftemperatureandpressuredifferences.
LabTime
1. Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.2. Handeachgrouptheirmaterialsandgivethemtimetoperformtheirexperimentandwritedowntheir
observations.3. Cutthetopoffthemilkjugjustabovethehandlesoyoucaneasilyputyourexperimentinthejug.4. Fillyourmilkjugwithcoldwatermostoftheway.Leaveenoughroomforyoutoaddthebagwithout
overflowingthewater,andmakesureyouputinverycoldwater.Setthisaside.5. Addaninchofwarmwatertotheplasticbag.6. Addacoupleofdropsofreddyetothebag.7. Ifyouareusingahotpack,openthehotpack(usescissors)carefully.Youdon’twanttopuncturethewater
pouchinside.Throwthewaterpouchawayandpourtherestofthecontentsintoacontainer(thisiscalciumchloride).Youwantacoupleoftablespoonsofcalciumchlorideintheplasticbaggie.
8. Sealthebagclosedandrollthepelletsbetweenyourfingers.9. Useastraightpinandmakesixholesnearthetopofthebag,awayfromthewater.
©2014SuperchargedScience 49 www.SuperchargedScience.com
10. Openthebagandaddacoupleoftablespoonsofsodiumbicarbonate(bakingsoda).Quicklyzipupyourbag!
11. Makesurethebagissealedbeforeinsertingitintoyourcoldwaterjug.12. Drawyourexperimentbelow:
Exercises
1. Whathappenswhenthechemicalscomeincontactwitheachother?(Whenthecalciumionsandchlorideionsinteractwiththesodiumbicarbonate,theyformcarbondioxidegasandsodiumchloride(tablesalt).)
2. Whatdidyounoticewhenyousealedthebagclosedandrolledthepelletsbetweenyourfingers?(Dissolvingcalciumchlorideishighlyexothermic,meaningthatitgivesoffalotofheatwhenmixedwithwater.)
3. Whathappenedwhenthesolutionwasplacedinthecoldwaterjug?(Thisremovesenergyfromthereactionsandcausesthetablesalttoprecipitateoutmorequickly.)
4. WhatdoesthisexperimenthavetodowithNeptune?Whydidweusethebakingsodaatall?(Asthegasinthebagincreases,itpuffsoutandincreasesthepressure.Thisstretchesthebagandsomeofthegasisreleasedouttheholesinthetopofthebag,bubblinguptothesurfaceofthemilkjug.Afterawhile,thewarmwaterwillalsoriseoutoftheholesduetothetemperaturedifferencebetweenthebagandjugand,you’llseereddriftuptothesurfaceofthemilkjug.TheheatgeneratedbyNeptuneisdeepinthecore,anditbubblesupandradiatesouttospace,justlikethewarmbagbubblingitscontentstothecoldwaterjug.Theentireplanetisawhirling,swirling,fast‐movingballofgasandicethatmovebecauseoftemperatureandpressuredifferences.)
Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthattheycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyourclasstime.
©2014SuperchargedScience 50 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson#8:Neptune’sFurnaceStudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:We’regoingtodoachemistryexperimenttosimulatetheheatgeneratedbytheinternalcoreofNeptunebyusingasubstanceusedformeltingsnowmixedwithbakingsoda.
WhattoLearn:Calciumchloridesplitsintocalciumionsandchlorideionswhenitismixedwithwater,andenergyisreleasedintheformofheat.Theenergyreleasedcomesfromthebondenergyofthecalciumchlorideatoms,andisactuallyelectromagneticenergy.Whenthecalciumionsandchlorideionsarefloatingaroundinthewarmsolution,theyarefreetointeractwiththerestoftheingredientsadded,likethesodiumbicarbonate,toformcarbondioxidegasandsodiumchloride(tablesalt).
Materials
Calciumchloride Sodiumbicarbonate(bakingsoda) Phenolredorredfooddye Resealableplasticbaggie Gallonmilkjugcontainer Straightpin Warmwater Coldwater
LabTime
1. Cutthetopoffthemilkjugjustabovethehandlesoyoucaneasilyputyourexperimentinthejug.2. Fillyourmilkjugwithcoldwatermostoftheway.Leaveenoughroomforyoutoaddthebagwithout
overflowingthewater,andmakesureyouputinverycoldwater.Setthisaside.3. Addaninchofwarmwatertotheplasticbag.4. Addacoupleofdropsofreddyetothebag.5. Ifyouareusingahotpack,openthehotpack(usescissors)carefully.Youdon’twanttopuncturethewater
pouchinside.Throwthewaterpouchawayandpourtherestofthecontentsintoacontainer(thisiscalciumchloride).Youwantacoupleoftablespoonsofcalciumchlorideintheplasticbaggie.
6. Sealthebagclosedandrollthepelletsbetweenyourfingers.7. Useastraightpinandmakesixholesnearthetopofthebag,awayfromthewater.8. Openthebagandaddacoupleoftablespoonsofsodiumbicarbonate(bakingsoda).Quicklyzipupyour
bag!9. Makesurethebagissealedbeforeinsertingitintoyourcoldwaterjug.Watchcarefullyforseveralminutes
andrecordyourobservationswiththenextstep.
©2014SuperchargedScience 51 www.SuperchargedScience.com
10. Drawyourexperimentbelowduringstep9.Labelallpartsofwhat’sgoingonwithyourexperiment:
ExercisesAnswerthequestionsbelow:
1. Whathappenswhenthechemicalscomeincontactwitheachother?
2. Whatdidyounoticewhenyousealedthebagclosedandrolledthepelletsbetweenyourfingers?
3. Whathappenedwhenthesolutionwasplacedinthecoldwaterjug?
4. WhatdoesthisexperimenthavetodowithNeptune?Whydidweusethebakingsodaatall?
©2014SuperchargedScience 52 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson#9:BinaryPlanetarySystemsTeacherSection
Overview:PlutoandCharonareabinaryplanetarysystem,meaningthattheybothorbitapointthat’soutsideofeitheroneofthem.TheEarthandMoonarenotabinarysystem,becausealthoughtheMoonyanksontheEarth,itstillorbitsapointthatliesinsidetheEarthbecausetheEarthissomuchmoremassivethantheMoon.
SuggestedTime:30‐45minutes
Objectives:Abinarysystemexistswhenobjectsapproacheachotherinsize(andgravitationalfields),thecommonpointtheyrotatearound(calledthecenterofmass)liesoutsidebothobjectsandtheyorbitaroundeachother.Astronomershavefoundbinaryplanets,binarystars,andevenbinaryblackholes.Studentswillknowthatthepathofaplanetaroundanobjectisduetothegravitationalattractionbetweentheobjectandtheplanet.
Materials(perlabgroup)
1‐2soupcansorplasticcontainers(likeplasticyogurtcontainers,buttertubs,etc.) String Water Sand Rocks Pebbles Bakingsoda Vinegar
LabPreparation
1. Punchtwoholesinthecontainers,onoppositesidesfromeachother.2. Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.3. ReadovertheBackgroundLessonReadingbeforeteachingthisclass.4. Watchthevideoforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.
BackgroundLessonReading
ThepathofaplanetaroundtheSunisduetothegravitationalattractionbetweentheSunandtheplanet.ThisistrueforthepathoftheMoonaroundtheEarth,andTitanaroundSaturn,andtherestoftheplanetsthathaveanorbitingmoon.
CharonandPlutoorbitaroundeachotherduetotheirgravitationalattractiontoeachother.However,CharonisnotthemoonofPluto,asoriginallythought.PlutoandCharonactuallyorbitaroundeachother.PlutoandCharonalsoaretidallylocked,justliketheEarth‐Moonsystem,meaningthatonesideofPlutoisalwaysfacesthesamesideofCharon.
Centripetal(translation=“center‐seeking”)istheforceneededtokeepanobjectfollowingacurvedpath.Rememberhowobjectswilltravelinastraightlineunlesstheybumpintosomethingorhaveanotherforceactingonthem(gravity,dragforce,etc.)?Well,tokeepthebucketofwaterswinginginacurvedarc,thecentripetalforce
©2014SuperchargedScience 53 www.SuperchargedScience.com
canbefeltinthetensionexperiencedbythehandle(oryourarm,inourcase).Swinginganobjectaroundonastringwillcausetheropetoundergotension(centripetalforce),andifyourropeisn’tstrongenough,itwillsnapandbreak,sendingthemassflyingoffinatangent(straight)lineuntilgravityanddragforcepulltheobjecttoastop.Thisforceisproportionaltothesquareofthespeed‐thefasteryouswingtheobject,thehighertheforce.
Lesson
1. Bringabuckethalf‐fullofwaterontoyourdesk(oroutside),anddon’ttouchthehandle.Askthekids:“ImagineIgiveyouabuckethalf‐fullofwater.Canyoutiltabucketcompletelysidewayswithoutspillingadrop?”
2. Havethekidstrytoaccomplishthis.Eventually,onewillstartswingitbythehandle.Nowask:“So–what’skeepingthewaterinsidethebucket?Isthereglueinthere?Ahamsterpushingitkeepingitinside?Ablackhole?”
3. Nowsay:“OK,sotoexplainthis,Ihavetoaskyouaquestionfirst‐whodrivesfaster,MomorDad?”4. “OK–soimaginetheyaredrivingthecar,andtheyarelateforanappointment.Theytakeaturnalittletoo
fast,andyouforgotyourseatbelts.Theyaremakingaleftturn–showmewhichwayyou’dmoveinthecariftheytookthisturntoofast?Exactly–you’dgoslidingtotheright.So,whopushedyou?”
5. “Noone!Yourbodywantedtocontinueinastraightline,butthecaristurning,sotherightsidecardoorkeepspushingyoutoturnyouinacurve–intotheleftturn.Thecardoorkeepsmovinginyourway,turningyouintoacircle.Thecardoorpushingonyouiscalledcentripetalforce.Centripetalmeans“center‐seeking.”It’stheforcethatpointstowardthecenterofthecircleyou’removingon.Whenyouswingthebucketaroundyourhead,thebottomofthebucketismakingthewaterturninacircleandnotflyaway.Yourarmispullingonthehandleofthebucket,keepingitturninginacircleandnotlettingitflyaway.That’scentripetalforce.
6. “Thinkofitthisway:IfIthrowaballinouterspace,doesitgoinastraightlineordoesitwiggleallovertheplace?Straightline,right?Centripetalforceistheforceneededtokeepanobjectfollowingacurvedpath.Yourbodywantstogoinastraightline,butthecaristurning.Sothecardoorisexertingaforce(centripetalforce)onyoutokeepyoumovingaroundtheturn.”
7. Thisisoptional:“Forthoseofyouwhohaveheardofcentripetalandcentrifugal,youmaybewonderingwhatthedifferenceis.Centrifugalforceisequalandoppositeofcentripetalforce.Centrifugalmeans“center‐fleeing,”soit’saforcethat’sintheoppositedirection.Thecarpushingonyouisthecentripetalforce.Thepushofyourweightonthedooristhereactivecentrifugalforce.Onarollercoaster,that“pancake”feelingwhenyou’regoingaroundaloopisthecentrifugalforce.Centrifugalforceisalsoareactiveforce,meaningthatit’sonlytherewhensomething’shappening.Forexample–standup.Doyoufeeltheearthholdingyouup?Probablynot,becauseyouaresousedtoit.Buttheearthonlypushesupwiththeamountofweightyou’repushingdownonlywhenitneedsto.That’swhatmakesitareactiveforce.”
8. Alsooptional:“Letmeshowyou–walkovertothewall.Now,takeyourhandandreallyPUSHonthewall.Doesthewallfallover?No.Doyoufallover?No.Thewallpusheswithequalandoppositeforceasyou–thewallpushesthesameamountyouarepushingwithbutintheoppositedirection.That’scalledareactiveforce.Doesthatmakesense?Centrifugalforceisareactiveforce–itonlyshowsupwhenstuffishappening.Andit’sequaltoandoppositeofthecentripetalforce.“
9. “Thinkofitthisway:Rememberhowobjectswilltravelinastraightlineunlesstheybumpintosomething,likeablackhole,astar,analienspaceship…That’sNewton’sfirstlaw…whichsaysthatanobjectin
©2014SuperchargedScience 54 www.SuperchargedScience.com
motionwillstayinmotionunlessacteduponbyanexternalforce.ObjectsWANTtogoinastraightline–ifIslingabagoforangesaroundmyheadandthenletgo,dotheorangesgooffinastraightlineordotheyzigzagwildlyallovertheplace?Theygoinastraightline.Soweusecentripetalforcetomoveobjectsinacurve,andtheforcetheobjectfeelsiscentrifugalforce.”
LabTime
1. Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.2. Handeachgrouptheirmaterialsandgivethemtimetoperformtheirexperimentandwritedowntheir
observations.3. Threadoneendofthestringthroughoneoftheholesandtieastrongknot.Reallystrong.4. Tietheotherendthroughtheotherholeandtieoff.5. Gooutside.6. Fillyourcanpartwaywithwater.7. Moveawayfromeveryonebeforeyoustarttoswingyourcontainerinagentlecircle.Asyouspinfasterand
faster,noticewherethewaterisinsidethecontainer.8. Nowemptyoutthewaterandreplaceitwithrocks.Spinagainandfilloutthedatatablebelow.9. Tomakecarbondioxidegas,you’llneedtoworkwithanotherlabteam.Coverthebottomofyourcontainer
withbakingsoda.Addenoughvinegarsothatthebubblesreachthetopwithoutoverflowing.Waitpatientlyforthebubblestosubside.Younowhaveacontainerfilledwithcarbondioxidegas(andalittlesodiumacetate,theleftoversfromthereaction).Carefullypourthecarbondioxideintotheemptycontainerfromtheotherlabteam.Theycanspinagainandrecordtheirresults.Whentheyaredone,borrowtheircontainerandgivethemyourssotheycanfillitforyou.
Exercises
1. HowisspinningthecontainerlikePlutoandCharon?(Youarealwaysfacingthesamesideofthecontainer,justlikePlutoandCharonarealwaysfacingthesamesidesofeachother.)
2. Whatwouldhappenifwecutthestringwhileyouarespinning?Whichwaywouldthecontainergo?(Inastraightlinetangenttothecurveatthemomentwecutthestring.)
3. Whathappensifwetriplethesizeofyourcontainerandwhat’sinsideofit?(Ittakesmoreenergytoswingalargerloadaround.Foroneobjecttoorbitanother,theymusthavestronggravitationalattractiontomovethatmuchmassaround.)
Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthattheycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyourclasstime.
©2014SuperchargedScience 55 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson#9:BinaryPlanetarySystemsStudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:Abinarysystemexistswhenobjectsapproacheachotherinsize(andgravitationalfields),thecommonpointtheyrotatearound(calledthecenterofmass)liesoutsidebothobjectsandtheyorbitaroundeachother.Astronomershavefoundbinaryplanets,binarystars,andevenbinaryblackholes.Studentswillknowthatthepathofaplanetaroundanobjectisduetothegravitationalattractionbetweentheobjectandtheplanet.
WhattoLearn:ThepathofaplanetaroundtheSunisduetothegravitationalattractionbetweentheSunandtheplanet.ThisistrueforthepathoftheMoonaroundtheEarth,andTitanaroundSaturn,andtherestoftheplanetsthathaveanorbitingmoon.
Materials
Soupcansorplasticcontainerswithholespunched(likeplasticyogurtcontainers,buttertubs,etc.) String Water Sand Rocks Pebbles Bakingsoda Vinegar
LabTime
1. Threadoneendofthestringthroughoneoftheholesandtieastrongknot.Reallystrong.2. Tietheotherendthroughtheotherholeandtieoff.3. Gooutside.4. Fillyourcanpartwaywithwater.5. Moveawayfromeveryonebeforeyoustarttoswingyourcontainerinagentlecircle.Asyouspinfasterand
faster,noticewherethewaterisinsidethecontainer.6. Nowemptyoutthewaterandreplaceitwithrocks.Spinagainandfilloutthedatatablebelow.7. Tomakecarbondioxidegas,you’llneedtoworkwithanotherlabteam.Coverthebottomofyourcontainer
withbakingsoda.Addenoughvinegarsothatthebubblesreachthetopwithoutoverflowing.Waitpatientlyforthebubblestosubside.Younowhaveacontainerfilledwithcarbondioxidegas(andalittlesodiumacetate,theleftoversfromthereaction).Carefullypourthecarbondioxideintotheemptycontainerfromtheotherlabteam.Theycanspinagainandrecordtheirresults.Whentheyaredone,borrowtheircontainerandgivethemyourssotheycanfillitforyou.
©2014SuperchargedScience 56 www.SuperchargedScience.com
BinaryPlanetarySystemsDataTable
Whenfillingoutthethirdcolumn,noticehowhardoreasyitwastospinthecontainer,whatitfeltlike,whichwayitfaced,etc.Recordeverythingyoucanabouteachone.
ItemintheCan StateofMatter(solid,liquid,orgas?)
Whatdidyounotice?
Water
Rocks
Sand
Air
Pebbles
CarbonDioxideGas
©2014SuperchargedScience 57 www.SuperchargedScience.com
ExercisesAnswerthequestionsbelow:
1. HowisspinningthecontainerlikePlutoandCharon?
2. Whatwouldhappenifwecutthestringwhileyouarespinning?Whichwaywouldthecontainergo?
3. Whathappensifwetriplethesizeofyourcontainerandwhat’sinsideofit?
©2014SuperchargedScience 58 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson#10:BuildYourOwnSolarSystemTeacherSection
Overview:Whatwouldhappenifoursolarsystemhadthreesuns?OrtheEarthhadtwomoons?Youcanfindoutalltheseandmorewiththislessononorbitalmechanics.Insteadofwaitinguntilyouhitcollege,wethoughtwe’dthrowsomeuniversity‐levelphysicsatyou…withoutthehardmath.SuggestedTime:30‐45minutes
Objectives:StudentswillknowthatthepathofaplanetaroundtheSunisduetothegravitationalattractionbetweentheSunandtheplanet.
Materials(perlabgroup)
AccesstoacomputerwithInternet Ruler
LabPreparation
1. You’llneedsomedemonstrationequipmentforyourself:aping‐pongball,agolfball,andafeather.2. Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.3. ReadovertheBackgroundLessonReadingbeforeteachingthisclass.4. Watchthevideoforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.
BackgroundLessonReading
In1666,IsaacNewtondidhisearlyworkonhisThreeLawsofMotion.Tothisday,thoselawsstillholdtrue.Therehavebeensomeallowancesforreallybigthings(likethecosmos)andforreallysmallthings(liketheatom).Otherthanthat,Newton’sLawsareprettymuchdeadon.
Newton’sLawsareallscientistsandengineersusedtogetthefirstmantothemoon.Theyareanamazinglypowerfulandwonderfulareaofphysics.Ilikethembecauseevidenceofthemiseverywhere.Ifsomethingmovesorcanbemoved,itfollowsNewton’sLaws.Youcan’tsitinacar,walkdowntheroad,drinkaglassofmilk,orkickaballwithoutusingNewton’sLaws.Ialsolikethembecausetheyarerelativelyeasytounderstandandyetopenupworldsofanswersandquestions.Theyaretrulyafoundationforunderstandingtheworldaroundyou.
WheneverIteachaclassaboutgravity,I’lldropsomething(usuallysomethinglarge).Aftertheheadswhiparound,Iaskthehardquestion:“Whydiditfall?”Youalreadyknowtheanswer–gravity.
Butwhy?Whydoesgravitypullthingsdown,notup?Andwhendidpeoplefirststartnoticingthatwesticktothesurfaceoftheplanetandnotfloatupintothesky?
Noonecantellyouwhygravityis…that’sjustthewaytheuniverseiswired.Gravitationisanaturalthingthathappenswhenyouhavemass.Galileowasactuallyoneofthefirstpeopletodoscienceexperimentsongravity.
©2014SuperchargedScience 59 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson
AbouttheConceptofGravity
1. Eventhoughwedealwithgravityonaconstantbasis,thereareseveralmisconceptionsaboutit.Let’sgettoanexperimentrightawayandI’llshowyouwhatImean.
2. Whenyoudropagolfballandapingpongballfromthesameheight,whathappens?3. Whatyoushouldseeisthatbothobjectshitthegroundatthesametime!Gravityacceleratesbothitems
equallyandtheyhitthegroundatthesametime.Anytwoobjectswilldothis,abrickandaBuick,aflowerandafish,akumquatandacow!
4. Butwhatifyoudropafeatherandaballatthesametime?Thereisonethingthatwillchangetheresultsandthatisairresistance.Thebigger,lighterandfluffiersomethingis,themoreairresistancecanaffectitandsoitwillfallmoreslowly.Airresistanceisatypeoffrictionwhichwewillbetalkingaboutlater.Infact,ifyouremovedairresistance,afeatherandaflounderwouldhitthegroundatthesametime!!!
5. Wherecanyouremoveairresistance?Themoon!!!OneoftheApollomissionsactuallydidthis(well,theydidn’tuseaflounder,theyusedahammer).Anastronautdroppedafeatherandahammeratthesametimeandindeed,bothfellatthesamerateofspeedandhitthesurfaceofthemoonatthesametime.
6. Asksomeonethisquestion:Whichwillhitthegroundfirst,ifdroppedfromthesameheight,abowlingballoratennisball?Mostwillsaythebowlingball.Infact,ifyouaskedyourselfthatquestion5minutesago,wouldyouhavegottenitright?It’sconventionalwisdomtothinkthattheheavierobjectfallsfaster.
7. Unfortunately,conventionalwisdomisn’talwaysright.Gravityacceleratesallthingsequally.Inotherwords,gravitymakesallthingsspeeduporslowdownatthesamerate.
8. Thisisagreatexampleofwhythescientificmethod(moreonthislater)issuchacoolthing.Many,manyyearsago,therewasamanofgreatknowledgeandwisdomnamedAristotle.Whateverhesaid,mostpeoplebelievedtobetrue.Thetroublewas,hedidn’ttesteverythingthathesaid.Oneofhisstatementswasthatobjectswithgreaterweightfallfasterthanobjectswithlessweight.Everyonebelievedthatthiswastrue.Hundredsofyearslater,Galileocamealongandsaid“Yaknow...thatdoesn’tseemtoworkthatway.I’mgoingtotestit”ThestorygoesthatGalileograbbedamelonandanorangeandwenttothetopoftheLeaningTowerofPisa.Hesaid,“Lookoutbelow!”anddroppedthem!Bydoingthat,heshowedthatobjectsfallatthesamerateofspeednomatterwhattheirsize.ItistruethatitwasGalileowho“proved”thatgravityacceleratesallthingsequallynomatterwhattheirweight,butthereisnorealevidencethatheactuallyusedtheLeaningTowerofPisatodoit.
9. Keyconceptsaboutgravity:a. Gravityisaforcethatattractsthingstooneanother.b. Allbodies(objects)haveagravitationalfield.c. Thelargerabodyis,thegreaterthestrengthofthegravitationalfield.d. Bodiesmustbevery,verylargebeforetheyexertanynoticeablegravitationalfield.e. Gravityacceleratesallthingsequally.Whichmeansallthingsspeedupthesameamountastheyfall.f. Gravitydoesnotcarewhatsizethingsareorwhetherthingsaremoving.Allthingsareaccelerated
towardtheEarthatthesamerateofspeed.g. Gravitydoespullonthingsdifferently.Gravityispullinggreateronobjectsthatweighmore.h. Weightisameasureofhowmuchgravityispullingonanobject.i. Massisameasureofhowmuchmatter(howmanyatoms)makeupanobject.
AbouttheComputerSimulation
©2014SuperchargedScience 60 www.SuperchargedScience.com
1. Togetyouexperiencedwiththeforceofgravitywithoutgettinglostinthemath,there’sanexcellentcomputerprogramthatallowsyoutoseehowmulti‐objectsystemsinteract.Mosttextbooksarelimitedtotheinteractionbetweenaverylargeobject,liketheEarth,andmuchsmallerobjectsthatareveryclosetoit,liketheMoon.Thisseriouslycutsoutmostoftheinterestingsolarsystemsthatareoutthereintherealuniverse.
2. TheUniversityofColoradoatBoulderdesignedagreatsystemtodothehardmathforyou.Don’tbefooledbythesimplisticappearance–thephysicsbehindthesimulationarerock‐solid…meaningthattheresultsyougetareexactlywhatscientistswouldpredicttohappen.
3. GototheMySolarSystemsimulationonthePhETwebsiteandcarefullyfollowtheinstructionsforeachactivity.Answerthequestionsandrecordyourresultsbeforegoingontothenextactivity.ClickheretoRUNthesimulationontheInternet,orclickheretodownloadthesimulatortoyourcomputer.
LabTime
1. Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.2. Geteachgroupsituatedatacomputerandgivethemtimetoperformtheirexperimentandwritedown
theirobservations.3. ClickheretoRUNthesimulationontheInternet.4. Oncetheprogramopens,hitstart.You’llseetheEarthorbitaroundtheSun.DoyounoticehowtheEarth
alsocausestheSuntofollowatinyorbit?That’sbecausetheEarthpullsontheSunjustastheSunpullsontheEarth.
5. Pressstop.Noticethe“V?”Thatstandsfordirectionandspeed,asin55mphnorth.Itgiveshowfastyouaregoingaswellasthedirectionyou’regoing.Orinthiscase,theplanet.Noticenearthebottomthatyoucanchangethemassoftheobject.Increasethemasssothatit’slargerthantheSun.Pressstart.
6. Reset,andchangethepurpleobject(Earth)tobethesizeoftheMoon(makeit1).Didyounoticeachangeintheorbitpath?
7. Changethepurplemassbackto10,andincreasethespeedtoalargernumber.Whathappened?8. TheEarthisataveryspecialmassandspeed,isn’tit?9. Resetandmakeyourspeed200.Diditstayinorbit?10. Addathirdandfourthobjectbypullingdownthemenuontheupperright.Select“Sun,planet,andmoon”
andhit“Start.”11. Whathappensifyouuncheck“showtrace?”(You’llonlyseetheobjectsthemselvesorbiting,notthepath
theytake.)12. Whathappensifyouuncheck“systemcentered?”(Thesystemwilleventuallywanderoffthescreenasthe
entiresystemhasacceleration.)13. Playwiththeprogramforabit,changingthelocationdistancetheobjectsareapart,thespeedand
directiontheyinitiallystartoutat,andtheirmasses.14. Completethetablesbelow.Noticeattheendthatyouwillpredictthenecessarymass,velocity,and
distancefromtheSunofaplanetinorderforthisplanettomakeacircularorbitaroundaSun.
Exercises:Answersarereaddirectlyfromthedatatablesthestudentsrecord.
1. Whateffectdoeschangingthemassoforbitingplanethaveonthediameteroftheorbit?2. Whateffectdoeschangingthespeedhaveonaplanet’sorbit?3. Whathappenstotheplanet'sorbitwhenyouincreasetheinitialdistancebetweentheplanetandthe
Sun?
©2014SuperchargedScience 61 www.SuperchargedScience.com
4. Findthemassvaluesneededforastableorbit.Circlethevaluesonthetablethatmakeastableorbit.5. Whydon’tafeatherandabrickhitthegroundatthesametime?(Theydo…ifyou’reontheMoon!On
Earth,thefrictionbetweentheairandthefeathercausesthefeathertoslowdownandthebricktowintherace.)
Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthattheycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyourclasstime.
©2014SuperchargedScience 62 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson#10:BuildYourOwnSolarSystemStudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:Whatwouldhappenifoursolarsystemhadthreesuns?OrtheEarthhadtwomoons?Youcanfindoutalltheseandmorewiththislessononorbitalmechanics.Insteadofwaitinguntilyouhitcollege,wethoughtwe’dthrowsomeuniversity‐levelphysicsatyou…withoutthehardmath.
WhattoLearnKeyconceptsaboutgravity:
a. Gravityisaforcethatattractsthingstooneanother.b. Allbodies(objects)haveagravitationalfield.c. Thelargerabodyis,thegreaterthestrengthofthegravitationalfield.d. Bodiesmustbevery,verylargebeforetheyexertanynoticeablegravitationalfield.e. Gravityacceleratesallthingsequally.Whichmeansallthingsspeedupthesameamountastheyfall.f. Gravitydoesnotcarewhatsizethingsareorwhetherthingsaremoving.Allthingsareaccelerated
towardtheEarthatthesamerateofspeed.g. Gravitydoespullonthingsdifferently.Gravityispullinggreateronobjectsthatweighmore.h. Weightisameasureofhowmuchgravityispullingonanobject.i. Massisameasureofhowmuchmatter(howmanyatoms)makeupanobject.
Materials
AccesstoacomputerwithInternet Ruler
LabTime
1. ClickheretoRUNthesimulationontheInternet.2. Oncetheprogramopens,hitstart.You’llseethepurpleEarthorbitaroundtheyellowSun.Doyounotice
howtheEarthalsocausestheSuntofollowatinyorbit?That’sbecausetheEarthpullsontheSunjustastheSunpullsontheEarth.
3. Pressstop.Noticethe“V?”Thatstandsfordirectionandspeed,asin55mphnorth.Itgiveshowfastyouaregoingaswellasthedirectionyou’regoing.Orinthiscase,theplanet.Noticenearthebottomthatyoucanchangethemassoftheobject.Increasethemasssothatit’slargerthantheSun.Pressstart.
4. Reset,andchangethepurpleobject(Earth)tobethesizeoftheMoon(makeit1).Didyounoticeachangeintheorbitpath?
5. Changethepurplemassbackto10,andincreasethespeedtoalargernumber.Whathappened?6. TheEarthisataveryspecialmassandspeed,isn’tit?7. Resetandmakeyourspeed200.Diditstayinorbit?8. Addathirdandfourthobjectbypullingdownthemenuontheupperright.Select“Sun,planet,andmoon”
andhit“Start.”9. Whathappensifyouuncheck“showtrace?”(You’llonlyseetheobjectsthemselvesorbiting,notthepath
theytake.)10. Whathappensifyouuncheck“systemcentered?”(Thesystemwilleventuallywanderoffthescreenasthe
entiresystemhasacceleration.)
©2014SuperchargedScience 63 www.SuperchargedScience.com
11. Playwiththeprogramforabit,changingthelocationdistancetheobjectsareapart,thespeedanddirectiontheyinitiallystartoutat,andtheirmasses.
b. Whatdoestheyellowobjectrepresent?________________________________________
c. Whatisthemassoftheyellowobject?________________________________________
(Note:Nounitsaregiven,sonounitsarenecessary.)
d. Whatdoesthepurpleobjectrepresent?________________________________________
e. Whatisthemassofthepurpleobject?________________________________________
f. Whatdoestheredarrowrepresent?________________________________________
12. Completethetablebelow.Noticeattheendthatyouwillpredictthenecessarymass,velocity,anddistancefromthesunofaplanetinorderforthisplanettomakeacircularorbitaroundasun.
BuildYourOwnSolarSystemDataTable1
Usetheoriginalpresetforallvaluesforasunandplanet,exceptchangethemassofbody2(purpleobject)asshownbelow:
MassofBody2 DiameterofOrbit(measurewithruler)
1000
100
10
1
0.1
0.01
0.001
0.0001
Exercises:(Notethattheexercisequestionsarebeloweachdatatable)
1. Whateffectdoeschangingthemassoforbitingplanethaveonthediameteroftheorbit?
©2014SuperchargedScience 64 www.SuperchargedScience.com
BuildYourOwnSolarSystemDataTable2
Usetheoriginalpresetforallvaluesforasunandplanet,exceptchangethemassofbody2(purpleobject)andvelocityasshownbelow:
MassofBody2 VelocityofBody2 Describewhathappened…?
0.1 yvelocity=130
0.1 yvelocity=140
0.1 yvelocity=150
0.1 yvelocity=600
0.1 yvelocity=80
0.1 yvelocity=40
0.1 yvelocity=20
0.1 yvelocity=0
2. Whateffectdoeschangingthespeedhaveonaplanet’sorbit?
©2014SuperchargedScience 65 www.SuperchargedScience.com
BuildYourOwnSolarSystemDataTable3
Usetheoriginalpresetforallvaluesforasunandplanet,exceptchangethemassofbody2to50andthex‐distanceofbody2asshownbelow:
xdistanceforBody2 DiameterofOrbit(measurewithruler)
30
60
90
120
150
180
210
240
3. Whathappenstotheplanet'sorbitwhenyouincreasetheinitialdistancebetweentheplanetandthesun?
©2014SuperchargedScience 66 www.SuperchargedScience.com
BuildYourOwnSolarSystemDataTable4
Usetheoriginalpresetforabinarystarandplanet.Changeonlythemassesandrecordyourobservationsbelow.
MassofBody1
MassofBody2
MassofBody3
Istheorbitstable?
4. Findthemassvaluesneededforastableorbit.Circlethevaluesonthetablethatmakeastableorbit.
BuildYourOwnSolarSystemDataTable5
Usetheoriginalpresetforellipses.Changeonlythemassesandrecordyourobservationsbelow.
MassofBody1
MassofBody2
MassofBody3
MassofBody4
Whathappened?
250 10 1 0.1
5. Whydon’tafeatherandabrickhitthegroundatthesametime?
©2014SuperchargedScience 67 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson#11:WatchYourWeightTeacherSection
Overview:IfyoucouldstandontheSunwithoutbeingroasted,howmuchwouldyouweigh?Thegravitationalpullisdifferentfordifferentobjects.Let’sfindoutwhichcelestialobjectyou’dcrackthepavementon,andwhichyourlightweighttoeswouldhavetobecarefulaboutjumpingonincaseyouleapedofftheplanet.
SuggestedTime:25‐30minutes
Objectives:Noticethatinthelastlesson,Isaidthatgravityacceleratesallthingsequally,notgravitypullsonallthingsequally.Gravitydoespullharderonsomethingsthanonotherthings.ThisiswhyIweighmorethanadog.Iammadeofmorestuffthantheaveragedog,sogravitypullsonmemore.Weightisnothingmorethanameasureofhowmuchgravityispullingonyou.
Materials(perlabgroup)
Scaletoweighyourself Calculator Pencil
LabPreparation
1. Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.2. ReadovertheBackgroundLessonReadingbeforeteachingthisclass.3. Watchthevideoforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.
BackgroundLessonReading
Weightisnothingmorethanameasureofhowmuchgravityispullingonyou.Thisiswhyyoucanbe“weightless”inspace.Youarestillmadeofstuff,butthere’snogravitytopullonyousoyouhavenoweight.Thelargerabodyis,themoregravitationalpull(orinotherwordsthelargeragravitationalfield)itwillhave.
TheMoonhasafairlysmallgravitationalfield(ifyouweighed100poundsonEarth,you’donlybe17poundsontheMoon).TheEarth’sfieldisfairlylargeandtheSunhasaHUGEgravitationalfield(ifyouweighed100poundsonEarth,you’dweigh2,500poundsontheSun!).
Asamatteroffact,thedogandIbothhavegravitationalfields!Sincewearebothbodiesofmass,wehaveagravitationalfieldwhichwillpullthingstowardus.Allbodieshaveagravitationalfield.However,mymassissosmallthatthegravitationalfieldIhaveisminiscule.Somethinghastobeverymassivebeforeithasagravitationalfieldthatnoticeablyattractsanotherbody.
Sowhat’sthemeasurementforhowmuchstuffyou’remadeof?Mass.Massisbasicallyaweightlessmeasureofhowmuchmattermakesyouyou.Ahamsterismadeofafairlysmallamountofstuff,soshehasasmallmass.Iammadeofmorestuff,somymassisgreaterthanthehamster’s.Yourhouseismadeofevenmorestuff,soitsmassisgreaterstill.So,here’saquestion.Ifyouare“weightless”inspace,doyoustillhavemass?Yes,theamountofstuffyou’remadeofisthesameonEarthasitisinyourspaceship.Massdoesnotchange,butsinceweightisameasureforhowmuchgravityispullingonyou,weightwillchange.
©2014SuperchargedScience 68 www.SuperchargedScience.com
DidyounoticethatIputweightlessinquotationmarks?Wonderwhy?
Weightlessnessisamyth!Believeitornot,oneisneverweightless.Apersoncanbeprettyclosetoweightlessinverydeepspace,buttheastronautsinaspaceshipactuallydohaveabitofweight.
Thinkaboutitforasecond.IfaspaceshipisorbitingtheEarth,whatisitdoing?It’sconstantlyfalling!Ifitwasn’tmovingforwardattensofthousandsofmilesanhouritwouldhittheEarth.It’smovingfastenoughtofallaroundthecurvatureoftheEarthasitfallsbut,indeed,it’sfallingastheEarth’sgravityispullingittous.
Otherwisetheshipwouldfloatouttospace.Sowhatistheastronautdoing?She’sfalling,too!TheastronautandthespaceshiparebothfallingtotheEarthatthesamerateofspeedandsotheastronautfeelsweightlessinspace.Ifyouwereinanelevatorandthecablesnapped,youandtheelevatorwouldfalltotheEarthatthesamerateofspeed.You’dfeelweightless!(Don’ttrythisathome!)
Eithernoworatsomepointinthefutureyoumayaskyourselfthisquestion,“Howcangravitypullharder(putmoreforceonsomethings,likebowlingballs)andyetaccelerateallthingsequally?”WhenwegetintoNewton’slawsinafewlessons,you’llrealizethatdoesn’tmakeanysenseatall.MoreforceequalsmoreaccelerationisbasicallyNewton’sSecondLaw.
Well,Idon’twanttotaketoomuchtimeheresincethisisalittledeeperthenweneedtogo,butIdofeelsomeexplanationisinordertoavoidfutureconfusion.Theexplanationforthisisinertia.WhenwegettoNewton’sFirstLawwewilldiscussinertia.Inertiaisbasicallyhowmuchforceisneededtogetsomethingtomoveorstopmoving.
Now,let’sgetbacktogravityandacceleration.Let’stakealookatabowlingballandagolfball.Gravityputsmoreforceonthebowlingballthanonthegolfball.Sothebowlingballshouldacceleratefastersincethere’smoreforceonit.However,thebowlingballisheaviersoitishardertogetitmoving.Conversely,thegolfballhaslessforcepullingonitbutit’seasiertogetmoving.Doyouseeit?Theforceandinertiathingequaloutsothatallthingsaccelerateduetogravityatthesamerateofspeed!
Gravityhadtobeoneofthefirstscientificdiscoveries.Whoeverthefirstguywastodroparockonhisfootprobablyrealizedthatthingsfalldown!However,eventhoughwehaveknownaboutgravityformanyyears,itstillremainsoneofthemostelusivemysteriesofscience.Atthispoint,nobodyknowswhatmakesthingsmovetowardabodyofmass.
WhydidtherockdroptowardtheEarthandonthatguy’sfoot?Westilldon’tknow.Weknowthatitdoes,butwedon’tknowwhatcausesagravitationalattractionbetweenobjects.Gravityisalsoaveryweakforce.Comparedtomagneticforcesandelectrostaticforces,thegravitationalforceisextremelyweak.Howcome?Nooneknows.Alargeamountofamazingbrainpowerisbeingusedtodiscoverthesemysteriesofgravity.Maybeitwillbeyouwhofiguresthisout!
©2014SuperchargedScience 69 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson
1. ReadovertheBackgroundReadingsectionandsharewhatyoufeelisappropriatefortheirlevel.2. Doademonstrationcalculationontheboardwiththekidsbeforeturningthemloose.SeeLabTimefor
details.
LabTime
1. Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.2. Handeachgrouptheirmaterialsandgivethemtimetoperformtheirexperimentandwritedowntheir
observations.3. First,we’regoingtotalkaboutthedifferencebetweenweightandmass.Ineverydaylanguage,weightand
massareusedinterchangeably,butscientistsknowbetter.4. Massishowmuchstuffsomethingismadeoutof.Ifyou’reholdingabowlingball,you’llnoticethatit’shard
togetstarted,andonceitgetsmoving,itneedsanotherpushtogetittostop.Ifyouleavethebowlingballonthefloor,itstaysput.Onceyoupushit,itwantstostaymoving.This“sluggishness”iscalledinertia.Massishowmuchinertiaanobjecthas.
5. Everyobjectwithmassalsohasagravitationalfield,andisattractedtoeverythingelsethathasmass.Theamountofgravitysomethinghasdependsonhowfaraparttheobjectsare.Whenyousteponabathroomscale,youarereadingyourweight,orhowmuchattractionisbetweenyouandtheEarth.
6. Ifyousteppedonascaleinaspaceshipthatisparkedfromanyplanets,moons,blackholes,orotherobjects,itwouldreadzero.Butisyourmasszero?Noway.You’restillmadeofthesamestuffyouwereonEarth,soyourmassisthesame.Butyou’dhavenoweight.
7. WhatisyourweightonEarth?Let’sfindoutnow.
8. Steponthescaleandreadthenumber.Writeithere:__________________________________________
9. Now,whatisyourweightontheMoon?Thecorrectionfactoris0.17.Somultiplyyourweightby0.17tofindwhatthescalewouldreadontheMoon.Writeithere:______________________________________________________________________________________________
10. Forexample,ifIweigh100poundsonEarth,thenI’dweightonly17poundsontheMoon.Ifthescalereads10kgonEarth,thenitwouldread1.7kgontheMoon.
Exercises
1. Ofthefollowingobjects,whichonesareattractedtooneanotherbygravity?a)AppleandBananab)BeagleandChihuahuac)EarthandYoud)Alloftheabove
2. TrueorFalse:Gravityacceleratesallthingsdifferently3. TrueorFalse:Gravitypullsonallthingsdifferently4. IfIdropagolfballandagolfcartatthesametimefromthesameheight,whichhitsthegroundfirst?(They
bothhitthegroundatthesametime.)
©2014SuperchargedScience 70 www.SuperchargedScience.com
5. Thereisamonkeyhangingonthebranchofatree.Awildlifebiologistwantstoshootatranquilizerdartatthemonkeytomarkandstudyhim.Thebiologistverycarefullyaimsdirectlyattheshoulderofthemonkeyandfires.However,thegunmakesaloudenoughnoisethatthemonkeygetsscared,letsgoofthebranchandfallsdirectlydownward.Doesthedarthitwherethebiologistwasaimingordoesitgohigherorlowerthanheaimed?(Themonkeyandthedartfalldownwardatthesamerateofspeed.Sothedartwouldhitexactlywherethebiologistaimed!Infact,ifthemonkeydidn’tletgo,thedartwouldhavehitlowerthanthebiologistaimed.)
Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthattheycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyourclasstime.
©2014SuperchargedScience 71 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson#11:WatchYourWeightStudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:IfyoucouldstandontheSunwithoutbeingroasted,howmuchwouldyouweigh?Thegravitationalpullisdifferentfordifferentobjects.Let’sfindoutwhichcelestialobjectyou’dcrackthepavementon,andwhichyourlightweighttoeswouldhavetobecarefulaboutjumpingonincaseyouleaptofftheplanet.
WhattoLearn:Weightisnothingmorethanameasureofhowmuchgravityispullingonyou.Massisameasureofhowmuchstuffyou’remadeoutof.Weightcanchangedependingonthegravitationalfieldyouarestandingin.Masscanonlychangeifyouloseanarm.
Materials
Scaletoweighyourself Calculator Pencil
LabTime
1. Weneedtotalkaboutthedifferencebetweenweightandmass.Ineverydaylanguage,weightandmassareusedinterchangeably,butscientistsknowbetter.
2. Massishowmuchstuffsomethingismadeoutof.Ifyou’reholdingabowlingball,you’llnoticethatit’shardtogetstarted,andonceitgetsmoving,itneedsanotherpushtogetittostop.Ifyouleavethebowlingballonthefloor,itstaysput.Onceyoupushit,itwantstostaymoving.This“sluggishness”iscalledinertia.Massishowmuchinertiaanobjecthas.
3. Everyobjectwithmassalsohasagravitationalfield,andisattractedtoeverythingelsethathasmass.Theamountofgravitysomethinghasdependsonhowfaraparttheobjectsare.Whenyousteponabathroomscale,youarereadingyourweight,orhowmuchattractionisbetweenyouandtheEarth.
4. Ifyousteppedonascaleinaspaceshipthatisparkedfromanyplanets,moons,blackholes,orotherobjects,itwouldreadzero.Butisyourmasszero?Noway.You’restillmadeofthesamestuffyouwereonEarth,soyourmassisthesame.Butyou’dhavenoweight.
5. WhatisyourweightonEarth?Let’sfindoutnow.
6. Steponthescaleandreadthenumber.Writeithere:__________________________________________
7. Now,whatisyourweightontheMoon?Thecorrectionfactoris0.17.Somultiplyyourweightby0.17tofindwhatthescalewouldreadontheMoon.Writeithere:______________________________________________________________________________________________
8. Forexample,ifIweigh100poundsonEarth,thenI’dweightonly17poundsontheMoon.Ifthescalereads10kgonEarth,thenitwouldread1.7kgontheMoon.
©2014SuperchargedScience 72 www.SuperchargedScience.com
9. Filloutthetablebelow.
WatchYourWeightDataTable
WeightonPlanet/Object=WeightonEarthxGravityCorrection
Planet/Object WeightonEarth GravityCorrection WeightonPlanet/Object
TheSun 28
Mercury 0.38
Venus 0.91
Earth 1
Moon 0.17
Mars 0.38
Jupiter 2.14
Saturn 0.91
Uranus 0.86
Neptune 1.1
Pluto 0.08
OuterSpace 0
Betelgeuse 14,000
WhiteDwarf 1,300,000
NeutronStar(Pulsar) 140,000,000,000
BlackHole ∞
©2014SuperchargedScience 73 www.SuperchargedScience.com
ExercisesAnswerthequestionsbelow:
1. Ofthefollowingobjects,whichonesareattractedtooneanotherbygravity?a)AppleandBananab)BeagleandChihuahuac)EarthandYoud)Alloftheabove
2. TrueorFalse:Gravityacceleratesallthingsdifferently
3. TrueorFalse:Gravitypullsonallthingsdifferently
4. IfIdropagolfballandagolfcartatthesametimefromthesameheight,whichhitsthegroundfirst?
5. Thereisamonkeyhangingonthebranchofatree.Awildlifebiologistwantstoshootatranquilizerdartatthemonkeytomarkandstudyhim.Thebiologistverycarefullyaimsdirectlyattheshoulderofthemonkeyandfires.However,thegunmakesaloudenoughnoisethatthemonkeygetsscared,letsgoofthebranchandfallsdirectlydownward.Doesthedarthitwherethebiologistwasaiming,ordoesitgohigherorlowerthanheaimed?(This,bytheway,isanoldthoughtproblem.)
©2014SuperchargedScience 74 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson#12:SundialTeacherSection
Overview:UsingthepositionoftheSun,youcantellwhattimeitusbymakingoneofthesesundials.TheSunwillcastashadowontoasurfacemarkedwiththehours,andthetime‐tellinggnomonedgewillalignwiththepropertime.
SuggestedTime:30‐45minutes
Objectives:ThepositionoftheSunintheskychangesduringthecourseofthedayandfromseasontoseason.Studentswillalsolearnhowtocorrectforlongitude,latitude,andothercommonsundialerrors.
Materials(perlabgroup)
SimpleSundial
Indexcard Scissors Tape
IntermediateSundial
2yardsticksormetersticks Protractor Chalk Clock
AdvancedSundial
OldCD(thiscanalsobethetransparentCDatthetopofDVD/CDspindles) EmptyCDcase Skewer Stickytape Cardboardorsmallpieceofclay Protractor Scissors Tape Hotglue
LabPreparation
1. Decidewhichsundialyouaregoingtodo,andprintouttheappropriatetemplateforthestudents.2. Makeasampleofeachsundialtoshowthatalthoughtheylookdifferent,theyallworkthesameway.3. Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.4. ReadovertheBackgroundLessonReadingbeforeteachingthisclass.5. Watchthevideoforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.
©2014SuperchargedScience 75 www.SuperchargedScience.com
BackgroundLessonReading
SundialshavebeenusedforcenturiestokeeptrackoftheSun.Therearedifferenttypesofsundials.Someusealineoflighttoindicatewhattimeitis,whileothersuseashadow.
Hereareafewdifferentmodelsthat,althoughtheylookalotdifferentfromeachother,actuallyallworktogivethesameresults!YoursundialwillworkalldaysoftheyearwhentheSunisout.
You’llnoticethatnorthisthedirectionthatyourshadow’slengthistheshortest.However,ifyoudon’tknowwhereeastandwestare,allyoucandoisknowwherenorthis.TheequinoxisaspecialtimeofyearbecausetheSunrisesintheexacteastandsetsintheexactwest,makingthesetwopointsexactlyperpendicularwiththenorthforyourlocation(whichtheyusuallyaren’t).Atsunset,youcanviewyourshadow(quicklybeforeitdisappears)anddrawitwithchalkontheground,makingalinethatrunseast‐west.90ocounterclockwisefromthelineisnorth.
Lesson
1. Ingeneral,sundialsaresusceptibletodifferentkindsoferrors.Ifthesundialisn’tpointednorth,it’snotgoingtowork.Ifthesundial’sgnomonisn’tperpendicular,it’sgoingtogiveerrorswhenyoureadthetime.
2. Latitudeandlongitudecorrectionsmayalsoneedtobemade.Somedesignsneedtobealignedwiththelatitudeatwhichtheyreside(ineffect,theyneedtobetippedtowardtheSunatanangle).Tocorrectforlongitude,simplyshiftthesundialtoreadexactlynoonwhenindicatedonyourclock.Thisisespeciallyimportantforsundialsthatliebetweenlongitudinalstandardizedtimezones.
3. TheEquationofTimefromthelessonentitled:What’sintheSky?canbeusedtocorrectfortheSunrunningsloworfast.Remember,thiseffectisduetoboththeEarth’sorbitnotbeingaperfectcircleandthefactthatthetiltaxisisnotperpendiculartotheorbitpath.
4. Ifdaylightsavingstimeisineffect,thenthesundialtimelinemustbeshiftedtoaccommodateforthis.Mostshiftsareonehour.
LabTime
1. Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.2. Handeachgrouptheirmaterialsandgivethemtimetoperformtheirexperimentandwritedowntheir
observations.
©2014SuperchargedScience 76 www.SuperchargedScience.com
SimpleSundial
1. Thissundialtakesonlyacoupleminutestomake,andreadseasilyforbeginnerstudents.2. Cutoutthetemplatebelow.3. Cutyourindexcardintotwotrianglesbycuttingfromonecornertotheoppositediagonalcorner.Stackthe
twotrianglesandtapetogether.Thisiscalledyourgnomon.4. Tapethetriangletoyour12‐hourline,puttingtapeonbothsidesofthegnomonasyoustickittothepaper.5. Putthesundialinasunnyplacewhereitwon’tbedisturbed(likeinsideofasunnywindoworonatable
outdoors).6. Pointthesundialsothatthegnomonispointingnorth.Thisismosteasilydoneifyouorientyoursundialat
exactlynooninyourlocation.LineupthesundialwiththeSunsothattheshadowthegnomonmakeslinesupexactlywiththe12.
7. Tapethesundialdownsoitwon’tmoveorgetblownaway.8. Thegnomonmustbeexactlyperpendiculartothehourmarkers.Usearulerorabookedgetohelpyouline
thisup.
SimpleSundialTemplate
IntermediateSundial
1. Findasunnyspotthathasconcreteandgrassyarearightnexttoeachother.You’regoingtopoketheyardstickintothegrassanddrawontheconcretewithchalk,sobesurethattheconcretegoesinanapproximatelyeast‐westdirection.
2. Firstthinginthemorning,stickoneoftheyardsticksintothedirt,rightattheedgeoftheconcrete.3. Atthetopofthehour(likeat8a.m.or9a.m.),goouttoyouryardsticktomarkaposition.4. Laythesecondyardstickdownalongtheshadowthattheuprightyardstickmakesontheground.Usechalk
todrawtheshadow,andusetheyardsticktomakeyourlinestraight.
©2014SuperchargedScience 77 www.SuperchargedScience.com
5. Labelthislinewiththehour.6. Setyourtimerandrunbackoutatthetopofthenexthour.7. Repeatsteps3‐6untilyoufinishmarkingyoursundial.8. Whenyou’vecompletedyoursundial,filloutthetablebelow.
IntermediateDataTable
Don’tforgettolabelyourunitsforcolumns2and3!
ExactTimeofDay ShadowLength
AnglethattheSunMovedfromLastHour
©2014SuperchargedScience 78 www.SuperchargedScience.com
AdvancedSundial
Thissundialwillworkforalllongitudes,buthasalimitedrangeoflatitudes.Ifyouliveinthefarnorthorfarsouth,you’llneedtogetcreativeabouthowtomounttheCDsothatthegnomonispointedatthecorrectangle.Forexample,attheequator,theCDwilllieflat(whichiseasy!),butnearthenorthandsouthpoles,theCDwillbeupsidedown.
1. Cutoutthetimeline(below).2. Putalineofdouble‐sidedstickytapealongthebackofthetimeline.Extendthetapeabout¼”(onthe
bottomedge)soit’shangingoffthepaperalittle.3. FlipthetimelineoverandrolltheCDalongthisbottomedge,stickingthetimelinetotheedgeoftheCD.
ThetimelineshouldbefacinginwardtowardthecenteroftheCD,perpendiculartotheCDsurface.4. Nowit’stimetoplugupthecenterhole.YoucancutoutcirclesfromaCDandattachwithtape,orusea
smallpieceofclay.5. PushtheskewerthroughtheexactmiddleoftheCD.6. OpenuptheCDcase.7. Positionthenoonmarkeratthebottomandstickitusingapieceofdouble‐sidedstickytapeorhotglue.8. TheothersideoftheCDisgluedtotheCDcaseatthesameangleasyourlatitude.Forexample,ifIliveat
43onorth,IwouldusemyprotractoronthegroundalongthebaseoftheCDcaseandlifttheCDuntilthegnomonreadsat43o.PutadabofhotgluetoattachtheCDtothelidofthecase.
9. Gooutsideandpointthegnomonnorth(youmaywanttouseacompassforthisifit’snotnoon.)10. Thedialwillhaveashadowthatfallsonthetimeline.Youcanreadthetimerightoffthetimeline.11. Foradvancedstudents:Timelinecorrection:DoyourememberhowtheSunwasfastorslowinthe
Stargazer’sWallChartfromthelessonentitled:What’sintheSky?ThatwavylineiscalledtheEquationofTime,andyou’llneedittocorrectyoursundialifyouwanttobecompletelyaccurate.ThisisagreatdemonstrationforaScienceFairproject,especiallywhenyouaddamodeloftheSunandEarthtohelpyouexplainwhat’sgoingon.
Exercises(theseaccompanyeachsundialactivity)
1. Whatkindsofcorrectionsneedtobemadeforyoursundial?2. Whenwouldn’tyoursundialwork?3. Howcanyouimproveyoursundialtobemoreaccurate?
Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthattheycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyourclasstime.
©2014SuperchargedScience 79 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson#12:SundialStudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:UsingthepositionoftheSun,youcantellwhattimeitusbymakingoneofthesesundials.TheSunwillcastashadowontoasurfacemarkedwiththehours,andthetime‐tellinggnomonedgewillalignwiththepropertime.
WhattoLearn:Ingeneral,sundialsaresusceptibletodifferentkindsoferrors.Ifthesundialisn’tpointednorth,it’snotgoingtowork.Ifthesundial’sgnomonisn’tperpendicular,it’sgoingtogiveerrorswhenyoureadthetime.Latitudeandlongitudecorrectionsmayalsoneedtobemade.Somedesignsneedtobealignedwiththelatitudeatwhichtheyreside(ineffect,theyneedtobetippedtowardtheSunatanangle).Tocorrectforlongitude,simplyshiftthesundialtoreadexactlynoonwhenindicatedonyourclock.Thisisespeciallyimportantforsundialsthatliebetweenlongitudinalstandardizedtimezones.Ifdaylightsavingstimeisineffect,thenthesundialtimelinemustbeshiftedtoaccommodateforthis.Mostshiftsareonehour.
Materials
SimpleSundial
Indexcard Scissors Tape
IntermediateSundial
2yardsticksormetersticks Protractor Chalk Clock
AdvancedSundial
OldCD(thiscanalsobethetransparentCDatthetopofDVD/CDspindles) EmptyCDcase Skewer Stickytape Cardboardorsmallpieceofclay Protractor Scissors Tape Hotglue
©2014SuperchargedScience 80 www.SuperchargedScience.com
SimpleSundial
1. Thissundialtakesonlyacoupleofminutestomake,andreadseasilyforbeginnerstudents.2. Cutoutthetemplatebelow.3. Cutyourindexcardintotwotrianglesbycuttingfromonecornertotheoppositediagonalcorner.Stackthe
twotrianglesandtapetogether.Thisiscalledyourgnomon.4. Tapethetriangletoyour12‐hourline,puttingtapeonbothsidesofthegnomonasyoustickittothepaper.5. Putthesundialinasunnyplacewhereitwon’tbedisturbed(likeinsideofasunnywindoworonatable
outdoors).6. Pointthesundialsothatthegnomonispointingnorth.Thisismosteasilydoneifyouorientyoursundialat
exactlynooninyourlocation.LineupthesundialwiththeSunsothattheshadowthegnomonmakeslinesupexactlywiththe12.
7. Tapethesundialdownsoitwon’tmoveorgetblownaway.8. Thegnomonmustbeexactlyperpendiculartothehourmarkers.Usearulerorabookedgetohelpyouline
thisup.
SimpleSundialTemplate
ExercisesAnswerthequestionsbelow:1. Whatkindsofcorrectionsneedtobemadeforyoursundial?2. Whenwouldn’tyoursundialwork?3. Howcanyouimproveyoursundialtobemoreaccurate?
©2014SuperchargedScience 81 www.SuperchargedScience.com
IntermediateSundial
1. Findasunnyspotthathasconcreteandgrassyarearightnexttoeachother.You’regoingtopoketheyardstickintothegrassanddrawontheconcretewithchalk,sobesurethattheconcretegoesinanapproximatelyeast‐westdirection.
2. Firstthinginthemorning,stickoneoftheyardsticksintothedirt,rightattheedgeoftheconcrete.3. Atthetopofthehour(likeat8a.m.or9a.m.),goouttoyouryardsticktomarkaposition.4. Laythesecondyardstickdownalongtheshadowthattheuprightyardstickmakesontheground.Usechalk
todrawtheshadow,andusetheyardsticktomakeyourlinestraight.5. Labelthislinewiththehour.6. Setyourtimerandrunbackoutatthetopofthenexthour.7. Repeatsteps3‐6untilyoufinishmarkingyoursundial.8. Whenyou’vecompletedyoursundial,filloutthetablebelow.
IntermediateDataTable
Don’tforgettolabelyourunitsforcolumns2and3!
ExactTimeofDay ShadowLength
AnglethattheSunMovedfromLastHour
ExercisesAnswerthequestionsbelow:1. Whatkindsofcorrectionsneedtobemadeforyoursundial?2. Whenwouldn’tyoursundialwork?3. Howcanyouimproveyoursundialtobemoreaccurate?
©2014SuperchargedScience 82 www.SuperchargedScience.com
AdvancedSundial
Thissundialwillworkforalllongitudes,buthasalimitedrangeoflatitudes.Ifyouliveinthefarnorthorfarsouth,you’llneedtogetcreativeabouthowtomounttheCDsothatthegnomonispointedatthecorrectangle.Forexample,attheequator,theCDwilllieflat(whichiseasy!),butnearthenorthandsouthpoles,theCDwillbeupsidedown.
1. Cutoutthetimeline(below).2. Putalineofdouble‐sidedstickytapealongthebackofthetimeline.Extendthetapeabout¼”(onthe
bottomedge)soit’shangingoffthepaperalittle.3. FlipthetimelineoverandrolltheCDalongthisbottomedge,stickingthetimelinetotheedgeoftheCD.
ThetimelineshouldbefacinginwardtowardthecenteroftheCD,perpendiculartotheCDsurface.4. Nowit’stimetoplugupthecenterhole.YoucancutoutcirclesfromaCDandattachwithtape,orusea
smallpieceofclay.5. PushtheskewerthroughtheexactmiddleoftheCD.6. OpenuptheCDcase.7. Positionthenoonmarkeratthebottomandstickitusingapieceofdouble‐sidedstickytapeorhotglue.8. TheothersideoftheCDisgluedtotheCDcaseatthesameangleasyourlatitude.Forexample,ifIliveat
43onorth,IwouldusemyprotractoronthegroundalongthebaseoftheCDcaseandlifttheCDuntilthegnomonreadsat43o.PutadabofhotgluetoattachtheCDtothelidofthecase.
9. Gooutsideandpointthegnomonnorth(youmaywanttouseacompassforthisifit’snotnoon.)10. Thedialwillhaveashadowthatfallsonthetimeline.Youcanreadthetimerightoffthetimeline.11. Foradvancedstudents:Timelinecorrection:DoyourememberhowtheSunwasfastorslowinthe
Stargazer’sWallChartfromthelessonentitled:What’sintheSky?ThatwavylineiscalledtheEquationofTime,andyou’llneedittocorrectyoursundialifyouwanttobecompletelyaccurate.ThisisagreatdemonstrationforaScienceFairproject,especiallywhenyouaddamodeloftheSunandEarthtohelpyouexplainwhat’sgoingon.
ExercisesAnswerthequestionsbelow:1. Whatkindsofcorrectionsneedtobemadeforyoursundial?2. Whenwouldn’tyoursundialwork?3. Howcanyouimproveyoursundialtobemoreaccurate?
©2014SuperchargedScience 83 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson#13:DiffractionTeacherSection
Overview:Studentswillplaywithdiffractiongratingstolearnabouthowtheywork,sotheycanmakeaSpectroscopeinthenextlesson.
SuggestedTime:30‐45minutes
Objectives:Scientistsusediffractiongratingstosplitincominglightsotheycanfigureoutwhatfuelsadistantstarisburning.Whenhydrogenburns,itgivesofflight,butnotinallthecolorsoftherainbow,onlyveryspecificcolorsinredandblue.It'slikehydrogen'sownpersonalfingerprint,orlightsignature.Wheneachelementburns,itgivesoffadifferentcombinationofcolors.
Materials(perlabgroup)
Feather CDorDVD Diffractiongrating Severallightsources,suchasacandle,laserpointer,neonlight,sodiumlight,fluorescentlight,
incandescentlight,glowstick,etc.
LabPreparation
1. Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.2. ReadovertheBackgroundLessonReadingbeforeteachingthisclass.3. Watchthevideoforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.4. Rightbeforeclass,setupyourvariouslightsourcesaroundtheroom.Studentswillrotatebetween
differentstationsandrecordtheirresults.
BackgroundLessonReading
Everplaywithaprism?Whensunlightstrikestheprism,itgetssplitintoarainbowofcolors.Prismsun‐mixthelightintoitsdifferentwavelengths(whichyouseeasdifferentcolors).Diffractiongratingsaretinyprismsstackedtogether.Thedirectioninwhichthebeamgetssplitanddiffracteddependsonthespacingofthediffractiongratingandalsothewavelengthoftheincominglight.
Thefeatherworksbecausetherearetiny“hairs”onthefeatherthatareactingliketinyprisms.
DiffractiongratingswerefirstdiscoveredbyJamesGregory,rightaroundthetimeNewtonperformedhisfamousprismexperimentswithbirdfeathers.Thefirstdiffractiongratingstookalongtimetoconstruct,astheywereindividualhairsstrungbetweenscrews.
Lesson
1. Adiffractiongratingbendsthelightandsplitsitintodifferentbeams.Youcanseethisverywellwhenyouuseamonochromaticlightsource,likealaser,insteadofamulti‐wavelengthlightsource.
©2014SuperchargedScience 84 www.SuperchargedScience.com
2. Starteveryoneoffviewinganincandescentlightyouhaveatthefrontoftheroom.Havethestudentstrylookingthrougheachofthethreediffractiongratingsatthelightsources,andrecordingtheinformationinthedatatable.Thisistheirfirststation.Nowsplitthemintogroupsandhaveonestudentlabgroupperlightsource.
LabTime
1. Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.2. Handeachgrouptheirmaterialsandgivethemtimetoperformtheirexperimentandwritedowntheir
observations.3. Takeafeatherandputitoveraneye.4. Stareatalightsourcethroughthefeather,likeanincandescentlight.5. YoushouldseetwoorthreelightsandarainbowX.6. AimtheCDsothelighthitstheCDandmakesrainbows.7. Lookatthelightsourcethroughthediffractiongrating.8. Drawwhatyouseeforallthree.Weretheythesame?9. Rotatearoundtheroomtoanewstationwhenyourteachercallsthetimetochange.You’llfinddifferent
lightsourceareasyourteacherhassetoutforyou.10. Completethetablebelowasyouviewthedifferentlightsourcesthroughyourdiffractiongratings.
Exercises
1. Whichlightsourcegavethemostinterestingresults?(Thisvarieswithdata.)2. Whathappenswhenyouaimalaserbeamthroughthediffractiongrating?(Itsplitsintothreebeamsof
light,asshowninthesecondvideo.)3. HowisaCDdifferentandthesameasadiffractiongrating?(ACDhasaspiraloffinely‐spaceddatatracks
whilethediffractiongratinghasaseriesofparallellines.TheCDsplitsthelightthesamewayasthediffractiongrating.TheCDsplitsthebeamintomorethanthreebeams.)
4. Whydoesthefeatherwork?(Therearetiny“hairs”onthefeatheractingliketinyprisms.)
Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthattheycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyourclasstime.
©2014SuperchargedScience 85 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson#13:DiffractionStudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:Whenlightpassesthroughdiffractiongratings,itsplits(diffracts)thelightintoseveralbeamstravelingindifferentdirections.Ifyou'veeverseenthe“iridescence”ofasoapbubble,aninsectshell,oronapearl,you'veseennature'sdiffractiongratings.
WhattoLearn:Everplaywithaprism?Whensunlightstrikestheprism,itgetssplitintoarainbowofcolors.Prismsun‐mixthelightintoitsdifferentwavelengths(whichyouseeasdifferentcolors).Diffractiongratingsaretinyprismsstackedtogether.Thedirectioninwhichthebeamgetssplitanddiffracteddependsonthespacingofthediffractiongratingandalsothewavelengthoftheincominglight.
Materials
Feather CDorDVD Diffractiongrating
LabTime
1. Takeafeatherandputitoveraneye.2. Stareatalightsourcethroughthefeather,likeanincandescentlight.3. YoushouldseetwoorthreelightsandarainbowX.4. AimtheCDsothelighthitstheCDandmakesrainbows.5. Lookatthelightsourcethroughthediffractiongrating.6. Drawwhatyouseeforallthree.Weretheythesame?7. Rotatearoundtheroomtoanewstationwhenyourteachercallsthetimetochange.You’llfinddifferent
lightsourceareasyourteacherhassetoutforyou.8. Completethetablebelowasyouviewthedifferentlightsourcesthroughyourdiffractiongratings.
©2014SuperchargedScience 86 www.SuperchargedScience.com
DiffractionDataTable
LightSource DiffractiveObject(Feather,CD,orGrating?)
DrawWhatYouSee:
©2014SuperchargedScience 87 www.SuperchargedScience.com
ExercisesAnswerthequestionsbelow:
1. Whichlightsourcegavethemostinterestingresults?
2. Whathappenswhenyouaimalaserbeamthroughthediffractiongrating?
3. HowisaCDdifferentandthesameasadiffractiongrating?
4. Whydoesthefeatherwork?
©2014SuperchargedScience 88 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson#14:InfraredVisionTeacherSection
ThislabisaHomeworkLab.Demonstratethislabtothestudentsduringclass,andthensendthemhomewiththeirstudentworksheetstocompletethatnight.
Overview:Infraredlightisinthepartoftheelectromagneticspectrumthatisn’tusuallyvisibletohumaneyes,butusingthisniftytrick,youwilleasilybeabletoseetheIRsignalfromyourTVremote,remote‐controllerforanRCcar,andmore.
SuggestedTime:30‐45minutes
Objectives:WhenyoupressthebuttononyourremotecontroltoyourTV,you’reusinginfraredlight(IR)tocontrolyourTV.Infraredlighthasabitmoreenergythanmicrowavelight,butit’sstillinvisibletooureyes.However,snakescandetectIRandseetheredderhuesthatwecan’t.EverywarmbodygivesofflightintheIR,sosnakesusethistofindmiceinthecoolnight.
Materials(foryourdemonstrationonly):
Metalfryingpanorcookiesheet Plasticsheet Plasticbaggie Trashbag(whiteorblack,orboth) Woodencuttingboard Remote control for TV or stereo Camera (video or still camera)
LabPreparation
1. Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.2. ReadovertheBackgroundLessonReadingbeforeteachingthisclass.3. Watchthevideoforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.4. Setupthecamerainthefrontoftheclassforeveryonetosee,andgetyourmaterialsouttodemonstrate
thelabsothekidscandotheirhomework.
©2014SuperchargedScience 89 www.SuperchargedScience.com
BackgroundLessonReading
Differentdetectorsaresensitivetodifferentcolors.Youreyeballsaresensitivetospecificcolorsinthe400‐700nm(nanometer)range,whichishowlongonewavelengthis.Ananometerisextremelytiny!
Thefrequencyofredlightisaround430trillionHz(Hertz,whichisonewavecyclepersecond).Ifyouweretocountthenumberofwavespassingacertainpointinonesecond,you’dcount430trillionwaves.Ifyoucounted750trillionwaves,thelightwouldbeviolet.Differentcolorshavedifferentfrequencies.
Lightenergy(alsocalledelectromagneticradiation)withthelowestamountsofenergyandlongestwavelengths(1mmto1km)areradiowaves.Theseareemittedbyradiogalaxieslikequasars,supernovaleftovers,andtheradiotoweratthetopofthehill.Radiowavesfromspacewithawavelengthgreaterthan100metersarereflectedbackintospacebyouratmosphere.RadiowavesaredetectedinspacebytheCOBEsatellite,theVLAinNewMexico,andtheAreciboObservatoryinSouthAmerica.
Thenextstepdowninwavesizeismicrowaves,whichhavemoreenergythanradiowavesbutareashorterwavelength.Thesearetheonesinsideyourmicrowavethatexcitethewatermoleculesinsideyourfoodsothatyourfoodheatsup.
Infrared(IR)hasslightlymoreenergyandanevensmallerwavelength(700nanometers,ornmto1mm),andyoucanfeelthislightaswarmthonyourskinwhenyoustepintotheSun.There’salotofinfraredradiationinspacearoundthestar‐formingcloudsandobjectswithatemperatureabove1000oC.SOFIAandtheInfraredObservatorybothdetectinfraredfromvariousstarsinspace.
Visiblelightoropticallightwavesarethevisiblerainbowyoucanseewithyoureyesafterarainyday.Thesewavelengthshavemoreenergyandshorterwavelengths(300to700nm)thaninfrared.TheHubbleSpaceTelescopeandEarth‐boundopticaltelescopeslookatstars,galaxies,andplanets.
Ultraviolet(UV)lighthasmoreenergyandshorterwavelengths(10nmto390nm)thanvisiblelight,andyou’llfindhotstarsemitlargelyinthisregionofthespectrum.TheozonelayerprotectsusfrommostoftheUV,butnotall.That’swhyyougetasunburnifyoudon’twearsunblock,andwhycolorsfadeinsunlight.SkyLab,AstrotelescopeandSOHOallsearchforUV.SOHOlooksdirectlyattheSun’scoronatogetamazingimagesinUV.
X‐rayshaveevenmoreenergyandshortwavelengths(0.01nmto10nm)thanUVlight,andyou’llfindtheseareemittedbyactiveblackholes,supernovaremnants,andveryhotstars(we’retalking1millionto100millionoC).Fortunatelyforus,thesearequicklyabsorbedintheupperatmosphereandmostnevermakeittothesurfaceofEarth.X‐raysgeneratedonearthareemittedbyelectronsoutsidethenucleusofanatom.ROSATlookedatclustergalaxiestodetectX‐raysources.
Deadlygammarayshavethemostamountofenergyandtheshortestfrequency(lessthan0.01nm),andyou’llfindtheseinareasofsuperflaresfrompulsars,supernovas,andradioactiveatoms.GammaraysarelikeX‐rays,inthattheybothcangothroughthickmaterials,andwouldrathergothroughyourdetectorthanintoittobedetected.GammaraysonEartharegeneratedinsidethenucleusofanatom.TheComptonObservatorylookedatquasarstodetectgammarays.
Lesson/LabTime
1. Thislabisgoingtobeassignedforhomeworkforthestudents.Youwillrunthroughthelaboncesotheyknowwhattodowhentheygethome.
©2014SuperchargedScience 90 www.SuperchargedScience.com
2. Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.3. Handeachgrouptheirworksheetstocompleteforhomework.4. Grabaremotecontrolandshowthestudentsthatitisindeedworking.Turnthedeviceonandoffusingthe
remote.5. Grabasheetofplastic,likeacuttingboard,andplaceitbetweenyourremoteandthedevice.Doesitturn
onwhenyouaimthebeamatit?Doestheplasticblockthebeam?6. Openupatrashbagandplaceonesideofthebagbetweenyourremoteandthedevice.Didthatblockthe
beam,ordidtheremoteturnonthedevice?7. Whatelsecanyoutry?Howaboutaclearbag?8. Aclearbagfilledwithwater?9. Asheetofpaper?10. Whataboutametalpan?Findsomethingthat’snotcoatedwithTeflon.Doesinfraredgothroughmetal?11. Whatifyoupointitatawhitewallbehindyou,pretendingthewhitewallisamirrorandaimingitsoitwill
reflectitbacktothedevice?12. Completethetablebelow.13. Now,let’smaketheinvisibleinfraredlightvisible.Takeyourcamera(eitherdigitalorvideocamerawill
work)andturniton.Putitonamodewhereyoucanseethroughtheviewscreen.Aimthecamerarightattheemitterfortheremote(usuallynearthetop)andpressabutton.Pointtheremoterightatthecameraandwatchthroughthecamera.Oureyesnormallycan’tseetheinfraredlight,butthecameracan!
14. Thecameracanalsoseetheotherwisedarkendoftheremote!Doesyourcamerahaveaspecialnightvisionmode,whereit’sespeciallysensitivetoinfraredlight?Ifso,tryit!
Exercises
1. Whatkindsofobjectsallowinfraredlighttopassthroughthem?(Checkdata.)2. Whydoesthecameraworkinmakingtheinfraredlightvisible?(Thecameraisaviewerthatletsusseethis
specialfrequencyoflight.Lightistechnicallywhatwecallelectromagneticradiation.Radiowaves,infrared,microwaves,X‐rays,andgammaraysareallelectromagneticradiation.Ifyoucouldseetheradiowaves,thenyoucouldseeradiotowersastheytransmit.Theywouldappeartolightup.Ifyoucouldseeallformsoflight,thennotonlycouldyouseetheradiotowers,butalsoyourcellphone,thedoctor’sX‐raycameras,andyourcarradiowouldallbelitupastheyoperated.It’sallmadeoutofthesamestuff,justnotallofitisvisibletooureyes.)
Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthattheycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyourclasstime.
©2014SuperchargedScience 91 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson#14:InfraredVisionStudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:Infraredlightisinthepartoftheelectromagneticspectrumthatisn’tusuallyvisibletohumaneyes,butusingthisniftytrick,youwilleasilybeabletoseetheIRsignalfromyourTVremote,remote‐controllerforanRCcar,andmore!
WhattoLearn:WhenyoupressthebuttononyourremotecontroltoyourTV,you’reusinginfraredlight(IR)tocontrolyourTV.Infraredlightisinvisibletooureyes.However,snakescandetectIRandseetheredderhuesthatwecan’t.EverywarmbodygivesofflightintheIR,sosnakesusethistofindmiceinthecoolnight.
Materials:
Youwillneedtheseitems:
Remote control for TV or stereo Camera (video or still camera)
Thisisjustasuggestedlistofobjects.Feelfreetofindyourown!
Metalfryingpanorcookiesheet Plasticsheet Plasticbaggie Trashbag(whiteorblack,orboth) Woodencuttingboard
LabTime
1. Grabaremotecontrolandverifythatitisindeedworking.Turnthedeviceonandoffusingtheremote.2. Grabasheetofplastic,likeacuttingboard,andplaceitbetweenyourremoteandthedevice.Doesitturn
onwhenyouaimthebeamatit?Doestheplasticblockthebeam?3. Openupatrashbagandplaceonesideofthebagbetweenyourremoteandthedevice.Didthatblockthe
beam,ordidtheremoteturnonthedevice?4. Whatelsecanyoutry?Howaboutaclearbag?5. Aclearbagfilledwithwater?6. Asheetofpaper?7. Whataboutametalpan?Findsomethingthat’snotcoatedwithTeflon.Doesinfraredgothroughmetal?8. Whatifyoupointitatawhitewallbehindyou,pretendingthewhitewallisamirrorandaimingitsoitwill
reflectitbacktothedevice?9. Completethetablebelow.10. Nowlet’smaketheinvisibleinfraredlightvisible.Takeyourcamera(eitherstillorvideocamerawillwork)
andturniton.Putitonamodewhereyoucanseethroughtheviewscreen.Aimthecamerarightattheemitterfortheremote(usuallynearthetop)andpressabutton.Pointtheremoterightatthecameraandwatchthroughthecamera.Oureyesnormallycan’tseetheinfraredlight,butthecameracan!
©2014SuperchargedScience 92 www.SuperchargedScience.com
11. Thecameracanalsoseetheotherwisedarkendoftheremote!Doesyourcamerahaveaspecialnightvisionmode,whereit’sespeciallysensitivetoinfraredlight?Ifso,tryit!
InfraredDataTable
Item/ObjectTested GuessFIRST!WilltheInfraredLight
PassThrough?
WhatHappened?(Diditpassthroughornot?)
ExercisesAnswerthequestionsbelow:1. Lookoveryourdatatable.Whatkindsofobjects(plastic,metal,natural,etc.)allowinfraredlighttopass
throughthem?
2. Whydoesthecameraworkinmakingtheinfraredlightvisible?
©2014SuperchargedScience 93 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson#15:UVLightTeacherSection
Overview:UV(ultra‐violet)lightisinvisible,whichmeansyouneedmorethanyournakedeyeballtoexperimentwithit.OurSungivesofflightintheUV(actually,itgivesofflightintheentirespectrum).WhichiswhytoomuchexposuretotheSungivesyouasunburn–it’sfromtheUVrays.
SuggestedTime:30‐45minutes
Objectives:Thisisaphotochemicalexperimentthattestsachemical’sresponsetosunlight.
Materials(perlabgroup)
5UVbeads(thesechangecolorswhenexposedtotheSun) Tape(double‐sidediseasier) Sunblock Sunglasses(askthekidstobringapair) Sunnyday Water Pieceoffabric Clearplasticbag
LabPreparation
1. Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.2. ReadovertheBackgroundLessonReadingbeforeteachingthisclass.3. Watchthevideoforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.4. Cutuparagordishclothforthefabricsincethekidsonlyneeda2”square.
BackgroundLessonReading
UV‐sensitivematerialshaveapigmentinsidethatchangescolorwhenexposedtoUVlightfromeithertheSunorlightsthatemitinthe350nm–300nmwavelength.(UVAishigh‐energy:400‐320nm,andUVBislowenergy:320‐280nm).Ifyouhavefluorescentblacklights,usethem.(Doregularincandescentbulbswork?Ifnot,youknowtheyemitlightoutsidetherangeofthebeads!)
Whenlighthitsthepigmentmolecule,itabsorbstheenergyandactuallyexpandsasymmetrically(oneendofthemoleculeexpandsmorethantheother).Differentexpansionamountswillgiveyouadifferentcolor.Althoughit’sabitmorecomplicatedthanthat,younowhavethebasicidea.Yourbeadswillchangecolorsthousandsoftimesbeforetheywearout,soenjoythesesuper‐inexpensiveUVdetectors.
Anoteaboutsunblock:YoucantestdifferentSPFlevelsofsunblock,buthere’sthemainideabehindtheratings:thenumberforSPFisthenumberofminutesittakestogetthesameSunexposurethanifyouweren’twearinganyforoneminute.Forexample,SPF30willgiveyouthesameSunexposureafter30minutesthatyouwouldnormallygetifyouweren’twearinganyafterjustoneminute.
©2014SuperchargedScience 94 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson
1. Stars,includingourSun,produceallkindsofwavelengthsoflight,evenUV.2. TheUVbeadswe’regoingtouseinourexperimentaremadefromachemicalthatreactswithlight.Ittakes
theUVlightfromtheSunandthenre‐emitsitinadifferentwavelengththat’svisibletous.3. WhenaparticleofUVlightsmacksintoanatom,itcollideswithanelectronandmakestheelectronjumpto
ahigher,moreenergeticstatethatisabitfurtherfromthecenteroftheatomthanit’scomfortablebeing.That’showenergygetsabsorbedbyanatom.
4. Theamountofenergyanelectronhasdetermineshowfarfromtheatomithastobe.Theelectronprefersbeinginitslowerstate,soitrelaxesandjumpsbackdown,transferringablipofenergyawayasitdoes.ThisblipofenergyisthelightweseeemittedfromtheUVbeads.ThisprocesscontinuesaslongasweseeacolorcomingfromtheUVbeads.
LabTime
1. Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.2. Handeachgrouptheirmaterialsandgivethemtimetoperformtheirexperimentandwritedowntheir
observations.3. Placeapieceoftapeonthedatatable,andstickyourbeadstothetape,oneineachbox.4. Walkoutsidewithyourdatatableandrecordyourobservations.5. Walkbackindoorsandcoverthebeads,blockingoutalllight.Peekatthemeveryminuteortwotofindout
whenthey’vereturnedtotheirunexposedcolor.6. NowprepareyoursecondroundoftestingbydoingthefollowingbeforeexposingthebeadstotheSun:
a. Placeabeadinsideabaggie.b. Placeasecondbeadinsideabaggiefilledwithwater.c. Smearacleanbaggiewithsunblockandplaceathirdbeadinside.d. Placeapairofsunglassesoverafourthbead.e. Placeafifthbeadunderapieceoffabric.
7. Walkyour5beadsoutsideandrecordyourobservationsinthedatatablebelow.8. Bringyourbeadsbackinsideandreturnthemtotheirunexposedcolor.9. Prepareyourthirdroundoftestingbyexposingyourbeadsto:
a. Afluorescentlampb. Anincandescentlampc. Flashlightd. Glowsticke. Computerscreenf. Reflectedsunlightusingamirrorg. Candleflame(pleasebecarefulwiththis!)h. Anyotherlightsourceyouhaveaccessto
10. Recordyourobservationsinthedatatable.
Exercises
1. Whatkindsoflightsourcesdidn’tworkwiththeUVbeads?(Checkdata.)
©2014SuperchargedScience 95 www.SuperchargedScience.com
2. DidyoursunblockreallyblockouttheUVrays?(Checkdata.)3. WhichwasthebestprotectionagainstUVrays?(Checkdata.)
Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthattheycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyourclasstime.
©2014SuperchargedScience 96 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson#15:UVLightStudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:Stars,includingourSun,produceallkindsofwavelengthsoflight,includingUV(ultra‐violet).That’sthewavelengththatgivesyousunburns.We’regoingtofindoutthebestwaytoprotectyoufromtheharmfulrays.
WhattoLearn:TheUVbeadswe’regoingtouseinourexperimentaremadefromachemicalthatreactswithlight.IttakestheUVlightfromtheSunandthenre‐emitsitinadifferentwavelengththat’svisibletous.
Materials
5UVbeads(thesechangecolorswhenexposedtotheSun) Tape(double‐sidediseasier) Sunblock Sunglasses Sunnyday Water Pieceoffabric Clearplasticbag
LabTime
1. Placeapieceoftapeonthedatatable,andstickyourbeadstothetape,oneineachbox.2. Walkoutsidewithyourdatatableandrecordyourobservations.
UVLightDataTable1
Bead ColorInside ColorWheninSunlight HowLongDidItTaketoReturntoIndoorColor?
(measureinseconds)
1
2
3
4
5
©2014SuperchargedScience 97 www.SuperchargedScience.com
3. Walkbackindoorsandcoverthebeads,blockingoutalllight.Peekatthemeveryminuteortwotofindoutwhenthey’vereturnedtotheirunexposedcolor.
4. NowprepareyoursecondroundoftestingbydoingthefollowingbeforeexposingthebeadstotheSun:a. Placeabeadinsideabaggie.b. Placeasecondbeadinsideabaggiefilledwithwater.c. Smearacleanbaggiewithsunblockandplaceathirdbeadinside.d. Placeapairofsunglassesoverafourthbead.e. Placeafifthbeadunderapieceoffabric.
5. Walkyour5beadsoutsideandrecordyourobservationsinthedatatablebelow.
UVLightDataTable2
Bead ColorInside ColorWheninSunlight
1:Baggie
2:Baggie+Water
3:Sunblock
4:Sunglasses
5:Fabric
6. Bringyourbeadsbackinsideandreturnthemtotheirunexposedcolor.7. Prepareyourthirdroundoftestingbyexposingyourbeadstosomeofthefollowing:
f. Afluorescentlampg. Anincandescentlamph. Flashlighti. Glowstickj. Computerscreenk. Reflectedsunlightusingamirrorl. Candleflame(pleasebecarefulwiththis!)m. Anyotherlightsourceyouhaveaccessto
8. Recordyourobservationsinthedatatablebelow.
©2014SuperchargedScience 98 www.SuperchargedScience.com
UVLightDataTable3
LightSource
ColorInside ColorWhenExposed HowLongDidItTaketoChangeColorwhenExposed?
ExercisesAnswerthequestionsbelow:
1. Whatkindsoflightsourcesdidn’tworkwiththeUVbeads?
2. DidyoursunblockreallyblockouttheUVrays?
3. WhichwasthebestprotectionagainstUVrays?
©2014SuperchargedScience 99 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson#16:StarWobbleTeacherSection
Overview: Howdoastronomersfindplanetsarounddistantstars?Ifyoulookatastarthroughbinocularsoratelescope,you’llquicklynoticehowbrightthestaris,andhowdifficultitistoseeanythingotherthanthestar,especiallyasmallplanetthatdoesn’tgenerateanylightofitsown!Astronomerslookforashift,orwobble,ofthestarasitgetsgravitationally”yanked”aroundbytheorbitingplanets.Bymeasuringthiswobble,astronomerscanestimatethesizeanddistanceoflargerorbitingobjects.
SuggestedTime:20‐25minutes
Objectives:Dopplerspectroscopyisonewayastronomersfindplanetsarounddistantstars.Ifyourecallthelessonwherewecreatedourownsolarsysteminacomputersimulation,yourememberhowthestarcouldbeinfluencedbyasmallerplanetenoughtohaveatinyorbitofitsown.Thistinyorbitiswhatastronomersaretryingtodetectwiththismethod.
Materials(perlabgroup)
Severalbouncyballsofdifferentsizesandweights,softenoughtostabwithatoothpick Toothpicks Smallscaletomeasuretheweightoftheballs
LabPreparation
1. Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.2. Watchthevideoforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.3. Ifyouonlyhaveonescale,thenwritedowntheweightoneachballwithamarkerbeforeclassstartssoyou
don’thaveatonofstudentswaitingtouseonescale.
Lesson
1. Nearlyhalfoftheextrasolar(outsideoursolarsystem)planetsdiscoveredwerefoundbyusingthismethodofdetection.It’sveryhardtodetectplanetsfromEarthbecauseplanetsaresodim,andthelighttheydoemittendstobeinfraredradiation.OurSunoutshinesalltheplanetsinoursolarsystembyonebilliontimes.
2. ThismethodusestheideathatanorbitingplanetexertsagravitationalforceontheSunthatyankstheSunaroundinatinyorbit.Whenthisisviewedfromadistance,thestarappearstowobble.Notonlythat,thissmallorbitalsoaffectsthecolorofthelightwereceivefromthestar.Thismethodrequiresthatscientistsmakeveryprecisemeasurementsofitspositioninthesky.
LabTime
1. Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.2. Handeachgrouptheirmaterialsandgivethemtimetoperformtheirexperimentandwritedowntheir
observations.
©2014SuperchargedScience 100 www.SuperchargedScience.com
3. Weigheachoftheballsandmakeanoteinthedatatable.4. Taketheheaviestballandspinitonthetable.Canyougetittospininplace?That’slikeaSunwithoutany
planetsaroundit.5. Insertatoothpickintotheball.Nowinserttheendofthetoothpickintothesmallestweightball.Nowspin
theoriginalball.Whathappened?6. Completethetablebelow.
Exercises
1. Forhomeworktonight,findouthowmanyextrasolarplanetsscientistshavedetectedsofar.2. Alsoforhomework,findoutthenames(theywillprobablybeastringofnumbersandletterstogether)of
the3mostrecentextrasolarplanetdiscoveries.
Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthattheycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyourclasstime.
©2014SuperchargedScience 101 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson#16:StarWobbleStudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:Howdoastronomersfindplanetsarounddistantstars?Ifyoulookatastarthroughbinocularsoratelescope,you’llquicklynoticehowbrightthestaris,andhowdifficultitistoseeanythingotherthanthestar,especiallyasmallplanetthatdoesn’tgenerateanylightofitsown!Astronomerslookforashift,orwobble,ofthestarasitgetsgravitationally“yanked”aroundbytheorbitingplanets.Bymeasuringthiswobble,astronomerscanestimatethesizeanddistanceoflargerorbitingobjects.
WhattoLearn:Dopplerspectroscopyisonewayastronomersfindplanetsarounddistantstars.Ifyourecallthelessonwherewecreatedourownsolarsysteminacomputersimulation,yourememberhowthestarcouldbeinfluencedbyasmallerplanetenoughtohaveatinyorbitofitsown.Thistinyorbitiswhatastronomersaretryingtodetectwiththismethod.
Materials
Severalbouncyballsofdifferentsizesandweights,softenoughtostabwithatoothpick Toothpicks
LabTime
1. Doesyourballhaveanumberwrittenonit?Ifso,that’stheweight,andyoucanskipmeasuringtheweightwithascale.
2. Ifnot,weigheachoneandmakeanoteinthedatatable.3. Taketheheaviestballandspinitonthetable.Canyougetittospininplace?That’slikeaSunwithoutany
planetsaroundit.4. Insertatoothpickintotheball.Nowinserttheendofthetoothpickintothesmallestweightball.Nowspin
theoriginalball.Whathappened?5. Completethetablebelow.
©2014SuperchargedScience 102 www.SuperchargedScience.com
StarWobbleDataTable
WeightofBall#1 WeightofBall#2 HowMuchDiditWobble?(Useascaleof1to5,
with5beingthemostwobble)
ExercisesAnswerthequestionsbelow:
1. Forhomeworktonight,findouthowmanyextrasolarplanetsscientistshavedetectedsofar.
2. Alsoforhomework,findoutthenames(theywillprobablybeastringofnumbersandletterstogether)ofthe3mostrecentextrasolarplanetdiscoveries.
©2014SuperchargedScience 103 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson#17:SpaceTelescopesTeacherSection
Overview:NASA’sGreatObservatoriesconsistoffourspacetelescopes,eachdesignedtolookattheuniverseinonesmallpartoftheelectromagneticspectrum:infrared,visible,X‐ray,andgammarays.
SuggestedTime:30‐45minutes
Objectives:There’sacommonmisconceptionaboutgravityandspace,inthatmostfolksbelievesatellitesdon’tmoveinorbit.Thetruthis,satellitesmustmaintainaveryspecificvelocityinordertomaintaintheirstableorbits.
Materials(perlabgroup)
Fivedifferentsizesofsmallballs:marbles,pingpong,rubberbouncy,etc. Tape Sheetofpaper
LabPreparation
1. Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.2. ReadovertheBackgroundLessonReadingbeforeteachingthisclass.3. Watchthevideoforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.4. VisittheNASAGreatObservatorywebsitetolearnmoreabouttheprogrambeforeclass.
BackgroundLessonReading
TheHubbleSpaceTelescopewaslaunchedbythespaceshuttlein1990,andisthebest‐knownobservatory.Hubbleorbits380milesabovethesurfaceoftheEarthandhassentthousandsofphotostoscientistsonEarthtostudy.Hubbleoperatesinthevisiblepartofthespectrum.
TheComptonObservatorywasthesecondtobelaunchedin1991,andholdstherecordforheaviestastrophysicalpayloadever(17tons).Comptoncollectedinformationinthegammaraypartofthespectrum,whichmeantitlookedatsomeofthemostviolentpartsoftheuniversetorecorditsdata.Itwassafelyde‐orbitedin2000.
TheChandraObservatorywaslaunchedin1999,andcurrentlystudiesX‐raysfromblackholes,quasars,darkmatter,supernovas,andhigh‐temperaturegases.Chandraholdstherecordforthebestmirrors:Theyarethemostaccuratelyshaped,preciselyaligned,smoothestmirrorsevercreated.Chandra’salignmentissoprecisethatyoucanuseittoreadanewspaperfromahalfmileaway.
TheSpitzerSpaceTelescopewasthefourthtobelaunchedintotheprogramin2003.Spitzerspecializesinthermalinfraredlight,mostofwhichisblockedbytheEarth’satmosphereandnevermakesittothesurfaceoftheEarth.Sothisscopeisseeingthingswe’veneverbeenabletobefore.Sinceviewingintheinfraredmeansthatyoucanseethroughdustandgasparticles,Spitzerisabletoshowusthingsthatwouldnormallybehiddentousifweweretoviewthemoptically.Spitzerlooksforcoolerspaceobjects(thermallyspeaking)suchassmallstars,extrasolarplanets,andgiantmolecularclouds.
Lesson
©2014SuperchargedScience 104 www.SuperchargedScience.com
1. Manypeoplethinkthatsatellitesdon’tmoveinorbit.Nothingcouldbefurtherfromthetruth!IfyoudropaballonEarth,itfalls16feetthefirstsecondyoureleaseit.Ifyouthrowtheballhorizontally,itwillalsofall16feetinthefirstsecond,eventhoughitismovinghorizontally…itmovesbothawayfromyouanddowntotheground.
2. Nowconsideranotherobject,likeabulletshothorizontally.Ittravelsalotfasterthanyoucanthrow–about2,000feeteachsecond.Butitwillstillfall16feetduringthatfirstsecond.Gravitypullsonallobjects(liketheballandthebullet)thesameway,nomatterhowfasttheygo.
3. Whatifyoushootthebulletfasterandfaster?Gravitywillstillpullitdown16feetduringthefirstsecond.4. RememberthatthesurfaceoftheEarthisround.Canyouimaginehowfastwe’dneedtoshootthebullet
sothatwhenthebulletfalls16feetinonesecond,theEarthcurvesawayfromthebulletatthesamerateof16feeteachsecond?
5. Answer–thatbulletneedstotravelnearly5milespersecond.Thisishowsatellitesstayinorbit–goingjustfastenoughtokeepfromfallinginwardandnottoofastthattheyflyoutoforbit.Satellitesneedtoconstantlycourse‐correcttokeepontrack.
6. IfwelauncharocketstraightintotheskytobeinorbitaroundtheEarth,unlesswegivethatrocketahorizontalvelocityaswell,it’sgoingtocrashrightbacktoEarth.EverythingthatorbitstheEarthhasaspecificspeedatwhichittravelsinordertomaintainitsstableorbit.
©2014SuperchargedScience 105 www.SuperchargedScience.com
LabTime
1. Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.2. Handeachgrouptheirmaterialsandgivethemtimetoperformtheirexperimentandwritedowntheir
observations.3. Curlyourpaperintoaconeshapesooneendiswiderthantheother.Itshouldlooklikeanicecreamcone.4. Tapetheconeintoplaceusingyourtape.Youmightneedacoupleofpieces.5. Holdtheconewiththesmallenddown.6. Yourjobistoplaceyourmarbleontheinsideedgeoftheconenearthetopandrotatetheconesothatthe
marblestaysnearthetopedgewithoutfallingdowninsideorflyingoutofthetop.
Exercises
1. Whathappenswhenyourmarblesatellitemovestooslowly?(ItcrashesbacktoEarth.)2. Whathappenswhenthemarblesatelliteorbitstoofast?(Thesatelliteleavesorbit.)3. Whateffectdoeschangingthemarblemasshaveonyoursatellitespeed?(Theheavierthemarble,the
fasteryouhavetomakeitmoveinordertokeepitsorbitstable.)4. Howisthismodelliketherealthing?(Yourmarbleisyoursatelliteandthetopoftheconeistheorbitit
makesaroundtheEarth.)
Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthattheycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyourclasstime.
©2014SuperchargedScience 106 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Lesson#17:SpaceTelescopesStudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:NASA’sGreatObservatoriesconsistoffourspacetelescopes,eachdesignedtolookattheuniverseinonesmallpartoftheelectromagneticspectrum:infrared,visible,X‐ray,andgammarays.EachtelescopeisasatellitethatorbitstheEarthinaveryspecificway.
WhattoLearn:There’sacommonmisconceptionaboutgravityandspace,inthatmostfolksbelievesatellitesdon’tmoveinorbit.Thetruthis,satellitesmustmaintainaveryspecificvelocityinordertomaintaintheirstableorbits.
Materials
Fivedifferentsizesofsmallballs:marbles,ping‐pong,rubberbouncy,etc. Tape Sheetofpaper
LabTime
1. Curlyourpaperintoaconeshapesooneendiswiderthantheother.Itshouldlooklikeanicecreamcone.2. Tapetheconeintoplaceusingyourtape.Youmightneedacoupleofpieces.3. Holdtheconewiththesmallenddown.4. Yourjobistoplaceyourmarbleontheinsideedgeoftheconenearthetopandrotatetheconesothatthe
marblestaysnearthetopedgewithoutfallingdowninsideorflyingoutofthetop.5. Placeyoursmallsatellitesinorderfromlightesttoheaviest.Entertheminthisorderinthedatatable
below.Recordhowfastyouhadtocircletheconetokeepthesatelliteinorbitintheobservationscolumn.Didyouhavetomovethesatelliteslower,faster,orsomethinginbetween?
SpaceTelescopesDataTable
Item/Object Observations
©2014SuperchargedScience 107 www.SuperchargedScience.com
ExercisesAnswerthequestionsbelow:
1. Whathappenswhenyourmarblesatellitemovestooslowly?
2. Whathappenswhenthemarblesatelliteorbitstoofast?
3. Whateffectdoeschangingthemarblemasshaveonyoursatellitespeed?
4. Howisthismodelliketherealthing?
©2014SuperchargedScience 108 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Astronomy2EvaluationTeacherSection
Overview:Kidswilldemonstratehowwelltheyunderstandimportantkeyconceptsfromthissection.
SuggestedTime:45‐60minutes
Objectives:Studentswillbetestedonthekeyconceptsofsolarastronomy:
Objectsintheskymoveinregularandpredictablepatterns.Thepatternsofstarsstaythesame,althoughtheyappeartomoveacrosstheskynightly,anddifferentstarscanbeseenindifferentseasons.
ThepositionoftheMoonchangesduringthecourseofthedayandfromseasontoseason. ThephasesoftheMoonandthelunarcycle. TheEarthisoneofseveralplanetsthatorbittheSun,andtheMoonorbitstheEarth. ThesolarsystemconsistsofplanetsandotherbodiesthatorbittheSuninpredictablepaths. Oursolarsystemincludesrockyterrestrialplanets(Mercury,Venus,Earth,andMars),gasgiants(Jupiter
andSaturn),icegiants(UranusandNeptune),andassortedchunksoficeanddustthatmakeupvariouscometsandasteroids.
Twoplanets(CeresandPluto)havebeenreclassifiedafterastronomersfoundoutmoreinformationabouttheirneighbors.
TheOortCloudholdsanestimated1trillioncomets.TheKuiperBeltholdschunksoficeanddust,likecometsandasteroidsaswellaslargerobjectslikedwarfplanetsErisandPluto.
Theappearance,generalcomposition,relativepositionandsize,andmotionofobjectsinthesolarsystem,includingplanets,planetarysatellites,comets,andasteroids.
HowtouseastronomicalunitsandlightyearsasmeasuresofdistancebetweentheSun,stars,andEarth. ThepathofaplanetaroundtheSunisduetothegravitationalattractionbetweentheSunandtheplanet. TheSun,anaveragestar,isthecentralandlargestbodyinthesolarsystemandiscomposedprimarilyof
hydrogenandhelium.TheSunusesnuclearreactionstogenerateitsenergy. ThepositionoftheSunintheskychangesduringthecourseofthedayandfromseasontoseason. Starsarethesourceoflightforallbrightobjectsinouterspace.TheMoonandplanetsshinebyreflected
sunlight,notbytheirownlight. Visiblelightisasmallbandwithinaverybroadelectromagneticspectrum. Whitelightisamixtureofmanywavelengths(colors),includinginfrared,ultra‐violet,visible,andmore.
Differentinstrumentsdetectandmeasuredifferentwavelengthsoflight. Galaxiesareclustersofbillionsofstars,andmayhavedifferentshapes.TheSunisoneofmanystarsinour
ownMilkyWaygalaxy.Starsmaydifferinsize,temperature,andcolor. Gravitationallensingoccurswhenblackholesandothermassiveobjectsbendlight.
Materials(onesetforentireclass)
Flashlight Twodifferentsizesofballs
LabPreparation
1. Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets,labpractical,andquiz.
©2014SuperchargedScience 109 www.SuperchargedScience.com
2. Haveatubofthematerialsinfrontofyouatyourdesk.Kidswillcomeupwhencalledanddemonstratetheirknowledgeusingthesematerials.
Lesson
Thestudentsaretakingtwoteststoday:thequizandthelabpractical.Thequiztakesabout20minutes,andyou’llfindtheanswerkeytomakeiteasytograde.
LabPractical
Studentswilldemonstrateindividuallythattheyknowhowtobuildasimpletelescopeandexplainhowandwhyitworks.Whileotherkidsarewaitingfortheirturn,theywillgetstartedontheirhomeworkassignment.Yougettodecidewhethertheydotheirassignmentindividuallyorasagroup.
©2014SuperchargedScience 110 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Astronomy2Evaluation
StudentWorksheet
Overview:Today,you’regoingtotaketwodifferenttests:thequizandthelabpractical.You’regoingtotakethewrittenquizfirst,andthelabpracticalattheendofthislab.Thelabpracticalisn’tapapertest–it’swhereyougettoshowyourteacherthatyouknowhowtodosomething.
LabTest&Homework
1. Yourteacherwillaskyoutosharehowmuchyouunderstandaboutastronomy.Sincescienceissomuchmorethanjustreadingabookorcirclingtherightanswer,thisisanimportantpartofthetesttofindoutwhatyoureallyunderstand.
2. Whileyouarewaitingforyourturntoshowyourteacherhowmuchofthisstuffyoualreadyknow,yougettochoosewhichhomeworkassignmentyouwanttocomplete.Theassignmentisduetomorrow,andhalfthecreditisforcreativityandtheotherhalfisforcontent,soreallyletyourimaginationflyasyouworkthroughit.Chooseone:a. WriteashortstoryorskitaboutastronomyfromtheperspectiveoftheSunoralightparticleitself.
You’llreadthisaloudtoyourclass.b. MakeaposterthatteachesamainconceptofeithertheSun,amoon,aplanet,oraparticular
spacecraft.Whenyou’refinished,you’lluseittoteachtoaclassofyoungerstudentsanddemonstratetheprinciplesthatyou’velearned.
c. WriteandperformapoemorsongabouttheSun,amoon,aplanet,oraparticularspacecraft.Thiswillbeperformedtoyourclass.
©2014SuperchargedScience 111 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Astronomy2QuizTeacher’sAnswerKey
1. Nametwowaysyoucanfindablackhole.LookforX‐rayemissionsorstarsthatappeartoorbitsomething
thatisn’tthere.
2. Whatisagalaxy?Galaxiesareclustersofbillionsofstars,andmayhavedifferentshapes.TheSunisoneof
manystarsinourownMilkyWaygalaxy.
3. HowmanyphasesdoestheMoonhaveandwhatarethey?Eightphases:Newmoon,firstquarter,fullmoon,
thirdquarter,waxingcrescent,waningcrescent,waxinggibbous,andwaninggibbous.
4. Whichplanetsdonothaveamagneticfield?VenusandMars.
5. CanyouseetheMoonduringthedaytime?Yes!
6. HowmanyAUsistheEarthfromtheSun?One.TheEarth‐Sundistanceof93millionmilesisoneAU.
7. WhatistheSunmadeoutof,andhowmuchofeach?It’s74%hydrogenand24%helium,withtraceamounts
ofoxygen,carbon,iron,andneon.
8. Canweseealllight?Ifnot,whichkindcanweseewithoureyes?Nowecanonlyseeasmallpartofthe
electromagneticspectrum:visibleoropticallight.
9. HowhotistheSun?OurSunisaG‐typestar,andrecentmeasurementsindicatethatourSunisbrighterthan
85%ofthestarsinourowngalaxy.15millionoCinthecore,andasurfacetemperatureofabout5500oC.
10. HowdoestheSunmakeenergy?TheSunusesnuclearreactionstogenerateitsenergy.
11. Whicharelightsourcesandwhichareseenbyreflectedlight?
1. Stars__lightsource________________________________2. TheMoon__reflectedlight________________________________3. Venus_reflectedlight_________________________________4. Pluto__reflectedlight________________________________5. Comets__reflectedlight________________________________6. Asteroids__reflectedlight________________________________7. TheSun__lightsource________________________________
©2014SuperchargedScience 112 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Astronomy2QuizStudentQuizSheet
Name__________________________________________________________
1. Nametwowaysyoucanfindablackhole.
2. Whatisagalaxy?
3. HowmanyphasesdoestheMoonhaveandwhatarethey?
4. Whichplanetsdonothaveamagneticfield?
5. CanyouseetheMoonduringthedaytime?
6. HowmanyAUsistheEarthfromtheSun?
7. WhatistheSunmadeoutof,andhowmuchofeach?
8. Canweseealllight?Ifnot,whichkindcanweseewithoureyes?
9. HowhotistheSun?
10. HowdoestheSunmakeenergy?
©2014SuperchargedScience 113 www.SuperchargedScience.com
11. Whicharelightsources(LS)andwhichareseenbyreflectedlight(RL)?
a. Stars__________________________________
b. TheMoon__________________________________
c. Venus__________________________________
d. Pluto__________________________________
e. Comets__________________________________
f. Asteroids__________________________________
g. TheSun__________________________________
©2014SuperchargedScience 114 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Astronomy2LabPracticalTeacher’sAnswerKey
Thisisyourchancetoseehowwellyourstudentshavepickeduponimportantkeyconcepts,andifthereareanyholes.Yourstudentsalsowillbeworkingontheirhomeworkassignmentasyoudothistestindividuallywiththestudents.
Materials(onesetforentireclass)
Lamp Twoballsofdifferentsizes(likeatennisballandapingpongball) Sheetsofpaper Pencil
LabPractical:AskthestudentNote:Answersgiveninitalics!
ShowhowtheMoon'sappearancechangesduringthefour‐weeklunarcycle.Studentwillturnonthelampandorbitaroundyouwithaball,namingthedifferentphasesofthemoonastheyappeartoyou.
Onasheetofpaper,drawthesolarsystem.IncludetheSun,eightplanets,andtheAsteroidBelt.Approximatethescaleoftheplanetsanddistancesbetweenthem.StudentswilldrawthelargestobjecttobetheSun.Thenextfourarenearlythesamesizedotsandbunchedupwithinthefirsthalfinchofthepaper.Jupiteristhelargestplanetcircle,Saturnisthesecondlargestplanetcircle,andthespacingbetweenthetwoicegiantsislargerthanthespacebetweenthetwogasgiants.TheAsteroidBeltisbetweenMarsandJupiter.(Seetablebelowforexactdistancesforreference.)
Planet/Object DistancefromtheSun DistancefromtheSunMercury 0.11inches 2mm
Venus 0.21inches 5mm
Earth 0.30inches 7mm
Mars 0.45inches 11mm
Jupiter 1.56inches 3.9cm
Saturn 2.87inches 7.2cm
Uranus 5.77inches 14.6cm
Neptune 9.05inches 22.9cm
©2014SuperchargedScience 115 www.SuperchargedScience.com
TheScientificMethod
Throughoutthiscourse,you’llseeembeddedvideos,liketheonebelow.You’llfindthevideosineachexperimentincludestep‐by‐stepexplanationsandquickdemonstrationsyoucandowithyourstudents.Thesevideosareagreatwaytohelpyouintroducethetopicinakid‐friendlyway.
Oneoftheproblemskidshaveishowtoexperimentwiththeirgreatideaswithoutgettinglostinthejumbleofresultdata.Sooftenstudentswillnothaveanyclearideasaboutwhatchangecausedwhicheffectintheirresults!Studentsoftenhavetroublecommunicatingtheirideasinwaysthatnotonlymakesensebutarealsoacceptablebysciencefairsorothertechnicalcompetitionsdesignedtogetkidsthinkinglikearealscientist.Anotherproblemtheyfaceisstrugglingtoapplythescientificmethodtotheirscienceprojectinschool,forscoutbadges,oranyothertypeofreportwhereit’simportantthatotherfolksknowandunderstandtheirwork.
Thescientificmethodiswidelyusedbyformalscienceacademiaaswellasscientificresearchers.Formostpeople,it’sarealjumptofigureoutnotonlyhowtodoadecentproject,butalsohowtogoaboutformulatingascientificquestionandinvestigateanswersmethodicallylikearealscientist.Presentingtheresultsinameaningfulwayvia“exhibitboard”…well,that’sjustmoreofastretchthatmostkidsjustaren’treadyfor.Thereisn’tawholelotofusefulinformationavailableonhowtodoitbythepeoplewhoreallyknowhow.That’swhyI’mgoingtoshowyouhowusefulandeasyitis.
Thescientificmethodisaseriesof5stepsthatscientistsusetodotheirwork.But,honestly,youuseiteveryday,too!ThefivestepsareObservation,Hypothesis,Test,CollectData,andReportResults.Thatsoundsprettycomplicated,butdon’tworry,theyarejustbigwords.Letmetellyouwhatthesewordsmeanandhowtoplaywiththem.
Step1:Observationmeanswhatdoyousee,orhear,orsmell,orfeel?Whatisitthatyou’relookingat?Isthatwhatitusuallydoes?Isthatwhatitdidlasttime?Whatwouldhappenifyoutriedsomethingdifferentwithit?Observationisthebeginningofscientificresearch.Youhavetoseeortouchorhearsomethingbeforeyoucanstarttodostuffwithit,right?
Step2:Onceyouobservesomething,youcanthenformahypothesis.Allhypothesisreallymeansis“guess.”Ahypothesisisaneducatedguess.Tonightatdinner,whensomeoneasksyou,“Doyouwantpeasorcarrots?”Say,“IhypothesizethatIwouldlikethecarrots.”Everyonewillthinkyou’reagenius!Basicallyyou’resaying“IguessthatIwouldlikethecarrots.”Hypothesesaren’trightorwrong,theyarejustyourbestguess.
Step3:Toseeifyourguessiscorrect,youneedtodothenextstepinthescientificmethod:test.Thetestisjustwhatitsoundslike:runningexperimentstoseewhetherornotyourhypothesisiscorrect.
Step4:Asyoudoyourtests,youneedtocollectdata.Thatmeanscollectingthenumbers,themeasurements,thetimes,thedataoftheexperiment.Onceyoucollectyourdata,youcantakealookatit,orinotherwords,analyzeit.
Step5:Onceyouanalyzeyourdatayoucanreportyourresults.Thatbasicallymeanstellsomeoneaboutit.Youcanputyourdatainachartoragraphorjustshoutitfromtherooftops!
Here’sagreatwaytorememberthe5steps.Rememberthesentence“OrangeHipposTakeClassesRegularly.”Thefirstletterineachwordofthatgoofysentenceisthesameasthefirstletterineachstepofthescientificmethod.That’scalledamnemonicdevice.Makeupyourownmnemonicdevicestorememberallsortsofstuff.
©2014SuperchargedScience 116 www.SuperchargedScience.com
“OK,sothat’swhatthewordsmean.HowdoIusethateveryday?”
Well,I’mgladyouaskedthatquestion.Ifyouhadcerealforbreakfastthismorning,youdidthescientificmethod.Onthetableyouhadabowlofcerealwithnomilkinit.Asyoulookedatyourdrycereal,youmadeanobservation,“Ineedmilk!”Atthatpoint,youmadeahypothesis,“There’smilkinthefridge.”Youcan’tbesurethere’smilkinthefridge.Someonemighthaveuseditup.Itmighthavegonebad.Aliensmayhaveusedittogasuptheirmilk‐poweredspaceship.Youjustdon’tknow!Soyouhavetodoatest.
Whatwouldbeagoodtesttoseeifthereismilkinthefridge?Openthefridge!Nowonceyoumovetheweek‐oldspaghettiandthegreenJell‐O(atleastyouhopeit’sJell‐O)outoftheway,youcanseeifthereismilkornot.Soyoucollectyourdata.Thereismilkorthereisn’tmilk.Nowyoucanfinallyreportyourresults.Ifthereismilk,youcanhappilypouritonyourcereal.Ifthereisn’tanymilk,youreportyourresultsbyshouting,“Hey,Mom...Weneedmilk!”Scientificmethod,notsohardisit?
You’llgetfamiliarwiththescientificmethodbydoingtheactivitiesandexperimentsinyourlessons.Mostscientistsdon’tusethefullversionofthescientificmethod,whichactuallyincludesseveraladditionalstepstotheonesI’veoutlinedabove.You’llfindthefull‐blownversionofthescientificmethodinthebackofthisbook.I’veincludedacopyofaspecialprojectwhichwonfirstprizeatasciencefair.You’llfindthiscompleteprojectexplainseverydetailandhowitusesthefullversionofthescientificmethodsoyoucanseehowtodoitforyourselfonanyprojectyouchoose.
©2014SuperchargedScience 117 www.SuperchargedScience.com
VocabularyfortheUnitAsteroid.ObjectinorbitaroundtheSun,intermediateinsizebetweenmeteoroidsandplanets.
Asteroidbelt.Theregionofthesolarsysteminwhichmostasteroidshavetheirorbits,betweenMarsandJupiter.
Blackholes.TheleftoversofaBIGsupernova.Whenastarexplodes,itcollapsesdownintoawhitedwarforaneutronstar.However,ifthestarislargeenough,thereisnothingtokeepitfromcollapsing,soitcontinuestocollapseforever.Itbecomessosmallanddensethatthegravitationalpullissogreatthatlightitselfcan’tescape.
Centerofmass.Meanpositionofthemassesthatcompriseasystemorlargerbody:fortwobodies,thecenterofmassisapointonthelinejoiningthem.Forabinarystarsystem,themotionofeachstarcanbecomputedaboutthecenterofmass.
Comet.Smallbodyinthesolarsystem,inorbitaroundtheSun.SomeofitsfrozenmaterialvaporizesduringthecloserpartsofitsapproachtotheSuntoproducethecharacteristictail,rightbehindthehead.
Conjunction.Closestapparentapproachoftwocelestialobjects.PlanetaryconjunctionswereonceconsideredimportantomensforeventsonEarth.
Constellation.Agroupofstarsthatseemedtosuggesttheshapeofsomegod,person,animalorobject.Nowatermusedtodesignatearegionofthesky.Thereare88constellations.
Darkmatter:Matterinthecosmosthatisundetectablebecauseitdoesn’tglow.Darkmatter,someofitintheformofas‐yet‐undiscoveredexoticparticles,isthoughttocomprisemostoftheuniverse.
Eclipse.Blockingoflightfromonebodybyanotherthatpassesinfrontofit.Eclipsescanbetotalorpartial.
Eclipsepath.NarrowpathontheEarth’ssurfacetracedbytheMoon’sshadowduringaneclipse.
Eclipsingbinarystar.Binarystarwhosemutualorbitisviewedalmostedge‐onsothatlightobservedisregularlydecreasedeachtimeonestareclipsestheother.
Ecliptic.PaththattheSunappearstofollow,againstthestarsonthecelestialsphere,duringthecourseofayear.
Eclipticplane.PlanedefinedbytheEarth’sorbitaroundtheSun.
Electromagneticwave:Astructureconsistingofelectricandmagneticfieldsinwhicheachkindoffieldgeneratestheothertokeepthestructurepropagatingthroughemptyspaceatthespeedoflight,c.ElectromagneticwavesincluderadioandTVsignals,infraredradiation,visiblelight,ultravioletlight,xrays,andgammarays.
Ellipse.Typeofclosedcurvewhoseshapeisspecifiedintermsofitsdistancefromoneortwopoints.Acircleisaspecialformofellipse.Inappearance,anellipseisoval‐shaped.
Escapespeed:Thespeedneededtoescapetoinfinitelygreatdistancefromagravitatingobject.ForEarth,escapespeedfromthesurfaceisabout7milespersecond;forablackhole,escapespeedexceedsthespeedoflight.
Equinox.TwodayseachyearwhentheSunisaboveandbelowthehorizonforequallengthsoftime.
©2014SuperchargedScience 118 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Eventhorizon:Asphericalsurfacesurroundingablackholeandmarkingthe“pointofnoreturn”fromwhichnothingcanescape.
Field:Awayofdescribinginteractingobjectsthatavoidsactionatadistance.Inthefieldview,oneobjectcreatesafieldthatpervadesspace;asecondobjectrespondstothefieldinitsimmediatevicinity.Examplesincludetheelectricfield,themagneticfield,andthegravitationalfield.
Galaxiesarestarsthatarepulledandheldtogetherbygravity.
Globularclustersaremassivegroupsofstarsheldtogetherbygravity,usuallyhousingbetweentensofthousandstomillionsofstars(thinkNewYorkCity).
Gravitationallensingisonewaywecan“see”ablackhole.Whenlightleavesastar,itcontinuesinastraightlineuntilyankedonbythegravityofablackhole,whichbendsthelightandchangesitscourseandshowsupasstreaksormultiple,distortedimagesonyourphotograph.
Gravitationaltimedilation:Theslowingoftimeinregionsofintensegravity(largespacetimecurvature).
Gravitationalwaves:Literally,“ripples”inthefabricofspacetime.Theypropagateatthespeedoflightandresultintransientdistortionsinspaceandtime.
Gravity:AccordingtoNewton,anattractiveforcethatactsbetweenallmatterintheuniverse.AccordingtoEinstein,ageometricalpropertyofspacetime(spacetimecurvature)thatresultsinthestraightestpathsnotbeingEuclideanstraightlines.
Latitude.Coordinateusedtomeasure(indegrees)theangulardistanceofapointorcelestialobjectsaboveorbelowanequator.
Lightyear.Distancethatlighttravelsin1year.
Longitude.Coordinateusedtospecifythepositionofapointordirectionaround(orparallelto)anequator.
TheKuiperBeltisanicyregionthatextendsfromjustbeyondNeptune(from3.7billionmilesto7.4billionmilesfromtheSun).Thisiswheremostcometsandasteroidsfromoursolarsystemhangout.
NeutronstarswithHUGEmagneticfieldsareknownasmagnetars.
Magneticfield.Regionsurroundingamagnetorelectriccurrent,inwhichmagneticforcecanbedetectedinsucharegion,high‐speedelectricallychargedparticleswillgenerallymovealongcurvedpathsandradiateenergy.
Magneticpole.OneofthetworegionsonEarthtowhichacompassneedlewillpoint.Polesalsoexistonmagnets,andthemagneticfieldsofsomeelectriccurrentscanhaveanequivalentbehavior.
Magnetosphere.Regionsurroundingstarorplanet(includingEarth)inwhichamagneticfieldexists.
Meridian.Greatcircle,onthecelestialsphereortheEarth,thatpassesthroughbothnorthandsouthpolesandanobserver’szenithorlocation.
Meteor.Glowingtrailintheupperatmosphere,producedbymeteoroidburningupasitmovesathighspeed.
©2014SuperchargedScience 119 www.SuperchargedScience.com
Meteorshower.NumerousmeteorsseeninashorttimespanastheEarthmovesthroughacloudofmeteoroids,probablyremnantsofacometandstillfollowingthecomet’sorbit.
Meteorite.RemnantofameteoroidthathasbeenpartiallyerodedinpassagethroughtheEarth’satmospherebeforehittingthesurface.Termnowalsoappliedtosimilarbodiesthatcollidewiththesurfacesoftheotherplanetsandtheirsatellites,producingcraters.
Meteoroid.Largerock(butmuchsmallerthanminorplanets)movinginanorbitinthesolarsystem.MeteoroidsthatenterintheEarth’satmospherearetermedmeteorsormeteorites,dependingontheirbehavior.
Neutronstarsareformedfromstarsthatgosupernova,butaren’tbigandfatenoughtoturnintoablackhole.
TheOortCloudliesjustbeyondtheKuiperbelt,housinganestimated1trillioncomets.
Orbit.Pathtracedoutbyoneobjectaroundanother.
ThevisiblesurfaceoftheSuniscalledthephotosphere,andismademostlyofplasma(remembertheplasmagrapeexperiment?)thatbubblesuphotandcoldregionsofgas.
Dyingstarsblowoffshellsofheatedgasthatglowinbeautifulpatternscalledplanetarynebula.
Pulsarsareatypeofneutronstarthatspinsveryfast,spewsjetsofhigh‐energyX‐rayparticlesoutthepoles,andhaslargemagneticfields.
Oursolarsystemincludesrockyterrestrialplanets(Mercury,Venus,Earth,andMars),gasgiants(JupiterandSaturn),icegiants(UranusandNeptune),andassortedchunksoficeanddustthatmakeupvariouscomets(dustysnowballs)andasteroids(chunksofrock).
Spacetime:Thefour‐dimensionalcontinuuminwhichtheeventsoftheuniversetakeplace.Accordingtorelativity,spacetimebreaksdownintospaceandtimeindifferentwaysfordifferentobservers.
Spacetimecurvature:ThegeometricalpropertyofspacetimethatcausesitsgeometrytodifferfromordinaryEuclideangeometry.Thecurvatureiscausedbythepresenceofmassiveobjects,andotherobjectsnaturallyfollowthestraightestpossiblepathsincurvedspacetime.Thisistheessenceofgeneralrelativity’sdescriptionofgravity.
Spacetimeinterval:Afour‐dimensional“distance”inspacetime.Unlikeintervalsoftimeordistance,whicharedifferentforobserversinrelativemotion,thespacetimeintervalbetweentwoeventshasthesamevalueforallobservers.
Specialtheoryofrelativity:Einstein’sstatementthatthelawsofphysicsarethesameforallobserversinuniformmotion.
Recommended