The main aim of this lesson is to show students that distances …
The main aim of this lesson is to show students that distances may be determined without a meter stick—a concept fundamental to such measurements in astronomy. It introduces students to the main concepts behind the first rung of what astronomers call the distance ladder. The four main learning objectives are the following: 1) Explore, in practice, a means of measuring distances without what we most often consider the “direct” means: a meter stick; 2) Understand the limits of a method through the exploration of uncertainties; 3) Understand in the particular method used, the relationship between baseline and the accuracy of the measurement; and 4) Understand the astronomical applications and implications of the method and its limits. Students should be able to use trigonometry and know the relation between trigonometric functions and the triangle. A knowledge of derivatives is also needed to obtain the expression for the uncertainty on the distance measured. Students will need cardboard cut into disks. The number of disks is essentially equal to half the students in the class. Two straight drink straws and one pin per disk. Students will also need a protractor. The lesson should not take more than 50 minutes to complete if the students have the mathematical ability mentioned above. This lesson is complimentary to the BLOSSOMS lesson, "The Parallax Activity." The two lessons could be used sequentially - this one being more advanced - or they could be used separately.
This lesson uses NASA satellite data to correlate cloud cover over Africa …
This lesson uses NASA satellite data to correlate cloud cover over Africa to the solar declination. The student will access NASA data using the MY NASA DATA Live Access Server and import the data into Excel spreadsheet software. Students will use NASA satellite data to correlate cloud cover over Africa to the solar declination.
This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by …
This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:
"Social capital, or SC, refers to the many resources that can be derived from social interactions These interactions are critically involved in various neurobiological processes Accumulating evidence supports that SC has a protective effect on mental and physical health as well as mortality But the role of SC in neurological disease is just beginning to be explored A new review article in Brain and Behavior takes a closer look at the issue The article proposes that SC constitutes an integral part of medical care for neurological patients The work aims to help practitioners more effectively monitor and act on their patients' SC backgrounds and provides an important first step in translating current evidence on SC into health-promoting interventions Reyes, S., Giovannoni, G., Thomson, A. Social Capital: Implications for Neurology..."
The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.
This unit will include an overview of the three main greenhouse gases …
This unit will include an overview of the three main greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide). The unit will be a mix of organic and inorganic chemistry and will describe the physical and chemical properties of the three main gases and the most important chemical reactions that move the greenhouse gases into and out of the atmosphere. The unit will include a chapter of chemical reactivity, how these gases work (by atmospheric absorption and scattering of electromagnetic waves at different wavelengths), their residence time in the atmosphere and analyze the mitigation (what humans can do to reduce or limit the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere).
One section of the unit will discuss the “global warming potential” (what makes a stronger or a weaker greenhouse gas) and the relationship between physical properties of greenhouse gases and their lifetime (how long they remain in the atmosphere).
Introduction to Paleoanthropology covers the various species and subspecies that gave rise …
Introduction to Paleoanthropology covers the various species and subspecies that gave rise to human beings. Paleoanthropology is a subdiscipline of physical anthropology that focuses on the fossil record of humans and non-human primates.
C VRaman was born on 8 November 1888. He was world famous …
C VRaman was born on 8 November 1888. He was world famous physics scientist. He interests to work on light waves . He developed The Raman Effect theory.
Students ponder "weightlessness" in this creative Moveable Museum unit. The four-page PDF …
Students ponder "weightlessness" in this creative Moveable Museum unit. The four-page PDF guide includes suggested background readings for educators, activity notes, step-by-step directions, and information about where to obtain a video that enhances the lesson.
We owe our lives to gravity. It holds the atmosphere to Earth …
We owe our lives to gravity. It holds the atmosphere to Earth and keeps us all from falling off into space. Not to mention that without gravity, the stars and planets—including Earth—wouldn't even exist! This Moveable Museum article, available as a nine-page printable PDF file, introduces the key concepts of gravity, orbits, weight, and weightlessness.
This is a lesson about visual spectra. Learners will explore different ways …
This is a lesson about visual spectra. Learners will explore different ways of displaying visual spectra, including colored "barcode" spectra, like those produced by a diffraction grating, and line plots displaying intensity versus color, or wavelength. Students learn that a diffraction grating acts like a prism, bending light into its component colors. The activity is part of Project Spectra, a science and engineering program for middle-high school students, focusing on how light is used to explore the Solar System.
Data set and map pertaining to energy production for all countries. The …
Data set and map pertaining to energy production for all countries. The World Bank specifies energy production as a World Development Indicator (WDI) -- the statistical benchmark that helps measure the progress of development.
Humans have been on a mission to learn more about the red …
Humans have been on a mission to learn more about the red planet. Use this content guide to learn more about the challenges facing robotic explorers of Mars.
Prior to this lab exercise, students discuss general physical differences between the …
Prior to this lab exercise, students discuss general physical differences between the planets Earth, Moon and Mars, and why these physical differences exist. They use globes and global data sets in lecture to investigate large-scale patters, similarities and differences between these bodies. They discuss methods by which planetary geologists study the surfaces of other planets. While working on this laboratory exercise, they use maps of the Earth, Moon and Mars (both geologic and topographic) as well as data from missions such as Clementine, MOLA, and HRSC, which they obtain online. The investigate impact crater morphology between the Earth and Moon; comparative planetary geology in the form of fluvial, tectonic, and volcanologic comparisons of Earth and Mars; and complete a geologic map and history of a region of Mars using only orbital images and data sets.
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Students explore electromagnetism and engineering concepts using optimization techniques to design an …
Students explore electromagnetism and engineering concepts using optimization techniques to design an efficient magnetic launcher. Groups start by algebraically solving the equations of motion for the velocity at the time when a projectile leaves a launcher. Then they test three different launchers, in which the number of coils used is different, measuring the range and comparing the three designs. Based on these observations, students record similarities and differences and hypothesize on the underling physics. They are introduced to Faraday's law and Lenz's law to explain the physics behind the launcher. Students brainstorm how these principals might be applied to real-world engineering problems.
Organisms interact with the living and nonliving features within their environment which …
Organisms interact with the living and nonliving features within their environment which creates a cause and effect relationship among populations in the ecosystem. Individual survival and population sizes depend on factors, such as predation, availability of resources, and parameters of the physical environment (light, temperature, space for shelter and reproduction). Additionally, organism interaction serves the purpose to obtain matter and energy. Organisms obtain energy through photosynthesis or consuming other organisms in a complex set of relationships within a particular food web. These complex food webs serve as a basis for understanding the dynamic interdependence among organisms and the physical environment.
This geologic map shows Tertiary and Quaternary rock formations, volcanic and surficial …
This geologic map shows Tertiary and Quaternary rock formations, volcanic and surficial deposits, faults, contacts, and other geologic features in Yellowstone National Park. The map is freely downloadable as a PDF file.
In this experiment, students create a "lava lamp" - a beaker on …
In this experiment, students create a "lava lamp" - a beaker on a hotplate, and investigate buoyancy, convection and other fluid and thermodynamic properties using ink, water, vegetable oil and Alka-Seltzer tablets. The activity is from PUMAS - Practical Uses of Math and Science - a collection of brief examples created by scientists and engineers showing how math and science topics taught in K-12 classes have real world applications.
In this demonstration, students experience the Doppler effect for sound. Students can …
In this demonstration, students experience the Doppler effect for sound. Students can compute the frequency change for motion along the line of sight (LOS) and determine the vector LOS component for motions not exactly on it. A buzzer, battery, bicycle wheel, string and a rubber ball and a timer are needed for the demonstration. The resource is from PUMAS - Practical Uses of Math and Science - a collection of brief examples created by scientists and engineers showing how math and science topics taught in K-12 classes have real world applications.
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