Archived Problems
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A Trillion Here...A Trillion There [PDF] - Grade level: 5-9
Students learn to work with large numbers, which are the heart and soul of
astronomical dimensions of size and scale. This activity explores the number 'one trillion' using examples drawn from the economics of the United States and the World. Surprisingly, there are not many astronomical numbers commonly in use that are as big as a trillion.
[Skills: add, subtract, multiply, divide.]
Benford's Law [PDF] - Grade level: 8-10
Students will explore a relationship called
Benford's Law, which describes the frequency of the integers
1-9 in various data. This law is used by the IRS to catch
fradulent tax returns, but also applies to astronomical data
and other surprising situations.
[Skills: Calculating frequency tables,
Histogramming, Statistics]
STEREO-An
Application of the Parallax Effect [PDF] - Grade level:
8-10 The STEREO mission views the
sun from two different locations in space. By combining
this data, the parallax effect can be used to determine
how far above the solar surface various active regions
are located. Students use the Pythagorean Theorem, a
bit of geometry, and some actual STEREO data to
estimate the height of Active Region AR-978.
[Skills:Pythagorean Theorem,
square-root, solving for variables]
Scientific
Notation II [PDF] - Grade level: 5-9 In this continuation of the review of Scientific
Notation, students will perform simple addition and
subtraction problems.
[Skills:Scientific notation - addition and
subtraction]
Scientific
Notation I [PDF] - Grade level: 5-9 Scientists use scientific notation to represent
very big and very small numbers. In this exercise,
students will convert some 'astronomical' numbers into
SN form.
[Skills:Scientific notation -
conversion from decimal to SN]
Oscillating
Spheres [PDF] - Grade level: 9-11 Many astronomical bodies have a natural period of
oscillation. In this problem, students will use a
simple mathematical model to calculate the period of
oscillation of a star, a planet, and a neutron star
from the estimated densities of these bodies.
[Skills:Algebra, calculating with a
formula]
Are
U nuts? [PDF] - Grade level: 9-11 Students will use a number of obscure English
units measures to convert from metric to English units
and back, and answer some unusual questions!
[Skills: arithmetic, unit conversions
involving 1 to 5 steps) ]
Drake's
Equation and the Search for Life...sort of! [PDF] -
Grade level: 9-11 Way back in the
1960's Astronomer Frank Drake invented an equation that
helps us estimate how much life, especially the
intelligent kind, might exist in our Milky Way. It has
been a lively topic of discussion in thousands of
college astronomy courses for the last 30 years. In
this simplified version, your students will get to
review what we now know about the planetary universe,
and come up with their own estimates. The real fun is
in doing the research to track down plausible values
(or their ranges) for the factors that enter into the
equation, and then write a defense for the values that
they choose. Lots of opportunity to summarize basic
astronomical knowledge towards the end of an astronomy
course, or chapter.
Essays
by Starlight [PDF] - Grade level: 9-11 Being an astronomer is far more than just knowing
facts and measurements. Sometimes you can learn
important things about the universe by listening to
your own feelings. Song lyrics are often a great
stimulus for thinking about space in a different way.
Students will select three song lyric fragments from
popular Rock songs and write a short essay for each of
them. The challenge is to explain what the songs make
you think of, from both a human and an astronomical
point of view!
Astronomy:
A Moving Experience! [PDF] - Grade level: 9-11
Objects in space move. To figure out
how fast they move, astronomers use many different
techniques depending on what they are investigating. In
this activity, you will measure the speed of
astronomical phenomena using the scaling clues and the
time intervals between photographs of three phenomena:
A supernova explosion, a coronal mass ejection, and a
solar flare shock wave.
Scientific
Notation - An Astronomical Perspective. [PDF] - Grade
level: 9-11 Astronomers use
scientific notation because the numbers they work with
are usually.. astronomical in size. This collection of
problems will have students reviewing how to perform
multiplication and division with large and small
numbers, while learning about some interesting
astronomical applications. They will learn about the
planet Osiris, how long it takes to download all of
NASA's data archive, the time lag for radio signals to
Pluto, and many more real-world
applications.
Theories,
Facts, Beliefs...Oh My! [PDF] - Grade level: 9-11
It is very common to confuse the
definitions for Theory, Hypothesis, Fact, Law and
Belief. This causes all sorts of problems when
scientists and non-scientists speak to each other, or
when reporters try to explain the latest discoveries.
This activity presents 36 statements which the student
is to evaluate as either a theory, law, fact,
hypothesis or belief. Be prepared for some lively
discussions!!
Time
Zone Mathematics [PDF] Students
will learn about the time zones around the world, and
why it is important to keep track of where you are when
you see an astronomical phenomenon. A series of simple
time calculations teaches students about converting
from one time zone to another.
A
Space Science Crossword Puzzle [PDF] Students work with positive and negative numbers
to solve a crossword puzzle. The theme is 'Scientists
use math to explore Nature'. Good exercise for
pre-algebra review of adding and subtracting positive
and negative numbers.
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