MSED 252 wks1.21

 This week my classmates and I used the program Stellarium to observe planets and their movements over a period of time. During this activity we were able to enter our birthday and observe the consolation of the stars, and determine our astrological sign. I enjoyed this activity because it allowed me to better understand the Stellarium software. I also enjoyed observing the location of planets and stars.  Below are some pictures from the activity. 

  Science is known as the study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world. Before there were researchers, there were believers who had ideas of how space and time were created. I will be going over the 5 myth groups and compare them to modern day science, along with the big bang. The Big Bang: Scientists say the big bang created the universe. It is said that the universe was created out of nothing and began by expansion, not explosion. The universe appeared and began to expand rapidly starting as a single hot and dense point in space. As it expanded it lost density and started to cool down, eventually forming protons, neutrons and electrons. Once the temperature cooled enough electrons began to combine with nuclei creating neutral atoms and isotopes of hydrogen. After millions of years hydrogen gas started to clump together and were put under pressure by gravity. Stars and galaxies began to form and their radiation dissolved the hydrogen gas into a plasma, all...

 This week in class we discussed the 4 different spheres and how they connect with each other. In the map below you can see the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and biosphere being connected by several different factors. In the center is forest fires, my classmates and I researched how disasters affected each sphere and also how the spheres affected the disaster. I thoroughly enjoyed this activity as it depend my understanding of what each sphere is responsible for, and how they interact. I also found it helpful to collaborate with my classmates and share ideas.   

  Materials:  Cardboard paper towel tube Aluminum foil square (10 cm x 10 cm)  Graph paper square (10 cm x 10 cm)  2 rubber bands  Thumbtack or pin  Metric ruler  Sharp pencil For this activity my partners and I constructed a pin hole tube, which is pictured below. We first attached a small piece of parchment paper to one side of the tube using a rubber band. We then marked the paper with a ruler to create a small bracket as a guideline. Next we attached a piece of foil to the opposite end and secured it with another rubber band. Once that was complete we used a thumbtack to create a small hole in the foil.  Once our pinhole was completed my partners and I each took a turn pointing our pinhole towards the sun. Below are our results, and a photo of me during the activity.  Dot Sun (8.2 mm )   =    1,357,615.89 Tube (906 mm)              150,000,000 

For this assignment my classmates and I constructed a small book (as seen below) in order to record our observations of the moons phases and position. This experiment was a fun way to incorporate this weeks lesson into our week. Starting February 2nd and ending on February 8th we recorded 7 observations of the moon, and drew what we saw.  During this experiment I ran into some issues. Due to the time of year and winter weather it was some times impossible to locate the moon due to clouds. Nonetheless I was still able to record my findings on the clear nights. The picture below shows one of the cloudy nights during a winter storm, when I was unable to locate the moon. On most nights I recorded my findings between 7:30 and 8:30pm. The pictures below are my first few.

 The instructions for this assignment were as follows:  Measure the diameter of the Sun (and Moon) with a pinhole and a ruler! All you need to know is some simple geometry and the average distance between the Earth and  Moon An easy way to make a pinhole is to cut a square hole (1 cm across) in the center edge of a piece of cardboard. cut a narrow line  wide enough to slide a ruler through, about 3 cm below the 1 cm notch Use the 1 cm to encase the moon. Use a ruler to measure the distance from the card to your eye. Use your knowledge of geometry to prove that you can calculate the diameter of the moon using the following proportionality: Once I constructed the pinhole, by using a note card, scissors, and a ruler I was able to create a measurement tool. My group and I measured out 3 yards of distance from the paper moon using a yard stick. Next we held up our pinholes and began to take note of the distance in centimeters. Once the measurements were complete, we recor...