Astronomy and Earth Science

Scientists shocked as Arctic polar route emerges - Yahoo! News

2006-09-21T06:53:00.000-07:00

Scientists shocked as Arctic polar route emerges - Yahoo! News: "PARIS (AFP) - European scientists voiced shock as they showed pictures which showed Arctic ice cover had disappeared so much last month that a ship could sail unhindered from Europe's most northerly outpost to the North Pole itself."

Hourly Local Weather Forecast for Antioch, CA (94531) - weather.com

2006-05-20T07:40:00.000-07:00

May 20 MDAS observing will becancelled if it is cloudy... rain is in the forecast... go to mdas.net for more info...

Space Settlement

2006-05-18T10:59:00.000-07:00

Space Settlement

Nacreous clouds - Atmospheric Optics

2006-05-06T22:10:00.000-07:00

Nacreous clouds - Atmospheric Optics

Puzzling dunes seen on Saturn's mysterious moon Titan

2006-05-04T20:33:00.000-07:00

Nobody knows...

Puzzling dunes seen on Saturn's mysterious moon Titan

Contra Costa Economic Partnership Summer Camps

2006-05-04T07:16:00.000-07:00

Contra Costa Economic Partnership Summer Camps

billingsgazette.com : The Associated Press

2006-03-25T20:19:00.000-08:00

billingsgazette.com : The Associated Press

Starlight test

2006-03-23T12:47:00.000-08:00

Starlight test-- open notes!

More reviewing

2006-03-21T12:46:00.000-08:00

Parallax for stars

Parsecs and lightyears

Begin reviewing for "starlight" unit test

Begin reviewing

2006-03-17T12:46:00.000-08:00

Parallax for stars

Parsecs and lightyears

The big master poster

Begin reviewing for "starlight" unit test

Parallax

2006-03-15T12:45:00.000-08:00

Position: Astrometry

Proper motion

Parallax

Parallax lab: determining the position of the flagpole

HR diagram activity

2006-03-13T12:44:00.000-08:00

Finish the HR diagram activity from last week

Do the Jewelbox cluster activity--measure the age of a cluster in a photo.

Stellar evolution

2006-03-09T21:30:00.000-08:00

Stellar Evolution Day 1

Incomplete Graphic Organizer

HR Diagrams

2006-03-07T11:39:00.000-08:00

HR Diagram activity

Plot a graph of Absolute Magntiude vs. Spectral Class

Identify Main Sequence, Giants, dwarfs, location of the sun.

Blackbody radiation

2006-02-27T11:36:00.000-08:00

Makeup quiz on reading.

More notes;

Blackbody radiation

Wien's Law and the Stefan-Boltzmann Law

Blackbody simulator

How to use Graphical Analysis 3

Assignment: Analyze the following:
69 Cygnus
41 Cygnus
Wolf 1346
Nova Aquilae 1999
Arcturus
Deneb
Sigma Serpentis

Tell:
The kind of spectra it is
Whether or not it is a blackbody
What elements are in it
If it is a blackbody:
it's peak radiation color
Temperature from Wien's law.

Brightnesses and Julian dates

2006-02-16T10:26:00.000-08:00

Creating your final light curve for this project

Strike me lucky: no flash required as close call caught on camera - National

2006-02-15T20:40:00.000-08:00

Strike me lucky: no flash required as close call caught on camera - National

Nova search continues: converting brightnesses to magnitudes

2006-02-14T10:25:00.000-08:00

Work on Nova Search: Converting brightness measurements to magnitudes

continue nova search

2006-02-09T18:03:00.000-08:00

Nova search continues. Your objective: generate one complete curve per person on your team.

Book Reports are due.

Finish 40 mag problems; start nova search

2006-02-07T17:57:00.000-08:00

Finish 40 magnitude problems

Define what a "Nova" is

Begin setting up the steps necessary to construct a light curve for a nova.

How to use NIH Image; load the macros, blink frames

Locating a Nova and starting a data table.

Light curves 1: Simulating the orbit of a binary star system

2006-02-03T13:39:00.000-08:00

Simulating the orbital period of a binary star system

We will simulate the orbit of a binary star and then analyze the data in a classroom activity.

We introduce the concept of converting brightnesses to magnitudes with some rather thick notes that conclude with this equation:

m (unknown) = 2.5 log (brightness known/brightness unknown) + m(known)

Then we started an activity which used this equation to compute some unknown magntiudes in a picture.

Brightness vs. Distance part 2

2006-02-01T13:38:00.000-08:00

Brightness vs. Distance lab continues

Lab writeup followed by a worksheet of questions

Brightness vs. Distance lab part 1

2006-01-30T13:09:00.000-08:00

After seeing some demonstrations and explanations of inverse square relationships,
we will design a lab experiment to measure the brightness of a small light source as a function of distance. You will get information about the inverse square law, which teaches us that the brightness of light is inversely proportional to the square of the distance to the source. After designing the lab we will look for equipment to set up the measurement.

NOVA | Magnetic Storm | TV Program Description | PBS

2006-01-29T13:04:00.000-08:00

If the earth's magnetic field flips, lots of wierd things would happen. See the sidebar on this article for some speculation on this idea.

NOVA | Magnetic Storm | TV Program Description | PBS

Rock description lab

2006-01-06T12:34:00.000-08:00

Investigating properties of rocks. Mass, density, color, scratch, basic appearance or type.

Leap seconds; Rocks

2006-01-04T12:33:00.000-08:00

Leap seconds;

Basic introduction to the types of rocks. Igneous, Sedimentary, and Metamorphic. The rock cycle.

After we take some notes, we're going to do an investigation on the channels cut into the hillside at the athletic field due to the recent heavy rains. We will measure angle of incline, depth and width of channels, and take pictures and make sketches of the channels.

:: NASA Quest > Archives ::

2006-01-03T19:04:00.000-08:00

Stream table experiments... we may do some of these. We have stream tables, and sand left over from our cratering labs.

:: NASA Quest > Archives ::

MSA's Rock'n Internet Site--The ROCK CYCLE!

2006-01-03T19:00:00.000-08:00

Good graphic and summary of the rock cycle.
MSA's Rock'n Internet Site--The ROCK CYCLE!

Federal Aviation Administration - Home

2005-12-30T20:49:00.000-08:00

If you would like to make suggestions for the FAA's rules for tourism in space, go to this site, download the proposed regulations, and go for it.
Federal Aviation Administration - Home

Standardized test results from Chapter 10 due.

2005-12-15T21:44:00.000-08:00

We'll go over these in class.

Projects Due

2005-12-13T21:43:00.000-08:00

Projects due. Present them in class. See last week's entry for project descriptions. If you were absent, please ask for a category.
Homework assigned: Standardized test practice for Chapter 10. Due Thursday.

Earth's magnetic field wanders around

2005-12-09T21:07:00.000-08:00

Is north north or is north south?
News from The Associated Press

Bring books

2005-12-09T15:24:00.000-08:00

Homework from previous class due.

We go over the homework in class, then watch the NOVA earthquake video. Your assignment: come up with 15 questions related to the video.

Plate Tectonics

2005-12-07T15:21:00.000-08:00

We skimmed through Chapter 10 in Holt, then I made an assignment for specific people (signed up on board) to build models out of cardboard of the following earth structures:

Sea floor spreading (p. 243, 266, 245)
Puzzle of plactes (p. 244, 248)
Convergent subduction zones (p. 250)
Transform boundaries (p. 251)
Convection (p. 252)
Terranes (p. 256) - if you are absent, you'll do this one
Pangaea - Gondwanaland (p. 258-259)
Interior structure of the earth (look it up)

Project is due on Tuesday. December 13.

In addition, I gave the following as homework and asked you to work on it in class:
Page 262 #1 - 16.

Internal structure of the earth and how we know it

2005-12-05T15:08:00.000-08:00

Terminology and definitions of
the core
the mantle
the crust
convection
evidence for the iron core of the earth
the earth's magnetic field
composition of the earth by element
how we know the core exists: analysis of earthquakes

s waves and p waves

Most terrestrial rocks are nearly Poisson solids, for which the ratio Vs/Vp is close to the square root of three. In subtracting the arrival time at a seismograph of the P wave from the arrival time of the S wave (to find the S-P time ), this fact means that you can multiply the S-P time by a factor a 8 km/s to get a generally reliable estimate of the distance of the earthquake from the seismograph.

Geol 333 - Seismology Fundamentals

2005-12-04T15:20:00.000-08:00

Geol 333 - Seismology Fundamentals

Current update of the eruption of Kilauea Volcano, Hawai`i

2005-12-04T07:37:00.000-08:00

A lava "waterfall" is in these images.
Current update of the eruption of Kilauea Volcano, Hawai`i

Moon test

2005-12-01T21:34:00.000-08:00

Closed notes test on the moon.

Following the test, a reading assignment in the new textbook.
Next unit is the Earth!

Test review for Moon test

2005-11-29T21:33:00.000-08:00

We review for the moon test.

please, please bring your books for exchange!

Moon Jeopardy

2005-11-22T14:42:00.000-08:00

Reviewing and identifying topics for the upcoming test.

Earth View

2005-11-18T23:53:00.000-08:00

Earth View

Tides

2005-11-18T12:21:00.000-08:00

Tides

Today we learned about tides including Spring and Neap tides, the explanation of the Universal Law of Gravity, and how to crudely predict tides based on the phase of the moon.

Finish going over the book problems

2005-11-16T12:03:00.000-08:00

Today we finish going over the stuff in the new books...and then we trade books.

Finish cratering lab.

2005-11-14T21:16:00.000-08:00

APOD
Begin working on formal writeup.

We will spend time discussing what we plan to do with the textbooks we just obtained... there's a story in there.

Columbia Earth Institute -- News

2005-11-13T19:35:00.000-08:00

Columbia Earth Institute -- News

Moon rock slide show

2005-11-09T21:15:00.000-08:00

From NASA.

Begin work on cratering lab.

Go over homework from new book

2005-11-07T21:13:00.000-08:00

Go over homework turned into the sub.

Lunar surface features quiz.

Grade check day.

Astronomy and Space Science

2005-11-07T11:09:00.000-08:00

Major project proposals are due before Thanksgiving break. Proposals consist of:
Title
Equipment needed
Team proposal requires names and tasks.
Special instruction needed
What will be done at checkpoint in February.

If an experiment, state the hypothesis.
If outreach, state the audience.

New Science Book; homework

2005-11-04T10:09:00.000-08:00

New Science Book, we're piloting a new Glencoe Earth Science book.
Please do the lab on page 768 and give it to the sub.
Homework: take the book home and do the following from page 772:

6,9,11,12,14,15,16,18, 19,22,23,24,25
for Monday.

Lunar rock types

2005-11-03T14:40:00.000-08:00

Slide show from NASA, with narration from me.
This will also serve as a brief introduction to the geology of the moon and rock types in general including igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary.

Cratering lab writeup is due today.

Science News Article | Reuters.co.uk

2005-11-02T22:18:00.000-08:00

Science News Article | Reuters.co.uk

Drawings due; Moon cratering lab

2005-11-01T14:38:00.000-08:00

Moon cratering lab today.
Design a lab to determine how the height the meteor is dropped from relates to the diameter of the craters generated.

Physics of crater formation (notes)

Your moon drawings are due today.

Background Information Regarding Our Two Newly Discovered Satellites of Pluto

2005-10-31T20:31:00.000-08:00

Background Information Regarding Our Two Newly Discovered Satellites of Pluto

Sky and Telescope - Mars: Which Side Is Visible?

2005-10-30T14:47:00.000-08:00

Did you see Mars lately? Use this utility to identify the features you saw.

Sky and Telescope - Mars: Which Side Is Visible?

How to draw craters

2005-10-28T10:57:00.000-07:00

Notes on craters and the cratering process
How to draw craters
Assignment: Create an imaginary lunar landscape
Assignment: Copy a photo of a real lunar crater
Assignment: learn the surface feature names for the following lunar surface features for a quiz next week:

Oceanus Procellarurm
Mare Frigoris
Mare Serenetatis
Mare Tranquillitatis
Mare Fecunditatis
Mare Humorum
Mare Nubium
Mare Crisium
Mare Imbrium

Aristarchus
Kepler
Tycho
Grimaldi
Plato

Sinus Iridium
Sinus Medii

Plus their English translations.

Sundials are due; eclipses

2005-10-26T10:52:00.000-07:00

Lunar and Solar eclipses

Parts of the shadow of an eclipse
umbra
penumbra

conditions for a total solar eclipse
first contact
the solar corona
line of nodes
relative siae and distance of sun and moon

Lunar eclipses
refraction

Sundials are due.

Steve Spangler Science Experiment Denver's Brown Cloud

2005-10-25T22:46:00.000-07:00

Steve Spangler Science Experiment Denver's Brown Cloud

Moon phases and tides

2005-10-24T10:23:00.000-07:00

Bring your observing notebook. We will explain moon phases and how they connect to tides of the earth, and learn how to predict tides and phases as a function of time. There is a nice summary page in the text, on page 28 I believe.

During the lesson you will learn the following vocabulary
waxing
waning
crescent
gibbous
first quarter
third quarter
full
new

tide
spring tide
neap tide
Newton's law of gravity (1st pass)

Plus how to predict the position of the moon in the sky and thus predict the tides.

Consolidated Lunar Atlas

2005-10-23T10:15:00.000-07:00

Consolidated Lunar Atlas

Terrestrial Impact Craters Slide Set

2005-10-23T10:09:00.000-07:00

Terrestrial Impact Craters Slide Set

Deep Impact: Science: Cratering

2005-10-23T10:06:00.000-07:00

Deep Impact: Science: Cratering

sundial confusion, new due dates

2005-10-22T21:54:00.000-07:00

My original due date said:
Sundials are due on October 24 for odd-days and 25 for even days.

Turns out October 24 is even. Therefore the new due dates are:

EVEN October 26
ODD October 27

That should fix it.

Test over motions of the sun

2005-10-14T22:19:00.000-07:00

Test review

2005-10-12T22:15:00.000-07:00

Review for a test on motions of the sun

Grade Check

2005-10-10T21:56:00.000-07:00

Many papers returned. Grades posted for first progress reports

Amnesty Cards distributed.

Major Projects described. Some ideas are posted on the class web page.

Sundial Rubric and due date

2005-10-07T16:42:00.000-07:00

This is the rubric for how the sundials will be scored.

3= correct
2= partially correct
1 =incorrect, incomplete
0= not done

Each of the following characteristics will be evaluated.
1. DST correction on sundial including dates
2. Longitude correction for Antioch = +7.2 minutes applied and written on dial base.
3. EOT or Analemma or equivalent table displayed with instructions
4. AM /PM in correct spot
5. Clock face never in total shade
6. Waterproof
7. Sturdy enough to hold itself together
8. Angles on the stick and face OK
9. Face is perpendicular to stick (equatorial) or angles calculated correctly (horizontal).
10. Motto or quotation relating to time, astronomy, sunlight etc., on the base.

Sundials are due on October 24 for odd-days and 25 for even days.

Sundial instructions complete; the analemma; planisphere questions

2005-10-06T23:24:00.000-07:00

We pick up loose ends from several days in class by looking at the planisphere questions.

Then we will finish the explanation of the analemma, which leads us to the final design for our sundials.

We will finalize the sundial design and make the due date.

Build a planisphere; bring book;Stonehenges due

2005-10-01T15:43:00.000-07:00

A reading and homework assignment will be made from the book. Materials will be available for you to make your own star wheel.

Your stonehenge projects are due today.

Sundial project explained

2005-09-30T15:42:00.000-07:00

Simple sundial plans will be finished; the sundial lecture will be completed if it isn't already.

Your assignment is to build a sundial which will tell time you can set your watch with.

The sundial can be any style, equatorial, analemmatic, horizontal, or otherwise, but only equatorial instructions will be provided.

The sundial must be built accurately so that it will tell local solar time in Antioch, CA.
It must include a mechanism or information so the LST can be converted to Pacific Standard Time.
This means it should have an offset built in for our longitude; a copy of the equation of time or the equivalent analemma plus instructions on how to use it, and the current rules for daylight saving time printed on it.

Bonus points may be awarded for more permanent designs, adjustable designs, or advanced designs requiring more mathmatics.

The sundial due date will be at least a week into the future and will be specified in class.

Shadow of a stick lab due; the analemma; sundials

2005-09-28T15:41:00.000-07:00

Today we'll look at your data for the shadow of a stick lab and determine the time of local solar noon.

We will also begin the process of explaining how to build a sundial, which is your next big project.

We will explain time zones, daylight savings time, longitude and latitude on the earth, and the equation of time.

The analemma will be shown and explained.

As a reference you might consider visiting www.analemma.com.

shadow stick lab postponed; puzzle; azimuth lab due; stonehenge assigned.

2005-09-26T15:40:00.000-07:00

Shadow of a stick lab, which was due today, is postponed until Wednesday because I will be out.

Instead, students will do the following:

Motion of the sun acrostic puzzle. When the puzzle is solved, don't forget to read the solution and do what it says.

Finish the sunrise azimuth position lab and turn it in. For full credit, you should have
a data table
a graph
the dates and azimuths for the extremes (maximum and minimum) of azimuth
the dates when the azimuth was equal to 90 (there are two)
You name, date and class period
and the answers to the questions

what is the independent variable
what is the dependent variable

for this experiment.

Afterwards the Stonehenge assignment will be made. This is due next week.

USGS Astrogeology: Solar System Geology Browser

2005-09-25T08:38:00.001-07:00

Geology of the planetary bodies in the solar system. This link is definitely going to be useful to you in the spring.
USGS Astrogeology: Solar System Geology Browser

USGS Astrogeology: Solar System Geology Browser

2005-09-25T08:38:00.000-07:00

Geology of the planetary bodies in the solar system. This link is definitely going to be useful to you in the spring.
USGS Astrogeology: Solar System Geology Browser

finish azimuth lab

2005-09-22T20:23:00.000-07:00

We will finish what we started earlier in the week.

Computer simulation of sunrise/sunset

2005-09-20T10:03:00.000-07:00

I need signed parent permission for labs, and also need your responses to these questions:
1. What causes the phases of the moon?
2. What causes the seasons?
3. Another question related to astronomy or space science or earth science you would like answered.

We will get the computer lab up and running again, and then spend the day learning how to:

Log in to the computers.
Start Starry Night.
Measure altitude and azimuth of the sun.

We will begin taking measurements of the sunrise and sunset positions of the sun.
When complete, we will plot appropriate graphs to determine the day and angle of the sun at the solstices.

This information will be used to design a stonehenge.

While groups work on this activity, we will also be checking your observing notebook for the moon phase observation project.

We will note the autumnal equinox day, and the day when the sun rises directly over Lone Tree Way on your way in to Antioch.

Analysis of the Horoscope Lab

2005-09-14T20:02:00.000-07:00

We analyzed the horoscope lab and visited the planetarium.

Horoscope lab and introduction to planetarium

2005-09-12T20:02:00.000-07:00

APOD

We will begin by defining the horoscope lab more thoroughly and set up investigative teams to complete the task. Current horosocopes will be provided.
Editors will create two similar looking horoscope sheets, one from the correct day and one not. These will be labeled "A" or "B" in no particular order, and only the editor will know which one is which.

While the editor works on this task, the readers will get textbooks.

Readers will take these home and interview 10 people each to see if the horoscopes apply to them.
Next class, we will compile results for the correct and incorrect horoscope groups.

In the second half of class we will visit the planetarium, see a quick tour of tonight's sky, and look at altitude and azimuth values, plus how the sun's position changes on the horizon as a function of time in preparation for a lab to determine the exact dates the turnover occurs.

4th period needs to take their lab quiz.

Lab safety quiz; cupcakes; experimental design

2005-09-08T19:42:00.000-07:00

Lab safety quiz (take and grade in class)
The cupcake demonstration
Experimental Design concepts and terms:
independent variable
dependent variable
interfering variable
double-blind experiment
cause/effect
The Nature of Scientific Knowledge, including the definitions of
fact
theory
law
hypothesis
pseudoscience
Experimental Design Puzzle

Books distributed

First Day of school lesson plans

2005-09-06T11:47:00.000-07:00

First day lesson plans:

What is the difference between Astro/Space and Astro/Earth?
Attendance
Class rules
Contact information
Textbook and suggested supply list
Scientific calculator
Observing notebook (composition notebook please)
3-ring binder for notes and handouts
colored pencils

Your first homework assignment:

Our first lesson has to do with the sun's daily motion through the sky. To make observations you need to know which way is north, south, east, or west in your yard.

Astronomy and Space Science Final Spring 2004

2005-06-09T13:15:00.000-07:00

A practice test, ignore the rocket questions.

Astronomy and Space Science Final Spring 2004

Classroom Activities:by the covis project-weather

2005-05-27T10:37:00.000-07:00

Classroom Activities:

by the covis project

AMS The DataStreme Project

2005-05-25T12:31:00.000-07:00

AMS The DataStreme Project

Introduction to the Weather

2005-05-25T10:17:00.000-07:00

Introduction to the Weather

whither weather?

2005-05-25T10:14:00.000-07:00

We begin with an overview of weather phenomena. You can add weather observations to your observing notebook.

Also a debrief from the planetarium show on Tuesday.

CA resources

2005-05-13T22:55:00.000-07:00

The old integrated science book will be used to do an activity about Natural Resources in California.

Volcanoes

2005-05-11T22:54:00.000-07:00

Volcano video will take most of the period. Take notes, please.

Tsunamis

2005-05-09T22:40:00.000-07:00

Video about Tsunamis

from the FEMA web site

Backgrounder: Tsunami

What is a Tsunami?

A tsunami (pronounced “soo-nahm'ee”) is a series of waves generated by an undersea disturbance such as an earthquake. From the area of the disturbance, the waves will travel outward in all directions, much like the ripples caused by throwing a rock into a pond. The time between wave crests may be from 5 to 90 minutes, and the wave speed in the open ocean will average 450 miles per hour.

Tsunamis reaching heights of more than 100 feet have been recorded. As the waves approach the shallow coastal waters, they appear normal and the speed decreases. Then as the tsunami nears the coastline, it may grow to great height and smash into the shore, causing much destruction.

Tsunamis are caused by an underwater disturbance — usually an undersea earthquake. Landslides, volcanic eruptions, and even meteorites can also generate a tsunami.
Tsunamis can originate hundreds or even thousands of miles away from coastal areas. Local geography may intensify the effect of a tsunami. Areas at greatest risk are less than 50 feet above sea level and within one mile of the shoreline.
People who are near the seashore during a strong earthquake should listen to a radio for a tsunami warning and be ready to evacuate at once to higher ground.
Rapid changes in the water level are an indication of an approaching tsunami.
Tsunamis arrive as a series of successive “crests” (high water levels) and “troughs” (low water levels). These successive crests and troughs can occur anywhere from 5 to 90 minutes apart. They usually occur 10 to 45 minutes apart.
DID YOU KNOW . . .

In 1964, an Alaskan earthquake generated a tsunami with waves between 10 and 20 feet high along parts of the California, Oregon, and Washington coasts. This tsunami caused more than $84 million in damage in Alaska and a total of 123 fatalities.
Although tsunamis are rare along the Atlantic coastline, a severe earthquake on November 18, 1929, in the Grand Banks of Newfoundland generated a tsunami that caused considerable damage and loss of life at Placentia Bay, Newfoundland.
In 1946, a tsunami with waves of 20 to 32 feet crashed into Hilo, Hawaii, flooding the downtown area and killing 159 people.
The Tsunami Warning Centers in Honolulu, Hawaii, and Palmer, Alaska, monitor disturbances that trigger tsunamis. When a tsunami is recorded, it is tracked and a tsunami warning is issued to the threatened area.
Most deaths during a tsunami are a result of drowning. Associated risks include flooding, polluted water supplies, and damaged gas lines.
Since 1945, more people have been killed as a result of tsunamis than as a direct result of an earthquake’s ground-shaking.

after the video, a puzzle to summarize what you should know.

Radioactive decay in rocks

2005-05-05T22:57:00.000-07:00

Modeling radioactive decay, measuring half-life.

Carbon dating,
Uranium decay dating.

How we know how old rocks are.

Comet impact mission

2005-05-01T13:30:00.000-07:00

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Chase is on for comet spacecraft

SCIENCE / State's volcanoes not as quiet as they look / USGS says some are a threat, need more monitoring

2005-04-30T09:51:00.000-07:00

SCIENCE / State's volcanoes not as quiet as they look / USGS says some are a threat, need more monitoring

NCEDC: Make Your Own Seismogram!

2005-04-25T17:46:00.000-07:00

NCEDC: Make Your Own Seismogram!

Earthquake S and P waves

2005-04-25T17:10:00.000-07:00

Earthquake S and P waves defined, compared to refraction of light.

Demo: Bending of a laser beam (as seen at Chabot).

Thin to thick/thick to thin refraction rules.

Explaining how S and P waves define the size and composition of the core of the earth.

Continental drift, Plate tectonics defined.

Continue work on CA science standards

2005-04-15T17:08:00.000-07:00

We will be visiting the library again. Your assignment can be extended for extra credit one of several ways. You can, beyond the 1 page paper requirement:

Create handouts
Create a Powerpoint
Create a worksheet or homework problems
Write possible assessment questions addressing your standards
Give a lecture/notes on the board
Create a lab or activity to go with it.

Of course, doing something extra is up to you. You can also invent your own extra thing, which I strongly encourage.

Review of CA science standards

2005-04-13T16:58:00.000-07:00

Each of you will be assigned one Earth Science Standard to investigate and write a short report about it. You will read this report to the class when they are complete. The report requirements are 1 page typed information, with any necessary pictures or illustrations attached. References should be used. We will be visiting the library to assist you with your research.

Here are the Earth Science Standards. Ones marked with a + I think you should know from my class. Ones marked with a + are considered "extra" by the state and will not be assessed.

Earth's Place in the Universe

1. Astronomy and planetary exploration reveal the solar system's structure, scale, and change over time. As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. + Students know how the differences and similarities among the sun, the terrestrial planets, and the gas planets may have been established during the formation of the solar system.

b. + Students know the evidence from Earth and moon rocks indicates that the solar system was formed from a nebular cloud of dust and gas approximately 4.6 billion years ago.

c. + Students know the evidence from geological studies of Earth and other planets suggest that the early Earth was very different from Earth today.

d. + Students know the evidence indicating that the planets are much closer to Earth than the stars are.

e. + Students know the Sun is a typical star and is powered by nuclear reactions, primarily the fusion of hydrogen to form helium.

f. + Students know the evidence for the dramatic effects that asteroid impacts have had in shaping the surface of planets and their moons and in mass extinctions of life on Earth.

g.* Students know the evidence for the existence of planets orbiting other stars.

2. Earth-based and space-based astronomy reveal the structure, scale, and changes in stars, galaxies, and the universe over time. As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. + Students know the solar system is located in an outer edge of the disc-shaped Milky Way galaxy, which spans 100,000 light years.

b. + Students know galaxies are made of billions of stars and comprise most of the visible mass of the universe.

c. + Students know the evidence indicating that all elements with an atomic number greater than that of lithium have been formed by nuclear fusion in stars.

d. + Students know that stars differ in their life cycles and that visual, radio, and X-ray telescopes may be used to collect data that reveal those differences.

e.* Students know accelerators boost subatomic particles to energy levels that simulate conditions in the stars and in the early history of the universe before stars formed.

f.* + Students know the evidence indicating that the color, brightness, and evolution of a star are determined by a balance between gravitational collapse and nuclear fusion.

g.* + Students know how the red-shift from distant galaxies and the cosmic background radiation provide evidence for the "big bang" model that suggests that the universe has been expanding for 10 to 20 billion years.

Dynamic Earth Processes

3. Plate tectonics operating over geologic time has changed the patterns of land, sea, and mountains on Earth's surface. As the basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know features of the ocean floor (magnetic patterns, age, and sea-floor topography) provide evidence of plate tectonics.

b. Students know the principal structures that form at the three different kinds of plate boundaries.

c. Students know how to explain the properties of rocks based on the physical and chemical conditions in which they formed, including plate tectonic processes.

d. Students know why and how earthquakes occur and the scales used to measure their intensity and magnitude.

e. Students know there are two kinds of volcanoes: one kind with violent eruptions producing steep slopes and the other kind with voluminous lava flows producing gentle slopes.

f.* Students know the explanation for the location and properties of volcanoes that are due to hot spots and the explanation for those that are due to subduction.

Energy in the Earth System

4. Energy enters the Earth system primarily as solar radiation and eventually escapes as heat. As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know the relative amount of incoming solar energy compared with Earth's internal energy and the energy used by society.

b. Students know the fate of incoming solar radiation in terms of reflection, absorption, and photosynthesis.

c. Students know the different atmospheric gases that absorb the Earth's thermal radiation and the mechanism and significance of the greenhouse effect.

d.* Students know the differing greenhouse conditions on Earth, Mars, and Venus; the origins of those conditions; and the climatic consequences of each.

5. Heating of Earth's surface and atmosphere by the sun drives convection within the atmosphere and oceans, producing winds and ocean currents. As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know how differential heating of Earth results in circulation patterns in the atmosphere and oceans that globally distribute the heat.

b. Students know the relationship between the rotation of Earth and the circular motions of ocean currents and air in pressure centers.

c. Students know the origin and effects of temperature inversions.

d. Students know properties of ocean water, such as temperature and salinity, can be used to explain the layered structure of the oceans, the generation of horizontal and vertical ocean currents, and the geographic distribution of marine organisms.

e. Students know rain forests and deserts on Earth are distributed in bands at specific latitudes.

f.* Students know the interaction of wind patterns, ocean currents, and mountain ranges results in the global pattern of latitudinal bands of rain forests and deserts.

g.* Students know features of the ENSO (El Niño southern oscillation) cycle in terms of sea-surface and air temperature variations across the Pacific and some climatic results of this cycle.

6. Climate is the long-term average of a region's weather and depends on many factors. As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know weather (in the short run) and climate (in the long run) involve the transfer of energy into and out of the atmosphere.

b. Students know the effects on climate of latitude, elevation, topography, and proximity to large bodies of water and cold or warm ocean currents.

c. Students know how Earth's climate has changed over time, corresponding to changes in Earth's geography, atmospheric composition, and other factors, such as solar radiation and plate movement.

d.* Students know how computer models are used to predict the effects of the increase in greenhouse gases on climate for the planet as a whole and for specific regions.

Biogeochemical Cycles

7. Each element on Earth moves among reservoirs, which exist in the solid earth, in oceans, in the atmosphere, and within and among organisms as part of biogeochemical cycles. As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know the carbon cycle of photosynthesis and respiration and the nitrogen cycle.

b. Students know the global carbon cycle: the different physical and chemical forms of carbon in the atmosphere, oceans, biomass, fossil fuels, and the movement of carbon among these reservoirs.

c. Students know the movement of matter among reservoirs is driven by Earth's internal and external sources of energy.

d.* Students know the relative residence times and flow characteristics of carbon in and out of its different reservoirs.

Structure and Composition of the Atmosphere

8. Life has changed Earth's atmosphere, and changes in the atmosphere affect conditions for life. As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know the thermal structure and chemical composition of the atmosphere.

b. Students know how the composition of Earth's atmosphere has evolved over geologic time and know the effect of outgassing, the variations of carbon dioxide concentration, and the origin of atmospheric oxygen.

c. Students know the location of the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere, its role in absorbing ultraviolet radiation, and the way in which this layer varies both naturally and in response to human activities.

California Geology

9. The geology of California underlies the state's wealth of natural resources as well as its natural hazards. As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know the resources of major economic importance in California and their relation to California's geology.

b. Students know the principal natural hazards in different California regions and the geologic basis of those hazards.

c. Students know the importance of water to society, the origins of California's fresh water, and the relationship between supply and need.

d.* Students know how to analyze published geologic hazard maps of California and know how to use the map's information to identify evidence of geologic events of the past and predict geologic changes in the future.

Test on Stars and Galaxies

2005-04-11T16:56:00.000-07:00

Some papers returned. It's about a week until grades are posted, so we'll return papers and then take the test, which is open notes, mostly multiple choice.

After the test, if we finish early, we'll begin going over all the earth science standards that might occur on the test for the state assessments.

Review game

2005-04-06T23:04:00.000-07:00

Jeapordy style review game.

Review for Stars test

2005-04-04T22:57:00.000-07:00

We'll review the study guide published before break.

The interior structure of the Earth

2005-04-04T22:25:00.000-07:00

Linked page explains the structure of the earth's core in great detail.

Earth's Interior

How to talk to aliens

2005-03-21T07:45:00.000-08:00

You thought I was kidding about this. Includes a picture of the world's largest radio telescope.

ChessBase.com - Chess News - How to talk to aliens

Disney's "The Black Hole."

2005-03-18T20:08:00.000-08:00

We are going to watch this movie and then write a critique of the science included within it.