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| The Case: |
The Sky is Falling |
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Dr. Andrea Smith, an amateur astronomer stargazing from the Mt. Haleakala Observatory notices a collection of previously unknown objects in the night sky that pose her some concern. Dr. Smith consults you, a team of experts at North Springs High School to confirm her suspicion.
Measurements over the past three days in November indicate the objects are moving quickly through space, in the same plane as Earth’s orbit.
See data and space map in "special data items".
Scene 2
Your team has determined that Object 3 will collide with Earth on May 15th of next year. Based on this finding the President is contacted, and he orders that NASA designate a committee of experts (including yourselves) to submit a report on the consequences of the impact and to propose measures to protect the Earth.
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Case Analysis
Need to Know
- What is the path and orbital speed of the earth
- How fast is the comet traveling
- Is it accelerating
- When will the comet cross earth's orbit
- What are the potential consequences of impact
- Is there any other evidence of impact(earth, planets, moon)
- What role does mass and composition of both objects play in the consecquences of impact?
- Existing plans to prevent impact
- Identify current NEO's, potential hazard
- What is the "Toriono Scale"
- Development of Asteroids, Comets, orgin points etc
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Option: Include a know / need to know chart like the one below:
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What do you know?
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What do you need to know?
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Learning Goals
Goal(s)
- Calculate direction and velocity of object
- Calculate acceleration of comet, if any
- Define a circle by an equation
- Calculate point of intersection, assuming earth follows a circular orbit
- If it intersects, determine at what time will it intersect and is that the same as the earth is in that area
- Solve collision problem graphically and numerically
- Analyze force of impact
- Determine potential consequences of impact
- Propose solutions to avoid impact or survive impact
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Standards
Standards are based on the QCC's for Georgia for Physics Semester 1
Objectives
- Demonstrate an understanding of kinematics in 1 and 2 dimensions
- Explain and apply Newtons Laws of motion
- Describe the relationships between work, energy and power and aply the laws of energy conservation
- Demonstrate an understanding of impulse, momentum and the law of conseration of momentum
- Explain and apply the universal law of gravitation and demonstrate an understanding of the laws of mechanics as the apply to objects experiencing rotational motion
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Investigations and Activities
Students will drop different masses from different heights into different materials and determine
- How speed effects size of impact crater
- How mass will affect size of impact crater
- Relate size of impact crater to work and power
The exchange of gravitational potential energy into kinetic energy
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Resources
Websites
- http://www.nasa.gov/
- http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/neo/pha.html
- http://impact.arc.nasa.gov/torino/index.html#what
- http://impact.arc.nasa.gov/
- http://www.nationalgeographic.com/asteroids/index.html
Students will usually obtain additional references or resources
to help answer or explore their questions. |
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Special Data Items
1. collision.jpg
2. observ.jpg
3. SolarSystem.jpg
4. Data.doc
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Student Products
- Student presentation to the President
- Lab note book on cratering experiment
- Graphical/numerical solution to comet problem
- Analysis of assumptions and simplifications made to problem and conjectures about what effect they have on solutions
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Assessment and Evaluation Plan
- Follow the logic of their calculations
- Vector diagrams of the comet and earth system
- Peer evaluation of presentation to President
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Implementation
The case will use 4 class periods (90 minutes each)
1 for discussion of learning objectives
1 for hands on "crater experiment" and scene 1 calculations
1 for description of impact and discussion of solutions
1 for conclusion and presentation of results and assessment
Much of this will be done outside of class and will be evaluated in a portfolio for continued improvement throughout the semester
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Course name:
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Physics Semester I
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Likely sequence in
syllabus:
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Early in semester (Vectors, Forces, and Newton
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Time during term:
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3 class periods and homework
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Duration:
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3 weeks
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Setting:
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classroom
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Students in course:
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28
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Collaborative elements:
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Additional notes:
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The problem is simplified.In this problem, the Earth has a circular orbit, the asteroid is not accelerating and is traveling in a straight line. Data is completely simulated
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Credits
Emory University for its continued support and excellence in promoting education and collaboration between all academic levels.
The National Science Foundation (Grant NSF 03-532) for their suport of the project "Problems and Research to Integrate Science and Mathematics (PRISM)."
Comet collision graphic
science.msfc.nasa.gov/headlines/ y2001/ast05apr_1.htm
Astronomer
http://www.science.uwaterloo.ca/physics/observatory/observ.jpg
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