Collarspace Discussion Forums


Home  Login  Search 

If you were a Science Teacher....


View related threads: (in this forum | in all forums)

Logged in as: Guest
 
All Forums >> [Casual Banter] >> Off the Grid >> If you were a Science Teacher.... Page: [1] 2 3 4 5   next >   >>
Login
Message << Older Topic   Newer Topic >>
If you were a Science Teacher.... - 7/8/2007 12:02:58 AM   
popeye1250


Posts: 18104
Joined: 1/27/2006
From: New Hampshire
Status: offline 		...how would you try to explain to a class just how big in human terms that the Universe is?
I mean as good as you could and trying to put it on a scale that humans could understand.

_____________________________

"But Your Honor, this is not a Jury of my Peers, these people are all decent, honest, law-abiding citizens!"
Profile   Post #: 1
RE: If you were a Science Teacher.... - 7/8/2007 12:04:35 AM   
LuckyAlbatross


Posts: 19224
Joined: 10/25/2005
Status: offline 		Make them watch the last 5 minutes of Men in Black.  Really that's as close as I think I could get them to understand without forcing some huge personal epiphany.

_____________________________

Find stable partners, not a stable of partners.

"Sometimes my whore logic gets all fuzzy"- Californication

(in reply to popeye1250)
Profile   Post #: 2
RE: If you were a Science Teacher.... - 7/8/2007 12:16:05 AM   
Arpig


Posts: 9930
Joined: 1/3/2006
From: Increasingly further from reality
Status: offline 		You got me there Popeye, I have a hard time really wrapping my head around just how vast it really is, so i would have a hard time explaining it to a class.

_____________________________

Big man! Pig Man!
Ha Ha...Charade you are!

Why do they leave out the letter b on "Garage Sale" signs?

CM's #1 All-Time Also-Ran


(in reply to popeye1250)
Profile   Post #: 3
RE: If you were a Science Teacher.... - 7/8/2007 12:18:42 AM   
uwinceismile


Posts: 365
Joined: 5/29/2007
Status: offline 		hmmmm,
next time they are at the beach... grab a handful of sand,,,,then turn thier hand over spilling it all,,,then dust  thier hands til there is just a few grains left.......
that grain stuck to thier thumb is earth......... the rest of our earth ,,and the sky,,and the stars,,,are the universe in comparison.

hell, i dunno,,sounded good in my head :(

(in reply to LuckyAlbatross)
Profile   Post #: 4
RE: If you were a Science Teacher.... - 7/8/2007 12:30:11 AM   
LeMis


Posts: 9255
Joined: 9/24/2005
From: Florida
Status: offline 		I got an e-mail today (yesterday) that this post reminded me of...
it basically compared the smaller planets in our solar system to Earth,
then it compared Earth to the larger planets in our solar system,
then it compared Earth & the largest planet to the sun,
etc....
etc.....

I think you get the visual now...
(I already deleted the e-mail)

I thought it was pretty neat (but then I work with little kids anyways), lol.

< Message edited by LeMis -- 7/8/2007 12:31:35 AM >

_____________________________

Make a mental note . . . oh, I see you're out of paper!
Make somebody happy. Mind your own business.

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt. — Lincoln

(in reply to Arpig)
Profile   Post #: 5
RE: If you were a Science Teacher.... - 7/8/2007 12:40:19 AM   
seeksfemslave


Posts: 4011
Joined: 6/16/2006
Status: offline 		You couldn't, cos' nobody knows.


(in reply to popeye1250)
Profile   Post #: 6
RE: If you were a Science Teacher.... - 7/8/2007 1:35:47 AM   
Lordandmaster


Posts: 10943
Joined: 6/22/2004
Status: offline 		It doesn't really matter, because before long we're just going to have faith-based education anyway.

(in reply to popeye1250)
Profile   Post #: 7
RE: If you were a Science Teacher.... - 7/8/2007 2:01:25 AM   
seeksfemslave


Posts: 4011
Joined: 6/16/2006
Status: offline 		A lot of fundamnetal science veers very close to being faith based .
Darwinism is a perfect example. No hard evidence and many committed believers. lol

On the Galapogos Darwin did not discover one new species.
Dont shout at me its true !

(in reply to Lordandmaster)
Profile   Post #: 8
RE: If you were a Science Teacher.... - 7/8/2007 3:39:23 AM   
Aileen68


Posts: 6091
Joined: 8/2/2005
Status: offline 		It's really really really really really really big.

(in reply to popeye1250)
Profile   Post #: 9
RE: If you were a Science Teacher.... - 7/8/2007 4:55:51 AM   
farglebargle


Posts: 10715
Joined: 6/15/2005
From: Albany, NY
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: seeksfemslave

A lot of fundamnetal science veers very close to being faith based .
Darwinism is a perfect example. No hard evidence and many committed believers. lol

On the Galapogos Darwin did not discover one new species.
Dont shout at me its true !


When you say "Darwinism" what do you mean?

It could refer to Darwin's proposed mechanism of natural selection, in comparison to more recent theories such as genetic drift and gene flow.

It may also refer specifically to the role of Charles Darwin as opposed to others in the history of evolutionary thought — particularly contrasting Darwin's results with those of earlier theories such as Lamarckism or later ones such as the modern synthesis.

Dodd, D.M.B. (1989) "Reproductive isolation as a consequence of adaptive divergence in Drosophila pseudoobscura." Evolution 43:1308–1311 is a pretty clear example of Allopatric speciation by geographical isolation. Read the paper, you can do it too!



_____________________________

It's not every generation that gets to watch a civilization fall. Looks like we're in for a hell of a show.

ברוך אתה, אדוני אלוקינו, ריבון העולמים, מי יוצר צמחים ריחניים

(in reply to seeksfemslave)
Profile   Post #: 10
RE: If you were a Science Teacher.... - 7/8/2007 6:15:45 AM   
KatyLied


Posts: 13029
Joined: 2/24/2005
From: Pennsylvania
Status: offline 		I guess I would watch Cosmos and pick out the pertinent parts.  I always thought that Carl Sagan did a good job of explaining our (insignificant) place in the (huge) universe.

_____________________________

“If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.”
- Albert Einstein

(in reply to popeye1250)
Profile   Post #: 11
RE: If you were a Science Teacher.... - 7/8/2007 6:18:04 AM   
KatyLied


Posts: 13029
Joined: 2/24/2005
From: Pennsylvania
Status: offline 		http://school.discovery.com/schooladventures/universe/itsawesome/cosmiccalendar/page2.html

_____________________________

“If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.”
- Albert Einstein

(in reply to KatyLied)
Profile   Post #: 12
RE: If you were a Science Teacher.... - 7/8/2007 6:24:35 AM   
mnottertail


Posts: 60698
Joined: 11/3/2004
Status: offline 		Borrow an old style flash bulb.....@@@@@@

Light is instantaneous---well that is not quite correct, it  has a  limiting speed of  182---yadda yadda yadda----------see that star right there?  the light you are seeing started out 10,000 years ago, thats right----and that is a close star........see this galaxy here?   there is earth, kinda somewhere in there----we know of 12 galaxies----yadda yadda yadda and are pretty sure there are countless others---yadda yadda yadda but it would take you yadda to transverse ours alone end to end at the speed of light, flash-------@@@@@@@@@@@ and another blah blah blah to get to the next ones edge......and so on  


_____________________________

Have they not divided the prey; to every man a damsel or two? Judges 5:30


(in reply to KatyLied)
Profile   Post #: 13
RE: If you were a Science Teacher.... - 7/8/2007 7:13:16 AM   
lighthearted


Posts: 1165
Joined: 11/26/2006
Status: offline 		to infinity...and beyond.

_____________________________

"Thou art to me a delicious torment." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

(in reply to popeye1250)
Profile   Post #: 14
RE: If you were a Science Teacher.... - 7/8/2007 7:15:32 AM   
Stephann


Posts: 4214
Joined: 12/27/2006
From: Portland, OR
Status: offline 		The trouble with space, is that very large numbers really don't mean anything to us. 

Consider the distance from the sun - 93.2 million miles.  Consider there are 63,360 inches in a mile.  Consider a dollar bill is 6.14 inches long.  The US National Debt means we could stack dollar bills, end to end, and make four and a half round trips to the Sun.  Or, end to end, they could easily outshoot Saturn.

Perhaps our debt will enable us to reach Alpha Centauri before shuttle propulsion can? ;)

Seriously, if you pointed to a blade of grass in the school yard and say it's the sun, than a blade of grass a foot a way, and call it Pluto, than a blade of grass in China would be like Alpha Centauri.

Stephan


_____________________________

Nosce Te Ipsum

"The blade itself incites to violence" - Homer

Men: Find a Woman here

(in reply to mnottertail)
Profile   Post #: 15
RE: If you were a Science Teacher.... - 7/8/2007 7:36:28 AM   
Raechard


Posts: 3513
Joined: 3/10/2007
From: S.E. London U.K.
Status: offline 		The universe is 1m sq x A.

In terms of volume. I thought we all knew this already?

< Message edited by Raechard -- 7/8/2007 7:56:31 AM >

_____________________________

えへまにんへえや
Nobody wants to listen to the same song over and over again!

(in reply to Stephann)
Profile   Post #: 16
RE: If you were a Science Teacher.... - 7/8/2007 8:03:22 AM   
farglebargle


Posts: 10715
Joined: 6/15/2005
From: Albany, NY
Status: offline 		Grab a copy of Celestia, http://www.shatters.net/celestia/download.html and start it... It's begin in Earth orbit.

Use the Solar System browser to select Mars. the C key will center mars in the view. The A and Z keys control thrust.

Converting 75 MPH to km/sec, what's that? .034 km/s ? Have a nice trip to mars. Notice how even at 1c it takes a while to get there?

Select a nearby star. Repeat experiment.



< Message edited by farglebargle -- 7/8/2007 8:07:33 AM >

_____________________________

It's not every generation that gets to watch a civilization fall. Looks like we're in for a hell of a show.

ברוך אתה, אדוני אלוקינו, ריבון העולמים, מי יוצר צמחים ריחניים

(in reply to Raechard)
Profile   Post #: 17
RE: If you were a Science Teacher.... - 7/8/2007 8:08:52 AM   
Raechard


Posts: 3513
Joined: 3/10/2007
From: S.E. London U.K.
Status: offline 		Your experiment assumes that earth is at the centre of the universe and we all know this isn't the case right?

_____________________________

えへまにんへえや
Nobody wants to listen to the same song over and over again!

(in reply to farglebargle)
Profile   Post #: 18
RE: If you were a Science Teacher.... - 7/8/2007 8:10:11 AM   
farglebargle


Posts: 10715
Joined: 6/15/2005
From: Albany, NY
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Raechard

Your experiment assumes that earth is at the centre of the universe and we all know this isn't the case right?



How do you get from "The program positions you in Earth Orbit" to "Earth is the center of the universe? "

_____________________________

It's not every generation that gets to watch a civilization fall. Looks like we're in for a hell of a show.

ברוך אתה, אדוני אלוקינו, ריבון העולמים, מי יוצר צמחים ריחניים

(in reply to Raechard)
Profile   Post #: 19
RE: If you were a Science Teacher.... - 7/8/2007 8:13:21 AM   
Raechard


Posts: 3513
Joined: 3/10/2007
From: S.E. London U.K.
Status: offline 		I have to confess I didn't read your research paper through fully my humble apologies.

_____________________________

えへまにんへえや
Nobody wants to listen to the same song over and over again!

(in reply to farglebargle)
Profile   Post #: 20
Page:   [1] 2 3 4 5   next >   >>
All Forums >> [Casual Banter] >> Off the Grid >> If you were a Science Teacher.... Page: [1] 2 3 4 5   next >   >>
Jump to:





New Messages No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages Locked w/o New Messages
 Post New Thread
 Reply to Message
 Post New Poll
 Submit Vote
 Delete My Own Post
 Delete My Own Thread
 Rate Posts




Collarchat.com © 2025
Terms of Service Privacy Policy Spam Policy

0.094