Things that orbit: planets and hula hoops
The trimmed planetary playlist was advanced to Friday of week 14 due to the Monday president's day holiday. Start was by 12:03 with the trimmed list. Jupiter by 12:32. Neptune 12:40. Pluto at 12:43. the new list worked perfectly.
Mars put Jupiter off the board. Then the actual size and location of Mercury was unveiled using a yardstick. A102 was empty, the measure wheel was hidden in A102. With Mercury on the floor at 18 feet the rest of the planets were laid out. This longer opening sequence meant that coverage of each planet in the 13 planets book was dropped, only occasional reference to the book was done to show images of the planets. This approach feels no less functional than a cold open launch into the planets on campus (last spring).
Pamella hooping outside. Ariana recorded data after finding hooping to be too challenging.
Elvanie proved adept at hooping. An open question is the effect of specific hooping technique on the hoop period. Men more often use a to-and-fro forward and backward style that seems to require a higher frequency and smaller period to function than a small hip circle style. I picked up the small hip circles style of students in the first few terms. Elvanie used a larger amplitude, slower flowing hip swing style that appears to result in longer periods.
Pamella working on a hoop diameter measurement with her partner Valencia
Kayla on a large hoop
Elvanie showing proficiency on a small hoop
The students were not given an equation this term. With this the last laboratory report submission, this laboratory still functions somewhat as a practical at term end. Can students find an appropriate equation for their data?
13 planets was checked out. The planetary marbles are in a box in the supply closet along with Sol.
I asked the class to help layout the solar system on the board. There was disagreement on the size and location of Mercury.
Overlooked: Announcing that the Thursday lab will follow the Thanksgiving schedule.
This term the mathematical universe theory is still ahead of the class. The focus shifts from everything is mathematical to "things that orbit other things" including, loosely speaking, electrons around the nucleus (orbital shells more accurately) and planets around the sun. Rotation and spin are basic to the universe, including possibly the universe.
This approach deemphasizes the Galileo to Dyson quote path of last spring. The next day impact is a shift to focusing on hooping as a study of a rotating system rather than as evidence of the universality of mathematics.
Equipment list for the laboratory includes stopwatches and tape measures. The new 300 cm tape measures are ideal for this laboratory. For hooping blue jeans were worn that did not require a belt. In class the belt was removed along with everything else around my waist. This declutters the flight deck and increases flexibility along my waist line.
Three procedures were developed ad hoc in the 8:00 section. The result was some confusion. That procedure was rewritten at 11:00 in an attempt to be clearer.
The first option was to take the median of five timings of ten rotations each. The second was averaging two timings of 25 rotations. The third was a single timing of 50 rotations. The latter was the most accurate, but not all hoopers could sustain a 50 rotation session.
Strangely enough, after a heavy lunch the 50 rotation timing of a 105 cm hoop was much slower than before lunch.
Leann times and counts while LizzyAnn hoops
Tommylee chose to work solo timing and counting his own hoop rotations.
Desmos is up on Leann's laptop
Laboratory 15 landed on Thanksgiving this year. The 11:00 section was delayed by 40 minutes to accommodate the residence hall students and the instructor. By the time laboratory ends some items are most likely to already be gone. The annual Thanksgiving dinner attracts college employees, students, national government employees, and the local community.
Jay-brion hooping while Meramy times and counts.
Elvanie proved adept at hooping. An open question is the effect of specific hooping technique on the hoop period. Men more often use a to-and-fro forward and backward style that seems to require a higher frequency and smaller period to function than a small hip circle style. I picked up the small hip circles style of students in the first few terms. Elvanie used a larger amplitude, slower flowing hip swing style that appears to result in longer periods.
The impact of waist circumference, if any, is also not known. Investigating these variables seems like it would be problematic. Each hooper has their own natural style that works for their own body. Learning other styles is difficult at best. Students with a larger hip-to-waist ratio appear to be able to exert a lifting effect on the hoop using their hips more so than students with a hip-to-waist ratio closer to one.
Ariana, Brithney, and Elvanie. Elvanies measures a hoop diameter.
The students were not given an equation this term. With this the last laboratory report submission, this laboratory still functions somewhat as a practical at term end. Can students find an appropriate equation for their data?
A modified galactic astronomy playlist was used on Friday with a focus shifted to spinning and rotating objects. This list needs work. The Spinning Black Holes video is a tad long and technical. The list could use a better focus on galactic astronomy and cosmology. A single longer video that runs from stellar to galactic to cosmological would be more appropriate, but then the focus on rotation would likely be lost. The spinning theme is not problematic, perhaps just finding better videos that focus more simply on the rotational nature of stars, black holes, galaxies, galactic clusters, and the universe.
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