exxonmobil bernard harris summer science · pdf fileexxonmobil bernard harris summer science...

Wayne K. Trail A. Marie Pool

ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Summer Science

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SWOSU

Create a segment for the evening news reporting on the discovery of

extraterrestrial life.


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The Search for Life

Evening Highlights Tinker Toy Activity

Visit SWOSU Observatory

Wellness Center

Dodgeball

Walking/running

Games

Movie Night

Paper Rockets

Bernard Harris - Exxon Mobile Summer Science

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How the Core Problem is Introduced? We have an open discussion on the first full day

about the core problem.

What would an announcement of the discovery of alien life include?

Students give examples.


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Re-education We’ll spend a lot of time informing them away from

their initial ideas

“Why is it every UFO sighting begins with ‘So me and Roy was down in the bog, fishin’…’” --Woody Allen

If only we had large numbers of trained people, all over the world, watching the skies every night so they could make note of UFOs. Oh, wait, we do! They’re called Amateur Astronomers, and guess what? They never see UFOs.” Neil DeGrasse Tyson


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How did the Physics & Astronomy Class Help the Campers Develop a Plausible Solution to the Core Problem?


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We want the students to have the freedom to emphasize in their final project the aspects of the camp they find most interesting. This could be Physics & Astronomy, Rocketry, Biology, Robotics…


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Goals of Physics & Astronomy Class:


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•Develop a Cosmic Perspective.

•What exactly does the solar system

look like?

•What would a scale model look like?

•How do Rockets work (we cover

this in Engineering as well).

•What are Newton’s laws?

Mr Trail


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A bad model of the Solar System


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Solar System

Object

Approx. Diameter

(miles)

If the Sun is 100 cm

how big is the

planet?

Sun 865,000 100 cm

Mercury 3,000 0.35

Venus 7,500 0.87

Earth 7,900 0.91

Mars 4,200 0.49

Jupiter 88,800 10.3

Saturn 74,900 8.67

Uranus 31,800 3.68

Neptune 30,800 3.56

Pluto 1,500 0.17

The Moon 2,200 0.25


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Learning about the Other Worlds Through Scale Models.


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Sizes Scales Activity

Side notes about the activity. Is this how you thought the relative sizes of the planets

looked?

In the context of this activity, what do you think about the energy problem we have?


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Resources:


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•Available at

http://quest.nasa.gov/vft/docs/

SSML1/SSML1Stdnt.pdf

•Celestia Software (FREE)

http://www.celestiamotherlode.net

A scale model of the solar system that incorporates relative distance We want to build a model of the solar

system that scales the distance between the planets rather than the relative sizes of the planets.

After setting up the model, campers get index cards telling the distance to a planet and we set up the solar system outside with students standing where the planets go.


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Distance(AU) Distance(yd) Diameter(in)

Sun ------ ------ 1.00492

Mercury 0.387 1.16 0.00352

Venus 0.723 2.17 0.00874

Earth 1.000 3.00 0.00921

Mars 1.52 4.57 0.00490

Ceres 2.77 8.32 0.00068

Jupiter 5.20 15.61 0.10322

Saturn 9.58 28.75 0.08702

Uranus 19.20 57.60 0.03690

Neptune 30.05 90.14 0.03576

Pluto 39.24 117.71 0.00173

Eris 67.67 202.94 0.00173

Distance Scales Activity:

1AU{=93million miles}=3Yds

SWOSU


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On this scale the Earth is ¼ inch from the Earth and it took Apollo 11 4 days to cover the distance.

How long would it take to get to Saturn at a speed of 1000mph?

New Horizons is going 40,000mph

SWOSU


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Sometimes we lay out this activity on a football field (if it is an evening activity), otherwise we do it outside the physics building.

How did Engineering Class help the campers develop a solution to the core problem?

In engineering the students built and launched rockets and learned about how they work.

They Built Paper rockets, straw rockets, and model rockets.

We studied rockets in physics and we saw real rocket parts (and scale models) at the Stafford Air and Space Center.


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SWOSU

ExxonMobil Bernard Harris

Summer Science Camp

Why do Rockets look

the way they do?


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SWOSU


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SWOSU


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Assume a one pound payload has to be put into orbit at 100 miles above Earth’s surface .

The payload needs to be going very fast to stay in orbit

Assume one pound of fuel will make a one pound payload got “very fast.”

Assume it takes one pound of fuel to raise one pound of payload 10 miles

How many pounds of fuel do you need to start with?

Why do Rockets look the way they do?

SWOSU


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Miles above Earth Payload (in pounds) 100 2 90 4 80 8 70 16 60 32 50 64 40 128 30 256 20 512 10 1024 0 2048

How is Mathematics Incorporated into the curriculum Rocket Activity

Scaling sizes in Physics

Space Travel

Relating wheel rotations to distances in Robotics

Nutrition, Evening Activities…


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SWOSU


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Scaling A Cookie Recipe for 12

cookies to 48 cookies

Mr Trail is secretly a Pro Wrestler!!


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SWOSU


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Scaling Planetary

Sizes

Solar System

Object

Approx. Diameter

(miles)

If the Sun is 100 cm

how big is the

planet?

Sun 865,000 100 cm

Mercury 3,000 0.35

Venus 7,500 0.87

Earth 7,900 0.91

Mars 4,200 0.49

Jupiter 88,800 10.3

Saturn 74,900 8.67

Uranus 31,800 3.68

Neptune 30,800 3.56

Pluto 1,500 0.17

The Moon 2,200 0.25


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Campers are required to build a robot that travels a certain distance then turn, then travel another distance then turn.

No practice runs are allowed, so the students have to measure the circumference of the wheels so they know how many rotations to have the wheels make.

Math in Robotics


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Inexpensive, fun, instructive

Tinker Toys

Paper Rockets

Straw Rockets

Fun Easy Activities

The Tinker Toy Project


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• Using 20 assorted pieces

build any object.

• Write instructions on how

to build it.

• Hand the instructions to

another group.

• They have to build your

object without

seeing it

• Cost~$50

Paper Rockets Build a rocket out of one

sheet of paper, an index card, and scotch tape.

Launch the rocket using the homemade paper rocket launcher.

Explore the function of the parts of the rocket by modifying and retrying.

Cost ~$50 Bernard Harris - Exxon Mobile Summer Science

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Straw Rockets Straw Rocket launcher

allows repeatable “thrust”

Allows angle adjustment.

Only supplies are straws, tape, and index cards.

Cost ~$170.

www.pitsco.com


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Straw Rockets


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Unique Pre-camp Activities I did a show at a few of the schools this year. It is

something I might pursue.


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Thanks!

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