A Physics MOSAIC:Scientific Skills and Explorations for Students

Sara Kate MayRET Workshop 2011

July 15, 2011

Our Project (RET 2010)• Goal: develop inquiry-based lessons for high

school physics taking advantage of mesospheric ozone spectrometer developed at Haystack (MOSAIC)

• Additional goal (?): Combined with RET 2009 work, develop a complete physics curriculum

• My particular interest: find way to improve teaching error and uncertainty

MOSAIC Overview• Radio telescope designed to measure 11.0725 GHz rotational

transition of Ozone using Direct TV dish • Selectively detects mesospheric ozone (not “good” ozone from

stratosphere or “bad” ozone from troposphere), due to lack of pressure broadening

• Currently 7 dishes collecting data, with 6 pointing at same part of atmosphere.

MOSAIC Web Interface

http://www.haystack.mit.edu/ozone

Sample MOSAIC Spectrum

Sample Data Output

Sample MOSAIC Diurnal Variation

Sample Seasonal Variation

Why MOSAIC?• Opportunities– Real data, accessible via the web in (almost) real time– Large data sets, with error bars– Unanswered scientific questions about mesospheric

ozone accessible to high school students– Current interest in climate and atmosphere

• Challenges – Established curricula, including state/national/college

board standards– Atmosphere is not included in most high school physics

courses

Skills and Explorations with MOSAIC• We designed physics lessons and activities to capitalize on

strengths of MOSAIC– Final Project– Uncertainty and Data Analysis– Individual Topics and Concepts

• Emphasis on real data, unanswered questions• Self-directed options• Use web in real-time, but answers aren’t from Google• School Year 2010-11 at Middlesex School– Uncertainty and Data Analysis lessons used in Honors Physics,

AP Physics– Physics topics used in Astronomy elective, Honors Physics

MOSAIC Final Project

• Conceived as capstone experience, after students have studied waves, EM spectrum, energy

• Option to be almost entirely self-directed• 2-3 weeks near end of year (post-AP?)– Background information (Webquests: RET 2009 +

internet, or Power Point)– Activities for familiarity with web interface (GUI).– Research in topic of choice (different levels of

complexity available)– Results presented in final report and/or presentation

Possible Final Project Topics

Nighttime ozone concentration versus Possible websites for ReferenceAir temperature for the local area www.wunderground.com Ocean temperature www.noaa.gov Time (24 hour scale)Time (Seasonal/Yearly scale)Solar Activity (solar flares/solar wind) www.spaceweather.com Weather events (thunderstorms) www.wunderground.com Shuttle/satellite launches www.nasa.gov Tides tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/products.html Phases of the moon eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/phase/

phase2001gmt.html Average velocity of moleculesAppearances of ‘noctilucent’ clouds. www.spaceweather.com

Example: Ozone vs. Air Temp

Example: Ozone vs. Lunar Phases

Increase Before Sunrise/After Sunset

?

?

Averaged over Days 1 – 100 of 2010

Measurement, Uncertainty, Data Analysis

• Students have a very hard time making sense of measurement and uncertainty.

• MOSAIC provides access to large data sets– Error Bars– Distribution of Values– Detecting a Weak Signal through noise

• Our lesson– Power Points on Uncertainty and Data Analysis – Worksheet on “Number Sense”– Activities using MOSAIC data

Uncertainty Lesson: Value of NConsider a large data set consisting of a single measurement that is not affected by systematic error.

As more measurements are conducted, the mean of the measurements will become closer and closer to the true value. The distribution will more closely resemble a normal distribution as the number of trials is increased.

!?

Uncertainty Activity: Value of N

# days # sites peak rms resid # data2 1 11.7 6.505 22 2 11.21 4.603 42 3 16.61 3.676 62 4 17.44 2.933 82 5 17.48 2.54 103 5 17.63 2.297 154 5 19.28 2.107 205 5 18.42 1.909 251 5 21.13 3.905 51 1 21.11 9.101 11 2 18.32 6.915 21 3 23.38 5.647 31 4 20.99 4.466 41 5 21.13 3.905 5

21 5 21.91 0.948 10510 5 20.47 1.189 5050 5 19.35 0.672 25030 5 21.48 0.857 15040 5 20.28 0.744 20040 2 18.86 1.02 80

Uncertainty Activity: Value of N

Physics Topics, Related to MOSAIC• Developed introductory Power Point lessons and

accompanying worksheets on– Waves– Electromagnetic Waves– Optics– Atomic Energy Levels and Spectra

• Use MOSAIC as example and point of reference, spurring (or maintaining) interest and further questioning

• Suitable for use as self-directed webquest or in-class presentation

MOSAIC as Philosophy: The MOSAIC Physics Curriculum

• An introductory physics curriculum might include– Measurement/Uncertainty/Lab Skills– Mechanics: Motion, Force, Energy, Momentum, Gravitation,

Rotation– Heat and Energy Transfer: Heat Capacity, Phase Changes,

Temperature– Waves and Radiation: Mechanical and Electromagnetic

Properties– Fluids: Pressure, Buoyancy, Bernoulli– Electricity and Magnetism: Electrostatics, Circuits,

Magnetostatics, Electromagnetism– Optics: Reflection, Refraction, Lenses, Mirrors– Modern Topics: Atomic Energy Levels, Photoelectric Effect,

Compton Shift

MOSAIC as Philosophy:The MOSAIC Physics Curriculum

• Not all introductory physics topics will be directly connected to MOSAIC or the atmosphere.

• We propose a comprehensive MOSAIC physics curriculum based on a philosophy of teaching physics using, whenever possible,– Real data– Access and analysis through technology– Independent, hands-on learning

• We developed activities and self-study guides for topics not covered in Power Points