Middle and High School … from a Montessori Point of View
A great, simple, and slightly dangerous way of making rockets. There are a number of variations. I like NASA’s because they have a very nice set of instructions.
With a stable launch platform that maintains consistent but changeable launch angles, these could be a great source of simple science experiments that look at the physics of ballistics and the math of parabolas (a nice video camera would be a great help here too) and statistics (matchsticks aren’t exactly precision instruments).
Paul Nicholas Worsey explains the physics and chemistry of how fireworks work. He’s cited in Sophie Bushwick great post compiling online resources that explain the science of fireworks.
The Auroras are a great natural phenomena that relates to elements, the structure of atoms, and ionization. They also tie into the physics of charged particles in magnetic fields. The video below provides and excellent overview and also brings up nuclear fusion and convection.
The Aurora Borealis from Per Byhring on Vimeo.
This video explains how particles originating from deep inside the core of the sun creates northern lights, also called aurora borealis, on our planet.
See an extended multimedia version of this video at forskning.no (only in Norwegian):
http://www.forskning.no/artikler/2011/april/285324———–
This video is produced by forskning.no in collaboration with the Department of Physics at the University of Oslo.
Production, animation and music: Per Byhring
Script: Arnfinn Christensen
Scientific advisors: Jøran Moen, Hanne Sigrun Byhring and Pål Brekke
Video of the northern lights: arcticlightphoto.no
Video of coronal mass ejection: NASA
When we bake bread we usually put all the wet ingredients –honey, water and butter– into a mason jar. If you do it carefully, the substances stratify: the honey forms a nice layer at the bottom as the water floats above it; and the butter, which has the lowest density, floats on top. You need to be careful about, since the honey can dissolve into the water if it is mixed, however, with a little careful pouring, this is an easy way to demonstrate density differences.
The butter, however, can be most interesting. If you put the butter in last, it will float on top of the water as it should. However, if you put it in first and then pour the honey on top of it, or even if you put it in second, after the honey is already in the jar, the butter will stick in the viscous honey and not float to the top.
What’s really neat, is what happens when you microwave the mixture with the butter stuck in the honey. The solid butter melts, and, because it’s less dense than the water above it, as well as because water and oils (like butter) don’t mix, little bubbles of butter will form and float upwards to the top. It’s like a lava-lamp only faster. And, in the end, the butter forms a liquid layer floating on the water.
This video from NASA (via physorg.com) includes a nice little section showing the movement of charged particles (cosmic rays) through the Sun’s magnetic field. What’s really neat, is that the Voyager spacecraft (now 33 years old) have discovered magnetic bubbles at the edge of the solar system that make the particles dance a little. It’s a wonderful application of the basic principles of electricity and magnetism.
The Shiloh National Battlefield is only a couple hours east of Memphis (or west of Nashville), and its proximity to Corinth, MS, and a state park with a hydroelectric dam, make it an excellent place for an immersion trip during the cycle when we study the U.S. Civil War and electromagnetism. Two years ago, on a couple beautiful, sunny days in the middle of spring (early April), almost on the anniversary of the battle, we made the trip.
We drove over on a Tuesday morning, and since our very nice cabins at Pickwick Landing State Park were not quite ready yet, we ate the lunch we’d brought with us at a picnic shelter on the park grounds. The choice of picnic shelter number 6 was serendipitous, because not only was it beautifully located, but just down the hill, at the edge of the water, is an excellent outcrop of fossiliferous limestone.
After unloading at the cabins, we took a short, afternoon drive to see the hydroelectric dam.
The next morning we hiked along the Confederate line of advance during the Battle of Shiloh.
It was a relatively long hike, but useful in that it allowed students a feel at least for the scale of the battle, and the conditions the soldiers endured. There was also a nice museum at the end, with an interesting video and an excellent demonstration from one of the park rangers (you need to book an appointment ahead of time).
Finally, on Thursday morning, on our way back to Memphis, we stopped at the Civil War Interpretive Center in Corinth, Mississippi. The museum is excellent, especially the Stream of American History, which is abstract enough that it makes a great puzzle for students to figure out.
The map below shows the locations of the stops, and has links to the posts about each stop.
View Shiloh Immersion in a larger map
