Download - NBSP Physical Science Leadership Institute Professor Lynn Cominsky Joanne del Corral Al Janulaw Michelle Curtis Sonoma State University June 27, 2003.

NBSP Physical Science Leadership Institute

Professor Lynn CominskyJoanne del CorralAl JanulawMichelle Curtis

Sonoma State UniversityJune 27, 2003

6/27/03 Prof. Lynn Cominsky 2

Introductions Lynn Cominsky Joanne del Corral Al Janulaw Michelle Curtis

What are your goals for the institute?

Pretest


Scientific Method Investigation and Experimentation

standards exist for all grades Science progresses by asking

questions and performing careful investigations, then analyzing the results to find answers

Beginning skills include describing, measuring, comparing, sorting and orally communicating results


Scientific Method Intermediate skills include recording,

graphing and analyzing data, and communicating results through written reports

Advanced skills include analyzing uncertainties, prediction of results using a model or theory, designing controlled experiments, using advanced instrumentation and model fitting to experimental results


Laboratory Notebook

If you are taking the course for extended ed credit, your notebook will be collected for grading

You will use your binder as a laboratory notebook.

All observations, data, and answers to questions must be kept in the notebook.


Standard Connections Students know objects can be

described in terms of the materials they are made of and their physical properties, such as color, size, shape, weight, texture, flexibility (K)


Using Physical Properties to Identify Objects Given: an apple, ruler, string,

balance

Carefully observe the apple. Write a description of the apple in

your notebook. Use the ruler and string to measure

the apple. Record its measurements.


Using Physical Properties to Identify Objects Weigh the apple, record the weight. Now return the apple to the group. Try to find your apple from the group

on the basis of your description and measurements.

Use your balance, ruler and string to repeat the measurements. Compare the measurements to those you took earlier.


Using Physical Properties to Identify Objects How did they compare? Could you find it? Now return the apple to the group,

and pass your description and measurements on to another class member.

Can they use your description and measurements to find your apple?


Using Physical Properties to Identify Objects Compare your description to those of

the other members of the class How are they alike? Different? Create a list of properties by

comparing your description to those of your classmates.

Using this list, find a way to classify apples based on their physical properties


Break – Something to think about

Which is faster, observing or measuring?

Which provides more exact information?

Could you make any predictions about apples that could be tested in another experiment?


Measuring Uncertainty You have already made one set of

measurements of your apple and repeated the measurements

How did the two measurements of the apple’s weight compare?

What would happen if you used another balance? If someone else did the measurement? Try it.


Measuring Uncertainty From comparing the results of the

different weight measurements, what do you think is a good estimate of the uncertainty of your measurements?

How well do you think you can read each individual measurement from the balance?


Measuring Uncertainty Now consider the measurements of

the apple that you made using the ruler and the string

What do you think are possible sources of error in these measurements?

How well did the measurements compare when you repeated them?


Key Concepts: Uncertainty There are two types of uncertainty

Systematic – derived from the accuracy of your measuring instrument

Statistical - derived from the spread in a group of measurements

A typical systematic uncertainty is a reading error – usually half of the finest scale that you can read


Key Concepts: Uncertainty A typical statistical uncertainty is a

standard deviation This represents the spread in values around

the mean which includes 68% of your measurements, if they are distributed normally Bell curve

-1 +1mean


Math connections: Uncertainty

Consider a list of test scores in your class You can add them up and divide by the

number of students in your class to find the average (or mean)

You can also plot them in the form of a histogram to see the distribution of scores.

If you have a lot of students, the shape of the distribution should look like a Bell curve

Now look at the list of scores in your binder


Math connections: Uncertainty

Make a table that shows how many scores are in bins between 0-5, 6-10, 11-15….through 96-100.

Make a plot of the number of scores in each bin, vs. the bin. This is called a histogram.

Now see if you can figure out the range of scores that is within + or – 1 of the mean. This should include about 68% of the scores. What is this range?


Lunch – Thinking Deeper If you give the grade of C to the

students with the mean test score: What is the range for a B? What is the range for a D? What is the range for an A? What is the range for an F?

What would be a good way to assign + and – grades?


Graphing data Activity A histogram plot is one type of plot

that can be used to analyze data In this activity, we will perform an

experiment to measure the circumference of a circular object as a function of its diameter

Given: Many different circular shapes of different sizes, string, ruler


Standard Connections Scientific progress is made by asking

meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations Draw conclusions from scientific evidence and indicate whether further information is needed to support a specific conclusion. (4 and 5)


Graphing Activity Measure the circumference (using

the string and ruler) and diameter of each object

Record your results in a table Plot a graph of the circumference vs.

the diameter Remember the independent variable

goes on the x-axis, and the dependent variable goes on the y-axis

D


Graphing Activity Should the point (0,0) be included on the

graph? Draw a smooth line through the middle of

your points. Compute the slope of the line by choosing

2 points that are far apart on the line that you drew

Slope = (y2 – y1) / (x2-x1) The slope of this line is a special number

for circles. What is it?


Graphing Activity- thinking deeper

What does this activity tell us about how we can use tables and graphs?


Break – things to think about

What is the difference between a line graph and a bar graph?

When would you use each type of graph?


Introduction to Lesson Study Introductions

James Butler Millie Anderson

James and Millie are teacher leaders who are going to tell you about Lesson Study, and the work we will be doing throughout the academic year using this process


Cartesian Diver Activity Given: one plastic bottle, one glass

dropper, water Fill the bottle with water. Put enough water into the dropper

so it barely floats in water. Drop the dropper into the bottle and

close the bottle lid tightly. Squeeze the bottle.


Questions: Cartesian Diver What do you notice? How do you explain what

happens? What does a person have

to understand conceptually to fully explain how the Cartesian Diver works?

http://www.physicslessons.com/cartesian123.gif


English Language Learning Throughout this institute, we will be

exploring strategies to assist students who are English Language Learners

As a first step, write in your notebook some new words or subjects that you have learned today, and ways that you can remember these concepts.