A Physics MOSAIC:
Scientific Skills and Explorations for Students
Sara Kate May
RET 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
Air temperature for the local area
Ocean temperature
Time (24 hour scale)
Time (Seasonal/Yearly scale)
Solar Activity (solar flares/solar wind)
Weather events (thunderstorms)
Shuttle/satellite launches
Tides
Phases of the moon
Average velocity of molecules
Appearances of ‘noctilucent’ clouds.
Possible websites for Reference
www.wunderground.com
www.noaa.gov
www.spaceweather.com
www.wunderground.com
www.nasa.gov
tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/products.html
eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/phase/phase2001g
mt.html
www.spaceweather.com
Example: Ozone vs. Air Temp
Example: Ozone vs. Lunar Phases
Ozone for Lunar Month
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Number of Days
New Moon and Full Moon Ozone Concentration (2008 - Present)
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
New Moon
Full Moon
13
16
19
22
25
28
Peak Nighttime Ozone (mK)
31
34
37
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 N
Consider 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.
2009, Day 1-20 (2 sites)
?
Number of Measurements
50
40
30
20
10
0
-0.2
-0.18
-0.16
-0.14
-0.12
-0.1
-0.08
-0.06
-0.04
-0.02
0
0.02
0.04
0.06
0.08
0.1
0.12
0.14
0.16
0.18
0.2
Number of Measurements
2009, Day 1 (2 Sites)
Channel 32 signal (K)
!
500
400
300
200
100
0
-0.2 -0.16 -0.12 -0.08 -0.04
0
0.04 0.08 0.12 0.16 0.2
Channel 32 signal (K)
Uncertainty Activity: Value of N
# sites
2
2
2
2
2
3
4
5
1
1
1
1
1
1
21
10
50
30
40
40
peak
1
2
3
4
5
5
5
5
5
1
2
3
4
5
5
5
5
5
5
2
rms resid # data
11.7
6.505
2
11.21
4.603
4
16.61
3.676
6
17.44
2.933
8
17.48
2.54
10
17.63
2.297
15
19.28
2.107
20
18.42
1.909
25
21.13
3.905
5
21.11
9.101
1
18.32
6.915
2
23.38
5.647
3
20.99
4.466
4
21.13
3.905
5
21.91
0.948
105
20.47
1.189
50
19.35
0.672
250
21.48
0.857
150
20.28
0.744
200
18.86
1.02
80
10
9
8
7
RMS Residual
# days
6
y = 8.7337x-0.478
R² = 0.9929
5
4
3
2
1
0
0
50
100
150
200
Number of "Data Days"
250
300
Uncertainty Activity: Value of N
1 Day
1 Hour
0.025
0.06
0.02
0.04
0.015
0.02
0.01
0
0.005
-0.02
1 4 7 10 13 16 19 22 25 28 31 34 37 40 43 46 49 52 55 58 61 64
0
-0.005 1 4 7 10 13 16 19 22 25 28 31 34 37 40 43 46 49 52 55 58 61 64
-0.04
-0.01
-0.06
-0.015
-0.08
-0.02
5 Days
0.025
0.02
0.015
0.01
0.005
0
-0.005
-0.01
1 4 7 10 13 16 19 22 25 28 31 34 37 40 43 46 49 52 55 58 61 64
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