tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52809086887595262372024-02-06T23:07:23.987-05:00The Westminster Institute for Science EducationWISE was founded to nationalize broad enrichment to, and reform of K-12 science, mathematics,and technology education. Our program fosters open-ended inquiry and exploration to actively tap creativity and innovative thought and critical analysis.Phillip Alveldahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07385209784282272315noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280908688759526237.post-11019790301213940902014-04-18T16:48:00.001-04:002014-04-18T16:48:33.489-04:00(From the Westminster Robotics blog)<br />
In their first year in the FIRST Lego League competitions, one of our junior high school teams (Robocats 3) qualified at the Clayton State University Tournament (January 12, 2008) for the Georgia state tournament to be held at GA Tech February 9, 2008.<br />
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They began the year as an all-girls team of four (three 8th graders and one 7th) and added two boys early in the fall semester 2007. Despite scheduling conflicts, declining participation, and other difficulties, two of the girls persevered, discovering that even when everything else fell apart around them, they were strong and determined enough to see it through on their commitments.<br />
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Over their four months of robot design and development, they evolved a technically complicated NXT robot with some quite sophisticated approaches to solving the many missions in the 2007 FLL Power Puzzle Challenge. While they had many operational difficulties with the performance of their robot in Saturday's tournament, the students hit home runs in the Robot Design and Teamwork categories and they won the Project Award, proving that performance on all fronts is necessary for true team success.<br />
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Concerning their only weak spot from the tournament, they know their robot could and should have performed much better. They are re-energized and more determined than ever to refine their NXT robot to fix their shortcomings before the January 9th tournament.<br />
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This has been one of the most spectacular experiences in my 18-year teaching career. I am more convinced than ever that we must put our students in open-ended situations where they use what they know to find creative, original solutions to problems and they solve them on their own with appropriate minimal assistance and guidance from those around them. These two girls found a way to conquer a litany of obstacles stacked against them and they emerged confident, energized and determined. Look out world!Phillip Alveldahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07385209784282272315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280908688759526237.post-1642265313451987512011-11-23T13:06:00.007-05:002011-11-23T15:04:30.949-05:00A Hands-On Workshop on 21st Century Innovation at Prospect Sierra<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAYNbG1D-HkdL_irBuwB0TG3TWCLqwILpZhidTtokawAKhsGB0WEt4jAhTP1EC8SRVefxAPQwc4Ius4WzJN2bL5mumSnvXQ9hFK0pSMCCJeEy0T98vgWQXnjKJV4XFdHhrRD9qpPwILBcT/s1600/5351622529_5d4c782817.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 334px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAYNbG1D-HkdL_irBuwB0TG3TWCLqwILpZhidTtokawAKhsGB0WEt4jAhTP1EC8SRVefxAPQwc4Ius4WzJN2bL5mumSnvXQ9hFK0pSMCCJeEy0T98vgWQXnjKJV4XFdHhrRD9qpPwILBcT/s400/5351622529_5d4c782817.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5678284537401737826" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsdl8s9_DXxpZmU37RDajrdaZsC82eGmE-6m7kb1Q8RCeT191Xiz6uDG5vq52LrwsL9nAjJZfz2RzWriCfoDZtZWrWBss6fHmFjQk46WvM2p8bmTxPWTxHCur_KqubqQVD2ffW2qUC28Se/s1600/learning_in_the_21st_century.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 272px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsdl8s9_DXxpZmU37RDajrdaZsC82eGmE-6m7kb1Q8RCeT191Xiz6uDG5vq52LrwsL9nAjJZfz2RzWriCfoDZtZWrWBss6fHmFjQk46WvM2p8bmTxPWTxHCur_KqubqQVD2ffW2qUC28Se/s400/learning_in_the_21st_century.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5678284308249491730" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Join us for an evening of food and excitement to collaborate with your closest friends in using 21st century tools and techniques to design "the next big thing!" (And I will supply premium pizza to fuel your creativity!)<div><br /></div><div>Learn: </div><div><ul><li>about some of the unique aspects of 21st century design challenges.</li><li>how challenging and enjoyable the creative innovation process can be, and how these techniques and practices can be applied to otherwise dull and rote curriculum materials.</li><li>How an innovative educational challenge can mirror real-life challenges in the 21st century work-place.</li></ul></div><div><br /></div><div>Practice:</div><div><ul><li>using valuable technical tools that can leverage your (and your students') talents in managing 21st century challenges.</li><li>collaborating to leverage the diverse skills of your team members.</li><li>reporting and presenting your great inventions to the "industry" </li></ul></div><div><div><br /></div><div>When: </div><div><blockquote>The evening workshop will run from 6pm to 9pm on an evening in December to be determined</blockquote></div><div><br /></div><div>Where: </div><div><blockquote>The event will be held in the Prospect Sierra Avis Campus Tech Lab</blockquote></div><div><br /></div><div>Who:</div><div><blockquote>Note that this is NOT just an event for the nerdy science types. Many diverse skills and talents are necessary, and even critical, to collaborative 21st century success. Any and all staff or faculty members in the school community are invited. If space and resources allow, we MAY open the event to either SOs of school staff or even outside participants from other schools in the East Bay. Please leave your name, email, and the number of attendees in a comment below if you would like to participate.</blockquote></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Phillip Alveldahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07385209784282272315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280908688759526237.post-2447819117209807192008-04-17T23:13:00.006-04:002014-04-18T16:47:38.066-04:00I don't feel like a tomboy at allThe WISE-sponsored Wired Cats are getting press at the FIRST national Championships! Check out <a href="http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2008/04/17/robots_0418.html">this Atlanta Journal-Consititution article on the FIRST national championships, entitled <span class="template"><span class="headline">"Girls embrace inner 'nerd' with robotics</span></span></a>" where our favorite robotics team from the Westminster Schools figures prominently!<br />
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<span class="template">"Grace Williams (right) and Meredith Kolff of Westminster High School chat with members of other teams during the competition. 'There's a sense of community' among competitors, Williams said."</span><br />
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<span class="template"><span class="body">"...In the Milton team's first couple of years, the only females who participated were girlfriends of team members. Crowe, a computer science and math teacher, jokes that she had to "harass" girls into joining.</span></span> That hasn't been a problem at Westminster, a team in its first year that was started by two female students, Meredith Kolff and Grace Williams, and whose sponsor is Valerie Bennett, a physics teacher with a doctorate in mechanical engineering. Kolff came to last year's competition with Bennett and was 'blown away and decided we needed a team, [and] came back and recruited Grace.' Kolff said she has learned plenty about 'electronic stuff and drive trains.' Williams is helping to start teams at other schools, including at Westminster's sister school in Kenya.</blockquote>
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<span class="template"><span class="body"> 'I don't feel like a tomboy at all,' Williams said. "FIRST is something I can do being me."<br />
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Phillip Alveldahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07385209784282272315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280908688759526237.post-11024551685454682352008-02-26T10:02:00.002-05:002008-02-26T10:05:08.543-05:00Build Your Own EnerJar<div style="text-align: justify;">Several folks have asked me recently about energy measurement projects for various Environmental Science classes. Here's one that's a step above the most common ones I have seen. Matt Meshulam and Zach Dwiel, two EE students at Washington University in St. Louis, have put the hardware and software designs for their award-winning <a href="http://www.enerjar.net/">EnerJar</a>. <br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="inline inline-center"><img src="http://www.enerjar.net/files/images/closeup1-web_0.jpg" class="image image-_original" height="250" width="365" /></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">It's a great combined software/hardware project with a green focus for those students who get through mastering the basic circuit board design and software development skills stages. With somewhere around $10 of parts, you can build this simple voltage, current, power, power factor, energy consumption...(really anything you want to program the PIC controller to measure) meter. Just pluc something into a power receptacle through the EnerJar and it will measure and display whatever data you want on its nice red LEDs.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="inline inline-center"><img src="http://www.enerjar.net/files/images/laptop-web_0.jpg" class="image image-_original" height="250" width="300" /></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Matt and Zach are planning to have preprogrammed PIC micro-controllers for sale so that hobbyists can go directly to building the jars if the computer interface and download steps seem daunting. Given the eager response on <a href="http://www.enerjar.net/">their web site</a>, I imagine some intrepid soul will soon have pre-fabricated PC Boards that the less-intrepid can simply stuff, solder, and plug in.<br /></div><br />Do check it out, complete with <a href="http://www.enerjar.net/Instructions">step-by-step instructions</a>.Phillip Alveldahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07385209784282272315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280908688759526237.post-34277837117172135252008-02-25T13:42:00.005-05:002008-02-25T13:53:09.501-05:00Westminster Students Place First in Regional Science OlympiadBreaking News:<br /><br />From Ken Gibson, one of Westminster's favorite Physics teachers:<span style="font-family:monospace;"><br /><br /></span><pre wrap=""><blockquote>Our Science Olympiad team really came through this Saturday at the Southern Polytechnic State University regional SO tournament! Westminster not only placed FIRST, but medaled in 22 of the 23 event. <pre wrap="">Also, every team member won at least two medals!<br /><br /></pre></blockquote></pre>Go Wildcats!<br /><br />For those of you who could not attend, here are some images from the <a href="http://www.aug.edu/gaso/">Science Olympiad Site</a>.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.aug.edu/gaso/images/Animation2.gif" height="240" width="320" />Phillip Alveldahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07385209784282272315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280908688759526237.post-68838555207045374682008-02-19T13:34:00.003-05:002008-02-19T14:27:18.428-05:00The Wired CatsHi all,<br /><br />Here's a quick update on the Wired Cats (the 2008 Westminster Robotics club) and their recent exploits in the First Robotics competition. For their first year in action, they look to be putting in an incredibly strong effort. The team had the robot up and running more than two weeks before the final deadline, and the design is proving itself to be quite robust.<br /><br />They now have a couple of nice sites up, at <a href="http://westminsterrobotics.blogspot.com/">Westminster Robotics</a> blog, and the <a href="http://wiredcats2415.com/wiredcats/welcome.html">Wired Cats web site</a> that really tell great stories of teamwork and innovation. Here are some of my favorite highlights.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><img style="cursor: -moz-zoom-in; width: 394px; height: 295px;" alt="http://wiredcats2415.com/wiredcats/pre-season_files/Media/100_0567/100_0567.jpg?disposition=download" src="http://wiredcats2415.com/wiredcats/pre-season_files/Media/100_0567/100_0567.jpg?disposition=download" /><br />Pre-season start: building the team computers from scratch in the WISE Lab.<br /><br /><img style="cursor: -moz-zoom-in; width: 395px; height: 294px;" alt="http://wiredcats2415.com/wiredcats/week-2_files/Media/100_0860/100_0860.jpg?disposition=download" src="http://wiredcats2415.com/wiredcats/week-2_files/Media/100_0860/100_0860.jpg?disposition=download" /><br />Week 2: A Working chassis by the end of week 2<br /><br /><br /><img style="cursor: -moz-zoom-in; width: 394px; height: 294px;" alt="http://wiredcats2415.com/wiredcats/week-3_files/Media/100_0934/100_0934.jpg?disposition=download" src="http://wiredcats2415.com/wiredcats/week-3_files/Media/100_0934/100_0934.jpg?disposition=download" /><br /><br /><br /><img style="cursor: -moz-zoom-in; width: 393px; height: 260px;" alt="http://wiredcats2415.com/wiredcats/week-4_files/Media/DSC_0004/DSC_0004.jpg?disposition=download" src="http://wiredcats2415.com/wiredcats/week-4_files/Media/DSC_0004/DSC_0004.jpg?disposition=download" /><br />Week 3: An excellent concept on the drawing board, but will it work?<br /><br /><br /><br /><img style="cursor: -moz-zoom-in; width: 396px; height: 296px;" alt="http://wiredcats2415.com/wiredcats/week-4_files/Media/100_0967/100_0967.jpg?disposition=download" src="http://wiredcats2415.com/wiredcats/week-4_files/Media/100_0967/100_0967.jpg?disposition=download" /><br />Week 4: Yes, high school students CAN use power tools safely once OSHA qualified!<br /><br /></div><br /><br /><img style="cursor: -moz-zoom-in; width: 400px; height: 265px;" alt="http://wiredcats2415.com/wiredcats/week-4_files/Media/DSC_0012/DSC_0012.jpg?disposition=download" src="http://wiredcats2415.com/wiredcats/week-4_files/Media/DSC_0012/DSC_0012.jpg?disposition=download" /><br />Week 4: Lot's of holes to drill and tap. That's teamwork!<br /><br /><br /><img style="cursor: -moz-zoom-in; width: 401px; height: 601px;" alt="http://wiredcats2415.com/wiredcats/week-4_files/Media/DSC_0027/DSC_0027.jpg?disposition=download" src="http://wiredcats2415.com/wiredcats/week-4_files/Media/DSC_0027/DSC_0027.jpg?disposition=download" /><br />Week 4: "Don't worry, I'll MAKE it fit!"<br /><br /><br /><img style="cursor: -moz-zoom-in; width: 401px; height: 298px;" alt="http://wiredcats2415.com/wiredcats/week-4_files/Media/100_0969/100_0969.jpg?disposition=download" src="http://wiredcats2415.com/wiredcats/week-4_files/Media/100_0969/100_0969.jpg?disposition=download" /><br />Week 4: The pieces coming together<br /><br /><br /><img style="cursor: -moz-zoom-in; width: 401px; height: 266px;" alt="http://wiredcats2415.com/wiredcats/week-4_files/Media/DSC_0001%202/DSC_0001%202.jpg?disposition=download" src="http://wiredcats2415.com/wiredcats/week-4_files/Media/DSC_0001%202/DSC_0001%202.jpg?disposition=download" /><br />Week 4: It has an arm!<br /><br /><br /><br /><img style="cursor: -moz-zoom-in; width: 402px; height: 268px;" alt="http://wiredcats2415.com/wiredcats/week-5_files/Media/DSC_0631/DSC_0631.jpg?disposition=download" src="http://wiredcats2415.com/wiredcats/week-5_files/Media/DSC_0631/DSC_0631.jpg?disposition=download" /><br /><br /><img style="cursor: -moz-zoom-in; width: 402px; height: 595px;" alt="http://wiredcats2415.com/wiredcats/week-5_files/Media/DSC_0598/DSC_0598.jpg?disposition=download" src="http://wiredcats2415.com/wiredcats/week-5_files/Media/DSC_0598/DSC_0598.jpg?disposition=download" /><br /><br /><img style="cursor: -moz-zoom-in; width: 401px; height: 596px;" alt="http://wiredcats2415.com/wiredcats/week-5_files/Media/DSC_0599/DSC_0599.jpg?disposition=download" src="http://wiredcats2415.com/wiredcats/week-5_files/Media/DSC_0599/DSC_0599.jpg?disposition=download" /><br /><br /><img style="cursor: -moz-zoom-in; width: 403px; height: 600px;" alt="http://wiredcats2415.com/wiredcats/week-5_files/Media/DSC_0639/DSC_0639.jpg?disposition=download" src="http://wiredcats2415.com/wiredcats/week-5_files/Media/DSC_0639/DSC_0639.jpg?disposition=download" /><br />Week 5: A Working Robot<br /><br />Check out this video of the Robot in action!<br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/HDzJ_lVwG6o&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/HDzJ_lVwG6o&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br />Go Wired Cats!Phillip Alveldahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07385209784282272315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280908688759526237.post-63563730845572307252008-02-17T15:03:00.009-05:002014-04-18T16:53:51.249-04:00Aquatic Bio-Systems and Resources<br />
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Since both Westminster and Berkeley Montessori have ongoing marine and fresh-water aquatic projects, I couldn't resist posting a recent online discovery that should prove a very valuable resource.<br />
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For years, I have seen to many aquariums that looked something like this one, with colored gravel and plastic plants. That the fish survived was a testament to the power of Darwinian evolution to produce incredibly hardy commercial goldfish.<br />
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<a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRjBFUTlo0BdnDMVM7W095XYDX1zdqyiX0cnbIIo-VppM8XVuORmA" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="rg_i" data-src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRjBFUTlo0BdnDMVM7W095XYDX1zdqyiX0cnbIIo-VppM8XVuORmA" data-sz="f" name="Mw_73cTjuqm3mM:" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRjBFUTlo0BdnDMVM7W095XYDX1zdqyiX0cnbIIo-VppM8XVuORmA" style="height: 193px; margin-top: 0px; width: 193px;" /></a>The more adventurous hobbyists typically could sometimes manage to keep a few live plants from turning to mush and clogging up the filters, but they still ended up looking something like this:<br />
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But not long ago, I stumbled upon a fellow named Takashi Amano, who had become an international sensation for his incredible planted fresh water aquaria. Look at few of his tanks and see what is possible if you REALLY understand the chemistry, life-cycles, plant and animal respiration, the physics of illumination and filtration, and the overall ecology of the bio-system. (click on the images to see higher resolution versions.)<img class="irc_mut" height="343" id="irc_mi" src="http://cdn.home-designing.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Japanese-Aquarium.jpg" style="margin-top: 90px;" width="697" /><br />
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Check out <a href="http://www.adana-usa.com/index.php?main_page=afa_portfolio">a more extensive gallery of Takashi Amano inspired work here</a>.<br />
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For some time, my built-in reaction was, "wow, pretty cool, but I'm not a retired Japanese watch maker with thousands of hours to invest in an aquatic version of a bonsai forest." But over the last few years, the "Planted Aquarium" community has emerged along with a body of literature articulating the detailed science and techniques to maintaining truly balanced ecosystems on a miniature scale that can thrive like never before.<br />
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Better yet, a commercial franchise, "Aqua Design Amano" has grown up around the practices starting in Japan (naturally) and finally reached American shores through a distributer call "Aqua Forest Aquarium!" You can now order all of their recommended equipment, supplies, plants, chemical supplements necessary to create and maintain these fabulous bio-systems through the <a href="http://www.adana-usa.com/index.php?main_page=afa_home">AFA online portal here</a>. The web site is a great starting point complete with some starter FAQs.<br />
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At some level it sounded great, but I've had enough middling success with fresh water tanks that I remained skeptical at the level of effort necessary to achieve such amazing results. But browsing the web site, I discovered that they had recently opened a retail store in San Francisco. So I hustled on over last week to discover a store with the most amazing fresh water environments I had ever seen in person (and that includes places like the Monterey Bay Aquarium). Here are some recent photos of what I saw in the store.<br />
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Everything was laid out very nicely for anyone to come in and pick up either entire kits or individual items (all of which are available online) necessary to recreate the exact environments on display, along with some nice reference materials. The equipment, from the tanks, to the lighting, filters, CO2 systems and substrates, was generally of exceptionally high quality, and priced to match. In some cases, less expensive substitutes that should suffice (for example <a href="http://www.pets-warehouse.com/aquacart/aquariums.html">cheaper tanks</a>, and <a href="http://www.specialty-lights.com/electronic-ballast-kits.html">alternate metal halide lamps with similar bulbs for much less</a>, and also <a href="http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_AquariumPage%7EPageAlias%7Elighting_metal_halide_icecap_hqi_250_400_pendant.html">here at Marine Depot</a>) but there is no arguing with their success, and the setups were stunning in a Japanese minimalist sort of way. <br />
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The tanks, for example, while more expensive than the garden-variety tanks you can get at the Pet Warehouse, are designed with thicker-than-usual glass and fabricated without an external frame. The bare glass look is very clean and really focuses attention on the eco-system without obstructing the view with black plastic. It will likely come down to an aesthetics for the price sort of trade off for each individual purchaser. My next tank is, without a doubt, going to use their substrate materials, and I haven't seen a more beautiful tank in the nature-as-art category.<br />
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Here are some of the books that were on prominent display (click on images to go to amazon purchase pages):<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Aquarium-Plant-Paradise-Takashi-Amano/dp/079380518X/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203285206&sr=1-18" onclick="return amz_js_PopWin(this.href,'AmazonHelp','width=700,height=600,resizable=1,scrollbars=1,toolbar=0,status=1');" target="AmazonHelp"><img alt="Encyclopedia of Aquarium Plants" border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61Q0Y2X3J5L._AA240_.jpg" id="prodImage" style="height: 165px; width: 165px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Aquarium-Designs-Inspired-Nature-Hiscock/dp/0764155490/ref=pd_sim_b_title_3" onclick="return amz_js_PopWin(this.href,'AmazonHelp','width=700,height=600,resizable=1,scrollbars=1,toolbar=0,status=1');" target="AmazonHelp"><img alt="Aquarium Designs Inspired by Nature" border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5149A41TYWL._AA240_.jpg" id="prodImage" style="height: 175px; width: 175px;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ecology-Planted-Aquarium-Practical-Scientific/dp/0967377315/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203285137&sr=1-1" onclick="return amz_js_PopWin(this.href,'AmazonHelp','width=700,height=600,resizable=1,scrollbars=1,toolbar=0,status=1');" target="AmazonHelp"><img alt="Ecology of the Planted Aquarium: A Practical Manual and Scientific Treatise for the Home Aquarist, Second Edition" border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41AM05K6XFL._AA240_.jpg" id="prodImage" style="height: 175px; width: 175px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nature-Aquarium-World-Takashi-Amano/dp/0793820774/ref=pd_bbs_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203285137&sr=1-3" onclick="return amz_js_PopWin(this.href,'AmazonHelp','width=700,height=600,resizable=1,scrollbars=1,toolbar=0,status=1');" target="AmazonHelp"><img alt="Nature Aquarium World Volume 2" border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51W49Y294TL._OU01_AA240_SH20_.jpg" id="prodImage" style="height: 155px; width: 155px;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nature-Aquarium-World-Book/dp/0793820782/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203285640&sr=1-2" onclick="return amz_js_PopWin(this.href,'AmazonHelp','width=700,height=600,resizable=1,scrollbars=1,toolbar=0,status=1');" target="AmazonHelp"><img alt="Nature Aquarium World: Book 3 (Nature Aquarium World)" border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51QN0BHCWDL._OU01_AA240_SH20_.jpg" id="prodImage" style="height: 163px; width: 163px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Setting-Up-Themed-Aquariums-Harmony/dp/0764137409/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203285181&sr=1-6" onclick="return amz_js_PopWin(this.href,'AmazonHelp','width=700,height=600,resizable=1,scrollbars=1,toolbar=0,status=1');" target="AmazonHelp"><img alt="Setting Up Themed Aquariums: Fish and Plants in Harmony" border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/515pRQs6DqL._AA240_.jpg" id="prodImage" style="height: 156px; width: 156px;" /></a><br />
<br />
The best part of the visit, though, was my extended conversation with Marjorie, clearly one of the store managers. She was very forthcoming about the details and secrets of how to approach every step of the process including how to attack a pernicious algae problem I was having in one of my tanks. The whole thing seems entirely doable with not much more, if any effort than the garden variety tank.<br />
<br />
The net result of this exploration is that there are ENDLESS hands-on science opportunities throughout the process of setting up, maintaining, and optimizing one of these environments, from chemical analysis, design and construction, aquatic landscaping, botanical studies, fish breeding and genetics, even art and design in the plant/rock/wood selection and layout....the list goes on and on.<br />
<br />
I could imagine a whole semester long class sequence with rows of small tanks, one per student or small team of students, where each team can select a particular part of the world where they will recreate the water, plant, and animal conditions and see if they can't develop a complete thriving ecosystem.<br />
<br />
All the while, they can take chemical and data, learn to use chemical tests, PH sensors and do data analysis on the whole lot. You could even go so far as to link either aquarium micro-controllers or computers to the tanks to control the heaters, lights and pumps.<br />
<br />
Another approach might be to have a large team create a single larger environment of their own, perhaps going to TAP Plastics to get Acrylic aquarium walls fabricated according to their own custom design. Any other suggestions?<br />
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Phillip Alveldahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07385209784282272315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280908688759526237.post-31568257546260783592008-01-18T08:35:00.000-05:002008-01-18T12:02:41.503-05:00An Introduction to Bean BeetlesOn November 28 I attended a workshop offered by Dr. Chris Beck (Emory University) and Dr. Larry Blumer (Morehouse College) during the NABT conference in Atlanta, GA. I chose to attend the workshop to learn about an organism that can be used for laboratory investigations. <br /><br />During the workshop I also realized that working with these organisms, which are easy and relatively inexpensive to culture, would provide the life science teachers at my school with a "system" for collecting large amounts of data that can be used to teach statistical methods and tests. I hope the Bean Beetles turn out to be a good organism to work with!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.beanbeetles.org/female-on-bean.jpg" height="200" width="200" /><br /></div><br /><br />I invited Dr. Beck and Dr. Blumer to our school to give a brief presentation about the beetles to the life science teachers and our students. I charged the students to review the literature on bean beetles and to come up with three "questions" they would like to investigate. I can't wait to find out what they come up with! Also, the teachers who attended asked some great questions to help them consider ways to use these organisms in their classes.<br /><br /><br />For very useful information about Bean Beetles, please go to <a href="http://www.beanbeetles.org/">http://www.beanbeetles.org/</a>. This website has been set up by Dr. Beck and Dr. Blumer and is an excellent "go-to" for an introduction. If only someone could "discover" Mendelian characters for these critters - we might all be able to replace fruit flies for some of our genetic experiments!<br /><br />This year I already have 2, highly motivated students who wanted to replace the fruit fly genetics lab with something that would enable them to ask their own question and find their own answers. Anyone else interested? If so, just find or email/message me (Ms. Allio)Andrea Alliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219077137336794276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280908688759526237.post-30704005011814732972008-01-17T09:45:00.001-05:002008-12-09T15:33:31.386-05:00Exploring ElectrostaticsElectrostatics in general is one of the coolest and most fundamental topics in Physics. Almost the entire US technology base, and even the national economy depend on industries built around a deep understanding, and innovative use of electrostatic principles.<br /><br />Yet somehow, many high school and middle school electrostatics labs have been relegated to simple exercises like rubbing balloons through your hair and moving bits of tissues paper with charged combs. So here, I'd like to supercharge some of these ideas and introduce some opportunities for more science, measurement, and innovation around the topic.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Electrostatic Simulations</span></span><br />Let's start with just trying to "see" and understand what is going on in simple electrical situations with charges and fields and voltages, etc. Chalkboard drawings are just so antiquated. Instead, start by playing with these three online simulations by clicking on the links or pictures below.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.falstad.com/emstatic/"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 398px; height: 439px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizMFL6weY1odSf4wHCkYY5bSsDfZuVSH2B1ALU5yt5d5-RmTgvrvpGWthZsOXMk3a_CMjLQ1fgZCneLuc4oGZ-UoHEF6kcJk3UK-pIe0PsSkqMPf4Nrvbk6ksMjGuAUf0AZPYvga6yq3MB/s400/2D+Quadrupole.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156486591734732082" border="0" /></a><br /></div><a href="http://www.falstad.com/emstatic/">A 2-dimensional Electrostatics Applet</a>. This one lets you move charges around and plots fields, potential difference (Voltage), equipotential lines. etc. as things move around. The picture above shows the fields, potential, and charge for a quadrupole (two positive and two negative charges).<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.falstad.com/vector2de/"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMvyqRpk4fgv_Zb3ukOZIr2DDmovvGIzu-ipydp5RrgspbeshBSz9C4BQnlqOZ_7Hq3XxGao5M_Gry-0Ml81Cyv9rim7_8uaGe0hQ0of1s82Ara4m84k2bwyS33FfbiYTVO-vyqY1YsK8G/s400/2D+DipoleField+in+3D.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156489035571123554" border="0" /></a><br /></div><a href="http://www.falstad.com/vector2de/">A 3D Electric Field visualization applet</a> for 2D charge distributions. This picture shows the electric field strength (in the z axis) of a simple dipole (one positive and one negative charge)._<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.falstad.com/vector3de/"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSy-Rd_KA2hxpOTKOHGZu6YZf0rFepCCNYiwYiWxGd0NyyUTCvMy-YV9k4tFfryafOs2wi-KDbMOGFGVDqAoi6q2uWaGBaMXxKL91ECU9uxlH_0l2CU6dxgbbvQ4mKlMeT_-bRfx763KU9/s400/3D+current+loops.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156486604619634002" border="0" /></a><br /></div><a href="http://www.falstad.com/vector3de/">A 3-dimensional Electrostatic Field Applet</a> that let's you look at the fields that result from interesting 3-D charge distributions and simple current configurations. The picture above shows a couple of simple wire loops with current running in opposite directions.<br /><br />When you get the point that you think you understand what is going on and how to visualize it, try playing this game of <a href="http://phet.colorado.edu/sims/electric-hockey/electric-hockey.jnlp">Electric Field Hockey</a> and see how you do! You have to place charges on the field to make the puck respond the field generated by your placed charges in order to navigate the boundaries into the goal! Click on the picture or link below to play.<br /><br /><a href="http://phet.colorado.edu/sims/electric-hockey/electric-hockey.jnlp"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a><img src="http://phet.colorado.edu/sims/electric-hockey/electric-hockey-screenshot.png" alt="Sim preview image" title="Click here to launch the simulation from your browser" height="225" width="300" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Electrostatics in the Real World</span></span><br />Now that you've fiddled with a few spiffy simulations on the computer to begin to get a feel for electrostatics, now how do we translate these ideas to the real world? If I was really old-school, I'd suggest starting by making a simple <a href="http://www.ece.rochester.edu/%7Ejones/demos/electroscope.html">electroscope</a> and <a href="http://amasci.com/emotor/electoph.html">electrophorus</a> with some thin metal foil. Yawn.<br /><br />(Speaking of old-school, though, this is one of my favorite Electrostatic demos, by Prof. Lewin at MIT demonstrating the magic of cat fur. I've seen it in person, where the flash effect is much more obvious than in the low frame rate video. It's the deadpan theater aspect that really does it for me.)<br /><br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/P4XZ-hMHNuc&rel=1"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/P4XZ-hMHNuc&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br /><br />Okay, yes, cat fur and Styrofoam are really old-school, though evidently fun when properly wielded. But there are a couple of more modern variations like the <a href="http://home.earthlink.net/%7Elenyr/stat-gen.htm">PVC Pipe Static generator</a> that work REALLY well,<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.sparkbangbuzz.com/els/stat-gen.gif" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.sparkbangbuzz.com/els/stgen.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><br /><br />And a nice <a href="http://home.earthlink.net/%7Elenyr/stat-gen.htm">Leyden Jar type Capacitor</a> made out of a film can that you can use to store charge.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.sparkbangbuzz.com/els/cap.gif" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.sparkbangbuzz.com/els/flmcan.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><br />If that stuff works for you, here is a GREAT web site with all sorts of static machinery that's easy for the aspiring scientist to build, called "<a href="http://www.alaska.net/%7Enatnkell/staticgen.htm">Electric Blue Sparks</a>." One of my favorites was entitled the "<a href="http://www.alaska.net/%7Enatnkell/electrophorus.htm">I have to make really big sparks at the science fair tomorrow</a>" link.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.alaska.net/%7Enatnkell/staticgen.htm"><img src="http://www.alaska.net/%7Enatnkell/2jarsandgen2.JPG" height="262" width="200" /></a><br /></div><br /><br />Or how about making a real-life 3-D electric field viewer? (easier than it sounds-the whole thing is doable in about 5 minutes start-to-finish) Try this variation on the traditional magnetic field viewer (simply 1/16th inch slivers of 0000 (ultra-fine) steel wool suspended in baby oil. To see electric fields instead, just substitute 1/16th inch slivers of one of your classmate's black hair. Bonus points to any student who can explain how or why this works. See <a href="http://amasci.com/electrom/statbotl.html">William Beaty's site for details including a video example</a>.<br /><br />Better yet, if you'd like to use some of this last century's technology, how about making a REALLY sensitive electronic electrometer? The circuit couldn't be simpler. (Also from <a href="http://www.amasci.com/emotor/chargdet.html">William Beaty's Web site</a>!)<br /><br /><a href="http://amasci.com/electrom/e-field2.gif"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://amasci.com/electrom/e-field2.gif"><img alt="[SCHEMATIC OF DEVICE]" src="http://amasci.com/electrom/e-field2.gif" align="top" border="0" height="160" hspace="10" width="230" /> </a><br /></div><br /><br />Neither the earth-ground nor the 1 MOhm resistor are required. You can change the gain (sensitivity) of the detector by changing the value of the resistor, and either shortening or lengthening the antenna.<br /><br />In contrast to the foil-variety electrometers, this sucker is sensitive enough to detect someone combing their hair at a distance of 5 meters or more (if your antenna is around 1/2 a meter long, and the humidity is low.)<br /><br />Try building one, and then devising experiments to see and measure how little charge (voltage) the sensor can detect. You'll be surprised, I promise!<br /><h3><span>PARTS LIST:</span></h3> <ul><span><li>1 - Standard 9-volt battery </li><li>1 - <a href="http://www.google.com/search?num=100&q=mpf102+%2Bprice"> MPF-102 N-channel</a> Field Effect Transistor (FET) <a href="http://www.radioshack.com/sm-fet-mpf102-transistors--pi-2062616.html">Radio Shack #276-2062</a> </li><li>1 - any Red Light Emitting Diode (LED), eg Radio Shack #276-041 </li><li>MISC: <ul><li>Battery connector (#270-325) </li><li>Alligator Clip Leads (#278-1156) </li><li>solder, if desired </li><li>1-meg resistor (not required) </li><li>plastic, fur, foil, comb, tape dispenser, plastic cup </li></ul></li></span></ul> <span><a href="http://amasci.com/emotor/fetdet1.gif"> </a></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span><a href="http://amasci.com/emotor/fetdet1.gif"><img alt="[Drawing: FET and LED soldered to 9v connector]" src="http://amasci.com/emotor/fetdet1.gif" border="0" /></a></span><br /></div><span>(Tiny version built atop a 9v battery connector)</span><br /><br /><br />Further, William has some great experimental suggestions once you've built your very own, and includes a section on how the circuit works:<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><ul><li><a href="http://www.amasci.com/emotor/chargdet.html#1">1. SENSE E-FIELDS</a> </li><li><a href="http://www.amasci.com/emotor/chargdet.html#2">2. SENSE POSITIVE ELECTRIFICATION</a> </li><li><a href="http://www.amasci.com/emotor/chargdet.html#3">3. ELECTRIC CHARGE IS CONSERVED</a> </li><li><a href="http://www.amasci.com/emotor/chargdet.html#4">4. PEELING CAUSES ELECTRIFICATION</a> </li><li><a href="http://www.amasci.com/emotor/chargdet.html#5">5. JUMPING ELECTRONS, "VOICE CONTROL"</a> </li><li><a href="http://www.amasci.com/emotor/chargdet.html#6">6. VARIABLE GAIN</a> </li><li><a href="http://www.amasci.com/emotor/chargdet.html#7">7. FIELD DISTORTIONS</a> </li><li><a href="http://www.amasci.com/emotor/chargdet.html#8">8. VANDEGRAAFF SENSING</a> </li><li><a href="http://www.amasci.com/emotor/chargdet.html#9">9. HOMEMADE CAPACITORS</a> </li><li><a href="http://www.amasci.com/emotor/chargdet.html#10">10. DIPOLE ANTENNA</a> </li><li><a href="http://www.amasci.com/emotor/chargdet.html#11">11. THE SKY VOLTAGE</a> </li><li><a href="http://www.amasci.com/emotor/chargdet.html#17">12. BATTERY VOLTAGE</a> </li><li><a href="http://www.amasci.com/emotor/chargdet.html#12">13. UNTESTED SUGGESTIONS</a></li></ul></span>Bonus points to anyone who hooks it up to a computer to record field strength data. (email or message me if you are curious about how to do this.)<br /><br /><br />If you found that easy and/or interesting, try building this <a href="http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/marxgen.htm">simple Marx Generator</a> that only needs a few dollars-worth of parts.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 409px; height: 112px;" src="http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/marxge1.jpg" alt="01514001.JPG (407904 bytes)" /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/Animation4.gif" alt="Animation4.gif (170069 bytes)" height="133" width="243" /><br /><br /></div><br />Here are some other <a href="http://amasci.com/emotor/sticky.html">simple activities to show electric effects from surface contact other than with friction using Scotch tape</a>. Oh yes, and some plans to build your own <a href="http://amasci.com/emotor/vdg1.html#build">Van de Graaff Generator</a>.<br /><br />For something REALLY cool and esoteric, how about recreating <a href="http://amasci.com/emotor/kelvin.html">an electrostatic generator from dripping water, a. la. Lord Kelvin</a>, or a <a href="http://amasci.com/emotor/ikelv.html">souped-up multi-stage version</a>? All you need are some aluminum bundt pans, fishing line, and a couple aluminum buckets.<br /><br /><center><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/oY1eyLEo8_A&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/oY1eyLEo8_A&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br /><br />This is a short video of MIT's Professor Walter Lewin showing the "water droplet battery" in action.<br /></center><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://amasci.com/graphics/kelvdraw.gif"> </a></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://amasci.com/graphics/kelvdraw.gif"><img src="http://amasci.com/graphics/kelvdraw.gif" height="319" hspace="20" width="180" /></a></span></span><br /></div><br /><br />Can anyone tell me how this works?<br /><br /><br />If you're looking for a good reference book with lots of interesting projects, try <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0672210231/sciencehobbyist/">the Electrostatics Handbook, by Charles Green</a>.<br /><br />Finally, if you're interested in the history, check out the <a href="http://www.sparkmuseum.com/STATIC_MISC.HTM">SparkMuseum</a> to see some of the actual original scientific and demonstration equipment from when people were first figuring this stuff out.Phillip Alveldahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07385209784282272315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280908688759526237.post-34989470371253237122008-01-09T13:20:00.001-05:002008-01-09T13:27:06.797-05:00Dr. Seuss as Technical Writer<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >If a packet hits a pocket on a socket on a port, and the bus is interrupted as a very last resort, and the address of the memory makes your floppy disk abort, then the socket packet pocket has an error to report.</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >If your cursor finds a menu item followed by a dash, and the double-clicking icon puts your window in the trash, and your data is corrupted 'cause the index doesn't hash, then your situation's hopeless and your system's gonna crash!</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >If the label on the cable on the table at your house, says the network is connected to the button on your mouse, but your packets want to tunnel on another protocol, that's repeatedly rejected by the printer down the hall, and your screen is all distorted by the side effects of gauss, so your icons in the window are as wavy as a souse, then you may as well reboot and go out with a bang, 'cause as sure as I'm a poet, the sucker's gonna hang!</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >When the copy of your floppy's getting sloppy on the disk, And the microcode instructions cause unnecessary risc, Then you have to flash your memory and you'll want to RAM your ROM Quickly turn off the computer and be sure to tell your mom!</span></p>Phillip Alveldahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07385209784282272315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280908688759526237.post-84738251355036655032007-12-26T11:34:00.000-05:002007-12-28T09:08:30.998-05:00The Arrow of TimeMost people take time for granted. And I don't just mean that it's hard to find enough time to do interesting things. I mean that the very notion that time flows in one direction is just a given in most peoples lives, and rarely noticed.<br /><br />But to a physicist, contemplating time reveals an odd realization; none of the physical laws that we have discovered seem to restrict how or why time should flow forward vs. backwards. In other words, our physical laws are symmetric, and make no distinction between whether time is going forwards or backwards.<br /><br />But watch this video. It is really easy to tell when time (and the video) is running forward vs. backwards. Why is that?<br /><br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LbkNxYaULBw&rel=1"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LbkNxYaULBw&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />Follow this link for <a href="http://cosmicvariance.com/2007/12/03/arrow-of-time-faq/">Sean's nice post on the Arrow of Time</a> for some extra insights.Phillip Alveldahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07385209784282272315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280908688759526237.post-13013991129492040732007-11-26T12:18:00.000-05:002007-11-26T12:26:53.613-05:00Crayon PhysicsCheck out Petri Purho's game called "Crayon Physics." You can <a href="http://www.kloonigames.com/blog/games/crayon/">download it from here for free</a>.<br /><br />The premise is pretty simple. Draw objects on the screen with crayon, and watch them obey the laws of physics. The key is to figure out how to use what you know about physics to move a ball from one place to another. Some of the puzzles are easy, but others take some real creativity.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.kloonigames.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/crayon_shot_01.jpg" title="Screenshot of Crayon Physics"><img src="http://www.kloonigames.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/crayon_small_01.jpg" id="image8" alt="Screenshot of Crayon Physics" /></a><a href="http://www.kloonigames.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/crayon_shot_02.jpg" title="Screenshot of Crayon Physics"><img src="http://www.kloonigames.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/crayon_small_02.jpg" id="image8" alt="Screenshot of Crayon Physics" /></a><a href="http://www.kloonigames.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/crayon_shot_03.jpg" title="Screenshot of Crayon Physics"><img src="http://www.kloonigames.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/crayon_small_03.jpg" id="image8" alt="Screenshot of Crayon Physics" /></a><br /><br />When my wife first saw the name and interface, she blew it off completely. But she happened to be watching when I was trying to solve one particularly tricky problem, and got sucked in within 30 seconds. Really cool. There's a new version coming out soon.Phillip Alveldahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07385209784282272315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280908688759526237.post-80411681877108001082007-11-26T12:09:00.000-05:002007-11-26T18:54:04.742-05:00Make a Hi-Fi Speaker With a Paper PlateHere's a fun little project that can lead to all sorts of interesting experiments and design ideas.<br />Jose Pino has managed to design a simple speaker that you can build from a couple of bucks worth of components that you likely already have lying around the house. The whole thing can be done in about an hour (not including time for the glue to dry), perfect for a lab or study hall period.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style=";font-family:Verdana,Arial;font-size:85%;color:black;" ><img src="http://www.josepino.com/other_projects/speaker/12-hifi-homemade-speaker.jpg" alt=" homemade hi fidelity speaker. " border="0" hspace="3" /><br /><br /></span></div>You follow his <a href="http://www.josepino.com/other_projects/index.php?homemade-hifi-speaker.jpc">step-by-step instructions online here</a>, but the fun part would be to see if you couldn't really begin to up the fidelity by working on some acoustics and cavity resonance, perhaps trying some other materials.....<br /><br /><br />Start here, and see what you can imagine!Phillip Alveldahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07385209784282272315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280908688759526237.post-40594024742067538422007-10-21T22:19:00.000-04:002007-10-21T22:23:03.543-04:00ResonanceIt's true. You can enjoy Physics anywhere, anytime. I've actually DONE this one!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://xkcd.com/228/"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 394px; height: 153px;" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/resonance.png" alt="" border="0" /></a></div>Phillip Alveldahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07385209784282272315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280908688759526237.post-16411924929547051732007-10-17T18:47:00.000-04:002007-10-17T18:50:06.483-04:00For All You Hacker Wannabes Out ThereSo who can tell me why this is funny and scary at the same time for any computer scientist?!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://xkcd.com/327/"><img style="width: 382px; height: 117px;" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/exploits_of_a_mom.png" title="Her daughter is named Help I'm trapped in a driver's license factory." alt="Exploits of a Mom" /></a><br /></div>Phillip Alveldahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07385209784282272315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280908688759526237.post-36762787783468996382007-10-01T10:32:00.000-04:002007-10-03T13:27:17.054-04:00Describing Motion: Kinematics<div style="text-align: justify;">Now that you've started to build things that move, wouldn't it be cool if you could TALK about how they move?<br /><br />I don't mean in the "Dude! My nifty robot just biffed into 50 pieces when it rolled off the table," sense. I mean in the NASA-type, "I'm going to tell you EXACTLY how it moved so you can build one too," sort of way. It might sometimes sound a little nerdy and stilted, but it is exactly this sort of precise language and careful description that enables us to land probes on other planets as well as design reliable and safe (and fast) cars, and so on. It might even help you on the occasional Physics test.<br /><br />Most of this, all of you already know. You know how the "accelerator" speeds up a car and that the brake "decelerates" a car ("Deceleration" is the same as saying "acceleration in the opposite direction that you are moving.") You know that if you accelerate, you speed up (increase velocity) and if you decelerate, you slow down. Now we just need to get a little more precise about how we talk about it, how we use math to describe situations, and how we can use charts and graphs to really help understand what is going on.<br /><br />There are two important aspects of accurately describing how things move: One is agreeing how we can all develop a common language to keep track of directions and measurements. The other is how to use the language and logic of mathematics to use what we have measured to make accurate predictions of how things will move in the future. Being able to speak about, and measure, and plot data surrounding motion is the first step.<br /><br />So without worrying about the details, try fiddling with a couple if the simulations that I link to below. If you are even the slightest bit unsure or confused about how position, velocity, and acceleration are all interrelated and how each affects motion, or even how to use each of those terms to describe a situation, then these simulations are exactly what you need.<br /><br /><a href="http://phet.colorado.edu/sims/moving-man/moving-man.jnlp"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://phet.colorado.edu/sims/moving-man/moving-man.jnlp"><img src="http://phet.colorado.edu/sims/moving-man/moving-man-screenshot.png" alt="Sim preview image" title="Click here to launch the simulation from your browser" width="300" /> </a><br /></div><a href="http://phet.colorado.edu/sims/moving-man/moving-man.jnlp">Move the Man</a>. This is a neat little simulation where you can drag an icon of a person around and have it graph the position, velocity, and acceleration. Be sure to check the velocity and acceleration boxes at the bottom middle of the page under "Vectors" so you can see the<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.physicsclassroom.com/images/image_toycar.jpg" alt="toycar" height="230" width="340" /><br /></div><a href="http://www.physicsclassroom.com/mmedia/kinema/kinemaTOC.html">Using Hotwheels to learn about position, velocity and acceleration.</a> This is a nice series of links that describe position, velocity, and acceleration. Be sure to click through all of the links on the left-hand side of the page to really understand the most typical situations, paying particular attention to the graphs of how each variable changes with respect to the others.<br /><blockquote style="font-weight: bold;">The key thing to understand is how acceleration can be either aligned in the same direction with motion, in effect reinforcing it and speeding it (increasing its velocity), or acceleration can be aligned against motion, slowing the motion and decreasing the velocity.<br /><br />In Physics we use the mathematical convention of sign (positive or negative numbers) to keep track of whether objects are accelerating in the same, or opposite direction they are moving. If an object is accelerating in the same direction it is moving, both the acceleration and velocity should have the same sign. If they are opposed, they have opposite signs.</blockquote></div><br />Observe how the graphs reflect all of these. Learn how to look at something moving and make position, velocity and accelerations graphs, and learn how to look at these graphs and be able to describe how something is moving.<br /><br />Also, observe how the relative DIRECTION of the acceleration versus the velocity has a big influence on motion. You'll be hearing more about <span style="font-weight: bold;">vectors</span> very soon.<br /><br /><br /><br />Finally, do post questions or suggestions by clicking on the comments link below, and we will answer as soon as possible. (and note that you can post anonymously!)Phillip Alveldahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07385209784282272315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280908688759526237.post-58793779231429398412007-09-25T22:08:00.001-04:002007-09-25T23:12:11.030-04:00Our First Week in Photos<p><p><br /><center><iframe align=center src=http://www.flickr.com/slideShow/index.gne?user_id=9935718@N05&tags=WISE frameBorder=0 width=400 scrolling=no height=400></iframe></center></p></p>Phillip Alveldahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07385209784282272315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280908688759526237.post-7287988107700630022007-09-20T23:33:00.000-04:002007-10-10T03:14:52.305-04:00Our Lab's Honor Code<div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >1. Safety </span></span></span><br /><span><span>Always remember that safety is job #1. </span></span><br /><br /><span><span>Okay, now that the Dilbert moment is over, really take a moment to think about how this laboratory is different from your prior experience. What you will find in the Exploratorium are truly professional-grade scientific and technical tools and truly commercial-grade materials and components that you can use to build real stuff and conduct genuine scientific research. These are not contrived pre-approved academic experimental setups with all the sharp corners sanded off. Carelessness can result in injury. </span></span><br /><br /><span><span>The soldering irons really do heat up to over 800 degrees Celsius and can cause serious burns almost instantly. Hot glue is REALLY hot, and worse, it sticks to you. Large capacitors and batteries can actually burst and burn you (witness Apple’s recent battery recall woes.) It is possible to carve off a finger with a miniature mill if you try hard enough (it would take concerted effort or a truly stupendous moment of neglect, but sanding the tip of your finger off, while much less traumatic , is easier than you might imagine.) </span></span><br /><br /><span><span>Your first lesson in the lab will be an introduction to all the tools and techniques to use them safely. PAY ATTENTION TO THIS ONE LESSON if no other. </span></span><br /><br /><span><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Golden rule #1 Always treat the tools and materials with respect. </span></span></span><span><span>If they CAN get hot or sharp, or damaging in any way, ALWAYS treat them as if they might be so at all times. </span></span><br /><br /><span><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Golden rule #2 This is a working lab with TOOLS that are not TOYS. Do not play with them!</span> </span></span><span><span>Of all the places in the school, this is actually one area where horseplay can literally hurt you or your friends and is simply not tolerated. </span></span><br /><br /><br /><span><span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >2. Fellowship </span></span></span><br /><span><span>The people that are most successful in discovering and building cool things are the ones that learn how to best work productively with other people. Learn from each other and support each other in the learning and discovery process. A little bit of extra thought and consideration in how you can each contribute to building a supportive community will go a long way. </span></span><br /><br /><span><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Golden Rule #3 Exploratorium Tools and Equipment Must Stay in the Exploratorium.</span></span></span><span><span> Everyone has a right to use the tools, and that right cannot be exercised if anyone steals a tool. If we want to keep the Exploratorium open, we all need to keep the tools here and in good shape. Professional grade tools are expensive and unlikely to be replaced easily. If the tools vanish, so too will our lab. Free and open access to tools and instruments of this quality is a powerful privilege that will vanish if we fail to protect it. </span></span><br /><br /><span><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Golden Rule #4 Keep the Common Experimental Areas Neat and Clean. </span></span></span><span><span>Research and engineering labs can often tend towards organizational chaos in the throes of invention and discovery, particularly when they are shared. Everyone must clean up after themselves EVERY TIME they use the lab, so plan your time and experiments accordingly. Leave the areas and tools you use either as neat as, or neater than, you found them. </span></span><br /><br /><span><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Golden Rule #5 Keep parts and materials freely available, and don’t horde them. </span></span></span><span><span>One of the great annoyances that arise in trying to build something is to discover that a part you might need is not available. The Exploratorium staff will do its best to ensure that the stock of parts is up to-date, and that we do everything we can to order any unusual parts individuals might request. Only take the parts you really need for your work in this lab, and return unused materials to the organized storage and parts bins. If parts start wandering outside the lab and into private or outside projects, we will have to lock and supervise the parts cabinet, and that will only slow everyone down and cause general frustration. </span></span><br /><br /><span><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Golden Rule #6 Contribute to the Exploratorium and its community. </span></span></span><span><span>Each of you can make a huge difference in how this lab grows and evolves. Do you have otherwise unused parts or tools that you can contribute? Do you know how to use a tool that someone else is struggling with? Do you have an old walkman, CD player or iPod that doesn’t work anymore? Do you have an idea for a cool project or piece of equipment that could make the lab more capable? Bring it on! </span></span><br /><br /><br /><span><span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >3. Intellectual & Creative Freedom </span></span></span><br /><span><span>As our society becomes ever more technological and complex, there is a burgeoning need for real creativity and unique and novel solutions to problems with no obvious answers. The question of the day is then, how can we train 21st </span></span><span><span> century leaders (that’s you students, by the way) to be truly creative to the point where they (you) can solve this century’s challenges. </span></span><span><span>One of the most powerful methods is to help you build a community that fosters collaborative creativity and innovation. </span></span><br /><br /><span><span> True creativity and innovation has rarely sprung forth in a vacuum from isolated genius. Many of history’s greatest ideas started as half-baked conjectures or even hare-brained guesses. It was through discussion and debate and prolonged refinement from many contributors that great human endeavors have advanced. Collaboration and cooperation has been absolutely fundamental to social and technical advance. Learn how to do it productively. </span></span><br /><br /><span><span>It is often very easy to criticize. While more difficult, supportive and positive brainstorming is MUCH more effective. New ideas, hopes, and dreams, especially in their earliest moments, are fragile things easily killed by a careless word or criticism. Instead of saying something like, “That’s a stupid idea because….,” or “That will never work because you obviously didn’t think of…” or “There is no such thing as a stupid idea, only stupid people…” consider what you might say to refine or improve an idea in a supportive way. Yes, it is much easier to destroy than build. Be a builder. </span></span><br /><br /><span><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Golden Rule #7 No Squashing ideas. Instead, help brainstorm around how to improve them. </span></span></span><br /><br /><span><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Golden Rule #8 Keep a record for other innovators, posterity, and your college applications.</span></span></span><span><span> Every good scientist or engineer keeps a lab book where they can record data, scribble crazy ideas and diagrams and refer to years after the original thought. Whether you do so electronically via a blog (my preferred open-access alternative these days), or on an old-school paper notebook is up to you, but some form of lab book is required. If you don’t want to have to lug it around, you can store it in the lab. You will thank WISE when you win your Nobel or McArthur prizes as they will be worth real money.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><span><span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >4. Your Contract </span></span></span><br /><span><span>By signing this document (which you must do to gain access to the lab), you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and internalized the rules and philosophies described in this document, and that you will abide by them. Here is a condensed list for your review right next to your signature. </span></span><br /><br /><span><span>Golden Rule #1 Always treat the tools and materials with respect. </span></span><br /><span><span>Golden Rule #2 This is a working lab with TOOLS that are not TOYS. Do not play with them!<br />Golden Rule #3 Exploratorium Tools and Equipment Must Stay in the Exploratorium. </span></span><br /><span><span>Golden Rule #4 Keep the Common Experimental Areas Neat and Clean. </span></span><br /><span><span>Golden Rule #5 Keep parts and materials freely available, and don’t horde them. </span></span><br /><span><span>Golden Rule #6 Contribute to the Exploratorium and its community. </span></span><br /><span><span>Golden Rule #7 No Squashing ideas. Instead, help brainstorm around how to improve them.</span></span><br /><span><span>Golden Rule #8 Keep a record for other innovators, posterity, and your college applications. </span></span><br /><br /><span><span>Further, you acknowledge that you have attended and understood and internalized the Exploratorium safety class lessons. Lastly, you also understand that by failing to abide by any of these rules, or any other common-sense practices that ensure the safety and productivity of the lab, that you will lose your access rights to the Exploratorium, and may be referred to the Honor Counsel or other school disciplinary bodies as appropriate. </span></span></div>Phillip Alveldahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07385209784282272315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280908688759526237.post-73647848519616805482007-09-20T21:55:00.000-04:002007-09-21T00:13:32.785-04:00Robotic Insect Starter ProjectsHi all, welcome to the lab. Here are a few projects designed to get you started using the WISE Exploratorium tools while you build up a small robot army from raw electronics parts.<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Project #1: Blinky-Bugs</span><br />The first project is a quick one to build a Blinky-bug using a small battery and a couple of Light Emitting Diodes. This one will get you started in using a few small hand tools and a soldering iron, and give you some ideas on how to use material properties like flexibility in conducting wires to build motion or touch sensors.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.instructables.com/files/deriv/FVH/742A/F0R12VQR/FVH742AF0R12VQR.MEDIUM.jpg" galleryimg="NO" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Here is <a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/SNWN1YKF0R12VLU/">one step-by-step online tutorial</a> that shows you how to build one species of electronic bug. But once you understand how a Blinky-bug works, don't feel in any way constrained by this particular design. Here are a few nice images of some other creative designs from <a href="http://www.blinkybug.com/blog/">Ken Murphy</a>, but even then, don't just imitate. Create. Browse the web for some real insect images to model. Create entirely alien ones! Innovate!<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> <img style="width: 376px; height: 281px;" src="http://static.flickr.com/89/228284576_7516a6408e.jpg" /><br /><br /><img src="http://static.flickr.com/12/15538452_c97b6ebf9c.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 375px; height: 281px;" src="http://static.flickr.com/13/15507618_532ba3e0a7.jpg" /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Project #2: Nocturnal Solar-Charged Insects (Pummers)</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">This project introduces the transistor electronic switch with solar energy storage and discharge to drive various circuits starting with flashing LEDs, all in order to make robotic insects that collect and store energy when lit, and either flash or move when it is dark.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 374px; height: 280px;" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/70/219271415_743d146f1d.jpg?v=0" alt="" onload="show_notes_initially();" class="reflect" /><br /></div><br />Here is a link to <a href="http://library.solarbotics.net/circuits/se_noct.html">a wide variety of different nocturnal solar engine circuits</a> to experiment with.<br /><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br />Project #3: Solar Vibrobots</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">This project introduces a variation of the solar engine from the last project that stores energy until it is full, and then turns on either a motor or some other load like a flashing LED until it is depleted, to then switch back into it's charging mode. The notions around the automatic solar charging and storage circuits are very powerful, and form the foundation of many hybrid and other green technologies.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 372px; height: 384px;" src="http://www.streettech.com/storypics/vibrobot_partCallout.jpg" border="1" /><br /></div><br />Here is a link to <a href="http://library.solarbotics.net/circuits/se_t1.html">electronic designs for a wide variety of solar engines</a>, and here is a link to <a href="http://www.streettech.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1618">a very nice online step-by-step tutorial by Zach DeBord</a> with some nice inspirational designs.<br /><br /><br /></div> If you run out of things to do..come find me and let's brainstorm some project ideas.<br /><br />Also, please feel strongly encouraged to post questions, ideas, useful links and so on in the comments!Phillip Alveldahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07385209784282272315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280908688759526237.post-56619735355214328942007-09-19T09:15:00.000-04:002007-10-05T15:13:23.642-04:00WISE Exploratorium Re-opens for BusinessWe just re-opened the new Exploratorium lab here at Westminster, and are now in the process of outfitting the beginnings of our working lab for students and faculty. The tables and equipment are being installed as I post this message, and we should be taking in students by this Friday.Phillip Alveldahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07385209784282272315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280908688759526237.post-8532215187574331412007-09-19T09:13:00.001-04:002007-10-05T15:13:40.114-04:00Welcome!<div style="text-align: justify;">Hi all, and welcome to the Westminster Institute for Science Education, where we, and our students, expect to be posting all sorts of interesting projects and articles on current science, math, and technology topics.<br /><br />Send us your comments and thoughts about how similar projects and facilities are working in your schools and classrooms!</div>Phillip Alveldahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07385209784282272315noreply@blogger.com