Today we began the lesson with the students copying a diagram like the one shown to the right, this is a picture of the electromagnetic spectrum. We talked about the sources of EM radiation and that even the light that we see is a form of it. From microwaves to radio waves, from Infra red to Gamma Ray, electromagnetic radiation of all sorts is produced by stars, and we have telescopes that can pick up that radiation. This is one way that can look deep into space. Student should remember the phrase "long-left" because the further left on the scale, the longer the wavelength."
After we talked about radiation, I had planned to go to the computer lab and give the students a practice quiz on the computers using my class quiz web site (to go there click here)(Hour 4 click here) Like everything else in life, some times things do not go the way that you want them to. Today was no exception. I had planned to get students into the computer lab to take a practice quiz, and to play a game that I created called rags to riches (i.e. who wants to be a millionaire) to practice the concepts that we learned through our class reading of chapter 26-1. Unfortunately, I picked the one computer lab that does not have adobe flash player installed on the computers, which eliminated the ability to take the practice quiz. It is unfortunate, but the beginning of the year is about finding out what we can and cannot do.
Next time I will sign up for the computer lab that has better computers. However, it seemed as though the students enjoyed the activity, which we were able to do. This was the Who Wants to be a Millionaire that students played to practice some of the concepts regarding Electromagnetic Radiation, telescopes, distances in space and space exploration.
Tomorrow we will discuss what the use of telescopes that pick up that radiation have taught us about the origin of the universe and the solar system.
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