TA

[pchang]

We'll need weekly updates for the first month.

[Lorizael]

Ran a (two hour) math lab yesterday to make sure everyone is on the same page as far as algebra, scientific notation, unit conversions, and graphing. We "lecture" for twenty minutes or so to introduce what we'll be doing during the lab. I am clearly not good at this lecturing bit yet. Move too fast, not great at coming up with examples on the fly, terrible handwriting--that sort of thing. I am better (I think) at giving one-on-one instruction, which was necessary somewhat frequently during the course of the lab. Kids these days don't know what dispersion, systematic error, and measurement uncertainty are all about.

[Lorizael]

Did a lab today on moon phases using lamps, styrofoam balls, and these weird moon wheel clock contraptions. I think it's possible to overload a person with ways to understand how the moon works. One student eventually asked me if they needed to memorize the times at which each phase of the moon rises and sets. I shrugged and said, "I don't remember them. I know a full moon rises when the sun sets and can figure out the rest from there." Then I tried demonstrate how to figure it out on the fly.

[Jon Miller]

I never have been good at coming up with examples on the fly. Only afterwards, or before.

JM

[The Mad Monk]

Here's some inspiration.

[Ben Kenobi]

Lori, you'll get the hang of lecturing. If that was your first lecture, you'll be just fine.

[Lorizael]

Currently grading labs. Student wrote astrology when they meant to write astronomy. F or F-?

[The Mad Monk]

Make him clean the solar spectrometer sump.

[Lorizael]

My students are very confused by the concept of shadows (eclipses). Their confusion confuses me, because everybody knows what a ****ing shadow is and how it works. The weird lines they draw for umbra and penumbra don't map at all onto what they should know from, like, sitting in the shade one afternoon. I think I'm going to do a demo in the next discussion section to show that shadows are absolutely no different from your line of sight being blocked, which everyone understands perfectly well, except that if the thing being blocked casts light, the blocked region is "in shadow."

[Ming]

I hope your "demo" will be entertaining and not boring

In high school, we had a physics teacher who always found a way to make the most boring topics entertaining with exciting and unexpected demos.

[Lorizael]

Last class, the prof demonstrated Newton's third law of motion with a fire extinguisher and a bike. I can't really compete on the entertaining front. Pretty sure the most exciting part will be when I hold up a folder in front of a student's face.

[rah]

Make sure you do it with a pretty coed so at least the guys will be paying attention.

[Ming]

Last class, the prof demonstrated Newton's third law of motion with a fire extinguisher and a bike. I can't really compete on the entertaining front. Pretty sure the most exciting part will be when I hold up a folder in front of a student's face.

No need for a fire extinguisher and a bike (class act)... but if you think about it, I'm sure you can come up with something better than a folder (rah's idea is at least an improvement)

You're a smart guy, just think about it a bit.

[Koyaanisqatsi]

My students are very confused by the concept of shadows (eclipses). Their confusion confuses me, because everybody knows what a ****ing shadow is and how it works. The weird lines they draw for umbra and penumbra don't map at all onto what they should know from, like, sitting in the shade one afternoon. I think I'm going to do a demo in the next discussion section to show that shadows are absolutely no different from your line of sight being blocked, which everyone understands perfectly well, except that if the thing being blocked casts light, the blocked region is "in shadow."

If you have a set of LED strip lights, turn them on and put an object directly in front of them. The overlapping shadows that result are pretty demonstrative and show all states simultaneously.

Ideally, there will be four LEDs, but by the end of the class you'll have convinced them there are five.

Or just tell them they're being dumb because this is a simple concept.

[Main_Brain]

Currently grading labs. Student wrote astrology when they meant to write astronomy. F or F-?

Ha! called it. Clearly management material