Welcome to Villanova University, and this Web server
operated by the Astronomy & Astrophysics department. We have at this site
the text and some computer illustrations for the astronomy and physics
experiments that form the laboratory accompanying a two-semester science
course for non-science students. This site will be of interest to college
or high school astronomy and/or physics instructors, as well as anyone who
would like to explore astronomy using the computer.
This work is supported by:
The Pew Charitable Trusts
and
Villanova University.
There are new approaches to teaching astronomy and physics in the laboratory
setting, involving the use of computers as tools to simulate events and
concepts which can be illuminated in no other reasonable way. With the
computer, it is possible to travel back in time to replicate the sky as
Galileo saw it. Astronomical phenomena which reveal themselves only after
centuries of real time may be compressed in the computer to a simulation of
several minutes. Observations simulated on the computer do not suffer from
the vagaries of weather, fixed time or geographic position, or
non-repeatability. In physics, the computer allows us to secure data for
experiments which, by their nature, may not be amenable to human interaction.
These could include experiments with very fast or very slow timescales, large
number of data samples, complex or tedious manipulation of the data which
hides the fundamental nature of the experiment, or data sampling which would
need a specialized probe, such as for acid rain or atmospheric CO2.
This innovation has become possible only recently, due to the
availability and affordability of sophisticated computer hardware and
software. We have developed a laboratory experience for non-scientists who
need an introductory course in astronomy/physics. Our approach makes
extensive use of computers in this laboratory. Using commercially available
software, such as Starry Night
, the students use the computer
as a time machine and a space craft to explore and rediscover fundamental
science. Other simulation software is available, such as:
- Dance of the Planets
- Distant Suns
- Expert Astronomer
- Redshift
- Skyglobe
This Web page will be of interest to instructors of
college students or advanced high school students in astronomy or physics.
In addition, anyone who may be interested in commercially available astronomy
software may see how it can be used. There is also a companion Astronomy Resource Page with links and software.
The astronomy laboratory experiments are computer simulations of
phenomena, events, and concepts. Freed from the bounds of time, fixed
location, or bad weather, the student is permitted to simulate :
- important historical events in astronomy -
- the morning sky that began the Chinese year zero
March 1953 BC
- the morning sky that greeted the survivors of the
Titanic
- the solar eclipse that helped end the Battle of Nineveh
May 585 BC
- astronomical events that recur only over long timescales -
- the length of the synodic and sidereal periods of the Moon and planets, simulating
Mars in retrograde motion
- the length of the year
- the phenomenon of the Saros
- astronomical events that students can simulate, but never physically attend -
- astronomical events that allow the students to rediscover fundamental physics -
- the motions of the planets, leading to
Kepler's Harmonic Law
- the motions of Jupiter's moons, leading to the mass of
Jupiter via Newton's modification of Kepler's #3
- Roemer's determination of the speed of light, using
Jupiter and Io
These experiments may be rewritten to match the needs of your
particular curriculum. Any one could be expanded into a semester-long
project involving actual observations. The computer's simulation of it
could then provide data missed due to poor weather or schedule conflicts.
The physics experiments are rather classical in nature, but with
two important changes. First, rather than being told the answer, we take
advantage of the students' natural curiosity and allow them actively to
discover the key relationships in the experiment. For example, in Galileo's
free fall experiment, students explore the parameters of distance, time,
and mass of the hardware without being told that d = 0.5*g*t^2. Typically,
students derive a great deal of satisfaction in this discovery. Second, the
computer acts as a data collector and presenter, freeing the student from
the tedium of repetitive data gathering and replotting. In this way, the
student is encouraged to explore, to try new things, to refine the
measurements, and to discover the principles underlying the observed
phenomena. The hardware interfaces and the software drivers for them are
available from Pasco Scientific, among others.
Look at the synopsis of the astronomy experiments.
Look at the synopsis of the physics experiments.
Although the laboratory is a year-long integrated sequence of astronomy
and physics experiments, it could be easily divided into separate astronomy
or physics laboratories, each one semester.
Last modification of any significance - September 1, 1999.
Other places to browse:
- Villanova University
- Villanova
University Astronomy & Astrophysics
- Villanova University Astronomy Resource Page
- Gregor Mendel, O.S.A.
Your friendly co-conspirators:
- Frank P. Maloney : A Picture
!= a thousand words <Frank.Maloney@villanova.edu>
- David Steelman, programmer extraordinaire
http://astro4.ast.villanova.edu/ |
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Almost no Astronomers were harmed in the testing of this award-winning site. |