School For Independent Learners

(New York Times photograph by Damon Winter)

The New York Times has an article on teachers defying gravity to gain their students’ interest in learning science and mathematics.  Northrop Grumman has partnered with Zero G Corporation to offer science teachers opportunities to experience zero gravity.

The Zero G Corporation also offers their Zero G Experience to the general public for $5,000 per person.

Anyone want to contribute to my zero G fund?

Read the full article at The New York Times.

[click the image for a full view]

The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) satellite was launched at 6:09 am (Pacific Time) on Monday, December 14 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.  It was carried aboard a Delta II rocket.  The WISE space telescope will use an infrared camera to map the entire sky every six months.  Of particular interest are comets and asteroids which may come close to Earth’s orbit.  The satellite will measure an objects’ infrared light.

[click the image for a full view]

The Free Digital Textbooks initiative was launched by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to offer free science and mathematics textbooks.

You can download these textbooks at the California Learning Resources Network.

Enjoy.

From government to non-profit organizations, teachers to textbook publishers, we all have a role to play in leveraging 21st century technology to expand learning and better serve California’s students, parents, teachers and schools. This initiative will ensure our schools know which digital textbooks stand up to California’s academic content standards – so these cost-effective resources can be used in our schools to help ensure each and every student has access to a world-class education. Governor Schwarzenegger

One of the more directly applicable units in math is the idea of interpreting data and then presenting it in the proper graphical form. We’re introduced to scatterplots, histograms, pie charts, line graphs, among a plethora of others, but which one should be used given a particular set of data? The graphic below gives us a good idea!

Researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have genetically engineered a bacteria to take in carbon dioxide gas and produce isobutanol, an organic solvent currently used as an additive in paints and varnishes, but also holds potential as a fuel. The modified cyanobacteria is powered by photosynthesis, making it literally cutting edge “green” technology.

As one might imagine, the applications of Synechococcus elongatus are quite staggering, especially given our current trend towards green technology, and is perhaps the most direct path from carbon dioxide to a usable fuel yet. Current methods involve biodiesel and other fuels obtained from algae, oils, and other sources, requiring several intermediate steps before a consumable fuel is obtained.

The process of engineering the bacteria is described below:

Using the cyanobacterium Synechoccus elongatus, researchers first genetically increased the quantity of the carbon dioxide-fixing enzyme RuBisCO. Then they spliced genes from other microorganisms to engineer a strain that intakes carbon dioxide and sunlight and produces isobutyraldehyde gas. The low boiling point and high vapor pressure of the gas allows it to easily be stripped from the system.

Read the full article at Science Daily.

One of the mythical functions of mathematical lore is the ubiquitous y=e^x, with broad-reaching applications well beyond the realm of high school mathematics. Here’s a simple, visual way to describe how e^x, and other exponential functions behave:

(if only my bank account would do that!)

[source]

On December 7, 1941, Japanese Naval forces attacked the United States Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.  In the aftermath, the United States entered World War II.

Students of history (should) know this; however, do most students remember the date December 7, which President Franklin D. Roosevelt called “a date which will live in infamy?”

What about July 4, 1776?  Or 1215.  Or 1492?  Or July 1-3, 1863?  Or November 11, 1918?  Or June 6, 1944?

How important are dates when learning about history?  Should students be required to memorized these very important dates?  I think the answer is YES.  Why do we study history?  To learn about our ancestors, to share our unique and different cultures, and to NOT repeat our mistakes.

Why do you enjoy studying history?

The following two video clips are great examples of comparing sizes and scales.  Enjoy.

The first is an animation clip comparing the sizes of the eight planets (sorry Pluto!), our Sun, and a number of well known stars.

The second is a Powers of Ten film (9 minutes long) exploring the scale of the universe from the quantum level to the galactic level.