Briar Crain - Science Methods II

Reading: No Pressbook Lecture: Exam In the lab this week, we learned more about the timeline of our universe. We used a timeline that stretched across the room and made educated guesses based on when important events occurred throughout the creation of the universe, galaxy, moon, and Earth. My group was assigned the last 500,000 years to research impactful events that happened. So much has happened in the last 500,000 years compared to the other periods groups were assigned, so this was very interesting for my table. Using a timeline that stretched across the entire room put things into perspective regarding how 'not old' certain aspects of our universe are. 

 1. In the lab this week, we did an activity where we learned about several different topics from presentations by our peers. These topics included the universe, Earth, stars, black holes, and galaxies. Each presentation was very interesting and contributed to my knowledge about all of the topics. My topic was Earth, which taught me different facts about Earth's creation, misconceptions, and perspectives.  2. This week's reading was very similar to the topics we learned in the lab. It discussed topics such as the Big Bang, stars, the sun, the moon, the Earth, and different components of galaxies. The reading for this week was very dense but full of information that will be helpful in understanding how everything in space works as a whole. The reading also provided a list of influential women in space science. As a woman, I think it is important to show how we have had an impact in STEM, which has historically been a male-dominated profession.  3. This week's lecture was q...

 1. In the lab, we learned how to create a solar system on a smaller scale. We used the length of Lindquist and had to include three planets. This will be particularly useful when representing our solar system's size, especially the sun, to my future students.  2. The press book chapter for this week revolved around our solar system. Specifically, the size of the planets and the size of our solar system. Something new I learned is about the inner and outer planets, for I did not know they were characterized in that way. Also, the section about why Pluto is not a planet was very interesting considering it has been debated for so long.  3. In the lecture, we began by discussing the different phases of the moon and what phase the moon is in, depending on where it is in our solar system in comparison to the sun. We also learned how the Earth's tilt and the sun's position impact our shadows during different seasons and in other hemispheres. For example, when the sun is on the ...

 Lab Questions:  1. My understanding of how the phases of the moon occur is that it depends on how much of the dark side of the moon is exposed to the Earth  2. The seasons depend on how close the sun is compared to the equator and Earth's tilt compared to the Sun. All about proximity to the Sun. 3. I believe a lunar eclipse is when the sun moves in front of the moon.  During the lab, we learned that a lunar eclipse is when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are perfectly aligned to where the Earth is blocking the Sun from reflecting its light on the Moon. This makes the moon incredibly dark with a possible orange cast.