Lesson Plan

Discovering Some of Your “Yardsticks” Are Actually “Meter-sticks”

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This Discovering Some of Your “Yardsticks” Are Actually “Meter-sticks” lesson plan also includes:

The Milky Way gets great reviews on Trip Advisor — 100 million stars. The activity allows scholars to rethink their assumptions and prior knowledge. Pupils observe a set of two lights at equal distance and brightness, but they believe the brightness is vastly different. How will they solve this dilemma? How does a scientist using real data handle finding the previous knowledge is seemingly wrong?

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Instructional Ideas
  • Research Walter Baade and his work related to Cepheids
Classroom Considerations
  • Requires two light bulbs of different wattages but the same physical size and finish
  • Lesson assumes prior knowledge of Cepheid stars and the history of measuring the dimensions of the Milky Way Galaxy
Pros
  • Includes a problem solving activity
Cons
  • Does not provide and article required for evaluation