Overheard: radioactive element counting

Astronomy 210, Spring Semester 2009
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

(Overheard in lecture during an in-class activity on comparing ratios of radioactive and daughter elements in samples to determine relative radioactive ages.)

Instructor: (Seeing a student quickly counting up all elements on the worksheet) "Look at you--getting all Rain Man on this."

Student 1: "I am an excellent driver."

(Beat.)

Student 2: "You so did not just quote that movie, did you?"

Overheard: I see dead stars

Astronomy 210, Spring Semester 2009
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

(Overheard in lecture during an in-class activity on main sequence lifetimes and lookback times.)

Student: "...so can we still see these stars, even though they're already dead?"

Instructor: "What? You want to watch the stars when they die?"

(Beat.)

Student: "Well...yeah."

Instructor: "You are sick."

Found physics: Speculative Enceladus visualizations

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/waiferx/3421648711/
Originally uploaded by Waifer X

"Surface of Enceladus (Speculative)" (hoarfrost on a car trunk, Atascadero, CA). Photo by Cuesta College Physical Sciences Division instruction Dr. Patrick M. Len.


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http://www.flickr.com/photos/waiferx/3421648887/
Originally uploaded by Waifer X

"Enceladan Life (Speculative)" (live crab at Pier 46 seafood market, Templeton, CA). Photo by Cuesta College Physical Sciences Division instruction Dr. Patrick M. Len.

Central Coast Astronomical Society monthly meeting: CubeSat presentation

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/waiferx/3422446706/
Originally uploaded by Waifer X

CubeSat on display, at the March 2009 meeting of the Central Coast Astronomical Society, Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA. Photo by Cuesta College Physical Sciences Division instruction Dr. Patrick M. Len.


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http://www.flickr.com/photos/waiferx/3422446964/
Originally uploaded by Waifer X

Central Coast Astronomical Society members and bystanders inspect a CubeSat P-Pod payload deployer, with a single CubeSat on display on the tabletop, brought in by Cal Poly student Marissa Brummitt (visible second from left). Photo by Cuesta College Physical Sciences Division instruction Dr. Patrick M. Len.


20090326053
http://www.flickr.com/photos/waiferx/3421640967/
Originally uploaded by Waifer X

Central Coast Astronomical Society members and bystanders inspect a CubeSat P-Pod payload deployer, with a single CubeSat on display on the tabletop, brought in by Cal Poly student Marissa Brummitt (fourth from left). Photo by Cuesta College Physical Sciences Division instruction Dr. Patrick M. Len.


20090326054
http://www.flickr.com/photos/waiferx/3422447406/
Originally uploaded by Waifer X

Central Coast Astronomical Society members and bystanders inspect a CubeSat, under the watchful eye of Cal Poly student Marissa Brummitt (left). Photo by Cuesta College Physical Sciences Division instruction Dr. Patrick M. Len.

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/waiferx/3421641339/
Originally uploaded by Waifer X

Cal Poly student Marissa Brummitt displays a CubeSat at a Central Coast Astronomical Meeting. Photo by Cuesta College Physical Sciences Division instruction Dr. Patrick M. Len.

Found physics: sphygmomanometer

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/waiferx/3422440296/
Originally uploaded by Waifer X

Baumanometer® blood pressure gauge (sphygmomanometer), La Posada Medical Plaza, Templeton, CA. Photo by Cuesta College Physical Sciences Division instruction Dr. Patrick M. Len.

Found physics: choose an appropriate coordinate system

090302-1080356 ("Choose An Appropriate Coordinate System")
http://www.flickr.com/photos/waiferx/3347461833/
Originally uploaded by Waifer X

Costco fuel station pavement arrow, San Luis Obispo, CA. To eventually accompany a planned photo, "Resolve Diagonal Vectors Into Orthogonal Components"). Photo by Cuesta College Physical Sciences Division instructor Dr. Patrick M. Len.