20131017

Online reading assignment: Kirchhoff's laws (NC campus)

Astronomy 210, fall semester 2013
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students have a weekly online reading assignment (hosted by SurveyMonkey.com), where they answer questions based on reading their textbook, material covered in previous lectures, opinion questions, and/or asking (anonymous) questions or making (anonymous) comments. Full credit is given for completing the online reading assignment before next week's lecture, regardless if whether their answers are correct/incorrect. Selected results/questions/comments are addressed by the instructor at the start of the following lecture.

The following questions were asked on reading textbook chapters and previewing presentations on Kirchhoff's laws.

Selected/edited responses are given below.

Describe something you found interesting from the assigned textbook reading or presentation preview, and explain why this was personally interesting for you.
"It is interesting how we are able to tell if a star is moving closer or farther way from us using light."

"Spectra, because I can now see how they can act as barcodes. They are also pretty!"

Describe something you found confusing from the assigned textbook reading or presentation preview, and explain why this was personally confusing for you.
"It wasn't clear to me what the differences were between the three spectrum types."

"I didn't know what kind of light the balrog was producing :/"

"The Doppler effect--I understand that it is the change in wavelength, and I understand the concept of blueshifts/redshifts, but I don't really understand how astronomers use it to measure the speed of galaxies/stars/gases."

"I found the Doppler effect a little confusing, because I got the loudness and pitch mixed up."

Suppose you are standing on the sidewalk as a car, with its horn continuously on, passes by (video link). The loudness of the car horn:
starts high, then drops lower.  * [1]
starts low, then goes higher.  [0]
starts low, goes higher, then drops back down to low.  ****************** [18]
starts high, goes lower, then goes back up to high.   [0]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)  [0]

Suppose you are standing on the sidewalk as a car, with its horn continuously on, passes by (video link, same as above). The pitch (high note/low note) of the car horn:
starts high, then drops lower.  ************ [12]
starts low, then goes higher.  [0]
starts low, goes higher, then drops back down to low.  ***** [5]
starts high, goes lower, then goes back up to high.   * [1]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)  * [1]

Match the spectrum type with their apperance.
(Only correct responses shown.)
Rainbow containing all colors: continuous [95%]
Rainbow with thin black lines: absorption [89%]
Colored lines on a black background: emission [83%]
Given off by hot, dense object: continuous [79%]
Given off by hot, diffuse gas atoms: emission [68%]
Passing through cool, diffuse gas atoms: [72%]

Ask the instructor an anonymous question, or make a comment. Selected questions/comments may be discussed in class.
"Astronomy is awesome!!"

"I'm not really sure if I like astronomy, or completely want to punch its planets out." (Be sure you kick it in the Pluto.)

"You always have the best analogies for your presentations. 'Neeeeoowwww' and The Big Bang Theory? Classic."

"I don't really like the show The Big Bang Theory either. I don't understand what all the hype is about." (Word.)

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