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

Astronomy 210, fall semester 2014
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.

"That blue light is the warmest light. I thought it would have been yellow or red."

"I found the 'neeeeoooooowwww' effect interesting because I now know why sounds stretch as they move past."

"I think the part where the sound is being stretched or squished is interesting. I didn't know movement had an effect on the pitches of sound. Which kind of made me think how ambulances sound one they pass you, which is like a farther more 'stretched' out sound."

"I found it interesting that how spectra related to barcodes."

Describe something you found confusing from the assigned textbook reading or presentation preview, and explain why this was personally confusing for you.

"I'm confused as to what the dopler effect is. Is it moving sound?"

"Need more explanation on how to determine the different types of light spectra."

"The different spectra pictures were kind of confusing determining which kind they were. Im not sure if I'm right or wrong with them so I stopped guessing."

"Blueshift versus redshift."

I believe Pluto should be a planet.

Strongly disagree.	***** [5]
Disagree.	******* [7]
Neutral.	*********** [11]
Agree.	***** [5]
Strongly Agree.	** [2]

Briefly explain your answer to the previous question (whether Pluto should be a planet).

"The nostalgia inside of me wants Pluto to still be a planet but the scientist tells me thats wrong. Pluto does not dominate its orbit therefore does not reach one of the requirements of being a planet."

"I feel like once you say a planet is a planet you should not be able to change your mind."

"It is not technically a planet, if we let Pluto be a planet than we would have to let many other dwarf planets be considered planets."

"Whether Pluto is a planet or not does not affect my daily life."

"People should just realize that views change and Pluto doesn't care. If it doesn't dominate its orbit, it must be a dwarf planet."

Match the spectrum type with their appearance.
(Only correct responses shown.)

Rainbow containing all colors: continuous [90%]
Rainbow with thin black lines: absorption [80%]
Colored lines on a black background: emission [83%]
Given off by hot, dense object: continuous [75%]
Given off by hot, diffuse gas atoms: emission [82%]
Passing through cool, diffuse gas atoms: [82%]

Hot, molten metal produces a __________ spectrum, which appears as a:

continuous; rainbow.	** [2]
emission; series of bright lines on a dark background.	*** [3]
absorption; series of dark lines on a rainbow background.	**** [4]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)	[0]

The sun produces a __________ spectrum, which appears as a:

continuous; rainbow.	* [1]
emission; series of bright lines on a dark background.	**** [4]
absorption; series of dark lines on a rainbow background.	*** [3]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)	* [1]

The lights atop the Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo, CA, produces a __________ spectrum, which appears as a:

continuous; rainbow.	**** [4]
emission; series of bright lines on a dark background.	***** [5]
absorption; series of dark lines on a rainbow background.	[0]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)	[0]

Your instructor produces a __________ spectrum, which appears as a:

continuous; rainbow.	*** [3]
emission; series of bright lines on a dark background.	*** [3]
absorption; series of dark lines on a rainbow background.	** [2]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)	* [1]

The balrog from The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring produces a __________ spectrum, which appears as a:

continuous; rainbow.	* [1]
emission; series of bright lines on a dark background.	****** [6]
absorption; series of dark lines on a rainbow background.	** [2]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)	[0]

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 loud, then gets quieter.	******* [7]
starts quiet, then gets louder.	[0]
starts quiet, gets louder, then goes back down to quiet.	********************** [22]
starts loud, gets quieter, then goes back up to loud.	* [1]
(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.	**************** [16]
starts low, then goes higher.	*** [3]
starts low, goes higher, then drops back down to low.	******** [8]
starts high, goes lower, then goes back up to high.	*** [3]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)	[0]

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

"Will people get over the fact that Pluto is no longer a planet?" (They should make like Elsa and 'Let It Go.')

"I thought using that Lord of the Rings movie clip was AMAZING!!!! Let's discuss this more in class please!!!!!!!:):):):)" (Can't hold it back anymore--let it go, let it go, turn away and slam the door!)