20160927

Online reading assignment: quantum leaps, sun's outer layers (NC campus)

Astronomy 210, fall semester 2016
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 quantum leaps, and the sun's outer layers.


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.
"How the sun convects heat from bottom to top just like when cooking or other common phenomena you see daily on Earth."

"That all the lights in 'neon' signs are caused by different gases."

"How a photon has to have a specific amount of energy to be able to be absorbed by an electron."

"I really enjoyed seeing the picture of the sun's chromosphere and corona, I had no idea it had those features."

"The wings on the sun during a total solar eclipse was supercool, and it's interesting that the Egyptians described it the way they did."

"How certain atoms give off different colors, due to the different energies of photons that are either emitted or absorbed."

Describe something you found confusing from the assigned textbook reading or presentation preview, and explain why this was personally confusing for you.
"The photon lures and electron rules were very confusing to me. I just don't understand them."

"I do not understand the TV/magnet model to help explain what is going on in sunspots--what is the 'magnet' on the sun?"

"I was confused about the innermost electron orbit, and why it had the lowest energy there. Why, is it the closer to the nucleus, the lower its energy?"

"P-dog, I'm going to be honest that photon rule was pretty confusing to me--I don't understand why electrons want to move to outer energy levels."

"Basically everything that talks about atoms, photons, and electrons confuse me because it seems like a different language."

An electron in an atom must emit a photon when it jumps from a __________ energy orbital to a __________ energy orbital.
lower; higher.  ****** [6]
higher; lower.  **************** [16]
(Both of the above choices.)  * [1]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)  ** [2]

An electron in an atom must absorb a photon when it jumps from a __________ energy orbital to a __________ energy orbital.
lower; higher.  **************** [16]
higher; lower.  ***** [5]
(Both of the above choices.)  * [1]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)  ** [2]

The exterior of the sun, from inner to outermost layers, are the:
(Only correct responses shown.)
inner: photosphere [75%]
middle: chromosphere [83%]
outer: corona [79%]

State your preference regarding miso soup.
Strongly dislike.  * [1]
Dislike.  [0]
Neutral.  **** [4]
Like  ********* [9]
Strongly like.  ******* [7]
(I don't know what miso soup is.)  *** [3]

Ask the instructor an anonymous question, or make a comment. Selected questions/comments may be discussed in class.
"How does the convection cycle work when the sun is so extremely hot, both inside and out? It seems like the difference in temperatures wouldn't matter at those extremes." (The core of the sun, where it produces its energy from fusion, is hella hot. Outside in space, it's cold. So energy will eventually move from hot to cold, from the core to the surface of the sun to outer space.)

"Regarding grades, how do we know where we stand? Do we get an update after midterm or can we e-mail you?" (You'll get an update after every midterm; but if you can't wait, just e-mail me, see me just after class or during office hours.)

"Miso soup is delicious."

"I've never had miso soup."

That miso soup question makes miso hungry... If I couldn't get to the reading yet I can at least offer the worst joke of the year."

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