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

Astronomy 210, fall semester 2018
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.
"Something I find cool is that electrons literally emit light, heat, energy when they jump down a level on their energy orbitals, and that literally is how light is made from bioluminescence to chemical reactions we've done in a science class to a light bulb, that is how light literally is made."

"I found the electron and photon rules interesting because it was something new to me and made me even more curious about chemistry."

"When an element is given the right amount of energy, it can move the electrons to the outer circles."

"I find the method in which the color of the chromosphere is made interesting. The fact that the lavender color of the chromosphere is made by essentially torturing hydrogen atoms is peculiar."

"The corona is by far the most beautiful thing that I wish to witness during a solar eclipse. It is something I've always wanted to see."

"That sunspots are several thousand degrees cooler then other parts of the sun. This was interesting because I never really thought of the Sun having spots that are far cooler then others"

"I found the granulation on the sun to be very interesting because I have always associated things in space to take a long time to occur but the book said they only last about 10-20 minutes and that they are about the size of Texas."

"I found the part about the sun not being solid interesting. I guess I assumed there was a solid core so to hear it is gaseous all the way to the core is interesting."

"I think the similarities between food and phenomenon make them easier to relate to."

"I really like your lava lamp and miso sound references because it gives a visual representation of how the sun works! i'm a visual learner and this is great for me to learn it. I also love miso soup!"

"'If light did not interact with matter, you would not be able to see these words. In fact, you would not exist, because, among other problems, photosynthesis would be impossible, and there would be no grass, wheat, bread, beef, cheeseburgers, or any other kind of food' (ASTRO3, page 85). This is interesting because it shows that if light did not interact with matter, cheeseburgers would not exist."

Describe something you found confusing from the assigned textbook reading or presentation preview, and explain why this was personally confusing for you.
"Something that I found a bit confusing was the energy levels with atoms, I could use a brief explanation on when an atom absorbs a photon or not."

"Quantum leaps. How do you know that you are seeing an electron quantum leaping?"

"The electron orbits and how exactly you get different colors from neon tubes. I am still a little confused on that."

"Atoms, electrons, protons, etc. were all a bit confusing in general given how they were explained in a way that just didn't connect completely with me."

"I'm not exactly sure how sunspots manifest. The sun cools down somehow?"

"Everything was a little confusing to me. I've always struggled with chemistry."

An electron in an atom must emit a photon when it jumps from a __________ energy orbital to a __________ energy orbital.
lower; higher.  ******** [8]
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.  ****************** [18]
higher; lower.  ***** [5]
(Both of the above choices.)  ** [2]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)  ** [2]

The exterior of the sun, from inner to outermost layers, are the:
(Only correct responses shown.)
inner: photosphere [70%]
middle: chromosphere [67%]
outer: corona [65%]

State your preference regarding miso soup.
Strongly dislike.  ** [2]
Dislike.  [0]
Neutral.  *** [3]
Like  ******** [8]
Strongly like.  ************** [14]
(I don't know what miso soup is.)  [0]

Ask the instructor an anonymous question, or make a comment. Selected questions/comments may be discussed in class.
"Name your favorite dwarf planet." (Ceres, because it was discovered first.)

"Do you enjoy miso soup?"

"Miso soup is really good, just saying."

"Why misosoup?"

"How far down into the sun does the cooling gas need to go before it warms and rises again?"

"How many questions are on the midterm?" (We'll go over the format and the study guide for the midterm in class tonight.)

"Can we spend some time discussing the Doppler effect?" (After the midterm.)

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