20200317

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

Astronomy 210, spring semester 2020
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.
"How heat can be measured by color. This was interesting to me because you only really think of 'red-hot.' Not much about any other colors."

"This was a rather confusing chapter..."

"The assigned textbook reading was interesting to me because I didn't understand the different forms of light before. I think it's interesting how there is a continuous spectrum, absorption spectrum, and an emission spectrum. I learned something new about light and it was interesting."

"Something I found out that was really interesting to me that I learned from the reading was the Doppler effect for sound and light. It was interesting learning that longer wave lenghths have low pitches and shorter wavelengths have higher pitches, and vice versa with light having the blueshift refer to shorter wavelengths of light and a redshift with longer light wavelengths."

"To learn why car horns sound different when they come towards you and pass you. It's something you don’t really think about much."

"I found the Doppler effect on light from stars interesting, I never knew the way they were moving affected the way we see them."

Describe something you found confusing from the assigned textbook reading or presentation preview, and explain why this was personally confusing for you.
"I didn’t really understand how stars and absorption relate to each other. I know that they start with continuous light from the center but that's where I stopped understanding."

"The Doppler effect, the explanation in the textbook was hard to follow."

"I originally found the stuff on the spectra confusing, because I had trouble distinguishing between the different types at first, but now I think I know them all."

"I do not understand how to really tell the different spectra of light-producing objects. I do not know what I am really looking for."

"Colors in general are hard for me to grasp. Being color deficient makes this lesson hard to learn visually."

I believe Pluto should be a planet. (Original responses.)
Strongly disagree.   *** [3]
Disagree.   ******* [7]
Neutral.   ********** [10]
Agree.   ***** [5]
Strongly Agree.   *** [3]

I believe Pluto should be a planet. (This is a follow-up question.)
Strongly disagree.  * [1]
Disagree.  ******** [8]
Neutral.  ***** [5]
Agree.  ** [2]
Strongly Agree.  [0]

Briefly explain your answer to the previous question (whether Pluto should be a planet).
"It has been considered a planet but I don’t think it really matters if it is or isn't."

"I still believe that Pluto should not be a planet. The IAU had a definition of planets that was too loose and Pluto doesn't fit the criteria."

"It doesn't dominate it's orbit, and it's smaller than our own moon. Pluto does have moons which I think makes a pretty good case for it, but not having enough mass to dominate it's orbit is important in hindsight."

"I don't feel any particular way. As long as we continue to study the planets and make scientific progress."

"I have no strong opinion."

"I don't think that Pluto should be a planet because it doesn't follow the guidelines to be considered a planet."

"The way they classify a planet is very sound."

"I think that Pluto still deserves to have the label as a planet because I think it would be a really cool planet to have in a solar system and it has all the qualities a planet needs besides being in charge of its own orbit."

"I don't feel as strongly that Pluto needs to be a planet. In addition, I agree that we needed better, standardized methods for organizing what is and isn't a planet."

"Now that I learned what defines a planet I now understand Pluto doesn't classify since it does not dominate its orbit."

"I know that Pluto does not classify as a planet with the new rules. But there is still some satisfaction/niceness to still calling Pluto a planet"

"It doesn't meet the criteria to be a planet."

"Due to the newer definition of what a planet is, Pluto just doesn't qualify, it doesn't dominate its orbit 3/14/2020"

"I'm still neutral because it honestly doesn’t matter to me. I understand why it's a dwarf planet now with it sharing its orbit but it doesn’t matter to me if Pluto is a planet or not."

"Pluto does not meet the criteria to classify as a normal planet because it does not clear its orbit."

Match the spectrum type with their appearance.
(Only correct responses shown.)
Rainbow containing all colors: continuous [94%]
Rainbow with thin black lines: absorption [75%]
Colored lines on a black background: emission [69%]
Given off by hot, dense object: continuous [75%]
Given off by hot, diffuse gas atoms: emission [75%]
Passing through cool, diffuse gas atoms: [75%]

Hot, molten metal produces a(n) __________ spectrum, which appears as a:
continuous; rainbow.  ********** [10]
emission; series of bright lines on a dark background.  ** [2]
absorption; series of dark lines on a rainbow background.  *[1]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)  *** [3]

The sun produces a(n) __________ 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.  ******** [8]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)  * [1]

The lights atop the Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo, CA, produces a(n) __________ spectrum, which appears as a:
continuous; rainbow.  **** [4]
emission; series of bright lines on a dark background.  ********* [9]
absorption; series of dark lines on a rainbow background.  ** [2]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)  * [1]

Your instructor produces a(n) __________ spectrum, which appears as a:
continuous; rainbow.  **** [4]
emission; series of bright lines on a dark background.  ******* [7]
absorption; series of dark lines on a rainbow background.  *** [3]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)  ** [2]

The balrog from The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring produces a(n) __________ spectrum, which appears as a:
continuous; rainbow.  ***** [5]
emission; series of bright lines on a dark background.  ***** [5]
absorption; series of dark lines on a rainbow background.  ** [2]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)  **** [4]

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.  ** [2]
starts quiet, then gets louder.  ** [2]
starts quiet, gets louder, then goes back down to quiet.  *********** [11]
starts loud, gets quieter, then goes back up to loud.   [0]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)  * [1]

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.  ****** [6]
starts low, then goes higher.  [0]
starts low, goes higher, then drops back down to low.  ******* [7]
starts high, goes lower, then goes back up to high.   * [1]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)  ** [2]

Ask the instructor an anonymous question, or make a comment. Selected questions/comments may be discussed in class.
"Do you think that making all classes go online was an overreaction? Like I went to work today, everything is still relatively normal in Paso Robles." (At this point everyone is going to come down with COVID-19; but social distancing is meant to stretch out the number of people who are sick at the same time (instead of letting everyone get sick at the same time). So, social distancing is the new norm, right now, for times like this. #flattenthecurve)

"I'm so lost with this chapter!"

"How do I take real situations measuring color and heat and apply it. All sources seem to be different. Is there a trick?" (I've posted a "spectra survival guide" video lecture on Canvas for that.)

"Will we find out what we got on our midterms online through Canvas since we aren't meeting in class anymore?" (Yes, although you can still see the midterm scores online on the old website.)

"What's your favorite part about space?" (Teaching about it, then watching students "get it.")

"How are we going to do lectures now that we are online and is it for the rest of the semester?" (I'll make videos and provide notes for the lectures, and make them available online on Canvas. All assignments (including a new discussion board) will be on Canvas as well, along with the quizzes and exams.)

"What's a blackbody spectrum and where is it mentioned? I don't remember seeing it." (It's a different name for a continuous spectrum (which is given off by hot, dense objects, which are also known as "blackbodies.")

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