P-dog's blog: boring but important

20130326

Astronomy current events question: nearby star system WISE J104915.57-531906 brown dwarfs

Astronomy 210L, spring semester 2013
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students are assigned to read online articles on current astronomy events, and take a short current events quiz during the first 10 minutes of lab. (This motivates students to show up promptly to lab, as the time cut-off for the quiz is strictly enforced!)

Barbara K. Kennedy, "'The Closest Star System Found in a Century," March 11, 2013
http://science.psu.edu/news-and-events/2013-news/Luhman3-2013

The brown dwarfs in the newly-discovered nearby WISE J104915.57-531906 system are:
(A) carbon-rich stars.
(B) warm black holes.
(C) white dwarf remnants.
(D) too small to start fusion.
(E) absorb more light than they emit.

Correct answer: (D)

Student responses
Sections 30678, 30679, 30680
(A) : 6 students
(B) : 0 students
(C) : 0 students
(D) : 34 students
(E) : 9 students

Astronomy current events question: Jupiter "hot spots"

Jia-Rui Cook and Elizabeth Zubritsky, "'Hot Spots' Ride a Merry-Go-Round on Jupiter," March 14, 2013
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/whycassini/cassini20130314.html

Images from NASA's Cassini spacecraft provides evidence that Jupiter's "hot spots" are created by conditions similar to Earth's:
(A) mantle circulation.
(B) atmosphere and oceans.
(C) gravitational fluctuations.
(D) shield volcanoes.
(E) northern lights.

Correct answer: (B)

Student responses
Sections 30678, 30679, 30680
(A) : 5 students
(B) : 28 students
(C) : 12 students
(D) : 2 students
(E) : 3 students

Astronomy current events question: building blocks of life on Mars?

DC Agle and Dwayne Brown, "NASA Rover Finds Conditions Once Suited for Ancient Life on Mars," March 12, 2013
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/news/msl20130312.html

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity shows that ancient Mars could have supported living microbes by drilling into sedimentary rock and finding:
(A) DNA fragments.
(B) fossilized microorganisms.
(C) chemical building blocks of life.
(D) water-bearing crystals.
(E) air pockets.

Correct answer: (C)

Student responses
Sections 30678, 30679, 30680
(A) : 0 students
(B) : 6 students
(C) : 31 students
(D) : 11 students
(E) : 2 students

20130321

Astronomy quiz archive: sun/spectra/star properties

Astronomy 210 Quiz 4, spring semester 2013
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Section 30674, version 1
Exam code: quiz04Ni7E

Section 30674

0- 8.0 :
8.5-16.0 :	*** [low = 10.0]
16.5-24.0 :	***********
24.5-32.0 :	********* [mean = 24.6 +/- 6.7]
32.5-40.0 :	***** [high = 36.5]

Section 30676, version 1
Exam code: quiz04sGf6

Section 30676

0- 8.0 :
8.5-16.0 :	*** [low = 8.0]
16.5-24.0 :	****************
24.5-32.0 :	**************** [mean = 24.7 +/- 7.0]
32.5-40.0 :	******* [high = 40.0]

20130319

Found astronomy: photosphere granulation

2013-03-18_18-39-47_245
http://www.flickr.com/photos/waiferx/8574333012/
Originally uploaded by Waifer X

Convection currents in miso soup, as an analog for photosphere granulation on the sun. Photo by Cuesta College Physical Sciences Division instructor Dr. Patrick M. Len.

Astronomy current events question: Comet C/2013 A1 close approach to Mars

Andrew Fazekas, "Monster Comet May Have Mars in its Crosshairs," March 6, 2013
http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2013/03/06/monster-comet-may-have-mars-in-its-crosshairs/

Comet C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring) may __________ in September 2014, according to calculations from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
(A) come close to impacting Mars.
(B) pass through Earth's upper atmosphere.
(C) plunge into the sun.
(D) escape from the solar system.
(E) disrupt GPS signals.

Correct answer: (A)

Student responses
Sections 30678, 30679, 30680
(A) : 37 students
(B) : 8 students
(C) : 0 students
(D) : 0 students
(E) : 1 student

Astronomy current events question: Curiosity rover computer memory problem

Guy Webster, "Curiosity Rover's Recovery on Track," March 4, 2013
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/news/msl20130304.html

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity is __________ due to an unknown problem with its computer's memory.
(A) trying to get its drilling arm unstuck.
(B) using its back-up computer.
(C) continuously rebooting.
(D) streaming corrupted data.
(E) only able to drive in reverse.

Correct answer: (B)

Student responses
Sections 30678, 30679, 30680
(A) : 2 students
(B) : 31 students
(C) : 7 students
(D) : 8 students
(E) : 0 students

Astronomy current events question: end of Herschel space telescope mission

United Press International, "Space Telescope Nears End of Mission," March 5, 2013
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/wires?id=183042792&c=y

The European Space Agency's Herschel infrared space telescope will end its observing mission due to:
(A) no more liquid helium coolant.
(B) software that cannot be upgraded.
(C) misaligned solar panels.
(D) cracks in its primary mirror.
(E) a reactor radiation leak.

Correct answer: (A)

Student responses
Sections 30678, 30679, 30680
(A) : 37 students
(B) : 1 student
(C) : 1 student
(D) : 8 students
(E) : 2 students

Student scribble: "What's up, P-dog?"

2013-03-16_14-32-55_929-tiltshift
http://www.flickr.com/photos/waiferx/8566689049/
Originally uploaded by Waifer X

Student scribble, Astronomy 210 Midterm 1, Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA. Photo by Cuesta College Physical Sciences Division instructor Dr. Patrick M. Len.

20130313

Physics quiz archive: interference, electrostatics

Physics 205B Quiz 3, spring semester 2013
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA
Section 30882, version 1
Exam code: quiz03rD1o

Section 30882 results

0- 6 :
7-12 :	****** [low = 9]
13-18 :	********
19-24 :	************* [mean = 19.9 +/- 5.5]
25-30 :	***** [high = 30]