The Physics of Dance

Our experiments will be focusing on the natural forces a dancer encounters when completing turns and leaps. The research we completed today included multiple youtube videos listed below, helping us to understand and explain the physics in specific dance moves.

A general video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwnhvs5Yqaw
Pirouettes - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRa20GZENEk
Fouette turns - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDjeLKcyImA
Arabesque - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG73IxCu9WU
Grande Jete (leap) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kWwDPoUsuc
               - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKUm3LwZleI


Brooke, Courtney, and Desiree

Harwood vs. Baloney detection kit

The Baloney detection kit really focuses on the steps one can take to decide whether or not something is true. It provides examples and questions one can consider to help them understand what information to believe and what not to believe. These ideas are very important, especially since most of today's information is coming from the TV or internet which are not always the most valid sources.

The Harwood model provides readers with steps they can take to provide accurate information to outsiders. Using the steps in the harwood model, you can come up with an idea, test results and have all of the necessary information to give others about the results.

I think both of these models are important for students to consider when they are doing research or experiments. Not everything you hear or see is going to be true but if everyone used both of these models when completing research, the information people attain would be a lot more true. 

Research Question (Nicole, McKennzee, Courtney)

Research question: What liquids can be placed inside a balloon over a flame and prevent the balloon from popping?

Materials: Balloons, candles, water, fruit punch, soda, lemon juice

Hypothesis: We believe the water will prevent the balloon from popping in smaller quantities than the other liquids.

References:
Spangler, Steve. "Fire Water Balloon Experiement." WatchKnow. Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi, 2001. Web. 10 Feb. 2011.  <http://www.watchknow.org/Video.aspx?VideoID=25318&CategoryID=6343>

Differences in 2 wordle analysis

The first wordle had a lot more adjectives and used words that only described things that could be sensed, like color and feel. However, the second wordle used more specific terms, describing exact measurements and using more verbs.  Both documents describe a candle but they do it in very different ways.

Observations part two

Floats, slides, weighs 4 grams, opaque, unsturdy base, can be reshaped, greasy, crushable, 9.5 centimeters long, meltable, not magnetic, breakable, malleable, old, unique, holds a flame, no electric current, uneven, damaged, and produces smoke.

What do the observations have in common?
 They all describe physical features of different candles. The words describe things like color, size, consistency, shape and weight.
What were the most unique observations?  
"cheese," "film," "tail," "hot," "smokey," "crayon," "swiss," "3/8," "aluminum."
What senses were used?
Sight, smell, and touch
What tools were used?
Sight, ruler, hands, nose,

Observations Part one

Pink (light and dark), burnt, melted, skinny, stick-like, used, misshaped, tall, cylinder, has a tail that is black, solid, fragile, smooth, thin, irregular, looks like a straw, smells like strawberry, stripped, lightweight, and is often seen on birthday cakes.

(Nicole, McKennzee, Courtney)

Desiree, Megan and Courtney's Bean Project

1) Picture and drawing

Our bean is put into the top of our "slide" and travels downwards 2 meters before turning and traveling one meter in a second slide.

2) Physics:

Pink arrows represent the forces of gravity and velocity in our device where as the blue ones show the force that friction has on the bean as it slides down the note card ramp.

3) Why did we do this? This assignment really helped the group to think outside the box and use "scientific process" to find the best way to move the bean. We had to listen to each others ideas and try many different solutions before finding a method that actually worked. When we were given another groups model, we had to find ways to improve their model and transform it to complete an entirely new task. We discovered new ways to use simple objects to create a more specific task.
 I think we also completed this assignment to give us ideas for a project to use in an elementary science class. It's always helpful to complete a project before you expect your students to complete it so you can provide them with explanations, new ideas and ask them questions to help them better understand the assignment. This is a great way to get kids to understand the use of gravity, velocity, friction and many other physical sources that they will encounter everyday. Some questions you might ask the students are: How can you reduce the amount of friction in the device? Can you complete the same task (ex. Moving a bean 2 meters, turning it and moving it another 1 meter) without the use of gravity? If I gave you a new materials, would you be able to create a device that works the same way? A few questions that we need to consider as a teacher are: Do students of different ages need more or less instruction and/or background information to complete and understand this project? How much time will this take? Would these materials (notecards, paperclips, tape, string, etc) be the best ones to use? What other resources will be available?
Overall, we found this assignment to be very fun and exciting and think that students of many ages would enjoy completing this project and learn a lot from it.

RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U



1) As a human being, this video makes me wonder what America's education program will look like when my children go through it someday. How can the community and government work together to make effective changes in the school to promote creativity, individuality and unique learning styles? Will these changes effect the economy in a positive or negative way?

2) As a teacher, I wonder if I will be able to connect with all of my students and help them all to learn in the classroom. How can I keep them interested in the topic at hand while still teaching them the materials they will need for standardize testing? Are teachers learning enough about learning styles before they are brought into a classroom of their own?

3) As a scientist I would ask the question, What science can be introduced to students to keep them truely interested throughout school? I would also ask, What tests and/or experiments can be made to determine if a student really has ADHD or if they are just bored? 

First Blog

Hello. I'm Courtney and this is my first blog posting. I have no idea how to use these programs yet but I will do my best to stay on top of it all.

Thanks!
Courtney