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WELCOME TO VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY, AND THIS WEB SERVER OPERATED BY THE ASTRONOMY &
ASTROPHYSICS DEPARTMENT. WE HAVE AT THIS SITE THE TEXT AND SOME COMPUTER
ILLUSTRATIONS FOR THE ASTRONOMY AND PHYSICS EXPERIMENTS THAT FORM THE LABORATORY
ACCOMPANYING A TWO-SEMESTER SCIENCE COURSE FOR NON-SCIENCE STUDENTS. THIS SITE
WILL BE OF INTEREST TO COLLEGE OR HIGH SCHOOL ASTRONOMY AND/OR PHYSICS
INSTRUCTORS, AS WELL AS ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO EXPLORE ASTRONOMY USING THE
COMPUTER.



THIS WORK IS SUPPORTED BY:

THE PEW CHARITABLE TRUSTS
AND
VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY.



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There are new approaches to teaching astronomy and physics in the laboratory
setting, involving the use of computers as tools to simulate events and concepts
which can be illuminated in no other reasonable way. With the computer, it is
possible to travel back in time to replicate the sky as Galileo saw it.
Astronomical phenomena which reveal themselves only after centuries of real time
may be compressed in the computer to a simulation of several minutes.
Observations simulated on the computer do not suffer from the vagaries of
weather, fixed time or geographic position, or non-repeatability. In physics,
the computer allows us to secure data for experiments which, by their nature,
may not be amenable to human interaction. These could include experiments with
very fast or very slow timescales, large number of data samples, complex or
tedious manipulation of the data which hides the fundamental nature of the
experiment, or data sampling which would need a specialized probe, such as for
acid rain or atmospheric CO2.



This innovation has become possible only recently, due to the availability and
affordability of sophisticated computer hardware and software. We have developed
a laboratory experience for non-scientists who need an introductory course in
astronomy/physics. Our approach makes extensive use of computers in this
laboratory. Using commercially available software, such as Starry Night , the
students use the computer as a time machine and a space craft to explore and
rediscover fundamental science. Other simulation software is available, such as:

Dance of the Planets Distant Suns Expert Astronomer Redshift Skyglobe

This Web page will be of interest to instructors of college students or advanced
high school students in astronomy or physics. In addition, anyone who may be
interested in commercially available astronomy software may see how it can be
used. There is also a companion Astronomy Resource Page with links and software.

The astronomy laboratory experiments are computer simulations of phenomena,
events, and concepts. Freed from the bounds of time, fixed location, or bad
weather, the student is permitted to simulate :

 1. important historical events in astronomy -
    * the morning sky that began the Chinese year zero March 1953 BC
    * the morning sky that greeted the survivors of the Titanic
    * the solar eclipse that helped end the Battle of Nineveh May 585 BC
 2. astronomical events that recur only over long timescales -
    * the length of the synodic and sidereal periods of the Moon and planets,
      simulating Mars in retrograde motion
    * the length of the year
    * the phenomenon of the Saros
 3. astronomical events that students can simulate, but never physically attend
    -
    * the motions of the planets as seen from above the ecliptic.
    * "what if" a comet's orbital element i were changed Comet Halley in 1985
    * Hale-Bopp, comet 1995O1, from Earth , or as seen from space
    * a Christmas Patial Solar Eclipse, from Earth , or as seen from the Moon
 4. astronomical events that allow the students to rediscover fundamental
    physics -
    * the motions of the planets, leading to Kepler's Harmonic Law
    * the motions of Jupiter's moons, leading to the mass of Jupiter via
      Newton's modification of Kepler's #3
    * Roemer's determination of the speed of light, using Jupiter and Io

These experiments may be rewritten to match the needs of your particular
curriculum. Any one could be expanded into a semester-long project involving
actual observations. The computer's simulation of it could then provide data
missed due to poor weather or schedule conflicts.

The physics experiments are rather classical in nature, but with two important
changes. First, rather than being told the answer, we take advantage of the
students' natural curiosity and allow them actively to discover the key
relationships in the experiment. For example, in Galileo's free fall experiment,
students explore the parameters of distance, time, and mass of the hardware
without being told that d = 0.5*g*t^2. Typically, students derive a great deal
of satisfaction in this discovery. Second, the computer acts as a data collector
and presenter, freeing the student from the tedium of repetitive data gathering
and replotting. In this way, the student is encouraged to explore, to try new
things, to refine the measurements, and to discover the principles underlying
the observed phenomena. The hardware interfaces and the software drivers for
them are available from Pasco Scientific, among others.



Look at the synopsis of the astronomy experiments.

Look at the synopsis of the physics experiments.



Although the laboratory is a year-long integrated sequence of astronomy and
physics experiments, it could be easily divided into separate astronomy or
physics laboratories, each one semester.

Last modification of any significance - September 1, 1999.

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Other places to browse: Villanova University Villanova University Astronomy &
Astrophysics Villanova University Astronomy Resource Page Gregor Mendel, O.S.A.

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Your friendly co-conspirators: Frank P. Maloney : A Picture != a thousand words
<Frank.Maloney@villanova.edu> David Steelman, programmer extraordinaire


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http://astro4.ast.villanova.edu/ Almost no Astronomers were harmed in the
testing of this award-winning site.



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