Astronomy Lab - Lab Notebook and Scaling In this lab, we will first set up your lab notebook and then practice scaling. Please read this so you know what we will be doing. BEFORE YOU COME TO THIS LAB: Buy a sewn-binding lab notebook. Print this lab write-up. Make sure that it prints with nothing on the backside of each page. Read through this lab write-up so you have a rough idea of what we will be doing. Review your lecture notes and, on a SEPARATE SHEET OF PAPER, calculate the following (show or describe your work): You want to build a scale model of the Sun that is about 100,000,000 mi away, the scale of your model is 1 cm represents 1,000,000 mi. How far away would the scaled Sun be? BRING TO THIS LAB: 1. Your lab notebook, a print out of this lab write-up, a pen, and a calculator (optional) 2. Separate sheet of paper showing the above calculation OBJECTIVES FOR LAB NOTEBOOK portion of this exercise: Bring the correct lab notebook to lab. Set up the basic structure of your lab notebook. Learn and use basic lab procedures. Learn and use basic lab notebook rules. MATERIALS USED IN THIS LAB Tape Scissors Rulers Meter Sticks MOTIVATION FOR A GOOD LAB NOTEBOOK: Science must be open for everyone to read, check and duplicate results. Good lab notebooks allow you or someone else to reproduce the experiment at a later time. Reproducibility requires you to keep clear, accurate records of your work. Using only your record in the notebook, could you or someone else duplicate the experiment? Next month? Next year? The lab notebook displays your results and what you did as you did it. BY THE WAY, YOU MAY USE YOUR LAB NOTEBOOK FOR THE LAB EXAM! PROCEDURE: Continue reading the rest of this but we will do all of the following in lab. OUTSIDE FRONT COVER OF LAB NOTEBOOK: Put your name and the words Astronomy Lab somewhere legible on the outside front cover of your lab notebook. I have permanent markers in the lab if you want to use them. The outside front cover should look something like the cover on the right with your name written on it.
FIRST RIGHT HAND PAGE OF LAB NOTEBOOK (We will do this in lab.): Use only the right hand pages for now. Lab Notebook and Scaling Page 2 of 8 At the top of the first right hand page, write TABLE OF CONTENTS as well as the other titles and numbers so that it looks like Figure 1 below. Include the numbers shown but do not give this page its own page number. You can cut out the box below instead of handwriting this information. You will be adding the other remaining labs to this page with their starting page numbers for each lab in the future. TABLE OF CONTENTS General Laboratory Procedures 1 Lab Notebook Procedures 3 Sample Layout for Each Lab Exercise 5 Scaling 7 No page number for the Table of Contents page Figure 1 Table of Contents Page
SECOND RIGHT HAND PAGE OF LAB NOTEBOOK: (we will do this in lab) Number this page as page 1 in the lower right corner. It should look like Figure 2 below. Lab Notebook and Scaling Page 3 of 8 GENERAL LABORATORY PROCEDURES Read and heed these rules for a SAFE and effective laboratory. No food or drink in the lab. (These must be left outside the laboratory. This is a serious safety issue and violations can result in a substantial fine for the college.) Authorized personnel only are allowed in the lab. Put coats and back packs in the rear of the lab to avoid tripping hazards. Be on time. Plan to stay the full 1 hour and 40 minutes until your work is done. Bring to every lab: Lab notebook, write-up for that day, & pen. Read the write-up at least one day before lab. Prepare your lab notebook as indicated in the write-up. Optional: bring tape, scissors & calculator. All of these are provided in the lab as well. 1 Figure 2 General Laboratory Procedures Page Copy or cut and tape these procedures into your lab notebook. Note: Be sure to READ and HEED the Laboratory Procedures. Number the next several right hand pages in the lower right corner (3, 5, 7, 9 )
THIRD RIGHT HAND PAGE OF LAB NOTEBOOK: (we will do this in lab) The THIRD right hand page (page number 3) should look like Figure 3 below. Lab Notebook and Scaling Page 4 of 8 LAB NOTEBOOK PROCEDURES Read and heed these rules for a good and useful lab notebook. Use pen; not pencil. Write directly in the notebook not on scratch paper or on the write-up. Use the right hand page for your work (data, procedures, tables ). Use the left page only to add something later. Do not erase work. To edit your work, simply recopy it. Cross out the old work with a single line. Do not tear out pages from your notebook. Just cross out pages or materials you don t want with a single line. Staple or tape pictures, graphs, and relevant information into your notebook. No loose paper. Keep a clear, concise log of what you do as you do it. Keep comments short and to the point in your own words. Sketch and label equipment used and its set up. There are pictures of most equipment used so you can cut them out and put them in your lab notebook. If you have a camera, you can use it and staple or tape the pictures into your notebook. Organize and label your data. Plan ahead and leave plenty of space. You will not run out of room in your notebook. Include calculations so you know how you did the work. Show your work. Pay attention to significant figures. We will learn how to do this during lab together. Include units with all data. Date each lab exercise. Make sure you understand and can do the objectives listed at the beginning of each write-up. Do the preparation work: Before you come to this lab Section. List your partners for each lab. Label your procedure for each lab. Show steps of your work. Answer any questions at the end of the lab write-up. 3 Figure 3 Lab Notebook Procedures Page Copy or cut and tape these procedures into your lab notebook. Note: Be sure to READ and HEED the Laboratory Notebook Procedures
Lab Notebook and Scaling Page 5 of 8 FOURTH RIGHT HAND PAGE OF LAB NOTEBOOK: (we will do this in lab) The fourth right hand page (page number 5) of your notebook contains a sample layout for most lab exercises. Just cut this out and tape it in your lab notebook as an example but read and follow it for each lab. Sample Layout for Lab Exercise (Include each of these parts for each lab.) DATE (Record today s date) TITLE OBJECTIVES Copy or cut and tape the objectives from the write-up into your lab notebook. PREPARATION Record any prep work here. Usually this is about a paragraph answering questions posed in the BEFORE YOU COME TO LAB section of each lab write-up. Note this must be done before you come to lab. PARTNERS Record your partners names. First names are fine. PROCEDURE Keep a clear log in your own words of what you did and the results you obtained. Include drawings to help you clarify. You can cut out the PROCEDURE from the lab write-up and tape it into your notebook. See LAB NOTEBOOK PROCEDURES on previous page for more tips. This will often be several pages long. Be sure your data is included here. Tape or staple any drawings or data into your notebook so a reader can follow what you did. QUESTIONS AND EXERCISES Answer any questions or work any end of exercise problems here. Revisit what you just did in lab and make sure you understand what you did and how you did it. Make more notes to yourself if needed. You may staple/tape the write-up in your notebook to help you remember what you did. NO LOOSE PAPERS. 5 Figure 4 Sample Layout Page
Lab Notebook and Scaling Page 6 of 8 FIFTH RIGHT HAND PAGE OF LAB NOTEBOOK: (we will do this in lab) Write Scaling and today s date at the top of the fifth right hand page (page number 7). We are now using the format shown on page 5 of your lab notebook and in Figure 5 below. You can cut this box out below or follow the handwriting directions below. Enter the title and page number in your Table of Contents. Enter OBJECTIVES and under it write the objectives from the Scaling part of this write-up. Enter PREPARATION and under it copy the question about the scale model of the Sun and your answer to that question. Enter PARTNERS and the names of your partners you work with today. This page will look something like: Today s Date: Scaling OBJECTIVES Calculate and build, using common objects, a scale model of objects in the universe PREPARATION You want to build a scale model of the Sun that is about 100 000 000 mi away, the scale of your model is 1 cm represents 1 000 000 mi. How far away would the scaled Sun be? (Include your answer here) PARTNERS (Write your partners names here.) PROCEDURE Do questions 1 and 2 on the following pages. (Write your answers and show your work so that anyone understands what you did.) Helpful distance unit abbreviations: in = inches mm = millimeters ft = feet mi = miles cm = centimeters m = meters km = kilometers Figure 5 Layout for Scaling Exercise 7
Lab Notebook and Scaling Page 7 of 8 Continue by writing PROCEDURE. Write or cut and tape the questions and your answers to those questions. Show your work so that anyone will know how you arrived at your answers. PROCEDURE (we will do this in lab): 1. A large Target store is shaped like a box 500 ft along the front (width) by 400 ft deep (length) and 20 ft high. The scale we will use is 1 cm represents 50 ft. Equivalently, 1 mm = 5 ft and 1 m = 5000 ft which is about 1 mi). a. In your notebook, draw and label the footprint (length by width of the floor) to scale. You need to draw a rectangle measured to the correct scaled units. Use a ruler to measure it out in your notebook. Do not draw a 3-dimensional box. Remember to record what you are doing as well as the answers. Show your work of how you got the scaled numbers and draw the rectangle footprint. b. In your notebook, draw and label the front of the building to scale (another rectangle). Draw another rectangle to represent this. c. Using this scale, would a baseball that is 3 inches across be represented by a small dot or a spherical marble? Explain you answer. You do not have to do the calculation. d. A second Target store is located 5 miles away. In your scale model, about how far away is that (read the top again and pay attention to the last line Equivalently )? Read the scale again and notice any mention of mi for miles. You do not need to do an exact calculation. e. Which of the following answers BEST represents where that store would be located in your scale model? (1) On your desk top (2) Near the door to this room (3) In the lobby of this building (4) Near the skyway to T-building (5) Near the downtown library on the corner of 4 th and Hennepin
Continue on with number 2 on this page. Lab Notebook and Scaling Page 8 of 8 2. Milky Way and other galaxies Our Milky Way galaxy is about 100,000 light years across (diameter). Our Sun lies about 2/3 of the way out from the center of our galaxy. The Andromeda Galaxy is about the same size (diameter) as our galaxy and is about 2,500,000 light years away. The most distant galaxies are about 13,000,000 000 light years (13 billion LY) away. To build a scale model let 1 cm represent 10,000 light years. Equivalently, 1 mm = 1000 light years and 1 m = 1,000,000 light years.) a. Calculate the scaled size of the Milky Way. b. Think of or find some object around the lab that is about that size and describe that object or draw and label the object in your notebook. Alternately, you could photograph the object and include the photo in your lab notebook. c. Where is Earth in your scaled model? Earth is about 8 light minutes from Sun. See the Sun s location above. Would the Earth be the same place as the Sun in your scaled model? You do not have to do the calculation. Think about your answer. A light minute to a light year is similar scale of a minute to a year in our lives. A minute is a small fraction of a year. d. Earth is about 8000 miles in diameter. Would you use a small dot, a marble, or could you even see it in this model? Explain. You do not have to do the calculation. Think about your answer. e. Calculate the scaled size of the Andromeda galaxy. Find a second object to represent the Andromeda galaxy. Describe that object or draw and label the object in your notebook. Alternately, you could photograph the object and include the photo in your lab notebook. f. Calculate the scaled distance between the Milky Way and Andromeda. g. Set up this scaled model using the objects you found with the Milky Way and Andromeda the correct scaled distance apart. Describe or sketch it (not to scale) in your notebook or photograph it and include that in your notebook. h. Calculate how far away a very distant galaxy would be in your model. Look back at the top for the location of the most distant galaxies. Give some idea of where that is. (1000 m = 1 km; 1 km = 0.6 mi OR 1 mi = 1.6 km)