Astronomy and Mathematics

 

A physical science topic I have always enjoyed exploring is the field of astronomy. The relationships and parallels found throughout the solar system provide infinite opportunities for exploration and investigation. Tillery, Enger, and Ross (2019) describe the effect the moon’s gravity has on Earth’s orbit around the sun. Exploring relationships between objects of varying mass and distance can help students better grasp the impact gravity has on motion and location in the solar system and beyond. A variety of factors like these contribute to Earth’s ability to host life as we understand it. Exploring extrasolar planets is an exciting field where scientist explore the potential conditions of a planet based on data discovered through observation and modeling. The possibility of planets having conditions similar to Earth can be determined based on the mass of the planet, its orbital path, proximity to a sun, distance from the sun, and other factors that I am not an expert on. A great feature of the program I selected is that it allows students to explore real applications of mathematics to a scientific field. By adjusting variables such as planet mass, axis, eccentricity, and mass of the sun a student can explore how different variables impact the motion of the planet. Students can explore how this motion impacts the graphed wavelength and can also explore the wavelength as a trend of data versus a perfect linear movement. The balance between the planet and the sun is also a factor that can be explored as it addresses gravity as it relates to distance and mass.   http://astro.unl.edu/naap/esp/animations/radialVelocitySimulator.html

Incorporating twenty-first century skills should be a key component of effective lesson design. Students are supported through the integration of cross-curricular connections and applied STEM learning experiences (Johnston, Walshe, Ríordáin, 2020). I would strongly consider using this program to allow students to explore a functioning scientific application of mathematics. While the website is more aligned with high school regarding science, I could see students in 8^th grade math exploring the variables and examining the impact each variable has on the graph. Georgia Eighth-grade mathematical standards include exploring functions, graphing a table of values, and graphing linear equations. This graph would allow students to explore a real-world function as the theoretical graph has exactly one output for every input. Even as the variables change, the graph remains a function. This ability to read, manipulate, and interpret graphs will be a valuable real-world skill. I would use the guide provided to encourage student to explore the effectiveness of the tool at discovering planets (Astronomy Education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2022).

 

References

Astronomy Education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. (2022). Extrasolar Planets Lab.

http://astro.unl.edu/naap/esp/esp.html

 

Johnston, J., Walshe, G., & Ríordáin, M. N. (2020). Supporting Key Aspects of Practice in Making

Mathematics Explicit in Science Lessons. International Journal of Science & Mathematics Education, 18(7), 1399–1417. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-019-10016-1

 

Tillery, B. W., Enger, E. D., & Ross, F. C. (2019). Integrated science (7th ed.). New York, NY:                             McGraw-Hill.