Resource Browser

This website gives an extensive outline of the history and results of the discovery of extrasolar planets. Topics inlcude planetary like objects orbiting pulsars and recent work being done by scientists detecting extra solar planetary systems and objects. References are included.

This site consists of a series of pages, each depicting and describing an object(s) on a different order of magnitude. There are 42 pages of this in all, for 42 powers of ten, starting with quarks (10^-14 meters) and ending with 'near the limit of our knowledge' (10^25 meters). The pictures 'zoom out,' with the quarks being part of a proton being part of a nucleus, and so on. There are short descriptions for each of the physics-related objects (i.e. quarks, atoms, clusters) and some of the locations, as well as links to more extensive descriptions. Also included is a page on units and scales.

This web page outlines the magnetic properties of the planets. Most large planets in the solar system have magnetic fields, probably produced quite differently from ours. This is part of a large work, "The Exploration of the Earth's Magnetosphere", that gives a non-mathematical introduction to the magnetic properties of the planets and the sun, space weather, and the motion of charged particles in magnetic fields.

This animation shows the quantum analogy of a classical bouncing ball moving in a gravitational field, without dissipation. The video shows the wave packet motion next to the ball. A graph of the expectation value of the quantum ball versus time is provided that illustrates the dispersion and later reforming of the quantum wave packet.

This paper uses Archimedes' Law of Floating Bodies to determine how far a ball sinks below the surface, and also examines an interesting wrinkle involving the chaotic behavior of Newton's method applied to a cubic polynomial.

This article by Carl Zimmer shows how network theory can be applied to ecological systems, with a description of how these systems are investigated. The article also provides an introduction to networks with "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon".

In this activity, users download and graph modeled climate data to explore variability in climate change. Most people know that climate changes are predicted over the next hundred years, but they may not be aware that these changes are likely to vary from region to region.

Looking at an object or location at different scales provides the observer with a range of views. Details are visible at a small scale while the overall picture is visible on a larger scale. This interactive feature consists of a series of six images of increasingly smaller scale, allowing viewers to see the effects of changing scales. A background essay and list of discussion questions is also provided.

The Redistricting Game is designed to educate, engage, and empower citizens around the issue of political redistricting. Currently, the political system in most states allows the state legislators themselves to draw the lines. This system is subject to a wide range of abuses and manipulations that encourage incumbents to draw districts which protect their seats rather than risk an open contest.

This resource gives an impression of how immense our Universe is by starting with an image of the Earth and then zooming out to the furthest visible reaches of the Universe. Its goal is to show astronomical distances without scientific notation. Instead, it focuses on the large number of zeros that are in astronomical distances when we measure them with a familiar unit like the kilometer. The number of zeros increases with each zoom, though not at a constant rate.

This is chapter one of an on-line NASA book, Geomorphology from Space - A General Overview of Regional Landforms. It is divided into four sections and a conclusion. The first section, The Nature of Geomorphology, starts with the definition and continues with a description of the scales involved, fundamental concepts and the role of geomorphic studies. Types of Geomorphic Analysis is the title for the second section and it includes process studies and system analysis, climate geomorphology, and structural geomorphology.

This essay with a field journal covers how the Wisconsin Glacier created most of the landforms of Long Island. It also explains how storms, erosion, and other forces continually reshape the island and how the shifting of the continents millions of years ago changed the location of Long Island on the globe. Attention is also given to how its landforms have influenced its land use and the types of buildings erected there. Some glacial features explained include: terminal, recessional, and ground moraines; outwash plains; erratics; and kettle lakes.

This site looks at the future management of ground water and surface water in the United States and addresses the need for greater understanding of the interaction of ground and surface water with respect to the three issues of: water supply, water quality, and characteristics of aquatic environments. Special attention is given to the preservation of wetlands and riparian zones.

This article profiles the work of Elise Knittle, whose research specialty is mineral physics. The essay gives an overview of the core, mantle, and crust of the Earth, including what we know about their physical properties. It explains the work of the author, studying the chemical interactions between the metals that make up the Earth's core and the silicate minerals that compose the mantle. The obstacles and challenges she faces in re-creating the intense heat and pressure of the deep Earth using incredibly small samples are explained.

This website from the University of Virginia provides an overview of the advancements in chemistry and physics that led to the atomic model of matter. The ideas of Galileo, Dalton, Gay-Lussac, Avogadro, and others are presented in order to describe the development of kinetic theory, element patterns, and other concepts in modern chemistry. Also, the site quotes nineteenth century scientists who opposed the atomic model.

In this interactive activity, students view six models to investigate what a gas, liquid, and solid look like at the atomic level. Choose to view a gas or liquid made of atoms only, a gas made of diatomic molecules, a liquid made of triatomic molecules, or two types of solids. In each simulation, users may highlight an atom and view its trajectory to see how the motion differs in each of the three primary phases. Don't miss the extension activity: a side-by-side comparison of the atomic structure of a hot liquid and a cold liquid. If you click "Withdraw the Barrier", the two liquids mix.

This simulation promotes understanding of isotopes by providing a simple way to model isotopes of the first 10 elements in the Periodic Table. In the most basic model, users click on an atomic symbol. The simulation displays a stable isotope for that atom. (For example, choose Helium and view a nucleus with two protons and two neutrons.) Now, drag neutrons into the nucleus and watch to see if atom becomes unstable. Students may be surprised to see that Beryllium and Flourine, for example, are unstable with equal numbers of protons and neutrons in the nucleus.

The issue-focused, peer-reviewed article explains how stem cells have the potential to cure many human diseases because they are: like blank cells - they can become any cell in the human body, enduring - embryos, in particular, can provide an endless supply of stem cells, and regenerative - they can be used as a live source of self-repair.

This Caltech press release covers the development of solar cells that can absorb light and convert its energy efficiently thanks to a silicon wire design. The new cells, in addition to being extremely efficient, are also flexible in form, making them useful for consumer installation after further research.

Growth and detachment of cell clusters, aggregates of bacterial cells embedded in an extracellular polymeric slime matrix, from a four-species biofilm under steady nutrient and flow conditions.

This Flash animation provides a detailed explanation of the chemistry and properties of water. Animated diagrams accompanied by written explanations show the configuration of the water molecule, how water molecules link together, what the crystal structure of ice looks like, and how acids and bases are formed. There is also an animated diagram of the pH scale showing the range in which most cellular processes occur and the approximate pH of some common substances. A French translation is available.

This site consists of a series of pages, each depicting and describing an object(s) on a different order of magnitude. There are 42 pages of this in all, for 42 powers of ten, starting with quarks (10^-14 meters) and ending with 'near the limit of our knowledge' (10^25 meters). The pictures 'zoom out,' with the quarks being part of a proton being part of a nucleus, and so on. There are short descriptions for each of the physics-related objects (i.e. quarks, atoms, clusters) and some of the locations, as well as links to more extensive descriptions. Also included is a page on units and scales.

This is the portal for the Concord Consortium's Science of Atoms and Molecules Project (SAM), a collection of field-tested activities designed to integrate biology, chemistry, and physics. Each activity provides guided explorations through simulations and models, all within a framework that builds a foundation for understanding atomic/molecular structure. The collection features four themes: motion and energy, charge, atoms/molecules, and light. The overarching concept that connects all four is that atoms and molecules are the fundamental basis for all interactions.

This site contains a mineral database with access to 4,339 individual mineral species descriptions with links and a comprehensive image library. Mineral data on individual species are linked to a mineral table by crystallography, X-Ray powder diffraction, chemical composition, physical and optical properties, Danas new classification, Strunz classification, mineral specimen images, and alphabetical listings of mineral species. There are extensive links to other sources of mineral data and information. Visit the Whats New section for details.

In this site, Martin Chaplin has brought together a selection of ideas concerning the complex behavior of water in hopes of encouraging both the understanding of water and further work. Some of the many ideas presented are: the structure of water, water anomalies, hydrogen bonding, the phase diagram of water, and water hydration.

Earth is surrounded by a protective atmosphere, composed of nitrogen, oxygen, and argon, and trace amounts of other gases, that protects Earth's surface from damaging solar radiation and plays a major role in water and energy transport. This interactive feature shows the vertical structure of the atmosphere. Viewers can see the regions of the atmosphere, some of the objects (natural and man-made) found at various altitudes, as well as the variations in air temperature and pressure with altitude.

This interactive animation gives students a taste of atomic/molecular structure by exploring four elements: oxygen, neon, bromine, and iodine. These elements were chosen because they represent four very different structures -- a noble gas (neon), a diatomic gas molecule (oxygen), a diatomic liquid molecule (bromine), and a diatomic solid molecule (iodine). Each element is represented in illustrations and animations that model the molecular motion. The periodic table may be displayed simultaneously to help students accurately answer the question sets.

This image, from the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, illustrates the approximate relative sizes of the Sun and planets and their relative locations. Although distance is not to scale, viewers can see that the small rocky planets are located close to the Sun and large gaseous planets are further away.

In this quick activity about predicting (located on page 2 of the PDF), learners working alone or in groups will use toothpicks to probe a clay ball with a small object hidden in its center and then predict what's inside. Learners will share their predictions and how they came to these conclusions before opening the ball to see what is inside. This exercise illustrates how nanoscientists can still make discoveries studying things too small to see, using special probes to "feel" bumps at the atomic level. Also relates to linked video, DragonflyTV Nano: Where's Nano?

This site is an article that discusses, in depth, what dark matter is. The material is taken from current literature that looks at how scientists have determined the mass discrepancy, what they think dark matter is and how they are looking for it, and how dark matter fits into current theories about the origin and fate of the universe.

Using an image taken by the Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) instrument on board the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft, along with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Image program for image processing, students investigate the acceleration of a coronal mass ejection (CME) into space. They will find the velocity and acceleration of a CME and whether it accelerates uniformly away from the Sun.

This simulation promotes understanding of isotopes by providing a simple way to model isotopes of the first 10 elements in the Periodic Table. In the most basic model, users click on an atomic symbol. The simulation displays a stable isotope for that atom. (For example, choose Helium and view a nucleus with two protons and two neutrons.) Now, drag neutrons into the nucleus and watch to see if atom becomes unstable. Students may be surprised to see that Beryllium and Flourine, for example, are unstable with equal numbers of protons and neutrons in the nucleus.

This lesson, provided by Science NetLinks, is the fourth of a sequence of five lessons, teaching students that most of the materials and energy used by a city come from outside the city boundaries. Students will need to have at least a general working understanding of the concepts of flow (as in energy flow) and cycles (as in nutrient cycles) in order to get the most out of this lesson. The class will use various websites to investigate these processes and then create dramatic or musical skits demonstrating their understanding of the "actors" in the urban metabolism.

When you cross species boundaries, you combine the genetic or cellular material of two species. This peer-reviewed issue oriented article addresses whether it is ethical to experiment with part-human animals? Do the potential medical benefits outweigh the ethical concerns? Should guidelines be constructed for such research? How far should science go in pursuit of knowledge?

In this lesson, students will view salt under varied magnifications and begin to construct the understanding that materials may be composed of parts that are too small to be seen without magnification. They will observe salt with the naked eye, and then under a hand lens, microscope, and the electron microscope (the electron image is via the Internet). In order to complete this lesson, it is important that students have previous experience working with hand lenses and microscopes.

This guide introduces visitors to the glacial and postglacial geology of the White Mountain National Forest in western Maine. The discussion covers the timing of the glaciation (the Laurentide Ice Sheet, 25,000-13,000 years ago) and the numerous features left behind: erosional features such as high cliffs, grooves and striations; depositional features such as till, erratics, and glacial lake deposits; and deposits reworked by meltwater streams such as outwash, alluvial fans, and stream terraces. Permission and access information, directions, and references are included.

This activity (on pages 7-13) has pairs of students survey an array of similarities and differences between them. The differences survey worksheet focuses on genetically inherited physical features, such as hair colo, eye color, ear shape, and tongue folding and rolling. By tallying the whole group's features, they will consider which features are "dominant" (occurring more often). The activity includes reflection questions to encourage writing.

This website, from the University of California, Berkeley, provides a description of the study of stellar motion around the center of a galaxy, and includes a graph of rotational speed versus distance from the center. The site relates this study to the prediction of dark matter. The page also gives explanations of other lines of evidence for dark matter. ____________________________________

This demonstration of plate tectonic principles, plate boundary interactions, and the geometry and relative motions of faulting of geologic layers uses 3-D foam models. The models aid in visualization and understanding of plate motions and faulting because they are three-dimensional, concrete rather than abstract descriptions or diagrams, can be manipulated by the instructor and the students, and can show the motions of the plates and faults through time in addition to the three-dimensional configuration of the plates or layers.