C.P. Physics Final Weekly Assignment (6/9 - 6/16)

[mr_wininger]

REMINDER: This assignment is due by Friday June 16th at 3:00PM. You must do a minimum of two of the choices below. You can do a maximum of five. While the additional ones are not extra credit, the questions are pretty easy to score full credit on and thus improve your grade. You can post any time up until the deadline. Late entries will not count for the week. All posts should feature the best grammar and spelling to your ability. There is a spellcheck button below where you post. You will not be graded on grammar unless you start using "u" for "you". You also must make at least one comment to someone else's post before the same deadline. You can post a comment before you have made your post for the week. All comments and posts should be respectful.

If you reference an article or website not listed, you MUST cite it. If you reference a classmate's idea on purpose, you MUST cite it. Phrase your responses so that a person who has not read my post can understand what you are talking about. Questions are worth 15 points each (Max 75), reponses to others are worth 5 points each (Max 5). (Multiple comments will only go to helping the overall comment grade)

Let's Get it On:

1. Fire Ecology and Associated Discourses: The Problems when Science up for Debate meets the Public being Affected

The following questions concern the preliminary dissertation of a PhD candidate in Geography at Clark University in Worcester, MA. The paper mainly deals with public policy and the associated problems with forming it. I also chose this as it is an example of real academic research done by someone not too much older than yourselves.

An overall summary of the paper and research is here: http://students.clarku.edu/~sdaniels/dissertation.html

The actual paper will need to be referenced as well, and is linked at the top of the page. If you do not have MS Word on your computer, you will need to download the free program Word Viewer 2003.

Choices:


• How do the approaches in Australia and America differ (or at least in the respective areas studied)? Does either country seem to be happy with the path it has chosen? What do you think is the best course of action?
  
  
• Why is it important to take the public's opinion into account when deciding on the proper public policy?
  
  
• What is "Grid-Group Cultural Theory"? Which of the four "grids" do you ascribe to (you can fall into more than one)? Why? What is your opinion of the grids that you do not identify with?
  

All:


• What do you think is the best course of action concerning wildfires? Also, have at least one question for the author of the thesis.
  

2. Food & the Enviornment

• Option 1:
  
  Read:
  Post by an Environmentalist Blogger:
  http://www.wockerjabby.com/2006_06_01_jabby.pcgi#114947272856909768
  And
  NY Times Article Concerning Organic Food:
  http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/04/magazine/04wwln_lede.html?pagewanted=1
  To Access Article Use:
  Username: RMHSscience
  Password: rmhs01867
  
  What environmental problems do we take part in by going to the supermarket?
  What is the environmental impact of eating an orange grown in Florida?
  What does "organic" even mean?
  What are the potential problems of Walmart embracing organic food?
  What were your general feelings about the article?
  What were your feelings about the way the blogger posted her beliefs? Were you put off? Convinced? Intrigued?
  
  
  
• Option 2:
  
  According to a new book entitled "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan, we dig corn. Like totally. In fact, nearly forty-five percent of the American diet has some form of corn in it. Read the attached PDF file with the introduction and chapter 1 of this interesting look at how we get our everyday food. Then answer each of the questions below.
  
  http://michaelpollan.com/omnivore_excerpt.pdf
  You may need to download AdobeAcrobat Reader here: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readermain.html
  
  Describe your family’s culture of eating. Consider every day eating, not just holiday eating. Has your family’s culture of eating changed in the past five years? What influences have caused any such changes?
  What are the advantages and disadvantages of being omnivorous?
  Describe Michael Pollan’s three food chains. Which food chain does your family primarily follow?
  What is the significance of corn in the American diet?
  Chemically, what is it that makes corn such a popular plant in agriculture? Describe the evolution of corn and humanity in the Americas.
  After reading this, do you want to read the book? Did the author engage your interest, or did it have the opposite effect? What did you take from the reading (The answer nothing, can be accurate, but must be elaborated on)?
  

3. Your Family's Environmental Impact

Arriving to Theaters a few weeks ago, is Al Gore's documentary concerning Global Warming, An Inconvenient Truth. I bring this up not to promote it (I have not seen it), but to set up the next bit. On the movie's website, there is a carbon calculator which determines approximately how much carbon dioxide is produced by individuals. Calculate approximately how much carbon dioxide that is produced by your household. You will need information from your parents concerning sizes of certain utility bills.

Perform the calculation twice:

Once for you (so if you have a car, only include that info, divide any bills by members of hosuehold and pretend you live alone).

The second time attempt to calculate it for your entire family. Pick a representative car and enter the approximate mileage of all cars. If multiple people have flown, include all flights etc.

Compare the two values. Assuming you want to, how could you reduce your impact? Are there any suggestions that you could pose to reduce your family's impact that would be well-received? Do you even want to reduce your or your family's impact? (It may help to click on the link "how was this calculated" at the bottom of the calculator page)

Only if you're interested: Radio Interview of Gore Re: Global Warming

4. New Orleans: Hurricanes, Flooding, and Levees

Read through the following websites and answer the questions below:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5434630
This website provides a link to the actual radio show, Science Friday from May 26, 2006. Listen to the radio discussion about why the New Orleans levees failed.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/09/0902_050902_katrina_levees.html
http://www.nola.com/hurricane/popup/nolalevees_jpg.html
http://www.usace.army.mil/

What makes New Orleans so vulnerable to flooding and hurricane storm surges?
What are levees and how are they supposed to protect us against floods?
What are some of the reasons given by the panelists on Science Friday about why the levees in New Orleans failed?
What is the Army Corps of Engineers? What do they do? How are they involved with the Mississippi River and New Orleans levee system?
What other areas in the world provide models for flood protection that New Orleans can use? What do you think are the most important aspects of rebuilding New Orleans over the next few years? Should we even rebuild them?

5. String Theory

Go here: http://superstringtheory.com/index.html


• Option 1:
  
  What is theoretical physics?
  What is string theory?
  Why is a "unifying theory" necessary?
  
  Comment about your feelings about this website. Are things clearly presented? Are there pieces of information missing of basic information you would need to understand the website?
  
  
  
• Option 2:
  
  Write a song explaining string theory.
  

BONUS (+4):

Make a physics-related MS Paint picture. Try and post it online and link it. Or bring it to class.