Astro 7 Section Topics

Week #1 : sign up and organization of section, pas out info, discuss favorite sci fi movie.

Week #2: Time to Next Impact in Four, Three, Two....

Calculate time between extinction event impacts.

When's the next big one due?

How long can humans survive after the impact?

Week #3: Anyone Out There?

Calculate the probability of finding life in our Galaxy.

What does SETI do?

How does it search for ET?

Week #4: Houston, We Have a Problem

Find a failed NASA mission, describe it.

What caused the failure?

What could have been done to prevent it?

Week #5: Hot as Hades

Find out the lethal dosage of CO₂ for humans.

List as many greenhouse gases as you can find.

Cite the main source of the greenhouse gases (cows, cars, etc.)

Week #6: Flat as a Pancake

Calculate the tidal force across your body (head to toe).

What happens as you fall into a black hole the size of the sun?

What do you see as you fall in?

Week #7: Relatively Speaking (math heavy)

Calculate the length of a journey at 0.5c to the nearest star

How old are you when you return?

How old is everyone else?

Week #8: The Big Bang never happened

What are the alternatives to the Big Bang?

Why are these alternatives wrong (possibly)?

Week #9: Get something from nothing

Find the energy conversion efficiency for the following:

Chemical reaction, Nuclear Fission, Nuclear Fusion

Week #10: Beam Me Up, Scotty (Everyone)

Find your favorite scientific fallacy from the movies (like sounds in deep space) and explain what is wrong with it.