CRUCIBLE

Volume 36 • 1
September 2004

Magazine of the Science Teachers’ Association of Ontario

FEATURING:
Improving Scientific
Literacy Using Fermi
Questions

Emerging from the

Chrysalis

Careers in Science:
Neonatal Nurse

Growing with your

Students

New Science and Tech

Website for Students

Physics is Bananas!

Weather on the Web

Follow that Worm!

Learning by Accident

STAO Membership Report

LOOK UP... WAY UP: CANADIAN ASTRONOMER GETS ELEMENTS:

RARE VIEW OF THE UNIVERSE Aircraft Lift
PAGE 15
Greening the Way
CHECK OUT STAO/APSO’S BRAND NEW LOOK! Ontario Learns
VISIT US ON THE WEB AT http://www.stao.org Goggled Science
Keep current with the latest updates in Science Education.
 STAO/APSO 2004
Managing Change for Successful Learning
November 11-13, 2004
Featuring a variety of fabulous featured peakers and incredible topics!

Jack Bacon – On the Lunar Mars Push and History in the Making
Philip Currie – The Dinosaurs of Canada: Scientific, Cultural and Educational Icons
Jay Ingram – Grabbing their Attention: Why Not Use the Science of Everyday Life?
Bob McDonald – In the Pit, On the Peak: The highs and lows of Canadian Science
Joe Schwarcz – Science & the Paranormal and To Eat or Not to Eat... that is the Question
Ivan Semeniuk – Seven worlds in Seven Days
...plus over 200 other speakers!!!

DAILY SPECIAL EVENTS: STAO/APSO Mixer and the banquet on Thursday

STAO/APSO Celebration Luncheon on Saturday
STAO/APSO AGM on Friday

Register early and save on your registration fees! See www.stao.org for
full details and watch for your conference planner in the mail!

Doubletree International Plaza Hotel

655 Dixon Road • Toronto, Ontario • Canada M9W 1J3
Hotel Reservations: 416-244-1711 or 1-800-668-3656

Reserve before October 10th to receive the special STAO2004 conference rates.
 TAOCOM MEMBERS
S Ray Clement, Chair
Ministry of Environment
125 Resources Road
Etobicoke, ON; M9P 3V6
(416) 235-5906
FAX (416) 235-5744
ray_clement@stao.org
CRUCIBLE/ELEMENTS EDITOR/
Brenda Kosky
Brenda Kosky Communications Inc.
38 Golfview Drive
Dundas, Ontario; L9H 6V3
(905) 627-9538
FAX (905) 627-9531
bkosky@kosky.com
ADVERTISING MANAGER
Terry Price
(905) 939-8104
terry_price@stao.org
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
Jim Agban
295 Bud Gregory Blvd
Mississauga, ON; L4Z 2R4
(905) 890-3450; FAX (905) 501-1161
jim_agban@stao.org
Don Galbraith
360 Ridelle Ave. #915
Toronto, ON; M6B 1K1
(416) 978-7870
don_galbraith@stao.org
Herman Proper
Ontario Alliance Of Christian Schools
617 Garner Road East
Ancaster, ON; L9G 3K9
(905) 648-2100; FAX (905) 648-2110
herman_proper@stao.org
CONTENTS
Malisa Mezenberg
Currently on secondement to
OECTA Provincial Office
(416) 367-8033
President’s Message ........................................................5
Improving Scientific Literacy Using Fermi Questions ....7
Emerging from the Chrysalis: 10 Tips for First
malisa_mezenberg@stao.org
Year Teachers ..........................................................10
Laurel Schollen The Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium and Chi-Square Test of
School of Biological Sciences and
Applied Chemistry, Seneca College Significance: Part II – Practice Questions..............12
Seneca @ York Campus
70 The Pond Road
Careers in Science: Neonatal Nurse Nancy Yeh............13
Toronto, ON; M3J 3M6 Canadian Astronomer gets
(416) 491-5050, ext. 3775;
FAX (416) 661-3936 Rare View of the Universe ......................................15
laurel_schollen@stao.org
NASA Brain Bites Provide Answers for
Sandy Szeto Curious Minds..........................................................17
Windfields Junior High School
375 Banbury Road Growing with Your Students ..........................................18
North York, ON; M2L 2V2
(416) 395-3100
Just for Fun from the STAO/APSO Virtual Library ........23
FAX (416) 395-3105 NRC Launches New Science and Tech Website for
sandy_szeto@stao.org
Students ..................................................................24
Derek Totten
W.J. Watson P.S.
Fun with Pennies ............................................................25
162 Carrick Ave. Physics is Bananas ........................................................27
Keswick, ON; L4P 3P2
(905) 476-1618 Weather on the Web: From Observations
FAX (905) 476-5340
derek_totten@stao.org
to Explanations ........................................................28
STAO Hot Website: Rubistar is for you! ........................29
EXECUTIVE LIAISON
John Henry Follow that Worm! ..........................................................30
111 Bunker Hill Drive
Learning by Accident......................................................33
Hamilton, ON; L8K 5X3
(905) 560-9594; FAX (905) 560-9594 Safety Q & A ..................................................................34
john_henry@stao.org
Elements....................................................................Insert
PRODUCTION MGR./ASST. EDITOR
Shayla Gunter-Goldstein ON THE COVER
Brenda Kosky Communications Inc.
(416) 445-9538; FAX (416) 445-6695 140-Foot Telescope. The NRAO 140 Foot Telescope was completed in the
sgunter@kosky.com spring of 1965. Located in Green Bank, West Virginia. Used with permission.
National Radio Astronomy Observatory, a National Science Foundation
Facility, managed by Associated Universities. Inc.

DISCLAIMER Crucible is printed on recycled paper.

The enclosed information is to be considered as suggestions and recommendations only, and is neither to be considered as legal requirements nor as the policy of the Science Teachers’ Association of Ontario.
The conclusions, findings and opinions expressed herein are those of the individual contributors and not of the Science Teachers’ Association of Ontario. Neither the Science Teachers’ Association of Ontario
nor the individual contributors may make any guarantee, warranty or representation as to the correctness or sufficiency of any of the information herein. It can neither be assured that all necessary warnings
and precautionary measures are contained herein, nor that additional information or measures may not be required due to particular exceptional circumstances, or because of local present, new or modified
legislation in any region where the enclosed information is followed. Neither the Science Teachers’ Association of Ontario nor the individual contributors on behalf of themselves, their agents, subcommittees
or anyone acting on their behalf assume any responsibility for any of the material published herein, and both the Science Teachers’ Association of Ontario and the contributors disclaim any liability in negligence
or otherwise for any injury, loss or damage of whatever nature resulting from the use of any of the material herein.

Crucible is published five times a year by the Science Teachers’ Association of Ontario.
Issue dates are September, November, January, March, and June. ISSN 0381-8047. Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement #491314.
Undelivered issues should be returned to: STAO Membership Office, The Science Teachers’ Association of Ontario, Box 771, Dresden, Ontario N0P 1M0
Individual membership in STAO includes a subscription to both Crucible and Elements. For membership rates please turn to page 39. Send cheque or money order to STAO Membership Office,
The Science Teachers’ Association of Ontario, Box 771, Dresden, Ontario N0P 1M0. Change of address should be made to the preceding address at least six weeks prior to moving in writing, by telephone at
1-800-461-2264 or by fax at 519-683-2473.
All rights reserved. Articles may be reproduced, but requests for permission should be made directly to the author. The author’s address will be supplied by the Editor if it does not appear with the article.
Crucible welcomes both readers’ comments and articles. Articles should be typewritten clearly or word processed. Submissions on CDs or by email would be greatly appreciated. Articles should not be more
than 2 500 words long. Include with articles approximately 25 words of the author’s biography AS WELL AS the grade level for which the information may be useful. We also invite
head-and-shoulders, black-and-white authors’ photographs, as well as other photographs which would complement the contents of the submissions. If articles are accepted for publication, we reserve
the right to make appropriate editorial changes in style and length. Please send all correspondence to Shayla Gunter-Goldstein, Assistant Editor, Crucible magazine, c/o Ste. 307, 8 Roanoke Rd., North York,
Ontario, M3A 1E6. Email: sgunter@kosky.com. Writers should supply full name, school address, and home and school telephone numbers.

September 2004 CRUCIBLE 3

STAO BOARD OF DIRECTORS: 2004 - 2005
1ST VICE PRESIDENT SECRETARY SCCAO REPRESENTATIVE
Executive Committee Chuck Cohen
(905) 787-8772, xt. 615;
Joanne Harris
(905) 877-6976
Xavier Fazio
(905) 632-6314 x.214
chuck_cohen@stao.org joanne_harris@stao.org xavier_fazio@stao.org
PRESIDENT
John Henry 2ND VICE PRESIDENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT REGIONAL DIRECTOR
(905) 560-9594 Stephanie Grant COORDINATOR Wuchow Than
john_henry@stao.org stephanie_grant@stao.org Malisa Mezenberg (905) 627-7049
(416) 367-8033 wuchow_than@stao.org
PAST-PRESIDENT TREASURER malisa_mezenberg@stao.org
Maurice Di Giuseppe Dr. Greg Finn MEMBER AT LARGE
(416) 483-0591 (905) 688-5550 x.3528; Vacant
maurice_digiuseppe@stao.org greg_finn@stao.org

Regional Councillors Committee Chairs

REGION 1: THE NORTHERN REGION MEMBERSHIP STAOCOM
Susan Robinson Cheryl Madeira Ray Clement
(807) 345-1461 (416) 393-5561 See page 3: STAOCom Listings CONFERENCE CO-CHAIR 2005
susan_robinshon@stao.org cheryl_madeira@stao.org Adrian yu Lee
EXTERNAL RELATIONS adrian_yu_lee@stao.org
REGION 2: THE WESTERN REGION ELEMENTARY CURRICULUM Naomi Epstein
Vacant Derek Totten (416) 484-7229 SCIENCEWORKS CHAIR
(905) 476-1618 naomi_epstein@stao.org Ralph Gmell
REGION 3: THE CENTRAL REGION derek_totten@stao.org ralph_gmell@stao.org
Vacant CONFERENCE CO-CHAIR 2004
SECONDARY CURRICULUM Ian MacKellar VIRTUAL LIBRARY CHAIR
REGION 4: THE EASTERN REGION Milan Sanader (613) 348-3628 Dave Erb
Dennis Paré milan_sanader@stao.org ian_mackellar@stao.org dave_erb@stao.org
(613) 821-2261
dennis_pare@stao.org SAFETY CONFERENCE CO-CHAIR 2004 COMMUNICATIONS EDITORIAL
Dr. Ralph Chou Chuck Cohen COMMITTEE
REGION 5: METRO TORONTO (519) 888-4567, xt. 3741 See listing in Executive Committee Maurice DiGiuseppe
REGION ralph_chou@stao.org (416) 483-0591
Julie Vander Meij CONFERENCE CO-CHAIR 2005 maurice_digiuseppe@stao.org
julie_vandermeij@stao.org INTERNAL RELATIONS Anita Ghazariansteja
Dr. Gino Ferri (416) 396-6704 STAO WEBMASTER
(519) 364-4433 anita_ghazariansteja@stao.org Dan Eberwein
gino_ferri@stao.org dan_eberwein@stao.org
HONOURARY PRESIDENT
Erminia Pedretti
erminia_pedretti@stao.org

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
Paul Weese MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
Denis McGowan
FACULTIES OF
EDUCATION
Institutional Representatives
STAO Membership Office
Box 771, Dresden, ON; N0P 1M0 (416) 325-2523 Peder Nielsen UNIVERSITY REPRESENTATIVE
1-800-461-2264; FAX 1-800-754-1654 denis.mcgowan@edu.gov.on.ca (519) 268-1807 Dr. Greg Finn
paul_weese@stao.org peder_nielsen@stao.org See listing in Executive Committee
FRANCO-ONTARIEN
Marc G. Lecompte CAAT REPRESENTATIVE
MANAGER, STAO SCIENCE STORE
(613) 744-8344 Vacant
Ian MacKellar
marc_lecompte@stao.org
(613) 348-3628; FAX (613)348-1006
ian_mackellar@stao.org

4 CRUCIBLE Volume 36 • 1
P RESIDENT’S MESSAGE
My name is John Henry and I am the
new President of STAO/APSO. I
received my chemistry degree at the
University of Hull in England where I
taught in a Grammar School for 4
years. In 1969 I moved to Hamilton
and taught in a number of secondary
schools and became Head of
Department and also Special
Education Consultant. For nine years I
was also a Science Consultant in
charge of science from Junior
Kindergarten to OAC. This is my 40th
year of teaching and during the last six
years I have been teaching one
semester per year at Westmount
Secondary School in Hamilton.
During the last six years I have been
an active member of the STAO/APSO
Safety Committee giving many
workshops on ‘Be Safe.’ When the
‘Stay Safe’ project was introduced I
became the Project Manager and
oversaw its successful completion.
There are many challenges for
STAO/APSO in the next year. The
principal one is the review of the new
science curriculum which will start in
September 2005. STAO has to be
ready to present your views to the
Ministry and we will be doing this in a
variety of ways, especially at the
conference. Teachers will be asked to
Get ready for STAO/APSO 2004!
November 11-13, 2004
Mark your calendar today, and don’t miss out on this
excellent professional development experience!!
For full details, visit www.stao.org
September 2004
enry
John H ent
Presid
STAO
fill out questionnaires and your
comments will help us greatly in our
presentation.
Alan King’s study on retention of
students has had a considerable impact
on the Minister. Over the summer we
have had a writing team prepare
science articles which can be used to
help students develop literacy skills.
They will be available on the
STAO/APSO Website (www.stao.org)
in the early fall. We hope your
students will benefit from this project.
The STAO/APSO Conference will be
held in Toronto at the Doubletree
International Plaza Hotel on
November 11 – 13, 2004. The theme
for this year’s conference is
‘Managing Change for Successful
Learning.’ The conference planner is
complete and as expected, the
Program Committee has done an
amazing job. You should have re-
ceived the conference program along
with this issue of Crucible. I urge you
to read through it early so you may
plan your conference visit. With over
200 speakers, I’m sure you’ll want to
take in many of the excellent sessions
being offered. Don’t forget to book
your hotel room early if you are
attending from outside of Toronto.
We were able to obtain a generous
grant from Merck to produce another
edition of the calendar for Elementary
School teachers. It will be sent to
every elementary school in the early
fall. We hope that you will find it very
useful and be able to use it with your
classes.
I am looking forward to a very
challenging year and hope to meet
your needs as science teachers. Feel
free to contact me through the
STAO/APSO First Class site:
john_henry@stao.org. I wish
you all a very successful and
enjoyable year.
CRUCIBLE 5
 QUESTIONS • COMMENTS • CONCERNS
who to call . . .
✁
MOVING?
Crucible – General
Ray Clement
(416) 235-5906 (bus.)
(416) 235-5744 (fax)
ray_clement@stao.org
? Membership/Magazine
Mailing
1-800-461-2264
(Now accessible
throughout Ontario!)
Financial Matters
Dr. Greg Finn

!
(905) 688-5550, x.3528
greg_finn@stao.org
Let STAO know...

Advertising
Terry Price
!
(905) 939-8104 (home)
terry_price@stao.org
paul_weese@stao.org

Policy Matters
Paul Weese
(800) 461-2264
paul_weese@stao.org
? Professional
Development
Malisa Mezenberg
(416) 367-8033 (home)
malisa_mezenberg@stao.org
Name:

Membership No.:

Old Address:

Deadline schedule for Crucible & Elements

Please make note of these dates on your calendar!
New Address:
Issue Number Deadline
November 2004 36.2 Sept. 7 ’04
January 2005 36.3 Nov. 5 ’04
March 2005 36.4 Jan. 5 ’05
New Telephone:
This deadline applies to all articles, illustrations, and advertisements which
Please forward this information to:
must be submitted (preferably on hard copy and accompanied by an electronic
STAO Membership Office
version -- Macintosh or .rtf files preferred) to: Shayla Gunter-Goldstein, Assistant
Box 771, Dresden, Ontario. N0P 1M0
Editor, Crucible, Ste. 307, 8 Roanoke Rd., Toronto, Ontario, M3A 1E6
1-800-461-2264, fax to 1-800-754-1654
or e-mail articles to: sgunter@kosky.com
or email: paul_weese@stao.org
PLEASE INCLUDE THE GRADE LEVEL FOR WHICH THE ARTICLE MAY BE USEFUL. ✁

FOR EXPERIENCED
PROFESSIONAL CARE!!

• EXPERIENCE
• EXCELLENCE
• INTEGRITY DAVE LAING
WE OFFER: SINCE 1990 WE SELL:
• competitive prices on service jobs of all sizes LATEX & VINYL GLOVES
• prompt ‘on-site’ service to minimize down-time AT COMPETITIVE PRICES!
• we sell new and reconditioned equipment MIXED CASES (S, M, L) AVAILABLE.
• most replacement parts in stock
• detailed and accurate billing (YOU get a copy)

SERVICE & REPAIR TO MICROSCOPES, BALANCES, & SMALL LAB INSTRUMENTS

3 - 1750 THE QUEENSWAY, SUITE 1245. TORONTO, ONTARIO. M9C 5H5
(416) 259-6609 • 1-800-56LAING • FAX: (905) 277-1971

6 CRUCIBLE Volume 36 • 1
S CIENCE IN EDUCATION
Improving Scientific Literacy Using
Fermi Questions
This article is based on a presentation
given by the author at the 2003 STAO
Conference.
Introduction
We all have some notion of what
constitutes scientific literacy; it is a
basic familiarity with how the world
works. Scientific “common sense,”
some might call it. This term also
connotes a basic facility with concepts
in mathematics. It goes without saying
that at this point in history and in our
culture, a truly literate individual must
also be scientifically literate.
Major efforts are underway in the
developed world at this time to
improve scientific literacy. Indeed, the
Natural Sciences and Engineering
Research Council of Canada
(NSERC), one of the most prominent
agencies that funds scientific research
in this nation, has recently announced
a program – Centres for Research in
Youth, Science Teaching and Learning
(CRYSTAL) – aimed specifically at
these concerns.
The economic and political
consequences of a scientifically literate
workforce (or a lack thereof) have
been frequently addressed; a scientif-
ically literate person can participate
more effectively in society. A science
teacher, however, has a more
immediate focus: enhancing students’
scientific literacy improves their
critical skills, their general reasoning
capabilities, and gives students a sense
of whether their answers are
reasonable. Additionally, scientifically
literate individuals are less apt to
succumb to growing pseudoscientific
temptations in our society — from
alternative medicine to psychics.
It is important to appreciate the
distinction between scientific literacy
September 2004
««« By Michael De Robertis
Michael De Robertis teaches in the Department of Physics & Astronomy
at York University. He may be reached at: mmdr@yorku.ca
and technological literacy. The ability
to program a VCR or DVD is an
example of technological literacy.
Understanding how a VCR or DVD
works in the simplest scientific terms,
however, is of greater importance and
is an example of scientific literacy.
Motivation
It is both illuminating and entertaining
to provide a few examples of scientific
illiteracy or innumeracy taken from
everyday experiences to motivate a
program to improve students’ skills:
1. To compete with the quarter-pound
burger of a well-known fast-food
chain, another fast-food chain offered
its customers a “one-third pound
burger.” The new one-third pound
burger didn’t sell well because too
many people thought that a quarter-
pound burger was bigger than a one-
third pound burger.
2. In a radio interview, a person
extolling the virtues of eating peanut
butter claimed that the average
North American eats 100,000 peanut
butter sandwiches in a lifetime.
3. A single bankruptcy lawyer in the
USA in 1990-91 billed clients for an
average of 1,200 hours of work a
month – from a low of 851 hours, to
a high of 1,547 hours.
4. “A million, a billion, a trillion
dollars; what does it matter, so long
as the problem is solved.”
5. In 1990, an advocate for the
homeless claimed that homeless
people die at the rate of 45 each
second in the USA.
While the first three examples may
seem almost trivial, there is no doubt
that scientific illiteracy can have very
serious consequences as the last two
clearly show. Perhaps the most
disastrous example was China’s so-
called “Great Leap Forward” in the
mid-1960s which led to the deaths of
tens of millions of people. Many of
these perished in part because of the
scientifically illiterate policies of Mao
Zedong.1
Fermi Questions
The Fermi Question, sometimes
known as the “back of the envelope”
question, was named after 1938 Nobel
Laureate (in Physics), Enrico Fermi.
Fermi used to challenge his students
with questions that involved estimation
coupled with an understanding of
fundamental scientific concepts.
Classical Fermi Questions (FQs)
include, how many barbers are there in
New York City, or how many piano
tuners are there in Chicago?
Scientists and educators agree that a
judicious employment of FQs can
enhance students’ scientific literacy at
almost any level; from elementary
school through to graduate school. It
can be quite an empowering
experience for students to realize that
so much about the natural world can
be quantified and is well within their
powers of reasoning! Teachers are
fortunate that most students find FQs
rather entertaining if administered
regularly at the appropriate level.
continued on page 8...
1 The New Emperors: China in the Era of
Mao & Deng by Harrison E. Salisbury,
Little Brown & Company, Boston, 1992.
CRUCIBLE 7
S CIENCE IN EDUCATION
Fermi Questions (...continued from page 7)
How to Begin
Students have been understandably
conditioned to believe that precision is
a hallmark of science. It can come as a
shock to some students, therefore, that
in the case of FQs the answer is of
secondary importance to the method of
arriving at an answer. (I write “an
answer” rather than “the answer,”
since a range of answers is
acceptable.) This point has to be
emphasized repeatedly.
By “method,” it is meant charting a
rational and logical approach to
achieving an answer in the appropriate
context. An answer is arrived at by
folding in various assumptions and
estimating certain quantities where
required.
Students at all levels should be
encouraged to estimate quantities
involving familiar situations. For
example, at the senior elementary
level, students may be asked to
estimate things like:
• the number of students in their
school,
• the number of bricks in the school,
• the length of the perimeter of the
schoolyard,
• the number of tennis balls that
would fit in the classroom,
• the number of blades of grass on the
field,
• the number of potato chips eaten in
the school cafeteria daily, etc.
Questions at the elementary level
should always be tailored as closely as
possible to the local context.
More mature FQs require students to
be comfortable with fundamental
units: length, mass and time, as well as
scientific notation. (A desirable
byproduct of practicing FQs is that
students gain a deeper appreciation of
the importance of units and,
ultimately, of dimensional analysis to
8 CRUCIBLE
solve science problems.) There is no
doubt that a little time spent on FQs
will pay significant dividends in the
long run.
How Many Dentists are there
in Ontario?
It is useful to illustrate how one
approaches systematically a simple
FQ since the most frequent question
students ask when introduced to FQs
is, how do I start? One starts by
devising a plan for arriving at an
answer, listing all assumptions along
the way, and then carrying it out.
Basic assumption: there are just
enough dentists to accommodate
Ontarians if they work a regular (40-
hour) work week.
Plan:
• Determine how many patients the
average dentist sees each year
• Divide the total population of
Ontario by this number to arrive at
the number of dentists who could be
supported
In order to find how many people the
average dentist sees annually, we
make the further assumptions that a
typical dentist appointment lasts for
about 1 hour and that people visit their
dentist twice each year. The solution
now follows straightforwardly:
Solution:
• A dentist treats 40 patients per week
(40 hr/1 hr)
• Or 1,000 patients per half year (40
patients/week x 25 weeks/half year)
• Since there are 10,000,000 children
& adults in Ontario, there should be
10,000 dentists (10,000,000/1,000)
in Ontario
How close is this? According to the
Royal College of Dental Surgeons of
Ontario, this is well within 50% of the
actual figure. But I wish to emphasize
the following:
a) There is no exact answer.
Providing the logic underlying the
plan is correct and the estimation
is reasonable, a range of answers
is acceptable. So it doesn’t matter
if dentists actually work only 35
hours per week on average or take
six weeks vacation annually, etc.
b) Solving FQs often requires
students to expand their horizons
beyond what is normally expected
of them (e.g., to know the
population of Ontario). Moreover,
students will soon be able to
identify examples of sets with one
thousand elements (population of
a large school), one million
elements (population of a fairly
large city), one billion elements
(population of the western
hemisphere), etc.
More Involved Questions
Though it may take some time to
think up challenging FQs to give a
class, it is well worth the effort.
Seeing a few examples is always
helpful. Consider then the following
questions that may be appropriate for
senior elementary school or the first
years of high school (with order of
magnitude answers or hints in
brackets):
a) How many hairs are there on your
head? [100,000]
b) How many times is a basketball
dribbled in a game? [3,000]
c) How many words are in the
school library? (100,000
words/book)
d) How many hours have you slept
in your life so far? [40,000 for
teenager]
e) How much garbage is produced
annually in your school? (~100
kg/student/yr)
Volume 36 • 1
S CIENCE IN EDUCATION
Fermi Questions (...continued from page 8)
f) How far does the entire student
population travel daily within the
school? (~1 km/student/day)
g) How many words are spoken in
Canada in one day? [50 billion]
h) How much money is spent
annually in Canada on pets? [$10
billion]
i) How many grains of rice are eaten
monthly in China? [30 trillion]
j) What is the combined annual
salary of all professional athletes
who play team sports in North
America? [$3 billion]
k) What is the total distance a
hockey puck travels in a single
NHL game? [10 km]
l) How many words are printed in
all copies of Canadian newspapers
in a typical business day?
[2 trillion]
(Note that some of these
questions/answers have important
social consequences and so could
stimulate discussions beyond the
science or math classroom.)
FQs may also include a scientific
component, though these are normally
reserved for more senior high school
classes:
a) Which exerts a greater pressure; a
woman in high heels or an
elephant standing still? [woman]
b) How many kilograms of water
contain about as many molecules
as there are drops of water in all
the oceans? [~1 kg]
c) How many ants does an anteater
eat in its lifetime? [40 million]
d) How many molecules of air once
breathed by Julius Caesar were in
your last breath? [~1,000]
e) If the iron in Earth’s core were
made into a long wire with a
cross-sectional diameter of 1 mm,
how long would the wire be?
[5e25 m]
f) What is the minimum amount of
September 2004
energy used to make hot coffee/tea Finally, at the 2003 STAO Conference,
consumed by people in Ontario on I challenged the audience of teachers
an average day? [2 trillion J] with the following five FQs. How
g) What volume of carbon dioxide is would you fare? See the shaded box
exhaled by Earth’s population below for the “answers.”
daily? [ 100 trillion cubic m]
1. How many snowflakes fall on
(I am indebted to the American Manitoba annually?
Journal of Physics for some of the
questions above.) 2. How many ice cubes can be made
from ice occurring naturally on
Conclusions Earth?
Fermi Questions can be used to great
effect in the math and science 3. If the hairs from the fur of every
classrooms of elementary and high cat in Ontario are placed end to
schools (not to mention university end, how long would the single
classrooms). Their regular usage can strand be?
lead to students with enhanced critical-
thinking/reasoning skills and a greater 4. How many notes are played by all
facility for estimation – scientific the instruments combined during a
“common sense.” Given some thought performance of Beethoven’s Fifth
and placed in the appropriate context, Symphony?
students find Fermi Questions
entertaining, making their introduction 5. The carton containing a 60-Watt
into the classroom easier on the light bulb promises a lifetime of
teacher. 500 hours. How many moles of
photons does the light bulb emit in
its life?
Answers
(As determined by the author who sometimes cheated to ensure his estimates
were as close as possible!):
1. 2 x 1019 snowflakes
2. 3 x 1021 ice cubes
3. 1 x 1010 metres (or 30 times the Earth-Moon distance)
4. 1 x 105 notes (there really are apparently 64,137 notes)
7. 1 x 103 moles of photons
Need to reach someone at STAO?
STAO has set up a First Class account called “info@stao.org”.
Messages sent to this account go directly to Paul Weese,
Executive Assistant of STAO.
We’re looking forward to hearing from you!
CRUCIBLE 9
S CIENCE IN EDUCATION
Emerging from the Chrysalis: 10 Tips for
First Year Teachers
Teachers often expect that after the
scramble and stress of their first year
on the job, they will attain mastery
after the first couple of years. I believe
this is not true. Many people plateau
and do not improve appreciably even
if the desire is there. Conscious
planning to improve your practice can
lead to long term change. Make raising
the bar each year a habit. The
following are tips that teachers can use
to help improve themselves.
My Top Ten Tips for First
Year (and other) Teachers
1. Find a mentor ASAP. I can’t
emphasize this enough. Some
schools have an official mentor
program but if not, there is usually
someone in your own department
3. Set the pace. What you start out
that will unofficially take you
under their wing and give you
suggestions and help. Most
teachers are willing to provide
advice on how to achieve best
practice.
2. Make a list of things to master:
goals for this year and next year.
Call it an Annual Education Plan
or a list of goals, but students and
teachers alike should be making
lists of long term and short term,
specific, attainable goals.
Remember S.M.A.R.T. goals?
They are: S=specific,
M=measurable, A=attainable,
R=realistic and T=tangible. E.g. If
your goal is to improve your
classroom management skills, how
will you go about doing it? When
will this goal be reached? How
will you know if you have
improved? Usually, we have
vague goals about “doing better”
such as improving classroom
1 B.Z. Shakashiri, Chemical Demonstrations: A Handbook for Teachers of Chemistry, Vol. 1-4, University of Wisconsin Press. Also: Science is
Fun Website: www.scifun.chem.wisc.edu
10 CRUCIBLE
««« By Leila Knetsch
Leila Knetsch is a Biology/Chemistry teacher at Winston Churchill
Collegiate in the TDSB (Scarborough).
management, finishing courses,
improving parental contact,
making a course more hands-on,
being more on top of one’s
marking, indeed, being more on
top of everything! If you have a
four-day turnaround for marking,
could you make it a two-day
turnaround? Do you want to
improve parental contact? How
about taking one prep time a
week, making a list of 10 students
about whom you are concerned,
and calling the parents or sending
out letters of concern.
doing, you will continue doing.
Set a minimum standard for
yourself. Give yourself practical
short-term goals. An example
might be to teach one chapter per
week, which includes one
laboratory activity, one
demonstration and a test or quiz.
Be practical! Do not have all your
lab days be the same day for every
class. Take the ebb and flow of
school life into account. On
Mondays, students are tired. This
leaves Tuesday, Wednesday,
Thursday which are (in my
opinion) peak theory days.
Thursdays and Fridays are optimal
lab days and it gives students
something to look forward to. Be
sensitive to the students. They
cannot handle 75 minutes of
droning, multiplied by 4 classes.
4. Mix it up – You don’t have to
In a week give them one class
where they are are teaching
themselves (eg. doing worksheets,
learning to do crib notes from the
text, solving problems on their
own, doing mind maps, etc.) or
engaging in cooperative learning
(Monday), and perhaps have a
demo-lesson on Tuesday. On
Wednesday have a regular theory
day, Thursday have some theory
plus a test or quiz, and on Friday
end by complementing the week’s
theory with a practical lab
component. It could be a full
period lab with a full write up due
or it could be more of a lesson
followed by a process lab such as
making soap or bath bombs, ice
cream (heat transfer, Gr. 11
Chemistry) or silly putty (Organic
Chemistry). If you’re unable to do
a “cool” lab or make a product on
a Friday (who can come up for
something every Friday?), at least
try to light something on fire or
explode something. It occurred to
me that students take science year
after year, just hoping and yearning
for a good explosion. A good
demonstration is the Thermite
reaction (see Shakashiri’s demos
for more details1) – for grades 9,
10, or 11 chemistry as a single
displacement reaction with good
connection to societal implications.
The Acetylene bomb is another
ideal demonstration. If you plan it
right, you can fit in a lot of neat
stuff to complement the theory and
still finish the curriculum.
always do a mega-lab each time.
Download your workload! Have a
Volume 36 • 1
S CIENCE IN EDUCATION
partial write-up sometimes; it will
be easier on the students and you
in terms of workload. You also
don’t always have to have a full-
period lab. Sometimes it’s great to
do a mini-lesson/mini-lab
combination. Using a
demonstration is a great way to
capture student interest and add
theory, without all the work of a
lab. Besides the entertainment
value and the interest created,
demonstrations are also a
wonderful way to get through to
the visual learners out there.
5. Make a month-at-a-glance plan.
Print off calendar pages from your
computer and determine generally
what you are going to teach on
which days during the month for a
particular subject. Write in pencil
and revise as you go along. This
is helpful as you don’t have to ask
yourself “what am I going to
teach tomorrow?” Instead, the
question will be “how am I going
to teach/get them to learn
expectation x/y/z?” Also, you will
find that you will finish more of
the course if you plan ahead. You
will have time to do more labs,
activities and hands-on learning
that your students (and likely you)
long for. Your colleagues might be
skipping things because they have
run out of time, but you will be
able to fit more material in
because you planned around the
assemblies, shortened days, etc.
6. Scavenge and sort continually.
Continue to scavenge for ideas,
labs, activities, demonstrations,
worksheets, etc. from student
teachers, colleagues, the Internet,
Crucible, etc. Have course binders
with dividers for every subject.
When you find something
interesting and useful, file it in the
binder, under the appropriate unit.
This helps you avoid a mad panic
when you have to teach a new
course. Instead you should have a
feeling of excitement since you
September 2004
get to use your “mined treasure.”
Textbooks from other publishers
and old textbooks from previous
curricula can also be a valuable
source of excellent labs,
demonstrations and diagrams. Just
because the curriculum has
changed does not mean that the
scientific basics have!
7. Keep up to date and into the
habit of exchanging (not
leeching!) with colleagues in your
school and elsewhere. With the
many people (student teachers,
LTOs, etc.) moving in and out of
schools, this can be very simple.
It’s easy to ask someone for
something when you know that
you have something that they want
in return. Inter-school mail makes
this a snap. It’s the old barter
system. I will photocopy and send
to you five excellent demonstrat-
ions for use in each of the Grade
11 Chemistry units in exchange for
some interesting items for the
Grade 12 Biology Homeostasis
unit. Since we know our schedules
months in advance, there is loads
of time to make these offers.
8. Consider teaching your courses
along a theme. I would suggest a
Society, Technology and the
Environment (STSE) theme. It’s a
great way to help raise environ-
mentally conscious young people.
Don’t forget about STSE! As a
young (or not so young) rookie
teacher, there is a youthful
optimism and concern for the
environment and societal issues.
Try to incorporate these into your
classes. The theme is already in the
Science Sillies
Teachers have forwarded these answers from test papers, essays, etc. They were
submitted to science and health teachers by elementary, junior high, high school, and
college students. From time to time, when space is available, Crucible will publish
several of these items for your amusement.
“Vacuum: A large, empty space where the pope lives.”
“Before giving a blood transfusion, find out if the blood is affirmative or
negative.”
curriculum, although less so than in
the last curriculum where it was
weaved into every course in
addition to being covered in the
environmental science and science
in society courses which have since
been removed from the curriculum.
Some teachers have themes
running through their courses, and
they pull everything together using
the theme as the backbone.
9. Take a trip to the library at
OISE. A one-day trip to the library
at OISE with some cash for
photocopying can be very exciting.
Make it an annual event! Make a
list of the courses you are teaching
and some suggested topics and
then hit the stacks. There is so
much out there. Every year it’s a
great idea to load up on good ideas.
The difference between a good
program and a great program is
resources, resources, and more
resources. Don’t try to get your
courses “in shape” and leave them
as is for the next 30 years. The goal
should be to refresh and renew,
starting on day 1. After the first
two years, when you are not as
frazzled by day-to-day survival,
you will get bored unless you mix
it up. Get beyond “survival” mode
and onto “mastery” mode.
10. Find a shoulder to unload on.
First year is a tough year and it is
helpful to have a confidant with
whom you can voice your fears, or
on whom you can shed some
occasional tears. It can certainly
have a buffering effect.
Good luck!
CRUCIBLE 11
S CIENCE IN EDUCATION
The Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium and the
Chi-Square Test of Significance: Part II
Practice Questions - Using χ2 to test for evolution
Part one of this article appeared in
Crucible, Volume 35.1, September
2003. Refer to www.stao.org after this
issue is published, to see the complete
article.
How can you tell if a population is
evolving or not? Use the χ2 test of
significance to help you decide.
««« By Seonaid Davis
Seonaid Davis is Co-ordinator, Programs for Highly Able Students at
Havergal College in Toronto. She is a regular contributor to Crucible.
Just because the observed allelic frequencies calculated from the original
genotypic data are used to calculate the expected genotypic frequencies, you
might think that it will necessarily show that the population is in Hardy Weinberg
equilibrium. Complete the following examples to show that this is not
necessarily true.
Consider the following data. Is this population in Hardy Weinberg
equilibrium? Use your χ2 analysis to check.1

Remember to check your total population size.

Numbers of Genotypes Allele Frequencies The results from the χ2 test are non-
individuals significant. This means that the
MM MN NN p q population is in Hardy Weinberg
Observed 114 76 10 0.76 0.24 equilibrium.

Expected proportions p2 2pq q2

Expected frequencies 0.58 0.36 0.06 Total value for χ2 test = 0.58

Expected numbers 116 72 12

χ = (o-e) /e
2 2
0.03 0.22 0.33 Degrees of freedom = 1

Consider the following data2. Is this population evolving? Use your χ2 test to
find out.

Remember to check your total population size (200).

Numbers of Genotypes Allele Frequencies The χ2 test gives a significant result.
individuals This means that the difference
MM MN NN p q between the observed and expected
Observed 152 0 48 0.76 0.24 results would not be expected to
happen by chance alone. The inference
2 2
Expected proportions p 2pq q is that the population is evolving.
Expected frequencies 0.58 0.36 0.06 Total value for χ2 test = 191.17

Expected numbers 116 72 12 Degrees of freedom = 1

χ2 = (o-e) 2/e 11.17 72 108

continued on page 13...

1 Adapted from: Crow, J.F. 1986. Basic Concepts in Population, Quantitative, and Evolutionary Genetics. W.H. Freeman and Co., Sand Francisco, CA.
Pg 528-529
2 Adapted from: Crow, J.F. 1986. Basic Concepts in Population, Quantitative, and Evolutionary Genetics. W.H. Freeman and Co., Sand Francisco, CA.
Pg 528-529
3 Source: R.A. Fisher and F. Yates, Statistical Tables for Biological, Agricultural and Medical Research (6th Edition) Oliver & Boyd, Ltd., Edinburgh

12 CRUCIBLE Volume 36 • 1
C AREERS IN SCIENCE

Neonatal Nurse: Nancy Yeh

Nancy Yeh is a full time Registered ««« By Leila Knetsch

Nurse (neonatal nursing) at Women’s
College Hospital, where she has
worked for the past five years. Ms. Yeh
also works part time at Toronto East
General. Mrs. Leila Knetsch
interviewed her for the first of a series
of career profiles that she uses with
her students.
Mrs. Knetsch: Would you
please describe your job?
Ms. Yeh: Some of my duties include
basic things like taking the vital
signs of the babies (temperature,
heart rate, respiration and blood
pressure). Also, I perform a head
to toe assessment and look for
certain things like bruising, body
proportion and skin colour –
looking for jaundice, etc. I listen
for bowel movements and weigh
Leila Knetsch is a Biology/Chemistry teacher at Winston Churchill
Collegiate in the TDSB (Scarborough).
the babies’ diapers to make sure
that their bowels are working well.
In addition, I check the babies’
breathing and if it is too fast or
too slow, I put them on different
types of ventilators. Because it is
the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), I
am constantly monitoring the
babies.
I take care of babies that are born
prematurely, between 23 and 40
weeks. In many cases, these
babies have medical problems and
need to be monitored. For
example, if a mother had a fever
before she gave birth, then the
baby may need to have antibiotics.
In another example, if a mother
has had a Caesarian section birth,
the baby can’t get rid of the lung
fluid and will have to stay in the
ICU due to respiratory distress.
Babies also sometimes swallow
the meconium (waste) due to
stress and have to be on a
ventilator for a short time. Infants
stay at the hospital from one day
to four or five months, depending
on their medical needs and how
prematurely they were born.
Nurses see the parents as well as
the babies on a daily basis. Some
nurses try to work with certain
babies if they have a special
connection with the family.
continued on page 14...

Practice questions (...continued from page 12)

χ2 table of values3
Degrees
of
Freedom Probability

95% 90% 80% 70% 50% 30% 20% 10% 5% 1% 0.1%

1 0.004 0.02 0.06 0.15 0.46 1.07 1.64 2.71 3.84 6.64 10.83
2 0.10 0.21 0.45 0.71 1.39 2.41 3.22 4.60 5.99 9.21 13.82
3 0.35 0.58 1.01 1.42 2.37 3.66 4.64 6.25 7.82 11.34 16.27
4 0.71 1.06 1.65 2.20 3.36 4.88 5.99 7.78 9.49 13.28 18.47
5 1.14 1.61 2.34 3.00 4.35 6.06 7.29 9.24 11.07 15.09 20.52
6 1.63 2.20 3.07 3.83 5.35 7.23 8.56 10.64 12.59 16.81 22.46
7 2.17 2.83 3.82 4.67 6.35 8.38 9.80 12.02 14.07 18.48 24.32
8 2.73 3.49 3.49 5.53 7.34 9.52 11.03 13.36 15.51 20.09 26.12
9 3.32 4.17 4.17 6.39 8.34 10.66 12.24 14.68 16.92 21.67 27.88
10 3.94 4.86 4.86 7.27 9.34 11.78 13.44 15.99 18.31 23.21 29.59

Non significant Significant

September 2004 CRUCIBLE 13

C AREERS IN SCIENCE
Neonatal Nurse (...continued from page 13)
LK: What is your academic
background?
NY: I have a Bachelor of Science,
Nursing from the University of
Toronto. It is a 4-year degree.
LK: What subjects should high
school students concentrate on
to enter into the nursing field?
NY: Students should have a B+
average and be strong in
Mathematics, Science and
English. Currently, to be a nurse,
students need to take two years
of Arts and Science and then two
years of a Bachelor of Science in
Nursing. Some nursing schools in
Ontario are: MacMaster
University, University of
Toronto, Ryerson University,
Queen’s University, York
University (new program) and
University of Western Ontario.
Another option is to do a college-
university collaborative program.
EVENT CALENDAR
September
10, 17 Star Party @ Science North,
Sudbury, 8 p.m. Gaze at the
planets, the moon and the stars
through powerful telescopes with
the help of Science North’s
astronomer and volunteers from
the Sudbury Astronomy Club.
Access a recorded message for
updates: 705-522-3701, ext. 243.
Admission is FREE for everyone!
More info:
http://sciencenorth.ca/plan/
calendarofevents/
Ongoing
Dynamic Earth at Science North.
Go inside the planet to explore
the mighty forces of nature that
impact people and cultures
around the world. Visit:
http://dynamicearth.ca or
http://sciencenorth.ca for more
information.
14 CRUCIBLE
LK: Why did you go into nursing?
NY: I have always enjoyed caring for
people and thought that I had the
qualities that would allow me to
contribute to the profession. I
think this is something I learned
while growing up. My grand-
mother took care of me and I
wanted to repay her. My grand-
father was ill and I took care of
him. I like the aspect of relation-
ship building. Some patients you
see only once, while some pat-
ients you see for months and get
to know their families as well.
LK: What are some of the skills
needed for nursing?
NY: You must have good communi-
cation skills, be a good listener,
and be a person that is very
respectful of people with
different backgrounds.
Sometimes people make choices
that you might not agree with but
you have to respect their choices.
October
4-8 4th World Conference of Science
Journalists, “Reporting the
future: Journalism meets
emerging science.” Montreal.
Visit: http://www.wcsj2004.com
for more information.
16-23 National Chemistry Week.
Visit: www.cheminst.ca/ncw/
index.html for more info.
23 National Mole Day. Visit:
www.moleday.org/ for more
information.
November
11-13 STAO 2004. Managing Change
for Successful Learning.
International Doubletree Hotel,
Toronto. More details:
www.stao.org
There are cases with babies that
are as young as 23 weeks old
where some people want you to
do everything for them even
when the outcome is very
uncertain due to the fact that they
have not finished developing.
You also need to be a good team
player, have excellent organiza-
tional skills, good time manage-
ment skills, and you need to show
a lot of initiative in learning new
things and taking on tasks.
LK: What is one skill that you need
to have as a nurse that you did
not expect?
NY: You have to be really organized.
There is a lot of tracking of
patients. There are so many
patients and if you cannot
organize your time to care for
them, that is a problem. Time
management is a must.
LK: What is the range of pay?
NY: The pay starts at $21-33/hr. You
get paid more for holidays, plus
you can get time and a half or
double time pay if you work
overtime.
LK: What is the worst part of your
job?
NY: The worst thing is the shiftwork
and the long hours. However,
there is a plus side when you do
two 12 hour days and two 12
hour nights and then get four
days off.
LK: What do you like best about
your job?
NY: I love watching the babies become
healthier and grow, and then see
them go home. It’s really
something. It’s nice to know that
you had something to do
with them being alive.
Volume 36 • 1
S CIENCE AND SPACE
Canadian Astronomer gets Rare View
of the Universe
So, you think that only professional
scientists get to do neat things? Think
again. On June 28 and 29, I (a teacher
and amateur astronomer) had the
opportunity to use the 40-foot radio
telescope at the National Radio
Astronomy Observatory (NRAO)
facility in Green Bank, West Virginia.
About 300 years ago, an explosion
occurred in our galaxy which signalled
the end of a massive star’s life. The
star was 11,000 light years
(104,068,800,000,000,000 km) away.
The expanding shell of material which
remains from that explosion is known
as Cassiopeia-A and is moving
outwards at more than 16,000,000
kilometres per hour. The remnant of
that supernova explosion can still be
detected by astronomers today.
While Cassiopeia-A is only one of
many galactic supernova remnants or
SNRs, it is one of the objects which I
attempted to detect while in West
Virginia. In the early morning hours of
June 28, I swung a huge 12-metre
diameter antenna into position.
Philip adjusts the motor control to position the
NRAO’s 40-foot radio telescope to receive a
radio signal from 3C10. The control room is
located underground to prevent signals from the
equipment interfering with the telescopes.
September 2004
««« By Philip Gebhardt
Philip Gebhardt teaches evening science courses at the Palmerston
Community School in Whitby, Ontario.
Although the antenna looks like an
oversized satellite dish, this antenna
did not pick up satellite TV programs.
It was peering 567,648,000,000,000,
000,000 km into space at the constel-
lation Virgo. I waited for 25 minutes
as the antenna and Earth rotated under
the stars. Finally, a weak signal began
to appear. It continued to increase over
the next 5 minutes, then peaked, and
then in the following 5 minutes it
decreased and disappeared. I had
detected a radio source known as
Virgo-A. Over the next several days, I
detected several other radio sources,
some with unusual sounding names
like 3C10 and W28. It was truly
exciting.
The NRAO is one of the world’s
premier research facilities for radio
astronomy. The NRAO operates
powerful, advanced radio telescopes
which scientists from around the world
use to probe fundamental questions in
astronomy and physics. The
NRAO operates the Robert C.
Byrd Green Bank Telescope
(GBT), the world’s largest (100
by 110 metres) fully steerable
radio telescope, as well as several
other telescopes. I used the
NRAO’s 40-foot (12-metre)
telescope for my study. These
telescopes are large versions of
the satellite dishes found on
many homes.
While many people still think of
astronomy as a visual science,
astronomers today also study
objects that emit radio waves,
infrared radiation, x-rays and
gamma rays. Objects such as
$
Philip Gebhardt poses with the 40-foot
(12-metre) diameter radio telescope
which he used to detect 3C218
Cassiopeia-A act as huge radio
transmitters which send out signals
that can be received here on Earth.
These objects emit radio signals on
frequencies similar to FM radio
stations, TV stations, cell phones and
satellites. Because of the enormous
distances, the signals are extremely
weak when they reach Earth. Large
antennas and sensitive receivers are
needed to detect the signals.
Last year, I studied x-ray astronomy
techniques at the National Space
Science and Technology Center
(NSSTC) in Huntsville, Alabama in a
program sponsored by NASA. The
NSSTC is a collaborative research and
education initiative of government,
academia and industry that serves as a
laboratory for cutting-edge basic and
advanced scientific research. The
centre also fosters the education of the
next generation of engineers and
scientists.
continued on page 16...
CRUCIBLE 15
S CIENCE AND SPACE
Rare view of Universe (...continued from page 15)
These are just two examples of the
opportunities in science which are
Stellar Know-How
available to everyone today, but would
Want more information about radio astronomy? It’s as close as the Internet.
have been open only to professional
You can uncover the “hows” and “whys” of radio astronomy at
scientists 25 years ago. For me, using
http://www.nrao.edu/whatisra/index.shtml or take a short course in radio
a radio telescope at NRAO is like a
astronomy at http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/radioastronomy/.
hockey fan getting to play with the
Maple Leafs or a baseball fan playing
For images of radio telescopes and the objects which radio astronomers study,
with the Blue Jays.
start with http://www.nrao.edu. This site will show NRAO telescopes, but
there are radio telescopes all over the world.
In August, I headed back down south
to do some work with an astronomer
If it’s a hands-on approach you’re looking for, you can learn how to detect
from the University of North Carolina
meteors in “All Rock Radio” (Crucible, September 2001, p. 13) or Sky &
who runs a week-long workshop
Telescope (December 1997, p. 108). Or, you and your students can actually
called Educational Research in Radio
detect radio emissions from Jupiter and solar bursts from the Sun. To hear
Astronomy.
signals from Jupiter, go to http://www.astro.ufl.edu/radioobs.html#Sounds .
Graham Mogford, an amateur radio
Detecting Jovian radio signals is relatively easy. Hundreds of schools around
astronomer in the U.K. who has also
the world have been involved with NASA’s Radio Jove project. See
participated in a similar radio
http://radiojove.gsfc.nasa.gov/
astronomy experience sums it up this
way, “It’s a great feeling actually using
a radio telescope and seeing your data
come in. I know when I was driving
home from after first using it, I they built a square (3-metre sides) box In 2002, he received the Science
suddenly thought, My God, I’ve antenna on the lawn of the Whitby Teachers’ Association of Ontario’s
actually seen the structure of the Public Library. They demonstrated Irwin Talesnick Excellence in
Milky Way for myself, not just read how it received AM broadcast stations Teaching Award. This year, he
about it! It’s amazing when you stop from as far away as New Orleans, received an Ontario Arts Council
and think about it.” Moncton and Winnipeg. (See Crucible, grant to teach pinhole photography.
Volume 33.4 March 2002.) He has also
In 2001, Philip and his elementary worked with high school students at Phil Gebhardt may be reached at 905-
school students conducted the Great Trafalgar Castle School introducing 642-9718 or by email at:
Loop Antenna Experiment in which them to the radio detection of meteors. astronomy_radio@yahoo.fr

Crater Creator
So you’re out shopping for groceries,
and you see in your rear view mirror
that a 200 meter-wide iron asteroid
has impacted the ground 10 kilometers
away. Bummer! It’s sure to form an
impact crater, create a firestorm, and
otherwise ruin your day (as well as
melt the ice cream you just bought).
So, should you high-tail it in the
opposite direction, or just go about
««« By Phil Plait
Phil Plait, a.k.a. The Bad Astronomer, publishes a Website and newsletter
on astronomy. Visit the Bad Astronomy site at: www.badastronomy.com
your business? Now these decisions look at how badly you’ll be killed by
are easier to make! The good folks at the ensuing explosion. Fun for the
the Lunar and Planetary Laboratories family! Here’s the page:
have created a web page where you http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/
can enter the parameters of the impact impacteffects
(asteroid size, composition, etc.) and it
will return a cheery and optimistic

16 CRUCIBLE Volume 36 • 1
S CIENCE AND SPACE
NASA Brain Bites Provide
Answers for Curious Minds
The next time a student asks you,
“How do you go to the bathroom in
space?” or “How long would a round
trip to Mars take?” you can answer
with a NASA Brain BiteTM.
NASA Brain Bites are a series of 60-
second video shorts to be used as a
learning tool in helping educators and
parents answer questions students
have about space or aeronautics, or to
introduce classroom activities on
topics such as gravity, acceleration,
motion, friction, Newton’s Laws and
more. Not only will these video shorts
help feed hungry minds but they will
help students gain a better
understanding of how space science
and aeronautics work.
Do your students know what launch
windows are and why NASA uses
them when sending a crew into space?
If not, then let Super Bowl Champion
Quarterback, Kurt Warner help
(spaceflight.nasa.gov/brainbite/
launch). Warner explains that a launch
window is similar to a play in football.
For a space mission to meet its target,
such as the moon or a distant planet, it
must take off in a certain time period.
Warner explains the same is true in
football. When he throws the football,
he doesn’t aim directly for his
teammate, instead, he aims for where
the ball will intersect his teammate’s
path. Whether launching a football or
launching a spacecraft, timing is
crucial. If you take off at the wrong
time you might miss your target
completely.
Students are also interested in finding
out how astronauts train here on earth.
NASA can’t send astronauts into space
to work on the International Space
Station if they have never had training
in a simulated zero-gravity
environment, so there are a few ways
September 2004
««« By Jenna C. Mills
Jenna C. Mills is an Education Officer with the Johnson Space Centre in
Houston, Texas.
space travelers can train. One way is teacher or parent (spaceflight.nasa.
with a specially modified plane called gov/brainbite/rocketscience). This
the KC-135, also termed the “Vomit activity can be integrated into the
Comet,” (spaceflight.nasa.gov/ classroom or as a Saturday afternoon
brainbite/vomitcomet), and another is project. It’s a great way to get students
a giant swimming pool called NASA’s directly involved with science
Neutral Buoyancy Lab, (spaceflight. principles and build something really
nasa.gov/brainbite/underwater). cool at the same time.
Both give astronauts the necessary
training they need to work adequately You can view the NASA Brain Bite
in space. videos by visiting
brainbites.nasa.gov, where you will
NASA Brain Bites can also find links to supporting
easily go along with a educational material, including grade-
science lesson, and they appropriate activities that are mapped
answer questions in a way to national standards. Brain Bites can
that makes it easy for be downloaded from the web at no
middle and high school students to cost, in presentation-level quality, for
understand. educational purposes at any time.
Teachers and parents can also get their In the near future, you will be able to
students’ directly involved with obtain a videotape copy of NASA
Rocket Science at Home (RSAH), Brain Bites for your classroom
which works in conjunction with through NASA CORE at 1-866-776-
NASA Brain Bites. NASA hopes this CORE or core.nasa.gov, or through
will stem further interest, get students your area NASA Educator Resource
more intrigued with science and Center. For any additional information,
hopefully take what they have learned you may also contact Jenna C Mills at
to explore more concepts of science on 281-483-9261 or email the team at
their own. By visiting the NASA Brain brainbites@nasa.gov.
Bites Website, students can learn how
to build a hovercraft with the help of a
Have you liked the stories and activities
you’ve read so far?
If so, and if you’d like to be able to get other relevant and useful
activities, worksheets and interesting articles for classroom discussion on
an ongoing basis, you should join STAO today! You’ll get five issues per
year of Crucible and Elements, plus so much more! Visit www.stao.org for
membership information.
CRUCIBLE 17
S CIENCE IN THE CLASSROOM
Growing with your Students
This information is
recommended
for use with the Ontario
Curriculum,
Grades 3, 4, 6, 7 & 8: Life Systems
Grades 3 & 5: Earth and Space
This activity fits into the curriculum in
the following strands: Life Systems for
Grade 3 (Growth & Changes in
Plants), Grade 4 (Habitats &
Communities), Grade 6 (Diversity of
Living Things), Grade 7 (Interactions
Within Ecosystems and Grade 8 (Cells,
Tissues, Organs & Systems). It also
works into Earth & Space for Grade 3
(Soils in the Environment) and Grade 5
(Weather).
It also fits into Grade 9 Biology (the
curriculum specifically mentions bulbs
in the academic stream, but
reproduction is covered in both
academic and applied streams). It can
also fit into Grade 11 Biology (genetic
continuity).
Starting a school garden has many
advantages, and this is the time of year
to capitalize on those advantages by
planting spring-flowering bulbs.
Clearly, a garden enhances the science
curriculum. Students not only learn
about plant parts, their needs and the
life cycle of plants, they learn about
soil, aspects of weather and how plants
relate to the animal kingdom and
ecosystems through a hands-on,
applications-based activity. Scientific
horticultural names provide a great
introduction to classification systems.
All living organisms fit into a hierarchy
which includes kingdoms, divisions,
classes, orders, families, genera and
species. Your students will need to
apply research and planning skills.
Record keeping skills can be developed
or reinforced. Beyond that, they learn
how to work together. When students
18 CRUCIBLE
««« By Philip Gebhardt and Sandra Cooper
Philip Gebhardt teaches evening science courses at the Palmerston
Community School in Whitby, Ontario. Sandra Cooper is an educational
assistant at Eagle Ridge Public School in Ajax.
within your class, different classes or
even different grades work together
and take time to get to know each
other, the results are a positive school
environment. Ultimately, the students
will have a beautiful garden of which
they can be proud. That brings with it a
sense of accomplishment and
satisfaction. It also builds a sense of
caring and of taking responsibility for
their surroundings.
Unlike many science activities, bulb
planting is not a one-hour science
lesson. It gives the students an
opportunity to engage in an on-going,
long-term project. One of the benefits
of planting a bulb garden is that it
includes a life lesson: postponed
gratification. Students will not see the
results of the work they initially do for
at least five or six months.
The best part though is that bulb
planting is easy and almost failsafe.
What’s In a Bulb?
The term bulb is often loosely applied to
a range of subterranean food storage
organs. This covers tunicate bulbs
(tulip), scaly bulbs (lily), corms (crocus),
tubers (anemone) and rhizomes (iris).
We’ll focus on the true bulbs (tunicate
and scaly), corms and tubers since this is
likely what you will plant with your
students at this time of year.
True bulbs produce foliage and roots
from a flattened area at the base of the
bulb known as the basal plate. The
bulb itself is a compressed stem and
the fleshy scales are modified leaves.
The scales have growth buds at their
bases and enclosed flower bud initials
that will produce the coming year’s
flowers. Tunicate bulbs, such as tulips,
daffodils and onions, have a papery
outer skin (the tunica) which is the
dried remains of the previous season’s
scales. Their scales are arranged in
concentric rings which radiate from
the bulbs’ centre. Scaly bulbs – lilies
for example – do not have the papery
outer layer. Instead, they are composed
of small, overlapping scales. Lilies
have many scales whereas fritillaria
have only two or three.
A corm (crocus is one example) is the
swollen base of a stem. A corm is
usually rather flattened and solid. Like
a tunicate bulb, it has a papery
covering which can be peeled away.
Removing the covering reveals the
growth eyes on the upper surface.
A tuber (anemone is available in the
fall) is the swollen part of an
underground stem. The tuber is usually
rounded with various protrusions and
depressions which contain the buds
(think of a potato).
Is It Science or Art Class?
Planting bulbs is an opportunity to put
your students’ knowledge of light and
colour to work. Discuss whether to
have a monochromatic bed or a
polychromatic bed. Should you use
only primary colours or should you
include secondary and maybe tertiary
colours? Which colours would be
harmonious; which ones would be
complementary? One way to
investigate which colours work
together is to look at multicoloured
flowers (pansy for example) and
variegated foliage (perhaps coleus).
Why do the petals of a red tulip appear
red in sunlight? What colour would the
Volume 36 • 1
S CIENCE IN THE CLASSROOM
petals appear if the light source were
green? Your students can design and
conduct experiments to predict what
will happen and then test their
prediction with red tulip petals in the
spring. Depending on what colours
your students’ garden incorporates,
you can help them to discover that
warm colours (red, orange, yellow)
appear to come forward while cool
colours (blue, violet, green) recede.
The Bulbs Need a Home
When looking at locations, try to find
an area that has 4 to 6 hours of
sunlight per day. Bulbs will tolerate
some shade, but lots of sunlight will
encourage larger flowers and will
enable the bulbs to produce and store
the food they will need for successive
years. Also, blooming will be delayed
if the bulbs are in shade. Good soil
drainage is important because the
bulbs will rot in wet soil. If the soil in
your area does not drain well, you can
add sand to improve drainage. If the
area drains too quickly and doesn’t
retain water, you can add material
from the school’s compost bin or buy
soil amendments (such as peat moss,
humus, well-rotted manure, grass
clippings, composted leaves, hay,
straw or almost any organic material)
from a nursery.
The size of the proposed garden will
need to be taken into consideration. It
is wise not to start out too large, as
filling it can not only be daunting, but
expensive.
A garden near the front of the school
works well as it becomes a welcoming
sight not only for those involved with
the school, but for the community at
large. Why not let everyone admire the
hard work the students do? In addition,
locations in the rear of the school may
be subject to unavoidable damage
from recess play and soccer balls.
Bulbs and Euclid Meet
You may not have much choice where
to put your bulb garden. But if you do,
there are many options open to you to
September 2004
make the garden interesting and to
help motivate your students. As a
class, discuss what shapes you could
use. Depending on size and location,
you might consider simple square,
rectangular, triangular or circular
shapes. Beyond that, think about
crescents. You might even incorporate
various geometric shapes within a
single bed. Of course, you could throw
caution to the wind and settle on an
irregular or freeform shape. Your
students can draw their garden designs
to scale on graph paper. After you
have a design, decide whether to plant
the bulbs in rows, to scatter the bulbs
or to group the bulbs in clumps.
Individualism Can Be Better –
Sometimes
Once you’ve made the basic decisions
related to the type (or types) of bulbs
to plant, the colours to use, where to
locate your garden and the shape of
your garden, then it’s time to buy the
bulbs. You can buy bulbs individually
or in bags. Either way, choosing
healthy bulbs is key. Bags are less
expensive, but you can choose a wider
range of colours and varieties if you
buy individual bulbs. By opting to buy
individual bulbs, you can handpick
large bulbs. Generally, large bulbs
mean large flowers. You can also
inspect individual bulbs. You can feel
the bulbs: hard bulbs are good; soft
bulbs are not desirable. You want to
avoid bulbs which have been damaged
or show signs of disease.
Different bulbs flower at different
times, so don’t expect a spectacular
display of crocus, tulips and daffodils
simultaneously. This is a good reason
for planting in clumps (at least seven
bulbs per clump). That way you can
intersperse different bulbs. When they
do flower, you will have clumps
placed throughout the garden so no
matter what bulbs are blooming it will
look as if there are flowers everywhere
— there will be no obvious bare spots.
Even tulips will bloom at different
times. There are early season
A bulb cutaway
bloomers, midseason varieties and late
season types. If you want to extend
your display of blooms, vary the
planting depth of the bulbs. Bulbs
planted deeper will bloom later than
shallow planted bulbs. Varying the
planting depth of the bulbs is an
opportunity to discuss variables that
affect the outcome of an experiment.
There are many effective ways to
offset the cost of a bulb garden. Think
about having a bulb drive. Ask parents
to donate a bulb, or have the school
buy the bulbs and have students
contribute to help offset the cost. You
may want to talk to your local nursery
and ask them to donate some bulbs for
your venture. Many nurseries are more
than happy to donate to schools
because it is good advertising for them
and it encourages future gardeners.
The When and How
Deciding when to plant the bulbs is
straightforward. It needs to be done
before the first frost. If you’re not sure
when that is in your area, ask at a local
nursery. The real criterion is that the
soil temperature should be below 15°C.
Parents are a great source for
gardening tools. Ask if any parents are
willing to lend, or better yet, donate
some old, but useable tools. You will
need 2 or 3 shovels, a garden rake, and
some hand held trowels. A
wheelbarrow will make mixing soil
easier, but this can be done by placing
a garbage bag on the ground and
simply placing the soil on top of it. A
wheelbarrow also will help with the
cleanup! If you do not have access to
an outdoor tap, you will need 2 or 3
watering cans.
continued on page 20...
CRUCIBLE 19
S CIENCE IN THE CLASSROOM
Growing with your students (...continued from page 19)
Here are 5 easy steps to a
perfect bed:
1. Prepare the bed
• Dig the bed to a depth of 25 to 30
cm and then thrust your digging fork
into the bottom of the hole to aerate
the bed a bit more.
• Next, return a couple of centimetres
of the soil you removed to the
bottom of the hole so that the bulbs
will rest on loose, free-draining soil
with no air pockets. Mix bulb food
(usually a superphosphate) or bone
meal into this soil. These will help
to feed the bulbs and promote root
growth. (If you’re up to it, you can
replace these with well rotted
manure.)
• Smooth the bottom surface to make
it level.
2. Firm the bulbs in place
• Place the bulbs in the bed in the
design of your choice
• Keep the pointed growing tip (the
nose) of the bulb on top and press
the rounded bottom (the basal plate)
into the loose earth.
• Set the bulbs at a depth equal to
three times their diameter. (For
tulips, that’s about 15 cm.)
• Space large bulbs about 15 to 20 cm
apart; space small bulbs about 5 to
10 cm apart.
• Gently press the bulbs into the soil,
so they are in good contact with the
soil and so they will not move when
soil is returned to the bed.
• At this time, you might want to put
2 or 3 bulbs on their side and
another few upside down as a test to
determine what happens.
3. Fill in the bed
• Shovel the soil in gently at first, so
the bulbs don’t get jostled out of
position.
20 CRUCIBLE
• Finish off by mounding the soil
slightly above ground level. (It will
sink as it settles.)
4. Water
• Water to a depth of 25 to 30 cm to
encourage root growth.
5. Mulch
• Do not mulch until after the first
major frost. If you mulch too early,
the wet mulch will promote both
disease and rot.
• Mulching helps control weeds and
conserves soil moisture. Use leaf
mold, compost, shredded bark, or
other attractive organic materials.
The mulch can be 2.5 to 5 cm deep.
Mulching beds
How Did We Do That?
Record keeping is an integral part of
any scientific activity. Consider using
photography to supplement your
records. Be sure to photograph the
garden area before you start work. That
way, you’ll have ‘before’ and ‘after’
pictures. Photograph the site and the
students as work progresses and maybe
even take a shot or two in midwinter
when the bed is buried in snow.
Linking to Other Subjects
Once you’re this far, the possibility of
linking bulb planting to other science
and technology topics and to other
subject areas seems natural. Although
bulb planting is an easy activity, it
lends itself well to extension studies.
What soil type do you have in your
school yard. Is it clay? Is it sandy?
Clay soils don’t drain well; sandy soils
drain too quickly. How can you modify
the soil to make it more suitable for
plants? Then there’s weather. Since
bulbs need to be planted before the
first frost date in your area, there’s
research to be done to find out about
that. Will you need to water the bulbs
so they don’t dry out or will there be
sufficient rain? Rain means clouds and
a study of cloud types. Are there
beneficial insects in your garden or
will you need to deal with pests? Did
your students find worms when they
dug up the soil? If not, should you
import some worms? What do worms
do for a garden anyway? Although the
bulbs have enough stored food to carry
them through their first season, they
will eventually need nutrients to
restock the bulb for succeeding years.
What fertilizers are available? Will you
use chemical fertilizers or organic
fertilizers? Read the labels on fertilizer
containers with your students. What’s
nitrogen? (And why do plants need it?)
Hang on, nitrogen is a gas. Shouldn’t it
escape when you open the container?
What else is in fertilizer? Once you
have investigated the chemical symbols
listed on the package, what other
symbols can your students uncover?
Once you’ve exhausted the science
and technology possibilities, you can
move on to other subject areas. Math
works well here. Of course, your
students will need to use linear
measurement to plant their bulbs at an
appropriate depth. What’s the
perimeter of the garden? What’s its
area? If your students dig down 30 cm
to aerate the soil and break up the
clumps, what volume of soil will they
have worked? Based on the area of
your bed and the separation between
bulbs, your students will be able to
estimate how many bulbs they will
need. This might be a mathematical
calculation or on a drawing of the bed.
That will lead to cost calculation.
Once they know how many bulbs they
continued on page 21...
Volume 36 • 1