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I.
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Introduction
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II.
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A Short Description Of The Origins Of Our Solar System
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III.
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The Earth’s Atmosphere
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IV.
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Solar Radiation
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V.
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Earth’s Effective Temperature
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VI.
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Men Of Mathematics
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A.
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Aristarchus And Distances In The Solar System
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B.
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Archimedes’ Approximation Of Pi
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C.
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Eratosthenes And The Size Of The Earth
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VII.
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Mathematical And Visual Patterns
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VIII.
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The Circle And Its Parts
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IX.
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What Is Our Pole In Saving The Planet? An Editorial By Paul Cochrane
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X.
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Bibliography
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This paper will be presented to a group of basic geometry students. Basic geometry is a level III mathematics course. Students who have not done well in mathematics are found here. Few of these students will ever take an Algebra II, College Chemistry or physics course. We try to get the students involved in the work by doing a lot of “hands on” activities, making sketches, charts, graphs, cut outs and constructions. While the custodians complain a lot, we do get a lot of ideas across.
Early on I had thought about collecting a series of books, TV tapes and articles from various papers and magazines on the Earth, Sun and planets. I plan to use these items as my classroom library on global changes, the “greenhouse effect”, pollution and other problems which lend themselves to a mathematical examination. Its important to show the students that the mathematics which we learn in the classroom can be applied to things in the outside world. The idea we hope to implant is that our mathematics, once applied will help us understand the events of the past and present. With this understanding we can prepare for the events of tomorrow.
I often hear other teachers ask “where did you get all of these materials”? “Did you have to buy them?”. I am here to say there are a lot of useful items in the newspaper, magazines and in some strange places. Years ago the New England Telephone Company put out its telephone directory and in it was a very nice series of “space facts” which were sprinkled through out the book. One of my students, Elsie Rodriquez, got me a copy of the original print out, and it has occupied a prominent place in my space files.
While we are on the topic of where we can find materials to spice up the classroom I must mention a great source. Local libraries toss out books and magazines, which have not been circulated in the past year or so. Toss out may be a harsh description, many times the books are sold for twenty five cents. At my side are such beauties as Samuel Carter
The Gulf Stream Story
easy to read and filled with amazing facts written for kids. Others are Irene Kiefer’s
Global Jigsaw Puzzle
(a seventy page gem)
Star Flight And Other Improbabilities
by Ben Bova a great little text and finally our friend Isaac Asimov’s
The Collapsing Universe
. These books and others make up my room’s library which is open to all. I suggest we assign a city wide “science summer reading list”. Our students should show up in September prepared to study science and math.
