Thursday, May 3, 2018
12:30 - 1:45; 75 min. -
Physical Science:
Units of Distance -
Will and I discussed the practical and appropriate units one would use to measure distance in various scenarios ranging from the space between our chairs, his home and school, Palm Beach and Atlanta, and finally between the Earth and the Sun. We then worked out how far in meters it is between the Batt School and Will’s home. We then determined how many miles there are between the Earth and the Sun. I briefly described how scientists determined this distance. We decided that the number was too large to use easily and discussed the invention of the Astronomical Unit. We then discussed the units that would be used to measure between our Sun and another star in the Milky Way. After finding that the number of Astronomical Units there are between the Sun and the closest star ( Alpha Centauri) we found out why physicists use light years to measure distance.