Section 13 EO C440.11 – WATCH EINSTEIN'S BIG IDEA
Resources needed for the delivery of this lesson are listed in the lesson specification located in A-CR-CCP-804/PG-001, Proficiency Level Four Qualification Standard and Plan, Chapter 4. Specific uses for said resources are identified throughout the instructional guide within the TP for which they are required.
Review the lesson content and become familiar with the material prior to delivering the lesson.
Photocopy Attachment A for each cadet.
Photocopy the note template handout located at Attachment B.
Cue the DVD Einstein's Big Idea.
Nil.
An in-class activity was chosen for this lesson as it is an interactive way to provoke thought and stimulate interest among cadets about the development of the formula E=mc2.
Nil.
By the end of this lesson the cadet shall be expected to discuss the history of the formula E=mc2.
It is important for cadets to be able to discuss the history of the formula E=mc2 so that they recognize that science is a team effort, which transcends both national boundaries and the centuries.
|
Teaching point 1
|
Conduct an activity where the cadets to define energy and describe kinds of
energy and differences between sources of energy.
|
|
Time: 5 min
|
Method: In-Class Activity
|
 |
The term energy refers to the amount of work that can be performed by a system: Potential energy. The energy an object has due to its position or condition. Kinetic energy. The energy due to the motion of an object. |
The objective of this activity is to have the cadets brainstorm definitions of energy and to describe kinds of energy and differences between sources of energy.
Nil.
Nil.
1.Have the cadets brainstorm definitions of energy.
2.Have the cadets list what kinds of energy they have used today.
3.Have the cadets list sources of energy (eg, sun, oil, natural gas, gasoline, wind, hydroelectric, nuclear, coal, wood, and food).
4.Point out that many of these are means of storing energy (eg, chemical storage such as natural gas) or forms of energy that are converted before becoming useful (eg, electrical energy converted to heat or mechanical energy).
Nil.
The cadets’ participation in the activity will serve as the confirmation of this TP.
|
Teaching point 2
|
Have the cadets determine that atoms of matter have mass.
|
|
Time: 10 min
|
Method: In-Class Activity
|
 |
The nucleus of an atom is made up of protons and neutrons in a cluster. Virtually all the mass of the atom resides in the nucleus. The nucleus is held together by the tight pull of what is known to chemists and physicists as the "strong force". This force between the protons and neutrons overcomes the repulsive electrical force that would, according to the rules of electricity, otherwise push the positively-charged protons apart. |
The objective of this activity is to have the cadets determine that the atoms that constitute matter have mass.
Handout located at Attachment A.
Nil.
1.Make a list of common materials on a flip chart or whiteboard, to include:
air,
water,
living organisms,
the sun, and
jewellery
2.Have the cadets identify the primary elements in air (nitrogen, oxygen), water (hydrogen, oxygen), living organisms (carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen), the sun (hydrogen, helium), and jewellery (nickel, silver, gold).
3.Have the cadets locate those elements in a periodic table and determine their atomic mass.
Nil.
The cadets’ participation in the activity will serve as the confirmation of this TP.
|
Teaching point 3
|
Have the cadets watch Einstein's Big Idea
and make notes on topics assigned.
|
|
Time: 110 min
|
Method: In-Class Activity
|
|
Before watching Einstein's Big Idea, arrange for the cadets, singly or in groups, to make notes using the six handouts located at Attachment B. The six note templates do not correspond to chapters in the motion picture. Information for the note templates will be found throughout the motion picture. |
The objective of this activity is to have the cadets take notes on their assigned topics while watching Einstein's Big Idea.
Einstein's Big Idea DVD,
Note template handouts located at Attachment B, and
Pens / pencils.
Nil.
1.Distribute the six note template handouts located at Attachment B. Each cadet should have one of the six note templates. If there are more than six cadets, they may form teams.
2.Ensure each template located at Attachment B has at least one cadet assigned to it.
3.Play Einstein's Big Idea.
4.Have the cadets, while watching Einstein's Big Idea, take notes on their assigned topics.
Nil.
The cadets’ participation in the activity will serve as the confirmation of this TP.
|
Teaching point 4
|
Conduct an activity to create a timeline of the development of the formula
E=mc2.
|
|
Time: 15 min
|
Method: In-Class Activity
|
The objective of this activity is to have the cadets construct a timeline showing the development of the formula E=mc2.
String,
Paper clips,
Pens / pencils, and
Completed note templates from TP 3.
Place a 3-m string across a classroom wall. Create a timeline ranging from 1700 to 1950 from the string by hanging paper century markers on the string with paper clips.
1.Have a cadet describe an assigned topic and the scientist's challenges and accomplishments.
2.Have the cadet clip the notes about that scientist to the appropriate place on the string.
3.Repeat for each scientist or team of scientists.
4.Draw the cadets' attention to the way that scientific research crossed national frontiers over very long periods of time. Point out that although historic contributors such as Socrates, Aristotle, Leonardo da Vinci and Sir Isaac Newton are not shown on this short timeline, their ideas were essential to the discoveries in Einstein's Big Idea.
Nil.
The cadets’ participation in the activity will serve as the confirmation of this TP.
The cadets’ participation in the timeline construction activity will serve as the confirmation of this lesson.
Nil.
Nil.
Science is a team effort that transcends national boundaries and time. Our understanding of matter and energy are still very incomplete; while today we know more about light than Faraday and Maxwell, more about mass than the Lavoisiers and more about energy than du Châtelet, we have nevertheless scarcely begun. Science is teamwork in progress and it is not too late to join the team.
If EO C440.09 (Describe the Relationship Between Gravity and Space-Time) or EO C440.10 (Discuss Kinetic and Potential Energy) are also selected, they should be presented prior to this lesson to introduce concepts of energy.
It is recommended that Chapters 1–6 of Einstein's Big Idea be presented in three consecutive periods and Chapters 7–9 be presented in two consecutive periods, all on two consecutive training days.
C3-319 NOVA. (2005). Teacher's guide: Einstein's big idea. Retrieved January 30, 2009 from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/einstein/
C3-320 Johnstone, G. (Producer & Director). (2005). Einstein's big idea [Motion picture]. United States: WBGH Educational Foundation.
Report a problem or mistake on this page
- Date modified: