Monday, February 22, 2010

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Unit 6 Big Ideas

If you want to get a head start on preparing for the Unit 6 exam, try out this list of Big Ideas that you should be able to do or explain:

I can...

...tell you what sounds absolutely have to have in order to get from one place to the next.
...tell you about pitch--and how the frequency of a sound effects the pitch of the sound.
...explain what makes a microwave oven work.
...tell you about the electromagnetic spectrum.
...explain what electromagnetic waves are made of.
...list the seven general parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, in order, from longest wavelength to shortest wavelength and give an example or use of each.
...tell you what effect wavelength has on the frequency of an electromagnetic or sound wave.
...explain how wavelength is related to the amount of energy in an electromagnetic wave.
...tell you what is refraction of light and explain what causes refraction.
...list the colors that white light separates into when it refracts through a prism.
...list those colors in order from longest wavelength to shortest.
...tell what is reflecting off of objects that allows us to see them. HINT: THGIL spelled backwards.
...compare and contrast the similarities and differences of light and sound. (Including their speed, how they travel, type of wave, and how we perceive them.)

...remember that in order to test an idea it is a good idea to follow a format like:
Make a hypothesis: “IF I do _______________ , THEN I think _______________ will happen.”
Test the hypothesis: “I will change ____________ and record what happens. I will repeat it several times.”
Analyze the data: “I wrote down my observations in this chart and then made a graph.”
Make conclusions based on facts: “When I did _______ the measurement changed to ________, this proves/disproves my hypothesis as correct.”
You would always double check your measurement numbers (dependent variables) and keep all variables the same (controlled variables) except the one that you are testing (independent variables).