Mikkel H. Jensen
NSF GK-12 fellow 2008-2009

Home Sample Lessons Challenge Questions Question Box Class Website JETS Competition

The Science Question Box

The science question box was an idea I started in the very beginning of the year.  My primary goal was to encourage the students to be curious about the world around them.  During the year, it served as an outlet for the students' curiosity, and I used it to address interesting things that might come up during class, but that there wasn't time to fully answer during class.  Both our 10th grade physics students and our 8th grade unified science students submitted questions, although the questions box did not quite take with the students to the extent I had initially hoped.

I had the students submit their questions online through our website.  My answers were also shown online, as well as in the classroom in poster format.

Here is a list of entries from the question box.

Could the LHC really make a black hole and destroy Earth?
This entry was based on a question from one of our 8th graders who wanted to know whether the LHC would really create a black hole that could destroy Earth.  It contains a bit of general information about the LHC and the purpose of the experiment.		 The Large Hadron Collider
Is gravity the same everywhere on Earth?
This question came up when we did freefall problems with our physics students.  I omit the details of my calculations but show two examples of how your effective weight is reduced depending on where you are on Earth.		 Is gravity the same everywhere on Earth?
What happens when you fall into a black hole?
Black holes seemed to fascinate our students.  In this answer, I briefly discuss how gravity can deflect light and try to "demystify" what black holes are.  In particular, I wanted to overcome the apparent misconception that black holes are cosmic vacuums that eventually will eat up the universe.		 What happens when you fall into a black hole?