How to Do Activities#1 Obviously, read the instructions carefully. Contact me if you have questions. I've tried to include as much detail as reasonable, but in some cases that may confuse you. Please try to understand the project and the expected outcome before you do the activity. #2 Follow the instructions exactly. As far as possible I have made this a cookbook approach. In other words, do this and this and this in this order, and you should get a reasonable result. I suggest that you write down, on your own piece of paper, the exact sequence of things you need to do. Double check your list to make sure it makes sense and follows from the activity file online. #3 Once you have taken your data or made your observations, and made any calculations needed, ask yourself whether your result is reasonable. In most cases I don't require extremely precise answers. You are not using any precision instruments (other than your eyes and brain), so I can't expect accuracy to the 10th decimal place. But if you get a result that says, for instance, that the Moon is 24 feet in diameter, you should be able to recognize that this is not right. Find a way to check your answer to see if you are somewhere near correct. In most cases, you can check with your textbook or online. (WARNING: If you just find the correct answer in a book or online and then work your write up to fit that information as your data, there are telltale signs that I will see. Doing this is Academic Dishonesty and will warrant disciplinary action or grade penalties.) Always use your own data, not something someone gave you or something you found. I want you to check your data, but the data you use in your math or to obtain your result must be your own. #4 If you take measurements in one set of units, such as the English system with feet and inches, and then convert into another system, such as the Metric system with millimeters and meters, you absolutely MUST show your original, unconverted data in your write up. You likely will use the converted data to do your math, but you must also show your original, unconverted data. If you don't, you may lose points. #5 There is no difficult math in any of these activities. However, I recognize that some of you have the mistaken idea that you are not good at math. If so, you are wrong. If you follow the instructions and can count your change at the store, you can do any of the math we will encounter here. If you have a question or you don't understand the math symbols I use (e.g. "/" means divide), then by all means ask! Also remember that if you are taking several measurements, you must change them all into the same units before you do the math. That is, if one measurement is in feet and the other in inches, then change them both into feet or inches before you do the math. If you do not know how, ask. #6 Again, through every step of the process, ask yourself, "Does this make sense?" If your answer is "no," either fix your approach or ask for help. #7 Again, in most cases it is easy to check your results against your textbook(s), some other reference, or through a simple online search. If you fail to check your results (when it is easily possible), you may lose points. Larry Sessions Now, go to: How to Write Up Activities
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