Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Sep 2006
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006dps....38.4604s&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #38, #46.04; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 38, p.571
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
In one recent class, 77% of my students at the beginning of the semester could not answer question #1 below correctly. One reason for this is the student's misconception of the distances between the planets and the sun. In one textbook, 14 figures did not have the correct distance scale. In all cases each figure focuses on an astronomical concept that is not related to distance; nevertheless when my students examine these figures, their misconception that the planets are very close to each other and to the sun is reinforced. Furthermore, many of my students will go on to become teachers and will continue to convey the misconception of scale to their students.
There are several things that can be done to solve the problem of student misconception of distances. One solution is to draw the Sun's light as arrows instead of drawing the Sun's disc. In this way, the distance is not shown in the drawing. In cases where one must draw the incorrect scale, the student should be warned of this. Finally, at least one laboratory exercise in the introductory astronomy class should emphasize the concept of correct scale.
1. The reason why summer is hotter here in Georgia than winter is because:
a. The sun is farther away in the summer
b. The sun is closer to us in the summer
c. Sunlight hits us more directly in the summer
d. The moon is closer in the summer
e. The sun has a higher surface temperature in the summer
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