Activity Set #1: What's in the System?

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Circle White Board Activity - What's in the System?

The Setting up the Whiteboarding Activity:

Start with the students in a circle observing two side-by-side pendula aligned so that they swing in parallel. One has a set of extra washers resting above the bob, and the other has a longer string.

The pendula are set in motion after being pulled up to a different angle, and a large circle is drawn on a whiteboard, with the explanation that this is a symbolic representation of a conceptual distinction:

• Everything that we draw inside the circle needs to be there for the phenomenon we observe to be what it is, take it away away and that the phenomena that we observe would be altered in some way or just not happen. We will label these objects/aspects "inside the system"

• Everything that we consider to be outside the circle doesn't need to be there for the phenomenon to occur in exact way that does. We will label these objects/aspects "outside the system"

Example: the table needs to be there or the whole pendulum and stand would fall to the floor.

Group whiteboarding task: Construct a system diagram including everything that you think is "in the system" in the circle and illustrating with a few examples of the kinds of things that you think are outside of the circle.

Potiential Seeds:

Example Student Whiteboards:

 

Objectives/Items for the Discussion:

Glossary entrees/ Words to discuss meaning:

system
system diagram
space
air, air resistance
properties of space
curvature
polarization
gravity, gravitational field
chemical bond
solidity
elasticity
electricty, electrostatic field
opposing chains of interaction
participant
observer