NAME PERIOD

NAME PERIOD

PART I: WELCOME TO CHROMADEPTH
  1. Look at the image of Mount Everest without the ChromaDepth glasses. Describe what the image looks like.
  2. Look at the image again but this time with the glasses. Describe what the image looks like now.
  3. What are the changes you notice?
  4. How do these changes help you to understand the geography of this mountain?
  5. How do color differences create the illusion of 3-d?
  6. Which color(s) seem to form the foreground and which color(s) tend to form the background?

ChromaDepth glasses are not like the old fashion 3-d glasses you may have seen. They work on a different scientific principle. To learn more about ChromaDepth technology check out http://www.sdsc.edu/~mjb/chromadepth and then look at some cool 3-d images and animations at the ChromaTek website at http://www.chromatek.com.

PART II: IT'S A LOM WORLD

Read the article "A TOUCH OF SCIENCE" and answer the following questions in complete sentences.

  1. Who is Mike Bailey?
  2. What does Bailey believe are the advantages of using physical models over computer graphics?
  3. What is the LOM?
  4. What is the purpose of the Tele-Manufacturing Facility at the San Diego Supercomputer Center?
  5. How have scientists used physical models in the past?
  6. Describe the scale model of Death Valley?
  7. How is this LOM model being used to investigate geologic processes in Death Valley?
  8. How has John Johnson used a LOM model to understand the structure of the black beetle virus?
  9. Describe the process of building a LOM model.
  10. How do researchers send their data to Bailey?
  11. What things do you think would be useful to explore as LOM models. Why?

Now that you have some background on how LOM models are made, examine the LOM models of the United States, the world and finally Mt. Everest.

LOM OF THE UNITED STATES

1. What is vertical exaggeration? Why is it used?

2. What information about the U.S. stands out most in your mind from the LOM model?

3. Where are the younger mountain ranges on the U.S. continent? How do you know?

4. Propose a hypothesis that might account for this mountain building.

5.. Coastlines are characterized as being emergent or submergent. Apply these terms to describing the east and west coasts of the U.S.

6. What problems might people living on the eastern coastline experience?

7. What problems might people living on the western coastline experience?

LOM OF THE WORLD

1. What information about the world stands out most in your mind from its LOM model?

2. Does Russia or Western Europe appear to be closer to the United States from this model? Is this actually the case?

3. Compare the geography of the eastern and western coastlines of the Northern and Southern hemispheres.

4. How does this geography suggest a different geologic history for the eastern and western sections of the Americas?

5. Where do you think earthquakes are more likely to occur?

6. What do you notice about the east coast of South America and the west coast of Africa?

7. What does this suggest about the history of these two continents?

8. Locate an area of the ocean that might have high earthquake potential. What are its prominent features?

LOM OF MOUNT EVEREST

1. Find and identify the tallest mountain on earth.

2. What information stands out most in your mind when you see the Mt. Everest LOM model?

3. How does this LOM model compare to the ChromaDepth image of Everest?

4. Propose a hypothesis that might explain how these mountains were formed.

5. Where is Tibet located?

6. Explain why Tibet has had a long history of being insulated and isolated from both eastern and western cultures and developed a unique and rich culture of its own.

7. The western dream of scaling Mt. Everest can be traced back to 1852 but it took 101 years, the lives of 24 men and fifteen expeditions for Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay to become the first men to stand on the "top of the world." Explain why this was such an incredibly difficult feat to accomplish.

To learn more about the Tele-Manufacturing Facility and Mike Bailey visit http://www.sdsc.edu/tmf.

To learn more about the challenges of scaling Mt. Everest check out Jon Krakauerâs book Into Thin Air and the IMAX video Everest .

 

 

 

 

LESSON PLAN: ChromaDepth Images and LOM models.

Modeling the Process: Teacher/Student interaction

  1. Display SAR images of Death Valley and ask students to describe what they see.
  2. Display ChromaDepth images of Death Valley and ask students if they can identify the location.
  3. Pass out ChromaDepth classes and have they look at the images again and ask them to explain what happened.
  4. Pass out the one page explanation of how Chromadepth images work and discuss with the students. Have them observe each other focusing on a pen or pencil that first is close and then is moved farther away. Remind students that white or visible light is made of different wavelengths or frequencies that can be bent to give the illusion of depth. Red seems close up while the blue is farthest away.
  5. Display the LOM model of Death Valley and ask students how to align it to make the ChromaDepth images. Students should have already read Mike Baileyâs Discovery article and have a background understanding of the technology.
  6. Ask students what kinds of features are prominent in the LOM model.
  7. Up to this point we have focused on geographic features but not on the geological factors that created them. Ask questions about those processes using the LOM model. Here are some sample questions.

In each case try to have students focus on the LOM model for their explanation. It is not necessary to give answers at this point but instead help the students begin to see the connection between geography and geology.

To learn about the geology of Death Valley see http://earthview.sdsu.edu/dvgeology/dv_geology.html. To learn how this LOM model can be used to study geologic processes of the valley see Eric Frostâs website at http://earthview.sdsu.edu/Flythroughs/dvflythru.html

8. Now allow students to work in small independent groups on the main activity using the LOM models of the U.S., World and Everest and the topographic and ChromaDepth images of Everest. It may be easiest to place the materials at the sides of the room or on desk tops and have move around to each station. If computer(s) are available allow students to view other ChromaDepth images and the telemanufacturing facility on the web.