13 November 2015

Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM) Design Thinking and Scientific Inquiry

Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM)
“The Martian” movie is fantastic. I wish it could be edited to PG classification for middle years students.
Image http://gizmodo.com/how-nasa-helped-make-the-martians-user-interfaces-reale-1734698612
Towards the end of the movie Mark Watney- the Martian describes the process that astronauts follow: “You solve a problem, and then you solve the next, and then you solve the next … and if you solve enough problems, you get to survive.”
Design thinking and scientific inquiry
Mark used problem finding to determine how he might survive until the next Mars mission.
Mathematics and Technologies computational thinking played a big part in this movie.
How did he use code to communicate back to Earth? How many types of code were used?
What mathematical algorithms did Mark create to survive for another four years on Mars? He calculated he would need 2,137,500 calories. How many potatoes did he need to grow? How much land would he need to grow these potatoes on?
NASA back on Earth needed to do the maths required to find how quickly they could get a supply rocket to Mars. Their calculations needed to consider the time to build and test the rocket and also the best time to send it. As Earth and Mars change positions there are times when the planets are closer together making the journey shorter.
Biological Sciences
- How did he stop his bleeding and fix up his wound?
- How did he grow food to survive? What did he grow? Why this food only?
- Do you know what food has been grown successfully away from Earth?
Chemical Sciences
– What is the composition of gases in the air on Earth? How does that compare to Martian air? How did Mark use his understanding of electrochemistry and electrolysis reactions to produce oxygen to breathe?
- How did he produce water to drink and water his plants?
Physical Sciences
- How was electricity produced?
- What was the temperature on Mars? How did Mark keep warm while in the rover?
Earth and Space Sciences
Why did he refer to his time in SOLs instead of days?
Do we know the minerals in the dust and rocks on Mars? How might you use these minerals to 3D print a shelter to survive on Mars?
Engineering
- How did NASA build a prototype back on Earth to guide Mark on designing his craft to leave Mars?
- How might you use a 3D printer to make tools that are required to
live on Mars? What materials would be required to do this?
Can you recycle tools made with a 3D printer? What else might you
use a 3D printer for on Mars?
Science as a Human Endeavour
What impact do you think this movie might have on society’s views on space travel and sending people to Mars?
Is the resource you are using to answer these questions credible? This link takes you to a checklist classification key to determine how credible the resource you are using is.
https://marsed.asu.edu/sites/default/files/stem_resources/Credible%20Sources%20Evaluation.pdf


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