You may find that these handouts are not written ideally for the non-science majors. I lecture on these matters better than I write about them. You should probably use these handouts as guidelines for yourself and produce your own handouts for the students. I have decided that the non-science majors are not capable of following derivations at any level or of truly understanding an algebraic equation. I suggest that the students be given minimal handouts--ones that only give the main idea of the observation and instructions on how to obtain the data. After the students obtain the data then the instructor should help the students manipulate their measurements to get to the answer. After a little bit of practice, the students find they can then follow through with it themselves. Basically, the algebra is what loses the students, not the mechanics of the math.
Additionally, there are several items (when maximum elongation of Venus occurs, when Jupiter or Saturn will be at opposition, the exact dates and times of 1st and 3rd quarter moons) that you’ll need to look up (such as in the Astronomical Almanac) before assigning the labs, and then you’ll probably want to edit the handouts to make them more specific.
The most difficult lab in which to get adequate results, by far is the Aristarchus observation (distance of Sun relative to distance of the Moon). Recently I have improved the method by designing a better homemade "sextant." However, this improved sextant is not that easy for the average non-scientist to make (our department machinist has made six of them for our labs) and I prefer the idea of the students making all measurements with their own homemade tools. If any of you can think of a way of accomplishing this measurement, I’d' greatly appreciate learning of it. In the past, I have had the students use the same tool as in the "orbit of Venus" lab. I also generally find the need to have the students pool lots of data. Each group of students take a number of measurements for a two-week period centered on the 1st quarter moon. And then the whole class’ data can be pooled, and then the Moon-Sun angle vs. time can be fit to a straight-line.
I have also given an outline of a reasonable lab schedule, involving three different lab sections doing different observations. The idea here is that the reports (at least the first one) are passed on to students in other section for "review". The authors then get feedback and write second drafts of their reports. The best of the final reports are "published" in a class journal, which all students get to read. Additionally, in many of the later labs the students will need to make references to the results reported in prior "published" papers. In short, the diameter of the Earth is required for calculating the distance and size of the Moon; the distance of the Moon is required for calculating the distance of the Sun; the distance of the Sun is required for the distance of an outer planet and for the distance between Venus and the Sun; and the distances of the Moon and Sun are needed for calculating the masses of the Earth and Sun.
Unfortunately, we’re now reaching a long time period when it will be hard for all these events to occur in one term. (Fall of 1999 was a good one.)
I hope you have as much fun as I have had with these labs. Please give me feedback (marrj@union.edu).
Jon