Class Reflection and Monster Lobe Solution

It was really enjoyable to go around and visit the different Monster Lobes in our EDMA server.  I was impressed with the work on the dam.  I had to go back in and play with it a little bit and see what happened when the switch was flipped.  I am impressed.

Class Monday night stretched my memory in trying to remember inertia and momentum.  After remembering, I enjoyed finding the momentum of the monster lobe.  I find it so fun to do unit conversions.  In my mind, the more conversions the better.  I think I am sick in the head a bit.

As for solutions to the problem.  I have thought of building a wall.  I know it would be huge.  But, it wouldn't just be a flat wall.  It would be kind of curved, so the lobe could still move a little as it was slowing down to stop.

I also have thought about making a bridge for the road and the pipeline so they could go over the spot where the monster lobe would meet them.  This posed a problem in that I wasn't sure how to fortify the braces/legs/supports of the bridge for when the monster lobe hit it.  Until I saw the avalanche guards for the power lines.  That could maybe work.  Then, I wondered about making the pipeline flow uphill, but I imagine that it must flow uphill in some areas, so the engineers probably already know how to do that. Plus, if it has enough energy, flowing uphill for a little will not be a problem.  Another idea is to build a tunnel over the road and the pipeline so that the monster lobe can flow over them.

(Then as I was driving my children home from school today, I thought - oh shoot, why did I not post my reflection yesterday when I was looking back on my timeline?" -  I should probably tell myself the deadline is back to the original 5:00 pm on Tuesday)

Monster Blog

Monster STEM: Reflection on Class

I always enjoy this class, I feel excited and confused and curious and impressed and lots of other emotions. However, I also always feel like I’m in a whirlwind with the tazmanian devil for 2 hours and then left standing, thinking what…just…happened?! I love the content. I appreciate the way we are all challenged to think higher, bigger, more technically, and outside the box. I do NOT like how much we attempt to pack in to such a short time period and feel like it could be richer if we had a little more time to think and process what we’re supposed to be grasping conceptually instead of being pushed so hard to move quickly and, sometimes, quite literally abandoning something for the sake of moving on to another topic that we’re supposed to cover.

As a teacher, I respond to my students; if they’re moving at a pace different from what I planned and they’re engaged and we’re working in a rich, collective mode…I adjust. I guess because this is one of my practices, I feel frustrated when I don’t get to learn in a similar environment. That being said, I want to be super clear that this is NOT a reflection of the professors in this class. I am fairly solidly convinced that this feeling of moving too fast at times has EVERYthing to do with my shortage of knowledge on the topics we’re covering. I am usually the one pacing (either mentally or literally around the room) because things are moving too slowly! Add in the medical challenges I’ve been managing and it is highly likely that I am the cause of my own frustration.

Monster Solution: What Do We Do with the Monster Lobe?

I am endlessly disappointed by the human need to fix and control everything. The lobe is a mass that is moving of its own accord. I’m going to take a big leap and make an assumption that it may have something to do with the massive alterations we’re making to a planet that’s doing its best to sustain us.

Let’s just for a moment imagine what solution we would seek if that Monster Lobe was in our sinus passage. What would you want others to do about it? If they blow it up, you lose your sense of smell, your nervous system will never be the same, and you will from that moment forward need monitoring and maintenance. Any other drastic alteration of the mass would have similar potential consequences to your face. I know it always changes my thinking when I make it personal.

I would propose that we determine a way to maintain a roadway/passage for OUR needs (transport on the Dalton Highway) that does not interfere with the lobe. We could dig and build a tunnel for the road to run underground. If that’s not feasible, how about building two alternate roadways? One ahead of the lobe to use while it’s sliding over the current roadway, one behind it to use while waiting for it to finish moving past, and then return to the original road path once it’s clear. Better yet, build a structure that would allow the mass to flow over top of the roadway that could later be deconstructed once the lobe is past. A non-permanent structure that would have a minimal and temporary impact on nature.

Whew…whoever gave me this soapbox…could you please take it back?!

Class Reflection: April 7

Monday’s class was interesting.  I always enjoy seeing the ideas that other people come up with.  When we look at other people’s Monster Lobe representations I am impressed by how intricate some of the designs are.  I really feel out of my element doing most of these assignments so I tend to feel insufficient when I see how outstanding most the work is. 

Figuring out the momentum of the Monster Lobe was a little challenging simply because we had to make assumptions again.  I feel like thinking this was is difficult if you have not done it in the past; if we could get our students thinking like this in elementary school I think it would help them solve problems later in life. 

Solutions to the Monster Lobe:

I asked my sister for ideas on solutions to solve the Monster Lobe problem.  She was unfamiliar with the Monster Lobe so I pulled up Google Earth and showed her some images of it.  She suggested that I put a portal to the Netherworld underneath it and just move it.  I laughed and explained that we are supposed to come up with real world solutions; she thought I meant with Minecraft.  I think she may be on to something, though.  It seems that moving part or all of it would be the best option.  Even if only a portion of it could be moved, the mass would still decrease making it, hopefully, less of a threat to the highway and pipeline. 

Another thought would be using something like a snow net.  I realize you couldn’t use this at just the base of the lobe because the mass, I am assuming, would be too great.  Still, what if you placed several of these at different points throughout the lobe (keeping in mind the mass the net could hold)?  Perhaps if this were done the lobe would, over time, separate into parts.  Then these parts would be more easily removed than the entire lobe.

Most people I speak with about this immediately suggest blowing the lobe up.  I still think this option should be kept in mind.  However, how would you blow it up without interferring with the plant and wildlife surrounding it (let alone the structures like the highway and pipeline)?

These are just a few ideas. 

P.S. I am a little nervous about going first. :)

Reflection of April 7

I really enjoyed this week's class because it caused me to think on a level that I am not use to on a daily basis.  I just wish I had a little more think time to work on the problems.  As I've said before, jumping from first grade level thinking and teaching to the level required to solve the class problems takes a bit.  I love every second of it! 

O.K. so I don't do Minecraft, so no, I couldn't move myself around to look at the different sites, and if I ever get two minutes, I will spend some time doing so.  I have no idea when that will be, but I will try. 

Monster Lobe problem is fun to think about.  I wonder why we feel the need to stop the frontal movement of the lobe and why do we think we need to stop the entire lobe?  Why can't we take pieces from it, divide it and reduce the momentum? I wish we could do a field trip to take a look at it!  Is there any way the river could be used as a water source for creating high pressure steam and use that to melt parts of the lobe, to drill tunnels through the lobe with the steam to weaken the lobe? 

These are my thoughts from the week.  My project is still moving ahead, super slowly.  The students are loving the process but the product isn't coming together, which is part of the lesson, right! 
Debbie Taylor

April 7 Class Reflection

I feel like a broken record because I'm sitting at my computer again raving about this class experience and how wonderful it is. But truly, there are many broken records for me because I've been challenged at every level to think beyond my limits and I've surprised myself by being capable of doing so even without a Calculus or physics class to draw from.  Whenever I sit down to reflect about the lesson, I discover the lesson I'm learning is not the lesson as it's done in class.  It's kind of Johnny Depp-ish, Pirates of the Caribbean-y state of mind. "Well, Chris, the problem is not the problem, the problem is your attitude toward the problem."   Thank you Capt. Jack Sparrow!
Tonight's lesson for me was not about momentum and velocity, it was about the pleasure and power of problem solving in a group of people who are also casting about in the deep end of the ocean for answers. I really enjoy experiencing the powers of many minds working together and asking questions.  I've always felt that the quality of your life depends on the quality of questions you ask of life, and I feel like I've been prompted to ask myself some really quality questions about how my own problem solving and teaching. I am already deeply aware of how sad I will be for this class to end and how deeply moving an experience it has been.  It's like breaking trail in deep snow, you can look behind you and see how much snow you've moved and how far you've gone! It's also exhausting :)

Monster Lobe Brainstorm solutions:
 Put wedges in its path and let the momentum and force associated with the Lobe's downward movement force it to dissipate itself so there isn't enough mass behind it to drive it forward.  Find someway to use it's own power to kill itself. It is a flow and it can be diverted.

If not wedges, then a series of culverts that would re-direct the bulk of the Lobe's mass and momentum.

Build a bridge over it and circumvent one half the problem, but that really doesn't do anything about the Pipeline problem that hovers right behind the Highway Problem. I think a suspension bridge might be an option  but it still doesn't address the Big Picture in a cost effective way because this really is a two-fold problem.

It's a Christmas miracle! I actually enjoyed class last night. Not only did I understand the math, after 12 weeks I can finally teleport and move around in Minecraft all by myself. Good grief.

I'm thinking about summer vacation already, remembering many childhood trips across a drawbridge to our favorite beach. Last week the idea occurred to me that it might make sense for the road to go above the Lobe so it could pass safely under it, just like the bridge is built to allow ships to pass. Someone else had that idea last night as well. (Sorry, I forgot who...)

A few things come to mind as I ponder this idea. The first would be whether or not there would be enough time to design and build a new road before the Lobe reaches the Dalton. The other would be whether or not there would be enough space under a new road for the Lobe to pass through. I know that pilings need to be evenly spaced for support. I also know that there would be stability issues as the pilings would be in permafrost. The permafrost would further be affected by the force exerted by the  momentum of the Lobe. However, the Golden Gate Bridge comes to mind. It appears to have adequate span and has held up under the tides of the Bay for 80 years. The permafrost issue was settled with the construction of the pipeline. Maybe the pipeline design could be modified for a road.

More adventures . . . this time 4/8/2014 fun.

I was excited to finish the Monster Lobe model.  It was very important for me to rise to the challenge.  I was pleased with the ending results.  I love this class, it is challenging me on levels that I did not know that I needed to be challenged.  As Chip said, this experience is making me "a better person."  I think that teaching physics with Minecraft would be a great adventure.

A solution to the Monster Lobe . . .
   I have considered a trench of some sort.  It would have to be very deep.  The idea is that the trench would stop the momentum.
   Another idea is a tunnel.  I figure that you would need to build a ramp for the Monster Lobe to climb to the top of the tunnel.  The Monster Lobe may be too close to the highway already to make this idea work.
   I still like the idea of chipping away at the Lobe and shipping the material to places that need it.  It could probably be used to irrigate dry regions or for building adobe buildings.
 

Reflection 4/7 - Lexie

Reflection from class

I enjoyed the class, as I usually do.  I did realize last night that I have been struggling with a lot of the material and topics recently that deal with velocity, momentum, etc., and I think it is because I never took a physics class.  I’m not sure if I it is necessary, but I am thinking that I might need to take a physics class sometime in the future.  I do understand more after last night’s session, but not enough to be able to apply it to other areas.  I would love to be able to connect physics topics to my math class, especially because I do teach high school.

Solutions to the Monster Lobe

There were a couple of solutions that I thought about, but I’m not sure how they would work.

• Building 2 tunnels under the lobe for the highway and pipeline.  I know that they have built huge tunnels in Boston and New York, but I’m not sure about how a tunnel would do in the tundra and permafrost.
•  Building 2 bridges that rise up 40 feet above the where the Monster Lobe would be.  To keep the structure safe, build those diversion structures (similar to what AEL&P built for avalanches) in front of the supports to the bridge
• Build a structure similar to an avalanche shed like the picture below.  What might work would be to build the slope of the mountain to meet the shed, so that when the Lobe approaches it, it will slide over the shed and not try to break through it.  If built correctly, the shed could turn into a tunnel for when the Lobe continues to move.

 

Reflection 10

My classmates and I did pretty well during the "room" assignments.  I think I can remember momentum = mass x velocity, as long as I don't mix up my m's :)

The units are always a little confusing to me (but not as frustrating as trying to write on the board in the room).  I wish I knew how to write the numerators and denominators correctly like the one shown as an example during class.  That would probably make it easier to cancel out than using the / symbol for fractions...

I think Debbie was on a roll as far as Monster Lobe solution ideas.  I think too often man tries to control nature, while nature is just doing what it needs to do... be nature!  Rather than trying to solve the issue, I think we should consider working around it.  At some point, the road can be diverted around the lobe and it will no longer be a concern (until it migrates into the next man-made object).  Otherwise, it's like taking medicine.  The side effects can be worse than the initial problem.

My second choice would be to break the thing so it has less mass and momentum.  That would require some planning however, as to what to do with the pieces left and how it will affect the landscape.  Breaking it may also cause some other problems, such as rock slides, etc.  Would have to consider all sides before deciding on a solution.

Monster Lobe Solution & Reflection

This week was great!  I always enjoy this class.  I feel like I learn so much!  I like that you had the comparison of larger mass momentum to smaller mass momentum.  It really put it into perspective.  Going into Minecraft is always fun too.  Those finished monster lobes were amazing.  I don't know how you ladies did it, that was a lot of time and energy spent on the lobe.  I applaud you and your kids.  Great water works Colin, that was cool.  Speaking about Minecraft, my son built his ship already in his Minecraft (my STEM project), but I am going to see if he doesn't mind recreating it in our world so that during my presentation maybe you guys can take a tour.  I'm also curious how we are going to present.  Are we going to send you the information we want you to put up when we are talking?  Or are we just going to reference back to our finalized paper?

My Monster Lobe solution is to somehow melt it down so that it just becomes this pile of debris that may continue to creep down the mountain, but it will be easy to clear out and won't be pushing through and destroying the road and pipeline.  If we could somehow super heat the lobe, it could become this glob of mud.  Turn it into a mudslide.  Another thing I was thinking of was digging a large trench and placing a smooth metal in it that would wind up into a tube that could divert the lobe to another location.