Earth

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Earth a somewhat bigger laboratory for school
Physics

• Grzegorz Karwasz
• Andrzej Karbowski
• Krzysztof Sluzewski

Zaklad Dydaktyki Fizyki, Uniwersytet Mikolaja
Kopernika w Toruniu
http//dydaktyka.fizyka.umk.pl
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Rationale (I) Polish National Curriculum Base
(2007)
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Rationale (II) XXI Century Science
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XXI Century Science
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XIV Structure and evolution of Earth

• Litosphere
• Hydroshere
• Atmosphere
• (Crysphere)
• Biosphere

XV Structure and evolution of Solar System
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Didactical/ heurestic goal

• Bring together Physics Geography
• Illustrate, possibly experimentally, phenomena
• Choose the minimum knowledge requirements
• Make the whole package attractive

• Didactical theory context
• neo-realism (show as much as you can,
• and even more),
• hyper- constructivism (make student construct
• his/ her knowledge from apparently nothing,
• i.e. pre-existing knowledge in his/her mind)

G. Karwasz, Problemy Wczesnego Nauczania, 2013 G.
Karwasz, GIREP Conference 2012
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Case examples

• radioactivity ? the age of Earth
• two-body mechanics ? Earth and Moon
• gravity and rotation ? shape of Earth
• convection and radioactivity ? shield tectonics
• electromagnetic induction ? magnetic field
• Coriolis force ? general dynamics of atmosphere
• Coriolis force ? dynamics of oceanic currents
• latent heat convection ? tropical storms

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Three heurestic functions of an
interactive/multimedia object

• Child thats so funny!
• Pupil thats so easy!
• Scientist thats so complex!

G. Karwasz, J. Kruk, Idee i realizacje dydaktyki
interaktywnej, Wyd. Nauk. UMK, 2012
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Radioactive series

• In other words
• a starting point 238U
• some bottle necks
• an ending point 206Pb

rad - 1600 lat, gaz radon - 3,8 dnia, polon -
3 minuty, olów - 27 minut (ten rozpada sie przez
proces ß) bizmut - 20 minut w kolejnym
rozpadzie ß powstaje ponownie polon, ale inny
izotop, zyjacy zaledwie 0,16 milisekundy, itd.
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What is the age of Earth/Solar system?
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What is the age of Earth?
Science 321, 1828 (2008) Jonathan O'Neil, et al.
Neodymium-142 Evidence for Hadean Mafic
Crust Science 309, 576 (2005) M. Boyet, et al.
Silicate Earth 142Nd Evidence for Early (gt4.53
Ga) Global Differentiation of the Silicate Earth
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What is the age of Universe?
Planck mission (March 2013) 13.67 bilion yrs
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Moon a companion from (almost) ever
http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_eclipse
4.567 bln yrs 100 mln yrs ago
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Satelite body guard
G. Karwasz, M. Wiecek, Torunski po-recznik.
Fizyka wspólczesna, ZDF UMK 2012
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Satelite orbit stabilizer
Physics and Toys
? destabilisation of Earths axis in 100 mln yrs
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Jakiego ksztaltu jest kula ziemska?What is the
shape of Earths ball?
Answer Geoide Earth-like shape
Foto ESA
tautology
https//directory.eoportal.org/web/eoportal/satell
ite-missions/content/-/article/goce
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Copernicus Why water does not flow down from
Earths ball?
Takze i wody morskie ukladaja sie do postaci
kulistej ... jako lad i woda wspieraja sie na
jednym srodku ciezkosci Ziemi, który jest zarazem
srodkiem jej objetosci.
Newton Because of gravity
remained what is the shape of Earth?
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Newton Elipsoid
because of the centrifugal force
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Centrifugal force from textbooks
waves of kilometric heights would flush down the
globe!
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Elipsoid is perpendicular to the effective
gravity force
flatness 1/297
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Parabole is perpendicular to the effective
gravity force
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Springs in mountains flow perpendicularly to
iso-height lines
In physics we call these lines - equi-potential
lines the gravity force is perpendicular to
potential lines
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Ellipsoid vs. geoid

• i.e. geometry vs. physics
• Geoid constant (gravitational centrifugal)
  potential surface

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GOCE equipotential lines
https//directory.eoportal.org/web/eoportal/satell
ite-missions/content/-/article/goce
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Earths shape equipotential surface
100 m
https//directory.eoportal.org/web/eoportal/satell
ite-missions/content/-/article/goce
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Earths shape equipotential surface
Geoid is lower than elipsoid in the Himalaya
mountains!
Potential formula VGM/r2
Lower mass ? lower r
Himalaya are ligth (calcite) rocks
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What is the shape of Earth?
The one, shown by the lever (libella)
and this is perpendicular to the vertical
Poziomica, pion
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Earths shape horizontal water
because water level is always horizontal, like
Copernicus said
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What is the Earths internal structure?
S-wave in iron 3,24 km/s
P-wave in iron 5,95 km/s
Sprezyny, stukot
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What is the Earths structure?
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What is the Earths structure?
crust ? litosphere mantello ? astenosphere
G. Karwasz, J. Chojnacka, Geografia w Szkole,
2012
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How old is Europe?
M. Grad, T. Tirra, and ESC Working Group, The
Moho depth map of the European Plate, Geophys. J.
Int. 176 (2009), str. 279.
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What is the Earths crust?
Lampa Lava
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Why this vertical movement?

• Heat flux
• 238U 8 TW (1015 W)
• 232Th 8 TW
• 40K 4 TW
• cooling 20 TW
• (electricity production 10 TW)

Physics World, March 2013
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Melting and solidifying
Lampa Lava
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Quarz, olivine etc.
Mg2SiO4
http//webmineral.com/data/Forsterite.shtml.U6dDm
HZcuRM
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so, the vertical structure is getting complex
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so, the vertical structure is getting quite
complex...
Nature09401-f1.2.jpg
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Pangea
Geo-fizyka dla nie-fizyków
300 mln yrs ago
Justyna ChojnackaZaklad Dydaktyki Fizyki Wydzial
Fizyki, Astronomii i Informatyki Stosowanej
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and the surface structure?
some 500 mln yrs ago
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Moving continents
50 mln yrs (?)
wosk
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Colliding continents (I)
John Nábelek, et al. Science 325, 1371 (2009)
Foto J. Karwowski, M. Karwasz, M. Visintainer
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Colliding continents (IIa)
Westward Japan Subduction angle 45º
Dwie kartki papieru
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Colliding continents (IIb)
Eastward Andes Subduction angle 15-25º
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Colliding continents (III)
Subduction of oceanic plates
Physics World, no 3. (2012)
Ryc. K. Konieczna
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IV Continents drifting away
Foto M. Karwasz
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IVa Continents drifting away
Foto M. Karwasz
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Earths magnetic field
Dynamo model
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Magnetic nigthingales
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Auto-generated electric super-currents
?auto-generated magnetic fields
Illustration of the dynamo mechanism that creates
the Earth's magnetic field
389371aa.eps.2.gif
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so, it is getting quite complex
Glatzmaier and Roberts 1995
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Atmosphere Coriolis force
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Atmosphere Coriolis force
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Atmosphere Coriolis force
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Atmosphere Coriolis force rotation
High troposphere Earths rotation
Troposphere Coriolis around the two Tropics
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Atmosphere Tropics and trade winds
Why Tropics are high pressure regions?
subtropical and polar jet streams
It is dry (descending) air!
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Atmosphere Columbus plan
http//earthguide.ucsd.edu/virtualmuseum/images/Co
lumbusRoute.html
Seasonal changes in Earths axis angle between
September and March (1492/3)
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Coming back to oceanic circulation
Chile (Humboldt)
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Atmosphere simple mechanisms, complex pattern
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Atmosphere vertical motion

• Heat of condensation 540 cal/g ?
• Heating high troposphere
• ? augmented air convection
• Warm ocean
• Wind-induced
• evaporation

http//wps.prenhall.com/wps/ media/objects/3312/33
92285/blb1801.html
http//www.hurricanescience.org/
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Wind-driven oceanic circulation
Northern hemisphere clockwise, like Gulf stream,
California Southern hemisphere anti-clockwise
Chile (Humboldt), Kalahari)
antyzegar
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In-depth oceanic circulation
Gulf Stream will stop if waters around Iceland
warm up
akwarium
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Time-dependent patterns Fourier components
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Atmosphere (II) Fourier components
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Interdisciplinary search

• You will find the other rocks lie lower, but they
  are so close together that there is not more than
  a bowshot between them. A large fig tree in full
  leaf grows upon it, and under it lies the
  sucking whirlpool of Charybdis. Three times in
  the day does she vomit forth her waters, and
  three times she sucks them down again see that
  you be not there when she is sucking, for if you
  are, Neptune himself could not save you you must
  hug the Scylla side and drive ship by as fast as
  you can, for you had better lose six men than
  your whole crew

Homer, Ulysses
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Homer Scilla Charybdis
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In-between Scilla and Charybdis
http//dydaktyka.fizyka.umk.pl/Publikacje_2014/GwS
zk1_2014.pdf
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Messina Strait
3 times a day!
http//it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stretto_di_Messina Fo
ntanna Herona, Fala w misce w przewezeniu
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A bigger wave tsunami
http//crisisreliefjapan.files.wordpress.com/2011/
10/tsunami-wave.jpg http//cksimpsonwx.blogspot.co
m/2013/03/throwback-tohoku-earthquake-and-tsunami.
html
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Geophysics cardinal points

• Earths age 4,567 mln yrs
• Moon 1/4 of Earths diameter
• Shape almost spherical 1/297 100m
• Tectonics colliding every some 300 mln yrs
• Cryosphere bistable system, 40k yrs
• Atmosphere Coriolis force 7 days synoptic
  Fourier component
• Oceans wind-driven (clock or anti-clock)
• Significant human impact

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Conclusions Need for interdisciplinary Science
teaching

• Physics with Geography
• Physics with Chemistry
• Geography with Literature
• ...
• Biology with Philosphy
• ...

Thank you very much!