1. Content: This in an introduction to the unit on powers of ten. CSDE Standards: 2.1 Understand that a variety of numerical representations can be used to describe quantitative relationships. 2.2 Use numbers and their properties to compute flexibly and fluently and to reasonably estimate measures and quantities. Materials: Computer and multimedia projector. Lesson: Show this powers of ten powerpoint to the class prior to starting the unit. Evaluation: None.

2. Welcome to Powers of Ten. Travel across the Universe. Changing scale by just a few powers of ten dramatically alters your perspective. Mr. Morales

3. 10 0 metres = 1 metre Your journey begins in the garden of the Microcosm visitor centre. This is the scale we know best - our own.

4. 10 1 metres = 10 metres

5. 10 2 metres = 100 metres

6. 10 3 metres = 1 000 metres A bird's eye view of the CERN site with the Microcosm visitor centre in the middle.

7. 10 4 metres = 10 000 metres This image covers about the same area as CERN's largest accelerator, LEP, the Large Electron Positron collider.

8. 10 5 metres = 100 000 metres

9. 10 6 metres = 1 000 000 metres Lake Geneva stands out clearly in this 1 000 kilometre square.

10. 10 7 metres = 10 000 000 metres

11. 10 8 metres = 100 000 000 metres Which other planet is the same size as the Earth? Mars ? Venus ? Jupiter ? Mars Venus Jupiter

12. NO ! Mars is only half the size of the Earth. Its scarred surface is the result of many meteorite impacts in the past.

13. NO! Jupiter is the biggest planet in the Solar System. 10 8 m (100 thousand kilometres) across, its red spot alone is bigger than Earth. The spot is a huge storm that has been raging for over 300 years.

14. YES ! Venus is almost the same size as the Earth but completely uninhabitable. A runaway greenhouse effect makes the surface 400 degrees hotter than the Earth.

15. 10 9 metres = 1 000 000 000 metres The moon's orbit aound the Earth, the furthest humans have ever travelled

16. 10 10 metres = 10 000 000 000 metres Four days of the Earth's orbit.

17. 10 11 metres = 100 000 000 000 metres Six weeks of the Earth's orbit. The orbits of Venus and Mars are just visible on either side.

18. 10 12 metres = 1 000 000 000 000 metres The orbits of the inner four planets : Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. All four have rocky crusts and metallic cores.

19. The solar system. Only the orbit of Pluto, the furthest planet from the sun, is off the picture.

20. 10 14 metres = 100 000 000 000 000 metres Our solar system fades into the background stars. From 10 14 m to 10 19 m not much changes.

21. 10 15 metres = 1 000 000 000 000 000 metres Our solar system fades into the background stars. From 10 14 m to 10 19 m not much changes.

22. 10 16 metres = 10 000 000 000 000 000 metres Our solar system fades into the background stars. From 10 14 m to 10 19 m not much changes.

23. 10 17 metres = 100 000 000 000 000 000 metres Our solar system fades into the background stars. From 10 14 m to 10 19 m not much changes.

24. 10 18 metres = 1 000 000 000 000 000 000 metres Our solar system fades into the background stars. From 10 14 m to 10 19 m not much changes.

25. 10 19 metres = 10 000 000 000 000 000 000 metres Our solar system fades into the background stars. From 10 14 m to 10 19 m not much changes.

26. 10 20 metres = 100 000 000 000 000 000 000 metres

27. 10 21 metres = 1 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 metres Our galaxy looks rather like a whirlpool. It has spiral arms curling outwards from the centre and rotates at about 900 kilometres per hour. How many stars like our sun do you think there are in this image? 10 2 ? 10 7 ? 10 11 ? 10 2 10 7 10 11

28. NO! 10 2 = 100. There are many more stars in our galaxy. This is what 100 stars would look like.

29. There are many more stars than that even in this small part of our galaxy. Stars? No, not nearly enough.

30. YES! There are about 10 11, 100 000 000 000, stars in our Galaxy. Astronomers don't count them, they calculate how many there are. They compare the light emitted by the entire galaxy to the light emitted by the nearest star, our sun.

31. 10 22 metres = 10 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 metres Our galaxy begins to look small. The Magellanic Clouds are two companion galaxies on the left.

32. 10 23 metres = 100 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 metres Our galaxy is indistinguishable from the other galaxies in our Local Group. It would take light over 10 7 (10 million) years to travel across this image. From 10 23 m to 10 25 m not much changes.

33. 10 24 metres = 1 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 metres Our galaxy is indistinguishable from the other galaxies in our Local Group. It would take light over 10 7 (10 million) years to travel across this image. From 10 23 m to 10 25 m not much changes.

34. 10 25 metres = 10 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 metres Our galaxy is indistinguishable from the other galaxies in our Local Group. It would take light over 10 7 (10 million) years to travel across this image. From 10 23 m to 10 25 m not much changes.

35. 10 26 metres = 100 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 metres The largest scale picture ever taken. Each of the 9325 points is a galaxy like ours. They clump together in 'superclusters' around great voids which can be 150 million light years across.

37. This application is based on the film "Powers of Ten" produced by Charles and Ray Eames. http://www.powersof10.comhttp://www.powersof10.com Picture credits 26 - Margaret J. Geller, John P. Huchra, Luis A. N. da Costa, and Emilio E. Falco, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory copyright 1994 23 & 22 - Ray White, Space Telescope Science Institute 21 - ESA 20 - David Malin, Anglo Australian Observatory & Royal Observatory Edinburgh 12 - NASA 8 & 7 - Science Photo Library (Earth), NASA (other planets) 6 & 5 - Geosat -5 & -6 - Dr Graham Thomas, Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, USA -8 - Glaxo Institute of Molecular Biology, Switzerland All other images credit CERN http://microcosm.web.cern.ch/Microcosm/P10/english/welcome.html References