2025 Note: Most of the original content from these pages is from 2011. It is being condensed here for record keeping.

2011 Earlham College England Program

This is the wiki for the program. Program related materials and the bulk of the Earlham course materials (Science, Technology and Society) are located here. Other on-line resources for the program are:

FIE's Moodle entry for the course (So far we're only using this for attendance.)
Program blog (Posts by Charlie and eventually Fitz and the students too.)

Who we are: Eva Marengo Sanchez, Sandra Ngeseyan, Ben Smith, Krystnell Storr, Spencer Smith, Emily Van Cise, Johanna Wilcox, Ivan Babic, Gillian Bateyunga, Lily Cutler, Bill Greene, McKayla Heller, Vivian Bateyunga, Andrew Fitz Gibbon (program assistant), Charlie Peck (program leader)

London Resources

Calendar

Embedded Google calendar goes here, for now: Google Calendar

Excursions

January

Cambridge (Saturday 15 January)
Ice Skating at Somerset House (Saturday 22 January)
Greenwich (Saturday 29 January)

February

Science Museum (Tuesday 1 February) - Atmosphere, Timekeeping
Parliament Tour (Tuesday 8 February)
Whose Science? at the Dana Centre (Wednesday 09 February, 19:00 - 20:30) - optional, requires RSVP
Greenland at the National Theatre (Friday 11 February)
Kew Gardens (Saturday 12 Februaryl)
Designer Life, Cooler World at the Dana Centre (Wednesday 16 February, 19:00 - 20:30) - optional, requires RSVP
Lab 2: Holy Pigeon P#$! Batman, it's Penelope Poison! (Sunday 20 February, 11:00 - 19:00, with dinner at the flat)
IQ2: Free Data at the Dana Centre (Tuesday 22 February, 19:00 - 20:30) - optional, requires RSVP
Earth System Modeling at the National Theatre (Wednesday 23 February, 18:00 - 19:00) - optional, requires a ticket that the program will purchase if you are interested in attending
Spring Break Travel Plans

March

A Mole in London: Tunnelling Beneath the City, lecture at the Royal Geological Society (Wednesday 16 March, 17:30 - 20:00) - optional, requires RSVP
Clybourne Park at Wyndham's Theatre (Wednesday 23 March)

April

Education Program at the Globe Theatre (Monday 4 April, 14:00 - 15:30)
Bath (Friday-Sunday 8-10 April)
The Anthropocene: Living in a New Age, lecture at the Royal Geological Society (Wednesday 20 April, 17:30 - 20:00) - optional, requires RSVP
Hamlet at the Globe Theatre (Saturday 23 April)

Science, Technology and Society

Class

Labs

Other

Tech Tips
Milestones, Techniques and Themes
Syllabus
General Education Rational
Random Items that came-up in class, on an excursion, etc.
Class Feedback Survey (SurveyMonkey)

Mashups

Where we live and work.
Where we have visited.

Science, Technology and Society - Syllabus

CS-282, England Program, Spring 2011
Charlie Peck, charliep at cs dot earlham dot edu
Andrew Fitz Gibbon (teaching assistant), fitz at cs dot earlham dot edu

Overview

There is a long history of advances in science and technology shaping the development of human societies. The pace of change driven by technological and scientific advances continues to increase, to the point where those advances are now the defining feature of modern life. This course will examine some of the major milestones of science and discovery and their effects on human societies.

We'll consider the principle discoveries and developments in a wide range of natural science and allied disciplines over the past 300 years or so. As part of this we'll examine the changes those developments and discoveries engendered in society. With this historical context we'll then consider what scientific and technological developments the (relatively near) future may bring and what their effects on human society might be. We'll also look at how society drives science and scientific discovery through Citizen Science projects.

England was the location of many of the important scientific advances we'll examine, London is also one of the places with a concentration of people that think and write about the future of science, technology and society.

The bulk of the work for this course will be reading, discussion, labs, and writing assignments. There will be some lectures but not large quantities of them. This is a four credit course, we'll meet twice a week for 2 hours each plus about four field trips. Some of the other trips we'll take during the program will include small components of material related to this class as well. Science and technology are all around us, we'll leverage that during this class.

This course fulfills the non--lab Scientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning general education requirements.

Materials

There are two texts for this course:

Robert Hazen and James Trefil, Science Matters , Anchor; Reprint edition (June 2, 2009), ISBN-13: 978-0307454584
Rudi Volti, Society and Technological Change , Worth Publishers; Sixth Edition edition (March 6, 2009), ISBN-13: 978-1429221214

I expect that you will have acquired these books before arriving in London in January. Both are readily available from e.g. Amazon. Be sure you have the correct editions of both texts.

We'll also read articles or chapters written by some of the following people:

Alvin Toffler
Richard Dawkins
Rachel Carson
Bill Bryson
Malcolm Gladwell
Ray Kurzweil
Howard Rheingold

I will provide you with copies of these at the appropriate times.

Field Trips

As part of this course we'll visit a number of places related to the history of science and technology in England. Darwin's home, the site of the first mashup, and the Royal Observatory in Greenwich among them. These trips will be done in the context of our readings and labs, e.g. when we visit Greenwich we'll work on a lab that incorporates the measurement of time and distance, building on Harrison's work to develop a method for determining longitude.

Assignments

There will be four types of assignments for this class: readings, exercises, labs, and writing.

Readings

We'll have regular reading assignments from the texts and from the other sources listed above. We'll discuss those readings as part of our class meetings and during our field trips.

Exercises

Periodically we will work on exercises related to the readings, most of these will require you to learn about particular scientific or technological concepts and demonstrate a basic understanding of them.

Labs

In order to learn how science is practiced and the strengths and weaknesses of the scientific method this course will incorporate a number of labs. Given that we'll have somewhat limited facilities and equipment these will typically involve using fairly basic tools, but as you will see it is possible to do a significant amount of science without sophisticated laboratories and instruments.

Journals

Each week I'll ask a question or two about the material we're covering and ask you to respond in an on--line journal. I'll provide you with a web--based mechanism for these journals so that it's easy for you to write them and for me to read them without the hassle of printing them on paper.

Term paper

During the second half of the semester each of you will choose a topic, either from a list I provide or of your own choosing (vetted by me), to research and write a 8--10 page paper about. I will give you a fair amount of latitude when choosing a topic as long as it's within the bounds of the material we are covering for the course. This will be a survey paper, which assumes a lay audience.

Evaluation

Your grade for this class will be determined using the following rubric:

Exercises - 25%
Labs - 25%
Journal - 15%
Term paper - 20%
Class participation - 15%

My definition of class participation is showing-up, doing the work, and actively engaging your fellow students and myself in the enterprise of learning.

Disabilities

Please let me know as early in the semester as possible if there are any adaptations or accommodations you require, if there is any emergency medical information I should know about, or if you might need special arrangements in the case the building needs to be evacuated, etc . The Earlham policy is:

Any student with a documented disability (e.g., physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc.) who needs to arrange reasonable accommodations must contact Academic Support Services and the instructor at the beginning of each semester. Accommodation arrangements must be made during the first-two weeks of the semester.

It is important to follow this procedure.

Assignments

Due Friday 25 February

Write-up due, Lab 2: Holy Pigeon P#$! Batman, it's Penelope Poison!.

Due Sunday 20 February

Data collection for Lab 2: Holy Pigeon P#$! Batman, it's Penelope Poison!, 11:00 - 19:00 (with dinner at the flat).

Due Saturday 19 February

All previously assigned questions, journal entries, etc. are due by the end of the day. This is your last chance to catch-up on the work for the first part of the semester.

Due Friday 18 February

Read chapter 10 (Astronomy) and chapter 11 (The Cosmos) in Science Matters.
Develop at least 3 questions about concepts, technologies, etc. that didn't stick from the reading in chapters 10 and 11. Post these to your wiki journal in an entry titled Astronomy and the Cosmos.

Due Thursday 17 February

Write-up a critique of the Technology and Sustainability lecture you attended on Wednesday evening. Content, structure, etc. are all fair game. Post this in your wiki journal in an entry titled Technology and Sustainability Talk.

Due Tuesday 15 February

Following our visit to Kew Gardens, consider the following questions and write-up your response in a wiki journal entry titled Science at Kew:
- What science do they do at Kew? What evidence of scientific underpinnings did you find in the displays? Why is it important to society, that is why should society support the work Kew does? What are the principle near-term and long-term benefits that are likely to accrue from their work? Another way to ask this question is who benefits from their research and why? (Hint, they provide good information about these topics in their exhibits and on-line materials.)
Bonus question (5 points) - Identify as many places as you can at Kew where you encounter the Fibonacci sequence (Wikipedia). List these in a wiki journal entry tittled Fibonacci at Kew. There is a very nice bit done by the BBC on the Fibonacci sequence here.

Due Monday 14 February

Write a short review of Greenland and post it in your journal on the wiki. Consider the accuracy of the information presented and the effectiveness of that medium, and that particular play, as a tools for shaping public opinion about climate change, clearly label this entry Greenland Review.
Reflect on what you learned over the past couple of weeks about climate change and consider the questions below. Write-up your thoughts about all this in your journal on the wiki, clearly label this entry Reflections on Climate Change.
- What do you believe the take-away message to be?
- Which of the modalities did you find most effective at communicating that message: reading, museum, or theatre? Why?
- What's different about the message here in England than what you hear in your home country about climate change? Different than at Earlham?

Due Friday 11 February

Greenland at the National Theatre, see the page for the details.
Before the play listen to a segment from This American Life about climate change and public opinion about it. This segment is embedded in a show called Kid Politics, the segment you should listen to is Act 2, Climates Change, People Don't, begins at 24:27.

Due Tuesday 8 February

Read chapter 4 (The Atom) in Science Matters.
Develop at least 3 questions written or emailed to me before class about concepts, technologies, etc. that didn't stick from the reading in chapter 4.

Due Monday 7 February

Teach yourself a couple of new MediaWiki formatting commands. Using the edit link (at the top of the page) to view the source of say a Wikipedia page that does something you think is cool is a great way to learn how to use the markup language. Just press the Cancel link (at the bottom of the page) when you are done.
Consider your first experience at Atmosphere in light of the questions listed below. Write-up your thoughts in your journal on the wiki, clearly label this entry Atmosphere I. This entry should reflect some of your new found skills from item 1. above.
- Which specific aspects of climate change did the designers of atmosphere choose to focus on?
- How well sourced was the science and technology discussed in the kiosks?
- What was the most surprising thing you learned?
- Which of the interactive kiosks did you find most engaging? Why?
- Which of the interactive kiosks did you find least engaging? Why?

Due Saturday 5 February

Write-up due, Lab 1: Where Am I?. Send me email when it's done so I know when I can review it.

Due Tuesday 1 February

Read chapter 14 (Earth Cycles) and chapter 19 (Ecosystems) in Science Matters. Come to class on Tuesday with 3 or more written or emailed to me before class questions about the material.

Due Monday 31 January

Start work on the write-up for Lab 1: Where Am I?, come to class with questions, etc.

Saturday 29 January

Greenwich excursion, field work for Lab 1: Where Am I?

Due Friday 28 January

First written responses in your wiki-based journal due, the question to address is:

In your view what are the three most important challenges facing society in the near term (say 50 years)? Why are each of these so important? What does science have to offer for each? What does technology have to offer for each? Your entry should clearly address which are science based and which are technology based. You can describe both science and technology approaches for each of the problems you identify.

You can find your wiki-based journals for this class here

Due Tuesday 25 January

Read the pages listed under Greenwich on the Supplemental Material page
Come to class with any questions you have about what they cover, the implications, etc.

Due Monday 24 January

Read Chapter 2 (Energy) in Science Matters.
Come to class with a written list of questions about concepts, etc. that didn't stick from chapters 1 and 2.

Due Tuesday 17 January

Read Henry Petroski's short article about science and technology which can be found on the Supplemental Material page

Due Monday 16 January

Read the Introduction and Chapter 1 (Knowing) in Science Matters.

Due Tuesday 11 January

If you haven't completed the reading for Monday do so now.

Due Monday 10 January

Read the syllabus and general education rational, come to class with questions, etc.

Lab 1: Where Am I?

Overview

There are lots of interesting and historic places in Greenwich, there are also some places that are fairly ordinary. Working in your lab groups (see below) you will locate one such ordinary place, determine where it is a couple of different ways, measure the shortest distance from that point to the Prime Meridian, and note some additional physical markers.

Figuring-out where you are and how far it is to other things is the first step in mapping the world around us. This lab is designed to give you first-hand experience with some of the tools and processes to do that measuring and mapping.

Once you have completed the data collection in Greenwich you and your lab partners will analyze the data and describe the results in a lab report which will be due next week.

Make sure that at least one person in each lab group brings a laptop with them to Greenwich. It will make some aspects of the lab much easier. If you have a minute to install Google Earth before tomorrow that would be even better.

Lab Groups

Listed below are your scientifically chosen lab groups along with a description of the fairly ordinary place you will need to locate.

Red: Lily, Bill, Emily - The steps leading from the sidewalk to the front entrance of the Our Lady Star of the Sea church.
Green: Krystnell, Johanna, Spencer - The intersection of May's Buildings Mews and May's Court.
Yellow: Mamus, Ivan, Vivian - The distal end of Croom's Hill Grove.
Black: Eva, Gillian - The steps leading from the sidewalk into the courtyard of the museum devoted to cooling oneself.
Purple: McKayla, Ben - On the sidewalk near the marque of the home of Greenwich's thespians.

Details

Once you have located your spot you will need to:

Determine the latitude at that spot using at least three different tools/methods.
Determine the longitude at that spot using at least three different tools/methods.
Determine the elevation at that spot using at least three different tools/methods.
What is due North of that spot? (E.g. "a house with blue shutters", or "an oncoming car...")
What is due South of that spot?
Determine the minimum distance in meters from that spot to the Prime Meridian using at least two different tools/methods.

Hint: There is a really big, sort of blue/green, local reference point for elevation running alongside Greenwich.

Tools and Methods

There are a number of different ways you can determine latitude, longitude, elevation and distance:

A well reasoned and reasonably accurate estimate.
Measuring by angle of elevation and distance.
Measuring by calibrated human pace.
GPS device (I have two to loan for 1 hour time blocks on Saturday when we're in Greenwich)
Google Earth

Each of these tools has their own strengths and weaknesses, sources of error, etc. One aspect of this lab is to learn what they are and how to best work with them. At least one person in each group will need to install Google Earth on their laptop.

Note that not all of the tools/methods need to be employed while you are in Greenwich, that is once you have a handle on the spot you could sit at FIE and use Google Earth. All of the other tools/methods require your physical presence at the spot to employ them.

Report

Each group will write-up a lab report in the Lab Notebooks section. There is a very simple template there for each group to start with. Your write-up should include:

A description of the task at hand and your approach to the work.
A description of the spot you are working from.
The measurements as listed under Details above, for each of the tools/methods, organized in tabular form.
A discussion of the sources of error associated with each of the tools/methods you employed and the likely range into which the correct answer is likely to fall for each of them.
The raw data, that is each value read (at minimum 3 values for each data point) for each tool/method you employ for a given measurement.

Extra Credit: A basic visualization which utilizes an aerial image with a placemark at the spot, labeled with the coordinates, and visual indications of the "zone of error" for each of the tools/methods you employed.

Neatness and organization count, significantly.

Questions

Once you folks begin working on the lab I will be available to answer questions, loan tools, make smart remarks, etc. You can find me at roughly 51.4816 -0.0099, probably drinking coffee.

Lab 2: Holy Pigeon P#$@ Batman, it's Penelope Poison!

Overview

London is in a pickle, and it is your job to help them out of it. The notorious Penelope Poison has threatened to release a toxic substance into London's water supply, in order to thwart her plan the emergency response people need visualizations which show the water temperature, air temperature and wind speed and direction at a number of water bodies located in central London.

You will all need to show-up at location 1 (see Questions below) before/at 11:00 on Sunday morning. I will be available starting at 9:30 at that location to hand-out instruments, answer questions, etc. At least one person from each group should plan on being there before 11:00. I will be leaving that location at 11:15 sharp so stragglers will need to hope their group waits for them.

There are lots of important details embedded in this lab description, reading it closely and carefully will be worth the time.

Lab Groups

Listed below are your scientifically chosen lab groups:

Red: Lily, Bill, Emily, Ben
Yellow: Mamus, Ivan, Vivian, Eva
Green: Krystnell, Johanna, Spencer, McKayla, Gillian

Details

Just before the Director of Emergency Response (Mr B. Cheese) left town for an undisclosed location he took pictures of the locations that need to be sampled, you can find them at http://cs.earlham.edu/~charliep/EnglandProgram/Lab2. Unfortunately he was in a rush and neglected to label any of the pictures.

Identify where each of the 11 images were taken. Remember that digital images often contain more information than meets the eye.
At each of those 11 locations record the following:
1. A picture that duplicates as near as possible the one you were given of that location.
2. The latitude, longitude and elevation of the location (if you have a GPS in your kit use that, if not use Google Earth).
3. An estimate of the wind direction and speed at that location when you are there.
4. The temperature of the water body in the picture at that location.
5. The air temperature when standing where the image was taken at that location.

Remember to record at least three readings for each parameter at each location. Later you can aggregate each of those groups of three readings into a measurement of that parameter for that location. Think about how to "reset" each instrument so you can record three independent readings of each parameter.

Google Earth is a tool just like the physical ones, when you use it to measure e.g. the latitude/longitude/altitude you should develop and document a procedure for taking three readings just as you are for the other tools.

To measure the wind speed you can estimate it using the Beaufort scale. The wind direction can be determined with a small scrap of paper and a compass or GPS in compass mode.

Measuring the air temperature will depend on which kit you have. The thermocouple and the combination compass/thermometer can take direct readings, the infrared thermometer will require a little cleverness to enable it to measure the air temperature.

Each group must make their own measurements, this will enable the emergency responders to compare the values obtained with different instruments and people to ensure that they react properly. You can share techniques and ideas among your groups but not data.

Each of these tools has their own strengths and weaknesses, sources of error, etc. One aspect of this lab is to learn what they are and how to best work with them. At least one person in each group will need to install Google Earth on their laptop.

Normally you would take air and water samples at each location as well, since Penelope Poison is threatening to act soon you don't have time for that now.

Red Instrument Kit

Combination compass/thermometer
Uni-T multimeter with point contact temperature probe

Yellow Instrument Kit

GPS
Maplin thermocouple thermometer
Compass

Green Instrument Kit

GPS
Infrared thermometer
Compass

Report

Each group will write-up a lab report in the Lab Notebooks section. Your lab report should include the following elements:

A description of the problem you were given and your approach to solving it.
For each parameter the procedure you followed to obtain the readings and measurement.
A tabular display of each measurement of each parameter at each location.
An analysis of the measurements describing any patterns that are evident and your thoughts about why they might be present.
A small/simple gallery of the images you took at each of the locations with descriptions of the actual place (e.g. Looking North from the South side of the fountain in Bethesda Terrace in Central Park).
An appendix with the readings and measurements for each parameter and each location.
For each of the instruments you used determine the error associated with it. If references are available for the instrument use those values (and document the source), if not make a reasonable estimate and document how you came to it.
A visualization of the data, preferably as an overlay on a map or aerial image of the overall area in question.
A short statement from each group member explaining what they contributed to this lab.

There is a very simple template there for each group to start with, you should not feel bound to the format that's there but you must be sure to address each of the items listed above.

Neatness and organization count, significantly.

Visualization

Each group will create a visualization with the parameters they measured. We'll discuss the different approaches to this over dinner on Sunday and in class on Monday.

Questions

Before you start and once you are working on the lab I will be available to answer questions, etc., here's where to find me when:

Between 09:30 and 11:00 you can find me at roughly 51.510509, -0.127060
Between 11:30 and 14:30 you can find me at roughly 51.502998, -0.165623
After 15:00 you can find me at roughly 51.511393, -0.127091

I won't be checking email or text messages between 11:00 and 15:00 but I will be available for F2F consultation at the locations/times listed above.

Lab Notebooks

Lab 1: Where Am I?

Lab Write-up for Group Red

Albert Greene, Lilly Cutler, Emily Van Cise Lab One: Where Am I? Science, Technology, and Society 2/4/2011

Part one: Description and Method

We were charged with exploring the various means of identifying location, and by extension, navigation. To simplify our overall project, we were given a location within walking distance in the epitome of constructs, the prime meridian in Greenwich. Our task was, once provided with a location by our instructor, to identify the coordinates of this point using three different methods available in the modern era. Although humans have developed an impressive array of devices and methods with which to navigate, we chose to utilize three divergent tools. First and the most fundamental is general reason and understanding of the structure which serves as the foundation for the human enterprise of navigation. Our second method was to employ Global Positioning Satellite technology, better known as GPS. Finally, we used a program known as Google Earth, which generates a three dimensional simulation of the earth based on satellite images and computer modeling.

Our use of general logic incorporates a number of assumptions that reflect the fundamental design of latitude, longitude, directionality, elevation and space. We could deduce the latitude by noting that the city of London sits comfortably on the N51* mark, and further, that the Thames is around the 28 minuet mark. The location we were given sat half way between the ends of Greenwich Park, a mile long patch of grass. We could then claim that the latitude of our location was between points 0 and 1000. We determined longitude by measuring the step of one metric Bill whose pace is one meter per step. We counted the calibrated step to determine how far we were from the prime meridian which would give us the longitude. Objects north and south of us could be identified by noting that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Given the time, we could note its accent or decent and determine north and south relative to its location in the sky. Finally, given that the Thames is at mean sea level 0, and that the Greenwich observatory is 153 feet high, we could deuce our relative elevation to both points. After looking at our findings utilizing digital and satellite technology, it was surprising how accurate general reason was.

Global Positioning Satellites technology is relatively simple. Given a GPS, a devise that communicates with satellites above, we merely read off and record our location. The satellites, which are in orbit above the earth, cover a circular area and the devise finds our location by identifying the overlap of the areas covered. We were given latitude, longitude, elevation and could place landmarks. The devise can measure the distance between these two points and give us the length in meters.

Google Earth, a program which generates a “perfect” model of the earth is also an incredibly simple method for divining our location. We merely needed to find Greenwich via the search option, find our location specific spot, which was conveniently marked as a point of interest. Moving the cursor over the point would give us latitude, longitude and elevation. The program also includes a measure function and provides a wide array of measurements for points you place on the map. Using these three methods we were able to find out where the heck we were.

Part two: Description of Location

We were told to orient ourselves on the steps of Our Lady Star of the Sea Church (see below). A Catholic Church located on Crooms Hill Road in Greenwich, London. The road runs parallel to the Greenwich park grounds on the West side up a steep incline. Down the hill, to the north we saw a white house with metal guardrails on the roof. To the south, up the hill, we could see a red brick house with white trim just past a grassy noel. Across the street, toward the prime meridian was another incline fenced off by a metal gate and thick shrubbery. This barrier was a big reason for having a margin of error greater than ten meters with our measurement of calibrated stride. All that remains to be said at this point is that the area is lovely and that you can find more information on the church at http://www.portcities.org.uk/london/server/show/conMediaFile.5351/Our-Lady-Star-of-the-Sea-Church-Crooms-Hill-Greenwich.html.

Part Three: Tabulation of findings:

Latitude
GPS- N. 51 28.585 +/-5-6m
Google Earth- N 51. 28 349
Reason- N 51. 28. (000-1000)

Longitude
GPS- W. 000. 00 346 +/-5-6m
Google Earth- W 000 00. 352
Reason- W 000 00.360 +/-

Elevation
GPS- 37m
Google Earth- 37m
Reason- 38.25

Distance from Prime Meridian
GPS- 428 m
Google Earth- 417m
Reason- 360m

Part Four: A Discussion of Error

In terms of general logic we used our knowledge of location to determine our latitude. We already knew our approximate location. We generally guessed where we were, but were unable to know exactly where we were in terms of latitude, elevation, and longitude. We used a calibrated step, so this was not a perfect measure of distance. In terms of GPS, it is accurate up to five or six meters. So we know we were accurate up to five or six meters. In terms of Google Earth, the cursor placement could be relative and is not necessarily completely accurate with the location.

Part Five: Raw Data

GPS coordinates
Longitude W. 000. 00 346 +/-5-6m
Latitude N. 51 28.585 +/-5-6m
Elevation 38m
Distance from meridian: 428m

Google Earth
Longitude: W 000 00. 352
Latitude N 51. 28 349
Elevation 111 feet 37 m
Distance from prime meridian : 417m

General Logic
Latitude: N 51. 28. (000-1000)
Longitude: number of M. from meridian. W 000 00.360 Distance from meridian# of steps x 1 step360+- 15 steps
Average rate of bill+ 1 m
Elevation halfway up Cromwell hill from the Thames which is +5 m from sea level, 153 feet at top of hill, or 46m somewhere between 10 m probably 153 div 3=51 mult .75= 38.25 m above sea level

What is north: White house with metal guard rail on roof
What is south: red house on hill with white trim

Path taken during calibrated measurement march:

Reviewed - 21 February 2011

Lab Write-up for Group Green

Introduction

Description of task and approach

Despite being a completely arbitrary line, the prime meridian holds a great deal of significance for human navigation. During our visit to Greenwich, we used the prime meridian as a reference point for our assigned location. We estimated the latitude, longitude and elevation of the given spot using a GPS, a compass and human estimation. We used footsteps to determine our distance from the Royal Observatory as well as labels on a nearby lamppost.

Description of the spot

For this lab, we were directed to find the corner/intersection of May's Buildings Mews and May's Court. Quickly, we recognized (both through googlemaps and observations of the human eye) that our location was approximately on the same latitude as the Royal Observatory. Our estimate was that we were located 25 m South of the Royal Observatory’s latitude. We first took a description of what was directly North of our location. Standing on May’s Buildings Mews (a brown loose gravel road/driveway) we used a compass to look North and noted a black gate reading “The Grange”, on one side in stone, and “52 Mays Buildings Mews”, on the other side of the gate. Turning around 180° we now took observations of the location directly South of our location. In this direction ran May’s Court North to South. Along this short road were several residential homes identified as “Beaver’s Housing Society”. More directly South of our location was the front yard and the birdfeeder. Looking to the East we identified a lamppost with elevation and longitude markings. We estimated this lamppost to be about 25 meters east of our location, and it proved instrumental in many of our ‘Human Estimations’.

Data Collection

Measurements & Raw data(raw data in bold)

1) LATITUDE:

Method 1 [Human Estimation]

royal observatory (51° 28’38.56”) – 25 m = 51.47737777766666° – (25m / 111248.24m) = 51.477153055010373°N

(lengths of degree latitude at 51° = 111248.24m)

Method 2 [GPS]

51° 28.633’ = 51° + (28.633 / 60) = 51.477216666°N

Method 3 [GoogleEarth]

51°28'37.82"N = 51° + ((28 + (37.82 / 60)) / 60) = 51.4771722222°N

2) LONGITUDE:

Method 1 [Human estimation/lightpole]

0° 0.381’ + 21 m = 0.00635° + (21 m / 70,197.65m) = 0.00664915°W

(length of degree longitude at latitude 51° = 70,197.65m)

Method 2 [GPS]

0° 0.372’ = 0° + (0.372 / 60) = 0.0062°W

Method 3 [GoogleEarth]

0° 0'22.42"W = 0° + ((0 + (22.42 / 60)) / 60) = 0.0062277777°)

3) ELEVATION:

Method 1 [Human estimation/lightpole] – 13 m

Method 2 [GPS] – 14 m

Method 3 [GoogleEarth] – 22 m

4) DUE NORTH:

A black gate and driveway for number 52 Mays Buildings Mews (written in stone next to the gate says “The Grange”)

5) DUE SOUTH:

Mays Court…and a housing complex called Beaver’s Housing Society…more specifically the birdfeeder in the front lawn

6) SHORTEST DISTANCE FROM PRIME MERIDIAN:

Method 1 [Human Pace]

184 paces (estimated at .5 m/pace) X 2 = 184 m

Method 2 [GoogleEarth]

432.3 m

Data Analysis

Discussions of sources of error

Sources of error made during data collection can be attributed to several factors. In choosing to use Johanna's footsteps to measure distance, we realized that we had no way exact way of ensuring that each footstep was equal to the next. The circumference of Spencer's wheelchair would have been more exact, and originally we found that circumference (using the tiles in the TexMex restaurant) to be two meters. Our first objective was to measure the distance between the spot of our location and the nearest lamppost. That alone was quite a tedious challenge using Spencer's wheelchair as it proved very difficult to follow the exact amount of wheel rotations. The group decided that it would be an inefficient use of time to attempt this method in measuring our distance from the Royal Observatory. Our next solution was to figure out Johanna's pace. Knowing the circumference of Spencer's wheel we compared one rotation to two of Johanna's steps. It took her four steps to go the exact same distance as a whole rotation, therefore it was estimated that one step was equal to 1/2 a meter. Although we are confident in this estimation we cannot be as confident in the consistency of Johanna's steps and therefore the human estimation involved in "Longitude", "Latitude", and "Distance from Prime Meridian" must account for a certain level of error.

Furthermore, when calculating the "Latitude" and "Distance from Prime Meridian" we noticed that we were extremely close, but not exactly, to the same latitude as the Royal Observatory. Using and eyeball estimation we attempted to walk a parallel line to the Prime Meridian from our location to the spot lying on the same latitude as the Royal Observatory (also using a compass to ensure East remained in the same general direction). Again with Johanna's pace this estimate came out as 25m (accounting for possible error in our human estimation on "Latitude" as explained above). From this location (noting the GPS longitude coordinate remained the same as our initial location) we decided an accurate measure of our distance from the Prime Meridian could be found by estimating the distance between us and the Royal Observatory. A number of sources of error occurred in this process. It would be a severe physical challenge to walk from this location directly to the Royal Observatory because of the path leads up the hill, not to mention that a measurement of Johanna's pace up the hill would be an inaccurate measurement of the actual distance since it would include a vast change in elevation. Our solution was to make a human estimation of a halfway point between the two locations, measure the distance between our current location and there, and then double that measurement. Obviously, our estimated halfway point was recorded through no more than the human eye and accounts for some of the possible error. Also, while walking to this point, we ran into a wall, stopped counting the pace while we walked perpendicular to our path until coming to an entrance to the park, where we again continued along our path and pace measurement. This pause in our measurement could also be the cause of some of the inaccuracies.

It is also possible that the degree of error associated with the GPS system and the satellites that it corresponds with is an issue which also may have affected the data points we obtained. When analyzing the results given by 'Google Earth' we looked for 0 degrees longitude and noticed that the spot it directed us to on the map did not appear to run through the Royal Observatory but a significant distance to the East of the Royal Observatory. This peaked our interest and with some basic research on wikipedia we discovered that a GPS will not indicate 0 at the Royal Observatory because GPS' operate according to a "GPS Prime Meridian" that is actually located approximately 100 meters east of the Royal Observatory. This is actually the Prime Meridian used by the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (identified in this context as the IERS Rference Meridian) specifically because it is the GPS Prime Meridian as identified by the United States Department of Defense. It is the current reference point for WSG84 (World Geodetic System 1984). Ironically, wikipedia identifies 2010 as the year in which WSG84 will no longer be valid after 2010. Anyways, the IRM or GPM is 5.31 arcseconds east of the meridian circle at the latitude of the Royal Observatory (specifically, 102.5 meters). Interestingly enough, this difference is attributed the legacy left behind by the TRANSIT, the first satellite navigational system. The TRANSIT surveyed coordinates in a non-Earth centered ellipsoid, yet has used those coordinates in Earth-centered ellipsoids, accounting for the differences. This helps to explain the source of error presented when using the GPS.

From everything we can tell, GoogleEarth appears to be the most accurate. However, we are not experts in using the program and it too could present inaccuracies. For instance, many of the coordinates it provides depends on the very specific location of the cursor. Try as we might, we cannot say with complete certainty that our cursor was on the exact locations we desired. One question we are left with deals with the elevation GoogleEarth provided. Our "human estimation" was based off of the lamppost nearby which read 13m. We felt our location on the same elevation as this lamppost, and the GPS helped validate that estimate by showing 14m. However, GoogleEarth identified the elevation at our location as 22m, which is a large enough difference to question it as a source of error.

Results

Reviewed - 21 February 2011

Lab Write-up for Group Yellow

File:Yellow team final!.pdf

Picture 1 .

Picture 2.

Picture 3 .

Picture 4 .

Group Report 1: Where am I? Yellow team: Ivan, Mamus, and Vivian.

Our focus point was the distal end of Croom’s Hill Groove. We used three different methods/approach to identify our destination which includes Google earth, GPS and method of estimated (natural way). We used the GPS, Google earth, proximate measures, timer, camera and a compass as our tools. Below is a description of our identification by the use of longitude, latitude, elevation and distance.

Latitude: GPS reading: 51.47728 Google earth: 51.477543 Estimation:

PICTURE 1

Using Google Earth, we measured the distance from to the Equator to the closest approximate point to Croom’s Hill, Greenwich England. At this point we then used general knowledge (with a little help from Google) to establish the distance from the Earth’s core to the surface. Using the Pythagorean Theorem, we found the angle between AB and AC, which represents the an estimation of latitude for the purposes of this experiment.

In the diagram, a= 3441.58 miles (distance from Equator to Greenwich, England b=3975 miles (distance from Earth’s center to its surface) c= side needed in order to complete equation finding angle of latitude.

c =sqr(1915^2 + 3975^2 c =5257.860…

Finding A

A=sin(a/c) A= sin(3441.58/5257.86) A=.inverse of sin (.608) A=37.45° Therefore the angle of latitude using estimation is 37.45°.

Longitude: GPS: 00.000765 Google earth: 00.007876 Estimation: For every 15 ° of longitude, there is a 60 mins difference in time. We were 8 minutes away from the prime meridian of 0°, so our calculation of the longitude degree was as follows: 15°=60mins ???=8mins (15*60)/8 2°

Elevation: GPS: 18.5 ft but we changed this to 60ft through computer calculator. Google earth: 59 ft Estimation: By the natural arm method, we estimated the angle from Greenwich to our destination to be 60°. As shown on the triangle below we used the cosine and Pythagorean theory to find our elevation.

PICTURE 2

AC/BC= Cos a°

60ft/BC=Cos60°

BC= 60Cos60°

BC=60(0.5)

BC=30ft

a2+b2=c2

602+302=c2

3600+90=c2

?4500=c

C=67.08ft (our angle of elevation)

Distance: Google earth: 540m Estimation: We used Ivan’s feet which we approximated to be 1 step is equivalent to 1 meter. Evan walked 10 steps in 07:48sec, which we approximated to be 8secs, so it takes one person to walk 10meters in 8 secs. We walked from our point (Croom’s Hill Grove) to in approximately 8 mins. So below are the calculations of the distance it took us from our point to the prime meridian.

10meter=8seconds ???=480seconds (8*60) (10m*480s)/8s = 675m

Below are pictures of the North aside and a description.

North side description: Narrow road Houses in form of flats with tiles on the roof Cars parked on the right side of the street, near houses.

PICTURE 3

South side description: A garden Garbage Dead end with a small/shallow wall.

PICTURE 4

Weaknesses: Time was not accurate, as it depends on ones pace of walking, the answer (time it took us to walk) could vary depending on one’s speed. The GPS is not as accurate. Their accuracy will be within about 10 to 50 feet (3 to 15 meters), 95% of the time.

Reviewed - 21 February 2011