QR Challenge: Astronomy Unit

Created using the ClassTools QR Treasure Hunt Generator

Teacher Notes

A. Prior to the lesson:

1. Arrange students into groups. Each group needs at least ONE person who has a mobile device.

2. If their phone camera doesn't automatically detect and decode QR codes, ask students to

• Download a QR reader (e.g. I-Nigma | NeoReader | Kaywa) onto their mobile devices
• Bring these devices into the lesson.

3. Print out the QR codes.

4. Cut them out and place them around your class / school.

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B. The lesson:

1. Give each group a clipboard and a piece of paper so they can write down the decoded questions and their answers to them.

2. Explain to the students that the codes are hidden around the school. Each team will get ONE point for each question they correctly decode and copy down onto their sheet, and a further TWO points if they can then provide the correct answer and write this down underneath the question.

3. Away they go! The winner is the first team to return with the most correct answers in the time available. This could be within a lesson, or during a lunchbreak, or even over several days!

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C. TIPS / OTHER IDEAS

4. A detailed case study in how to set up a successful QR Scavenger Hunt using this tool can be found here.

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Questions / Answers (teacher reference)

Question	Answer
1. How long is the Earth’s rotation?	24 hours
2. How long is the Earth’s complete revolution round the sun?	One Year
3. What will North America experience when the north end of the Earth’s axis is tilted toward the sun?	More direct rays and longer days, otherwise, Summer
4. During what phase of the moon can a lunar eclipse occur?	Full moon
5. What is the main cause of tides?	The differences in how much the moon pulls on different parts of Earth
6. Why are you less likely to see a total solar eclipse then a total lunar eclipse?	The moon’s umbra only covers a small area on Earth’s surface
7. What two factors combine to keep Earth and the moon in their orbits?	Gravity and Inertia
8. Why are all objects attracted to each other?	Gravity
9. Why does the moon’s surface temperature vary greatly from day to night?	There is no atmosphere
10. Where is the moon during a total lunar eclipse?	In Earth’s umbra
11. Where is a total solar eclipse visible?	Only within the moon’s umbra
12. What does the strength of the force of gravity depend upon?	The masses of the objects and the distance between them
13. What is the tendency of a moving object to continue moving in a straight line or a stationary object to remain in place called?	Inertia
14. When does an equinox occur?	When neither end of the Earth’s axis is tilted toward or away from the sun
15. How large is the moon compared to Earth?	About ¼ the diameter of the Earth
16. When are tides highest?	When the sun, Earth, and moon are nearly in a line
17. Why does the Earth have seasons?	Its axis is tilted as it revolves around the sun
18. What causes day and night?	The Earth’s rotation on its axis
19. What tide had the least distance between low and high tides called?	Neap tides
20. What does NASA stand for and why was if formed?	National Aeronautical Space Administration
21. What rocket was the direct ancestor of all modern space vehicles?	V2
22. Who is considered to be the father of modern rocketry?	Robbert Goddard
23. What was the name of the first landing module on the moon?	Eagle
24. Who was the first human to step foot on the moon?	Neil Armstrong
25. What is the minimum speed a rocket must attain to escape to Earth and what is it called?	11 km per s, escape velocity
26. What direction is a rocket moving if a rocket’s thrust is less than its weight?	Forward
27. What chamber do all rockets have in which hot gases are under very high pressure?	Combustion
28. What must rockets carry with them to create enough thrust (besides rocket fuel)?	Oxygen
29. What did the second satellite launched by the Soviets contain?	A dog
30. What is the lowest speed a rocket may go and still orbit the Earth and what is it called?	Orbital velocity/8 km per s
31. What started the space race?	Soviets launching Sputnik 1
32. Who was the first human to orbit Earth?	Yuri Gargarin
33. Who was the first person to build rockets?	Robert Goddard
34. What makes the electromagnetic spectrum?	Different types of magnetic waves
35. What is a range of colors formed when white light passes through a prism?	spectrum
36. What are reflecting and refracting telescopes?	They gather and focus light
37. How do reflecting telescopes differ from refracting telescopes?	Reflecting uses mirrors and refracting uses a convex lens
38. What is a light-year?	Distance light travels in a year
39. What is a parallax used to determine?	Distance between stars from Earth
40. What are the characteristics to classify stars?	Size, brightness, temperature, composition, and color
41. What color are the coolest stars?	red
42. When is a star born?	When nuclear fusion starts
43. What does the lifetime of a star depend upon?	mass
44. What is a supernova?	Explosion of dying high mass stars
45. What does the absolute brightness of a star depend upon?	Size and temperature
46. What does the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram show about the main sequence stars?	Increasing brightness as temperature increases
47. Why are many optical telescopes found on mountains?	They are above lights and atmosphere interference

 

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