Dark Matter - Coming To A Classroom Near You
By: John Vinson
For as much as we know about science and space there’s just as much if not more that we don’t know to counter it. If there’s one subject that still has scientists scratching their craniums over, it’s dark matter.
If you haven’t looked into dark matter, I suggest that you do as it’s some real freaky stuff. Be forewarned as a lot of the jargon and “big words” that scientists use can be confusing. This problem is being resolved by, Perimeter Institute For Theoretical Physics, who instead of hording all their knowledge to themselves, is releasing it to the masses.
They are using high school classrooms as a springboard for getting such theories as dark matter out to the public. I’ve been visiting a few sites relating to dark matter this morning, and a migraine has begun to form. What the Perimeter Institute is doing, is making learning about such complex theories as dark matter, fun and engaging.
(Photo Credit: Perimeter Institute)
They are offering a curriculum for science teachers, who wish to use their findings for their class. They have released a DVD series about the history, and theories of dark matter. The series spans 7 DVDs, and their site on dark matter, also has oodles of information on the subject.
- Physicists have observed many galaxies and most are now convinced that, on average, dark matter accounts for 90% of the mass of every single galaxy in the universe.
- Although no one knows what dark matter is made of, physicists currently have a number of theories.One of the earliest theories of dark matter was that it consists entirely of compact celestial objects such as planets, dwarf stars, and blackholes. Careful observations have ruled out this theory.
-Most physicists today think that dark matter is made of a type of subatomic particle that, to date, has never been detected in the laboratory. The two leading candidates are weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) and axions.
If you’re a teacher who happens to be reading this article, then you can find the teacher’s kit here.