by Sue Ellen Radhe and Lynn Cole

by Sue Ellen Radhe and Lynn Cole Scotty! Captain Kirk yells in the intercom, If you don t have that warp drive back on line in three minutes, we re all dead! Somewhere in the bowels of engineering, Scotty works his magic producing yet another miracle, and the Enterprise warps out of danger into the safety of deep space. Warp drive is what enables the Enterprise to travel faster than the speed of light, thus allowing it to explore vast areas of space many light years from Earth. But what is warp drive? Is it a type of propulsion system similar to what NASA uses on the space shuttle? Or is warp drive a combination of physics theory and science fiction? How does one determine where modern physics ends and new theories in physics may take us tomorrow? This last question has challenged some of the best minds on our planet. Stephen Hawking, a notable British physicist, believes in a reciprocal relationship between science and science fiction (Krauss 1996). Science fiction may suggest ideas that scientists incorporate into their theories, yet science itself may produce outcomes that initially appear stranger than science fiction. Black holes are an example. During the filming of Star Trek (the original series), the Enterprise was thrown into a time warp by the immense gravitational pull of a black star. At the time, little was known regarding these phenomena and scientists were referring to them as frozen stars or gravitationally completely collapsed objects. Years later the scientific community started publishing data concerning black holes. Is this a coincidence? Or did Star Trek actually influence the scientific community? One of the advantages of interstellar travel enjoyed by the Enterprise is time travel. Is this idea strictly science fiction, or can physicists project theories to support this science fiction claim? The National Science Foundation has investigated ideas such as closed time-like curves, which Stephen Hawking implies is code for time travel (Krauss 1996). What would the general public say if they knew that their tax money was going towards the study of time travel? If our government is willing to investigate this idea, why not discuss it in our nation s classrooms? NASA is another organization that also believes in accomplishing the impossible. To accomplish this task, they have hired scientists whose main purpose is to think of new ideas to Sue Ellen Radhe is a classroom teacher at Manor Woods Elementary School in Ellicott City, Maryland. Lynn Cole is an associate professor in the Elementary Education Department at Towson University in Towson, Maryland. 52 March 2002

try in space. If this auspicious organization deems it appropriate to create a space think tank, then teachers have an obligation to expand student minds to consider ideas that reach beyond the curriculum. This is where the science fiction media becomes a resource to every science teacher. What better way to stimulate young minds than to use popular programs that pack a scientific punch? Gene Roddenberry s Star Trek is one science fiction television program that seems to have handled the science part of the show correctly. Here, a wealth of space science is available if teachers know where to look. The original series tackled concepts that included black holes, parallel universes, warp drive, and the transporter, to name a few. Star Trek: The Next Generation explored the possibilities of wormholes and a Dyson sphere. The beauty of these programs is that the writers based their creations on known physics. Thus, when science fiction was used, it was still based on accepted theories, making it not only believable to the audience, but able to stand the test of time. It is in this marriage between fact and fiction that teachers can explore a new realm of space science and the scientific process with their students. The voyage begins The Enterprise slowly pulls out of space dock. The helmsman, Sulu, turns to look at Captain Kirk and asks, Course heading, sir? The captain pauses with his chin resting on his fist. He takes a moment to think, and in that instant, there are an infinite number of secret hopes that pass through everyone s minds. Finally he responds. Turn right at the second star and straight on til morning. Smiles flicker across the faces of everyone on the bridge. They know one adventure has ended, and a new one has begun. Where do teachers begin and how do they make a classroom out of space dock? How do teachers take a TV show that was designed as entertainment and create learning out of it? It s easier than it sounds and involves a three-step process. To investigate space science beyond the curriculum, one needs to locate a Star Trek show that demonstrates the desired concept, read what the scientific community thinks about the concept, and create a simple model to demonstrate the concept. Initially, these tasks may seem overwhelming, but one does not need a degree in physics to be successful. In fact any creative general educator can follow these three steps. Begin with a Star Trek episode that features a concept that expands the curriculum (see Figure 2). If the curriculum involves the solar system, then investigate the theories behind a Dyson sphere, which involves a radical concept of conserving energy within a solar system. If the focus of the curriculum is on the space shuttle and astronauts, then investigate warp drive. For those curricula that involve the cosmos, begin with black holes, wormholes, or a parallel universe. The possibilities are endless. Watch the show and think outside the box. It becomes easier with practice and may even become second nature. Paramount Studios has a website that can assist teachers in their search for the right episode (www.startrek.com, the Library link). This site includes listings of the Star Trek shows from all four series. It also includes descriptions and graphics of each episode. Download a graphic of a wormhole, add the caption Fact or Fiction? and watch the interplay of ideas arise in your classroom. Thus, an opportunity has been created to teach students how to think through their responses and then justify their answers. They also learn how to think uniquely, and a possibility for independent research has been created. You may need to do a little reading on the topic, but it s not as painful as it sounds. Have one or two user-friendly adult physics books handy. Two recommendations would be The Physics of Star Trek by Lawrence M. Krauss and Stephen Hawking s Universe, the Cosmos Explained by David Filkin. These two books explain physics in terms that general educators can understand. It is important to realize that the teacher does March 2002 53

FIGURE 1 not have to be an expert in physics. One does not need to understand the mathematical equations that support the physics. It is critical, however, to understand the physics concepts, for it is the concepts that teachers will share with their students, not the math. The best resources are children s books. Visit a local library or bookstore and examine the young reader s section. Teachers will be amazed at the number of easy books there are on complex topics. An excellent book is Black Holes by Heather Couper and Nigel Henbest. This book explains concepts that include black Dyson sphere Venus Radius: 1.5 x 10 8 km Sun Mercury Dyson Sphere 3 m thickness holes as well as wormholes, time travel, and parallel universes. The beauty of this book is that it is written in terms that young students can understand. General educators can also learn these concepts quickly and easily through children s books. These books also have some of the best graphics for demonstrating these abstract concepts. Children s books have been greatly overlooked as a classroom resource for abstract concepts. A journey down this avenue should be quite rewarding. The Internet is also a good source for research. There are several websites created by young physics students or Star Trek fans that discuss physics concepts. The information on the Dyson sphere was discovered at one such website. A Dyson sphere is a huge sphere constructed around a star on a scale of a planet s orbit. The equator of the Dyson sphere would be the orbit of the imaginary planet. The sphere s purpose is to collect and harness a never-ending supply of energy from the center star of that solar system. The interior rim of this sphere is where a living environment is created with the sun in the center and an atmosphere conducive to humans. Figure 1 demonstrates this concept using Earth s orbit as a construction site for the Dyson sphere. Getting started is the most difficult part of the process. However, once the voyage has begun, it becomes addictive. One begins to garner information intuitively. Perhaps Infrared Radiation 54 March 2002

the latest issue of TIME magazine has an article rescinding a theory regarding a parallel universe. Or one might find the science section of the newspaper useful. Once the voyage begins, a new perspective develops on how to use the media, thus providing potential adventures for the classroom. The continuing voyages Engineering, Captain Piccard calls from his communicator badge, Are we ready to begin the tests? As soon as specialist Kosinski and the Traveler give the word, Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge responds. La Forge turns to view the unusual scene in engineering. Seated around his beloved warp engines are specialist Kosinski and his assistant, an alien called the Traveler. The Traveler has a unique ability to manipulate a previously unknown relationship between space, time, and thought. He serves as a lens to focus the thought energies of himself and those around him and apply them to space and time in a manner that Star Fleet has yet to comprehend. The product of his efforts swiftly propels the Enterprise faster and further than they have ever experienced. But the Traveler made a miscalculation and mistakenly hurled the Enterprise 2,700,000 light-years into a galaxy classified as M33. The Enterprise and her crew have truly arrived where no one has gone before. As teachers embark on the last phase of their classroom journeys, they too may feel like they have ventured where no teachers have gone before. But just as the crew of the Enterprise feels the thrill of something new and exciting, so will a teacher when designing a new project that will stimulate the interests, excitement, and thought processes of the students. Once an episode that extends the curriculum has been chosen, and a small amount of research has been completed, the only task left is to find simple models to demonstrate abstract concepts. This may seem like the most daunting task, but it is truly the most enjoyable. Where do teachers find models of warp drive? How do teachers build a Dyson sphere or demonstrate the formation of a wormhole? Again, the answer is easier that it may appear. A few suggestions may help direct teachers in their search for the unobtainable. The easiest and most accessible source is, again, children s books. Look for books that have How to in the title. Two excellent books are How the Universe Works: 100 Ways Parents and Kids Can Share the Secrets of the Universe by Heather Couper and Nigel Henbest and Astronomy for Every Kid: 101 Easy Experiments that Really Work by Janice Van Cleave. In these books teachers will determine how to use a balloon, a jar, and a refrigerator to demonstrate how black holes might be formed. Teachers may also discover how to use an old T-shirt and a shoebox to exhibit the gravitational force surrounding black holes. Once again these experiments are written in user-friendly terms that parents and general educators can understand. These two books are just an example of the resources available in the children s section of a bookstore or library. Even if the books and the activities are recommended for younger students, the concepts demonstrated in these books simplify physics for general educators and their students. Another rarely used resource is public science centers. They have excellent education departments that are willing to work with teachers. Their personnel can be instrumental in designing experiments that depict the power of a vacuum in space or the concept of inertia. In addition to supporting lesson plans, science centers can schedule on-site programs, special demonstrations, as well as field trips. If teachers are willing to invest a little time, the benefits are considerable. The most enjoyable source, however, is the local mall. There are an amazing number of ideas that can be sparked simply by entering a science store and wandering through the section on space. Other stores that are also interesting include hobby stores, pet stores, and toy stores. For example, a simple Slinky toy demonstrates a warp field and how a warp drive propels the Enterprise. Warp drive is not a conventional propulsion system. Instead, the matter/anti-matter reaction chamber (commonly called the warp core ) March 2002 55

creates waves of space that surround the ship. These waves are called warp field coils. The greater the number of layered coils, the higher the warp factor which propels the ship faster. This concept is similar to a surfer surfing the ocean waves. The more force behind the wave, the more powerful the ride. It was this analogy that sparked the following experiment using a Slinky. Tape a cardboard cutout of the Enterprise to one end of the Slinky. Stretch the Slinky taut between two people. Scrunch a bunch of slinky coils at the end of the Slinky behind the ship to represent the warp field coils. Then let go. Teachers will find that students will ooh and aah as if they had never seen a Slinky before! This simple experiment demonstrates a highly complex concept. Teachers may find that the best models originate from students. For example, a student, using a hamster running sphere, created a threedimensional model of a Dyson sphere by following a few simple steps: FIGURE 2 Episode guide Episode title Series Subject Where No Man Has Gone Before The Original Series galaxy and universe By Any Other Name The Original Series galaxy and universe Relics The Next Generation galaxy and universe Hero Worship The Next Generation dark matter Cathexis Voyager dark matter Evolution The Next Generation neutron stars The Masterpiece Society The Next Generation neutron stars The Tholian Web The Original Series parallel universe The Alternative Factor The Original Series parallel universe Mirror, Mirror The Original Series parallel universe Time s Arrow The Next Generation time travel Timescape The Next Generation time travel Time Squared The Next Generation time travel The Naked Time The Original Series time travel Tomorrow is Yesterday The Original Series time travel The Price The Next Generation wormholes and black holes Tomorrow is Yesterday The Original Series wormholes and black holes The Enemy Within The Original Series transporters Second Chances The Next Generation transporters Lonely Among Us The Next Generation transporters Disaster The Next Generation matter/antimatter The Naked Time The Original Series matter/antimatter Galaxy s Child The Next Generation matter/antimatter Skin of Evil The Next Generation matter/antimatter Coming of Age The Next Generation matter/antimatter Hollow Pursuits The Next Generation holograms Galaxy s Child The Next Generation holograms The Big Goodbye The Next Generation holograms Parallels The Next Generation holograms The Pegasus The Next Generation quasars 56 March 2002

Unscrew the lid of a hamster running sphere Cut out a cardboard model of the Sun and hang it at the center of the hamster sphere Then use modeling clay to depict the land and sea environment on the inside surface of the sphere To represent an atmosphere, hang cotton balls to serve as clouds This student could hardly wait to share the model with classmates. It was more creative and effective than the teacher s creation. This model epitomizes the purpose of teaching, which is to stimulate a desire for learning that is so strong that students continue learning independently outside of the classroom. It is truly amazing what teachers can learn from their students if they provide opportunities and then take the time to listen when students respond. The voyage home Slowly the Enterprise limped into space-dock. Star Fleet personnel stared in awe at the scorched sides of the Enterprise. She had been through a lot in order to accomplish her mission. But at what cost! She was battered and bruised, and she had lost personnel. Yet here she was, a testament to her captain s vision and skill. She returns not only with the knowledge she acquired throughout her journey, but brings with her a desire to turn around and do it again. The price to pay for going where no one has gone before was truly worth it. For without the risks of the captains and their crews, space cannot be explored, and humans would stagnate. Teachers carry a burden similar to that of the Enterprise and her crew. They are the captains of their classrooms. They are responsible for providing a solid foundation in the basic skills and content areas. But the journey does not end there. Teachers need to expand on the basics and begin to create an environment that encourages students to take academic risks. What better way to encourage students academically than to have teachers model risk taking themselves? When teachers constantly stretch their students thinking, a journey begins. Using Star Trek in the classroom is the beginning of a journey in science. The classroom is transformed from What do we have to do now? to an atmosphere of What are the new possibilities? This question reflects the true joy of teaching and learning. When teachers spark the imaginations of their students beyond what is known, then the ultimate mission has been fulfilled. References Couper, H. and N. Henbest. 1994. How the Universe Works: 100 Ways Parents and Kids Can Share the Secrets of the Universe. New York: The Reader s Digest Association Inc. Filkin, D. and S. Hawking. 1997. Stephen Hawking s Universe: The Cosmos Explained. New York: BasicBooks. Krauss, L. M. 1996. The Physics of Star Trek. New York: Harper & Row Perennial Library. VanCleave, J. 1991. Astronomy for Every Kid: 101 Easy Experiments That Really Work. New York: John Wiley & Sons. March 2002 57