Inquiring-mind Science: How Far is the Sun? How Far are the Planets?

“Excellent class.” –Margaret S., parent, about the Outschool class “Inquiring-mind Science: How Far Is the Sun? How Far Are the Planets?,” 17 Apr 2020

Schedule: This is a 1-week course that meets three times, one hour each session. (Three total hours.)

Format: Lecture with some class participation. We will learn concepts and practice them to attain the mastery we can in a short time. No grading; homework is optional.

Cost: $50 per person for a group class of 4 or more students; $199 for one-on-one tutoring.

Payment options: Payments can be made via PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, cash, or check.

Materials: Pencil, paper, and a graphing calculator like a TI-84, TI-89, HP Prime, or Casio is recommended.

For more details or to schedule a class, contact Michael by email at michaelgold@goldams.com or by phone at 281-770-2276.

Class Description.

Learn how science works in this three-class course.

Modern astronomy and knowledge of the solar system depend on knowing how the planets are spread around the solar system and on knowing that they all go around the same place: the sun. Without this knowledge, we are missing understanding of physics and the solar system. To understand an idea, we need to know where it comes from. Memorization of someone else’s words is not knowledge.

In this class, we will learn how scientists did it and we will do some of their calculations ourselves, and so learn a bit about how to do science ourselves. We will do a combination of lecture, Q&A, and independent work.

Students need some knowledge of geometry: right triangles, basic trig (sine, cosine, tangent in a triangle), circles, tangents to circles. But we will review these concepts in class.

This is a class for everyone — science is all around us! — but especially for those who want to go into science or engineering careers, or study science in school.

Day 1: Review some geometry, and review ratios. Discuss how Aristarchus calculated the distance of the sun from the earth. Do the calculation. Discuss how Copernicus calculated the distance of the “inner planets” to the sun, and doing some of the calculations.

Day 2: Continue discussing how Copernicus calculated the distance of the “inner planets” to the sun, and doing some of the calculations. Discuss how Copernicus calculated the distance of the “outer planets” to the sun, and doing some of the calculations.

Day 3: Continue discussing how Copernicus calculated the distance of the “outer planets” to the sun, and doing some of the calculations. Tabulate the results.

Time permitting, we might discuss the length of a year of the planets, tabulate them all, calculate the velocity of the planets, and introduce ourselves to some of the work of Kepler and Kepler’s Laws.

“My son (13yo) loved this class, he loved learning math he had not learned before, the instructions were very clear and he enjoyed them a lot. He loved learning the historical context and is already looking for other classes with this teacher. He really enjoyed the class! Thank you!”
–Judith V., parent, about the Outschool class “Inquiring-mind Science: How Far Is the Sun? How Far Are the Planets?,” 1 Apr 2020

“We really enjoyed the Ecology class with Michael Gold! He chose a wonderful textbook for my daughter to use: “Minnesota’s Natural Heritage.” He made it interesting, relevant, and understandable. As a homeschool mom, it’s always a challenge to find good teachers that I can rely on to supplement the holistic education I try to give my children. Michael does just that! He’s knowledgeable, thorough, logical, and even brings a sense of humor to the class! I can’t recommend him highly enough for someone who, like me, wants more for their children. Thank you, Outschool, for providing such good teachers at reasonable costs! We’ll be signing up for more classes soon!”
–Melanie K., parent, about the Outschool class “Ecology (Chp 5 by John Tester): The Northern Coniferous Forest,” 4 Feb 2020

“My daughter truly enjoyed the class and has motivated her further study in science. She also appreciated Mr. Gold’s passion and excitement for science!”
–Chigusa, parent, about the Outschool class “Logic Corner: What Is Science?,” 12 Feb 2020