Posted on 22nd January 2009 by Judy Breck in general science | physics
collider, factories, hadron, learn, neutrino, node, particls_physics
This learn node about the future of particle physics is a webpage on the Interactions.org Particle Physics News and Resources website. The introduction to the page explains:
The Future
Particle physics has reached an extraordinary moment in the quest to understand the universe and its physical laws. Profound new questions have emerged to capture the human imagination. To address these questions, scientists all over the world are collaborating to imagine, design and build the particle physics of the future.
The page offers links to hadron colliders, linear colliders, neutrino factories and other key places where the where the work is being done to on the particle physics quest. The result is a learn node in an online open cluster that you can explore to learn about particle physics from the scientists and institutions who are participating in this extraordinary moment in the quest they leading.
Posted on 25th July 2008 by Judy Breck in astronomy | general science | physics
apod, astronomy, day, learn, node, picture
Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) began on June 16, 1995 with the computer generated image shown here of Earth as a hypothetical neutron star. Each day since, the two astronomers who create APOD have devised a learn node: a webpage that focuses on a small subject interfaced by an image, and that links out into the Internet to related topics. Pushing, as learnodes.com does, for something called “learn nodes” is not an effort to invent something new. A learn node captures content for learning by exploiting the natural powers of the open Internet. The robust, 13-year history of APOD illustrates the validity and educational power of basing learning content in nodes.
Using the network node is the first key to the effectiveness in creating superior knowledge content in the open Internet. The second key is the creation of the nodes by people who are experts in their subject. The About page of APOD explains:
Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) is originated, written, coordinated, and edited since 1995 by Robert Nemiroff and Jerry Bonnell. The APOD archive contains the largest collection of annotated astronomical images on the internet.
In real life, Bob and Jerry are two professional astronomers who spend most of their time researching the universe. Bob is a professor at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan, USA, while Jerry is a scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland USA.
Posted on 5th March 2008 by Judy Breck in chemistry | engineering | general science | sciences
learn, materials, metallurgy, NIST, science, solder, soldering, tutorial
The triangle of information shown in this learn node is a phase diagram thermodynamic calculation for solder Bi-Pb-Sn. So who care about something like that? In the advancing complexity of metallurgy, depth of detail is important. This is the explanation of the NIST host of the diagram, whose Web site explains the mission:
The NIST Metallurgy Division is working closely with materials suppliers and users to develop the measurement and standards infrastructure needed in diverse technological areas – from steelmaking to the fabrication of nanostructured multilayers for magnetic recording heads. . . .
Learning about solder might seem more likely to involve technique, like that offered in the PDF which contains the illustration of “Tinning the soldering iron” from About Soldering—making Clip Leads—CLK from MIT’s Open Courseware. A sample of third sort of soldering knowledge available online is this popular Soldering Guide, a tutorial supported by Google ads.
Within the open Internet, patterns of related ideas for the subject of solder can be an amalgam from diverse sources.
More learn nodes at: learnodes.com
Posted on 17th January 2008 by Judy Breck in business
central_bank, federal, inflation, learn, money, reserve, system, tutorial
An online tutorial called FED 101 at the website of the Federal Reserve System of the United States includes a section called “How does the Fed create money?” The illustration here is from an animation of the some effects of interest rates. It links to a full page that explains and illustrates inflation. There are several other explanations of the fundamental elements of the workings of the Federal Reserve System in the FED 101 material.
There is a concise definition of the Federal Reserve System on the website of its bank in San Francisco. The theme of the definition: “The Nation’s Central Bank.” Topics include “Why We Need a Central Bank” and “The Fed is First and Foremost the Nation’s Money Manager.”
Both of these websites contain many informational sections and links out to other excellent open, public access sources on the Fed, an institution at the center of the United States economy and of enormous influence on money across the world.
Posted on 12th January 2008 by Judy Breck in animals | biology
chameleon, eyes, learn, optics, reptile, tutorial
The image for this learn node is a chameleon from an animation in the terrific tutorial Optics for Teens created and hosted online by the Optical Society of America. If a look through the tutorial makes you curious to learn more about optics, a full Optics course is offered by MIT Open Courseware (tree illustration from Lec# 3).
If your interest is roused to know more about chameleons the report of scientists developing computer models for learning about chameleon habitats in Madagascar is offered here by the American Museum of Natural History. And you can learn a lot more about these amazing lizards at the San Diego Zoo’s Chameleon page. There the optical mastery of chameleons is described:
The chameleon’s eyes are the most distinctive among the reptiles. Each eye has a scaly lid shaped like a cone, with only a small, round opening in the middle for the pupil. The chameleon can rotate and focus its eyes separately to look at two different objects at the same time! This gives it a full 360-degree view around its body. When the chameleon sees prey, both eyes can focus in the same direction to get a clearer view.
More learn nodes at: learnodes.com
Posted on 9th January 2008 by Judy Breck in math
algebra, irrational, learn, math, numbers, rational, real, tutorial
Illustrating this learn node is an image from a game of sorting out different kinds of numbers in the Monterey Institute’s National Repository of Online Course: Introductory Algebra 1A, Unit 1, Lesson 1. A detailed explanation of The Real Number System is available from an online algebra text by James Brennan of Boise State University. Purplemath’s Number Types page explains the classification of numbers. These places to learn the ways numbers are categorized each are connected to other open sources for related subjects and ideas. Purplemath offers reviews of Other Sites of Interest.
More learn nodes at: learnodes.com
Posted on 31st December 2007 by Judy Breck in music
handel, learn, major, minor, music, operas, oratorios, practice, scales
The webpage in this learn node from Connexions offers 5 brief musical excerpts and challenges: Three are in a major key and two in a minor key. Can you tell which is which simply by listening? You can click for the solution. The image posted here is from the same page. It sets out the Three Major Scales. The page is titled Major Keys and Scales and is part of a highly-developed network of learning pages for music.
Making music as well as learning about it can be assisted from online. YourAccompanist.com offers, for example, Melodic Minor Scales which can be used as accompaniment for practicing singing scales. Musicians of every sort are to be found in many contexts and formats, and nurtured online by individuals and organizations both large and small. A fine node that is an Introduction to G.F. Handel is found on the Portland Handel Society Newbies page.
More learn nodes at: learnodes.com
