Lesson Plan

Measuring Dark Energy

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet

You're only 10 minutes late? Do you know how much the universe has expanded in those 10 minutes? Scholars graph supernovae based on their redshift and see if the results verify Hubble's Law. If it does confirm it, the universe is expanding and the scientific method is working. If it doesn't confirm it, they must propose another updated scientific law to explain the contrast.

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CCSS: Adaptable
Additional Tags
Instructional Ideas
  • Teach the supernovae naming system before the lesson so students are not confused
Classroom Considerations
  • Requires prior knowledge of luminosity, apparent luminosity, Doppler shift, and redshift
  • Verify all pupils are setting up their graphs correctly
Pros
  • Lesson follows a 5E format
  • Offers spreadsheets with the same date organized in different ways
Cons
  • None
Common Core