ScienceMakers Toolkit Manual - The History Makers

Physics
8. Dr. Massey was told what he should and shouldn’t study at Morehouse. Have you ever been told that
you weren’t able to do something? How did that make you feel? What did you do about it? What did
Dr. Massey do about it? (See Clip #3)
9. Dr. Massey talks about his professors at Morehouse. How did they help him? Who inspires you? What
is it about that person that you admire? How can the lessons you learn from that person help you in your
career? What is the difference between a role model and a mentor? Which would you rather have? How
could you seek out a role model or mentor? (See Clip #4)
10. There was one professor in particular who Dr. Massey credits with exposing him to a more
sophisticated world. Who was it? What kinds of things did they do? When you think of culture and
sophistication, what comes to mind? Do you know anyone that you would consider sophisticated? Who?
What can you learn from them about the wider world of culture? (See Clip #4)
Science:
11. What do you think a physicist does? Would you like to be a physicist? Why?
12. If you were a physicist, what kinds of questions would you study?
13. Why is Dr. Massey excited about the way the world works? How can science be used to help study the
way the world works? How does mathematics play a role in this? What kinds of statements can you
make about the way the world works? Can you put it in mathematical terms? (See Clip #5)
14. Why was Dr. Massey drawn to physics? Have you ever thought about science that way? When you
think about the world around you, what are you curious about? What questions do you have? How can
you answer them? (See Clip #3 and Clip #5)
15. Dr. Massey explains his research at Argonne with sound and liquid helium. What can you discover
about helium? How is helium used in everyday life? How does sound travel through the air? Can sound
travel through liquid? Is it the same or different? (See Clip #7)
16. Dr. Massey and his team observed behavior that did not make sense. What was this behavior and what
was it called? Why didn’t it make sense? Have you ever looked at something and wondered how it
worked? What did you do to answer your questions? Were you able to fi nd out for sure or did you have
to settle for an educated guess? Dr. Massey and his team solved the mystery. What was the solution and
how did it work? Diagram the process. (See Clip #7)
Experiment - Sound Mediums, Sound Speed and Energy!
This activity was developed by the Center of Science and Industry in Columbus, Ohio.
Key Points
• Air, water or solids are necessary for vibrations to be transferred from one thing to the next and for
sound to be heard.
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• Whatever the vibrations transfer through is called the sound medium.
• Sound vibrations transfer at differing rates. Therefore, they have different intensities depending
upon the sound medium.
• Vibrations travel most quickly in mediums where molecules are closest together and most slowly in
mediums where molecules are farthest apart.