Today in class we then went on to learn about an extension to lab 4.2, the existence of something called dark matter. We learned in the lab that more mass causes more speed for the centripetal motion. This applies for simple motion that we see on Earth, like a stopper spinning around on a string, as well as the motion of stars in galaxies.
We learned about a currently anomaly in physics. This was the fact that stars in a galaxy are moving much faster than they should be. The mass that consists within the galaxy that we can see is not enough to make the stars move so fast. This is the basis for the search for dark matter.
We watch a video today to explore these ideas a little further and to learn more about dark matter research. Students answered a worksheet that went along with the video. The worksheet is found here. It is called Lab 4.2 Supplemental Worksheets. The video is linked in 3 parts in the Course Video Youtube playlist. It is called the Mystery of Dark Matter. If you were absent today, please watch the video there.
