List B2 - Constructional Work
Choose ONE task from this list, OR ONE task from List B1  |  Back to Course Menu

   1    Design and make a simple telescope using a variety of tubes, lenses and/or mirrors. Test the instrument in the night sky and estimate its power of magnification, field of view, magnitude limit and angular resolution.
2 Design and make a sundial. Use the sundial to record the times of day on at least three widely separated occasions and compare these with the mean local times.
3 Design and make a model of an eclipsing binary system using a motor, lamps and simple electronic components (eg LDR). Obtain measurements suitable for drawing a light curve for the model and compare this with the light curve of a real eclipsing binary system.
4 Design and make a model of the Sun-Earth-Moon system using lamps, spheres etc to illustrate how solar and lunar eclipses occur. Use it to account for the relative occurrences and durations of each type of eclipse.

Further tasks which can be carried out:-
  • Construction and use of simple Spectrometer
  • Simple Orrery
  • Simple Moondial

Note
The report of this task should include at least one photograph of the instrument or model under construction and at least one photograph of the finished article. It is not necessary to send the finished article itself to the coursework moderator.



Criteria for tasks taken from List B2 – Constructional work

STATEMENT OF TASK MAXIMUM 2
Clear and precise statement of nature and purpose of task
Vague statement of nature and purpose of task
No statement of nature and purpose of task
2
1
0
DESIGN MAXIMUM 3
Care and consideration for size and materials
Some care and consideration for size and materials
Little care and consideration for size and materials
No real thought about design
3
2
1
0
CONSTRUCTION MAXIMUM 4
Award a mark on a linear scale from 0 to 4 for the actual construction of the instrument or model, taking into account such factors as:
  • size
  • materials
  • robustness
  • cost
 
TESTING / USE MAXIMUM 4
The instrument or model is fully tested and evaluated
Some use and evaluation
Little use and evaluation
Some evaluation but no testing or use
No evaluation, testing or use
4
3
2
1
0
REFERENCES MAXIMUM 2
Good references giving full information
Incomplete references
No references
2
1
0
PRESENTATION MAXIMUM 4
Material is neat and very well presented in a logical order
Material is fairly neat and fairly well presented in a logical order
Material is satisfactorily presented
Material is poorly presented
Material is poorly presented in a haphazard order
4
3
2
1
0