Critical questions for Stability and Change?
What causes change in this system?
What causes stability in this system?
Are there feedbacks that make this system more or less stable?
Engineering- How can we make the system more stable? How can we make it change?
What is the time scale for this system to remain stable or change?
If the system is stable, what would cause it to change?
If the system is changing, what would make it become stable?
Is the stability static or dynamic?
How does stability and change in this system compare with other systems I have learned about?
What other crosscutting concepts relate to stability and change in this system?
Based on what I've learned, what other symbol could be used to represent Stability and Change?
Questions that connect to the Science and Engineering Practices-
Asking Questions- What causes change in this system? What causes stability in this system?
Defining Problems- How can we make this system more stable? How can we make it change?
Models- How can we model how this system changes?
Investigations- Can we design an investigation to study what leads to stability and change in this system?
Data- What does the data tell us about what affects the stability of this system?
Using Math- How can we use math to measure the rate of change in this system? Can math describe the balance that keeps it stable?
Computational Thinking- How can computers be used to analyze stability and change in this system?
Explanations- How can I explain why this system changes or remains stable?
Solutions- Have me made the system more stable? Does the system respond to change the way we want it to?
Argument- What is the evidence for the stability and change in this system?
Information- What is already known about stability and change in this system? How can I best communicate what I've learned about stability and change in this system?
Why is the top the symbol for stability and change? The top represents a dynamic system that is fascinating and fun for young students to investigate. It is clear that the top's stability is affected by several factors and that within the stability of the spinning top their is constant change (precession). Students can investigate the spinning top and discover what makes it more and less stable. As students get older they can investigate the challenging physics behind rotational movement and apply it to the study of engineering and space systems. A tightrope walker was considered for the symbol but was too hard to draw well.