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modeling 2016
Shodor > SUCCEED > Workshops > Archive > modeling 2016

Levi started off the workshop by introducing himself and explaining what computational science is. He then introduced the students to the Shodor website and all of its applets. An example of an applet that he showed them was the rabbits and wolves model on Interactivate. Playing the game "how do you know," then tested the student's critical thinking skills. The problem that was discussed dealt with the boiling point of Radium and the melting point of a container that could transport it. Students were given a number and told to Google the boiling point for Radium. They were told to choose the website link that was associated with the number they were given. All of the values were put into and excel sheet and compared. Levi then discussed how Google only gives you the most popular websites, not necessarily the most credible ones. Levi explained what makes a website trustworthy or not. He then went over the context of specific searches with the "Pluto" example. The students then took a brief break. After break, Levi introduced the students to algorithms. They then played the Master Mind game on the Shodor website. He explained how this related to the law of large numbers and Newton's Bisecting Algorithm. Levi then performed a card trick that was based on an algorithm. The students tried to figure out the algorithm based on the information that Levi gave them. Once the students figured out the algorithm, they were told to expand the trick in their own unique way. They had to make a new card trick based on an algorithm similar to the trick they had just learned. Once the students created their card tricks, they wrote down instructions for the trick. All of the students then exchanged instructions and tried to perform one another's card trick. Levi discussed one last thinking activity with the students. They then did their daily reflections to wrap up the workshop.