The image analysis tools of this workbench include the ability to
redirect measurements to a be plotted in on a graph. This module
provides images of SN1993, a supernova that exploded in the galaxy M81
in 1993. The data were obtained with the Very
Long Baseline Array radio telescope. The problem tree asks the
student to measure the diameter of the supernova in each image and
the results are plotted in the Plotter
Tool. The slope of the fitted line in the plotter represents the
expansion velocity of the supernova. Students not only about the
physics of supernova explosions; they also learn about measurement
errors and statistics by deriving quantities from the measurements.
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