False Coloring w/ Batman & Spiderman

Introduction:

This quick and fun false-coloring activity accomplishes three things:

1) It teaches students about the basic principle behind false coloring--that numerical data collected by a charge-coupled device (CCD) is transformed into an image through a computerized "paint-by-numbers" process. In this activity, the students play the role of the astronomer when they choose their coloring palettes, then play the role of the computer when they color in the data grid.

2) It emphasizes the fact that a carefully selected color palette for false colorization can reveal details or give a viewer insight that  might not be possible otherwise. Manystudents will have difficulty identifying Batman or Spiderman when choosing their own color palettes. Only when students look at the images with the "proper" color scheme do they recognize the superheros.

The students who received the handouts with assigned color palettes will generate images like these:

Have the students view each other's work (or post the work on the wall) to emphasize how different identical sets of data can appear depending on the false coloring palette used, and how certain color palettes can give a viewer some detail or insight that otherwise might be missed--in this case point out how easy it is to identify the superheros with the "proper" coloring scheme.

What You Need:

• The set of four false-coloring student handouts attached below as a single .pdf document.

• A bunch of colored pencils, including black, red, blue, green, yellow, and some sort of "flesh" color--orange is OK.

How Long Does It Take:

My students take about 15-20 minutes to do the actual coloring. A follow up discussion emphasizing the three points made in the introduction above takes another 5-10 minutes.