Yvette,
When you get back to thinking about cubes,
Michele Cooke and I were thinking we might
purchase as many as 20-25 of them. Just letting you know.
Mike
At 05:08 PM 6/16/2008, you wrote:
>Dear Christie,
>
>The cubes are 10 cm. This is convenient, because
>you can fit a 10 cm isometric block diagram on
>letter paper (or A4) so that the cube and the
>diagram have the same dimensions. That way you
>can line up the cube and the edges of the block diagram.
>
>I did think about triangular pieces for apparent
>dip purposes, but decided to stick to cubes for
>now. It would be a potential logistic nightmare
>to have various shapes and they'd get more
>expensive. You can still do apparent dips by
>having the strike of your layer oblique to the
>edge of the cube. I describe that in paper and
>poster (can't show the true dip in cross section in that case though...)
>
>Would you be interested in just cubes?
>
>Cape Town... you must be surrounded by
>Dutch-speaking people or maybe you're even one of them! I am Dutch myself.
>
>Take care,
>Yvette
>
>Christie Rowe wrote:
>>
>>Yvette-
>>
>>Great idea, I've been messing around with
>>blocks of wood for a while but only as demos.
>>How big are the cubes? is it possible to get
>>polygonal prisms as well (for apparent dip purposes)
>>
>>christie rowe
>>
>>
>>
>>**********************
>>Dr. Christie Rowe
>>Geological Sciences
>>University of Cape Town
>>Private Bag X3
>>Rondebosch 7700
>>+27 21 650 2920
>>[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
>>
>> >>> Yvette Kuiper <[log in to unmask]> 06/16/08 9:40 PM >>>
>>Please respond to [log in to unmask] if you're interested, not to the list
>>
>>Hi All,
>>
>>I designed a teaching tool for geoscience courses such as structural
>>geology and field mapping and methods. The dry-erase cube is a 10 cm
>>cube made of a white opaque high-density plastic that can be drawn on
>>with dry- or wet-erase markers, and easily be cleaned. I initially
>>designed them to help the students draw block diagrams, but once I
>>started using the twelve blocks I had made by our machine shop I found
>>many more applications (see description at the end of the email or
>>sources indicated below). They really help the students develop their
>>three-dimensional thinking skills and they greatly improve the
>>fun-factor of courses and labs for the students.
>>
>>By now I have found a manufacturer and Boston College is willing to help
>>me with the distribution. At this stage I need to know how many of them
>>I need to have made, so I can make them available to you.
>>
>>The dry-erase cube are currently being published in the newest issue of JGE:
>>Kuiper, Y.D., 2008. The dry-erase cube: making three-dimensional
>>visualization easy. Journal of Geoscience Education v. 56, n. 3, May,
>>2008, 261268.
> >
>>and you can look at them on my website:
>>http://www2.bc.edu/~kuipery/ <http://www2.bc.edu/%7Ekuipery/>
>>(scroll down to publications and click on AGU poster)
>>
>>The ones I am having made will not have any screws as the ones on the
>>pictures. The price should be no more than $15 per cube (plus shipping
>>from Boston College to you). I know you're thinking that's expensive (I
>>was thinking it), but the material itself is expensive and it includes
>>import, export, taxes and other fees we might have to pay (still working
>>on that). Furthermore, they last pretty well forever so this is a good
>>investment for many years to come.
>>
>>Assuming that they'll be $15 per cube, can you please let me know if
>>you're interested in buying them, and if so, how many? I recommend that
>>you have as many cubes as you have students in your class, so that every
>>student can use a cube, and not less than eight cubes (so you can draw a
>>map on top of four cubes arranged in a square, draw cross sections on
>>the sides, and add an additional layer on top for the next level of map
>>and cross sections; this would be a group exercise). However, for people
>>with big classes and/or small budgets you can always have several
>>students share a cube or cubes. Even one cube would serve demonstration
>>purposes is you need to. (Imagine though how many cross sections you
>>could draw for a map drawn on top of 100 cubes :-) )
>>
>>If you're interested, please email me ([log in to unmask]) the number of
>>cubes you'd want to order.
>>By responding to this email you are not yet committed, but please give
>>me a number that is as accurate as possible so that I don't over- or
>>under- estimate the numbers too much.
>>
>>All for now. To be continued...
>>
>>Yvette
>>
>>A cube made of white opaque high-density plastic, which serves as dry-
>>(or wet-) erase material, makes teaching and learning three-dimensional
>>geology much easier and fun. Maps, cross sections and block diagrams can
>>be drawn (and erased!) and seen in three dimensions, and compared with
>>their two-dimensional projections on paper. For example, the cubes are
>>very useful for teaching the concept of apparent dips, which is
>>essential in the construction of cross sections and block diagrams, and
>>is confusing to many students. Plotting apparent dips on block diagrams
>>is especially difficult, because of the distortion caused by the
>>projection. The dry-erase cube provides an intermediate step. Students
>>can first draw the actual apparent dip on the cube and subsequently
>>construct the same angle on the projection of the block on paper. This
>>can be made especially easy if the edges of the cube have the same
>>length as the edges of an isometric block diagram on paper, so that they
>>can simply be lined up.
>>
>>Several dry-erase cubes can be placed adjacent and on top of each other,
>>so that multiple levels of maps, and parallel and perpendicular cross
>>sections can be constructed. The relationship between maps and cross
>>sections is then clearly visible. The cubes are also an aid in the
>>understanding of stereographic projections, because structural data can
>>be made visible as three-dimensional planes and lines before they are
>>plotted. The dry-erase cubes are not only useful for geoscience
>>teachers, but or anyone teaching or dealing with geometries and block
>>diagrams, e.g. engineers and mathematicians, geologists in the petroleum
>>or mining industries, hydrologists and K-12 teachers.
>>
>>Yvette D. Kuiper
>>Assistant Professor
>>Department of Geology and Geophysics
>>Boston College
>>Devlin Hall 213
>>140 Commonwealth Avenue
>>Chestnut Hill, MA
>>02467 USA
>>
>>Tel. 617-552-3647
>>Fax. 617-552-2462
>>http://www2.bc.edu/~kuipery/ <http://www2.bc.edu/%7Ekuipery/>
>
>
>--
>Yvette D. Kuiper
>Assistant Professor
>Department of Geology and Geophysics
>Boston College
>Devlin Hall 213
>140 Commonwealth Avenue
>Chestnut Hill, MA
>02467 USA
>
>Tel. 617-552-3647
>Fax. 617-552-2462
>http://www2.bc.edu/~kuipery/
Michael L. Williams
Department Head, Department of Geosciences
University of Massachusetts
Amherst, MA 01003
413-545-0745
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