The Visualization and Measurements of Mass Functions with LEGO
Kyle K. Hansotia (1), Stefan J. Kautsch (1) ((1) Nova Southeastern, University)
TL;DR
This paper introduces a hands-on educational experiment using LEGO toys to demonstrate the concept of mass functions, highlighting their similarity to astronomical mass distributions for science communication.
Contribution
It presents a novel, accessible method to visualize and measure mass functions, bridging astronomy and education through LEGO-based experiments.
Findings
LEGO mass function resembles astronomical mass functions
The experiment effectively communicates complex scientific concepts
LEGO toys can serve as educational tools for interdisciplinary science
Abstract
We intend to promote the concept of mass functions for interdisciplinary science education and communication. A mass function characterizes the frequency distribution of the masses of objects in the universe. We present an experiment to demonstrate this concept to a diverse audience of science students, using popular LEGO toys. We discovered that the LEGO mass function is surprisingly similar compared to mass functions of astronomical objects such as stars and galaxies.
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