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The laboratory work for the Dinosaur Core 8.2
section in which you are enrolled consists of a semester-long research project involving
dinosaur locomotion. The objective of this research is to determine dinosaur running speed.
The speed of Tyrannosaurus rex, the star of the film Jurassic Park, is of
particular interest because this dinosaur is shown chasing a speeding jeep in a scene
from that movie. Were dinosaurs actually that fast, or is this scene the product of a
script-writer's overactive imagination? It is your job to find out.
The lab work is organized into a series of short experiments, which, taken together, will
lead to a conclusion about dinosaur running speed. These exercises are intended to be done
remotely via the internet and using internet communication with your instructor. The virtual
lab exercises replace regular weekly laboratory classroom meetings. One exercise involves a
field trip to the American Museum of Natural History to study several of their dinosaurs.
At the conclusion of the semester you will be required to turn in a research report
describing the work you did, the results you obtained, and your interpretation of dinosaur
running speed. |
