Student Handout for Lesson 1D

Mars Mystery Spot:
Analyzing Warrego Vallis one array of pixels at a time

NOTES FOR THE GAME: Mars Mystery Spot

The outcome of all these mini-lessons yields fruit in this lesson. You might want to split up into teams.

GOAL- The goal of this exercise is to find the opponents array first, before they find yours. The array choice is a 49 pixel array (7x7) somewhere on the Warrego Vallis image.

RULES-Each team receives the opposing teams grid chart on the hint sheet.

Teams have 5 minutes to review the information they have received before the game starts.

The players fill out "play time" grid charts to check their progress as play starts. They also process the image (apply LUTs, magnify, filter, etc).

Winning team calls out FOUND IT! as soon as they think they have evidence enough to identify the array on their Òplay timeÓ grid chart and have selected the opponents array with the rectangle tool.

If the team calling out FOUND IT is in error after the teacher checks the win, the opponents get a free 2 minutes head start as the game resumes.

HINT #1- Hold down the control key at the same time you select a section of the image to make multiple selections.

HINT #2-Triple check your situation before calling a win by using a certain Macro.

On the hints sheet should be information (x,y,v) for all the pixels in the 7x7 array (49 pixels), team names, opponent team names and magnification level when array was chosen. Adults should review the hints sheets to make sure it is properly completed before competition begins.

Finally fine adjustment of the rectangle tools selection area can be done more easily under high magnification. It is also easier to move the selection around.

If learners are struggling with the scalability of a selection of pixels (they keep selecting arrays that are 50 by 50 instead of 7 by 7), ask them to zoom to fit the entire image to check their selections scales. Any selection more than a fraction of a millimeter, or so when zoomed to fit is to big a selection.

Mars Mystery Spot Game

You will find two more tools handy in your effort to analyze this image using NIH Image. They are the Coordinate Tool (looks like cross hairs on a scope) and the info window. The coordinate tool lets you pick one point on the image at a time very accurately. The info window displays information as you move the coordinate tool around the image. In this activity we are interested in locating pixels using the x value, the y value and the luminosity or brightness value. The luminosity value is the pixel value.

1. Start NIH Image and open the same image as before (Warrego.tif)

2. Go to the menu labeled Windows, drag down that menu selecting info. The info window should pop up to the top of your desktop.

3. Grab the info window by the title bar and drag it to a place on the desktop where it will remain visible after you click on the image window.

   NOTE- do not cover up the Tools window as you need to be able to select tools in this activity.

4. Choose one feature of Warrego Vallis to focus upon.

5. Magnify the feature you have chosen to at least 16:1.

6. Select the coordinate tool and move around the feature you are studying.

Notice the changes that occur for the x, y and v values in the info table.

Determine what plane or axis the x values are in by moving the cross hair up and down as well as side by side.

NOTE- the correct plane will be that plane where the x value changes in the info window.

Determine what plane or axis the y values are in by moving the cross hair up and down as well as side by side.

NOTE- the correct plane will be that plane where the y value changes in the info window.

On the hint sheet below, fill in, clearly, each square of the grid with that pixels three values; the x value, the y value and the pixel value (v) of luminosity or brightness. Also, write down what level of magnification you used.

Hints Sheet

Date

Period

Team Names

Opponent Team name

Magnification Level = __ : __
x___      x___       x____       x____         x____     x____     x____
y___      y___       y____       y____         y____     y____     y____
v___      v___       v____       v____         v____     v____     v____


x___      x___       x____       x____         x____     x____     x____
y___      y___       y____       y____         y____     y____     y____
v___      v___       v____       v____         v____     v____     v____


x___      x___       x____       x____         x____     x____     x____
y___      y___       y____       y____         y____     y____     y____
v___      v___       v____       v____         v____     v____     v____


x___      x___       x____       x____         x____     x____     x____
y___      y___       y____       y____         y____     y____     y____
v___      v___       v____       v____         v____     v____     v____


x___      x___       x____       x____         x____     x____     x____
y___      y___       y____       y____         y____     y____     y____
v___      v___       v____       v____         v____     v____     v____


x___      x___       x____       x____         x____     x____     x____
y___      y___       y____       y____         y____     y____     y____
v___      v___       v____       v____         v____     v____     v____

x___      x___       x____       x____         x____     x____     x____
y___      y___       y____       y____         y____     y____     y____
v___      v___       v____       v____         v____     v____     v____

Give your hint sheet (array, magnification values and name/s) to another team and see if they can find the feature you choose?

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