Students set up a spherical coordinate system on a balloon, draw a spherical harmonic, and use the balloon as a prop to describe the main features of their spherical harmonic to the class.
Spherical harmonics are continuous functions on the surface of a sphere.
The \(\ell\) and \(m\) values tell us how the function oscillates across the surface.
Spherical harmonics are complex valued functions.
Each small group is assigned a spherical harmonic from the list below:
Using a tiny Argand diagram, represent the value of the spherical harmonic at:
Tip: Make reference marks in black and draw the complex value of the spherical harmonic in a different color.