Practical work on physics as a whole scientific research based on open data

The article describes a new model of practical work in physics on the basis of modern scientific data placed in the public domain. It assesses the frequency of asteroids falling to Earth by counting the number of craters on the Moon and discusses the various mechanisms of the formation of craters depending on the parameters. This work has several significant methodical benefits over traditional teaching labs. Firstly, the work is dedicated to the relevant scientific problem. Secondly, it forms in students an idea of the diverse relationships between studied objects and scientific methodology that takes into account some aspects of the phenomenon and discarded others. Third, the work has a multidisciplinary. It uses reference data from different branches of physics, geology and astronomy. Practical elaboration has a distinct visibility and it offers the possibility to vary the data materials used in the work. The proposed laboratory work is universal, does not require expensive equipment to carry it out, and can be used in distance education.