Teach Engineering
How Big? Necessary Area and Volume for Shelter
Teams must determine the size of cavern needed to house the citizens of Alabraska to protect them from the asteroid impact. Using scaling properties, teams first determining the number of people that could sleep in a classroom and then...
Virginia Department of Education
The Ratio of Surface Area to Volume
Demonstrate the ratio of surface area to volume in your high school class by using phenolphthalein, gelatin, and an onion. Intrigue the class by leading a discussion on osmosis and diffusion, then making "scientific jello." Participants...
Curated OER
Turn Up the Volume
Measuring volume can be a mystery for 5th graders, but this hands-on activity gives the gift of discovery. The volume of simple rectangular solids and irregular shapes are calculated through various methods including displacing liquid in...
Curated OER
Surface to Volume Ratios
High schoolers measure the rate of diffusion and to calculate the surface area to volume ratios of varying cell sizes. The lesson is very clearly organized with a useful student worksheet provided. They perform a lab experiment which is...
Curated OER
Measuring the Volume of Water Discharge for a Stream or Canal
Students study how to measure and calculate the volume of water flowing down a stream or canal and use simple tools to make measurements. Next, students determine how many people cold live off the volume of water measured. Finally, they...
Techbridge Curriculum
Calculating Rainwater Runoff
Thirsty plants soak up every bit of a rainfall, but what happens to the rain that hits the roof? Calculate the amount of rainwater from your school's roof with an Earth science activity, which brings measurement skills, observation...
Curated OER
Moles Lab Activities
General chemistry class members engage in a mini-unit on mole conversions. Through nine lab activites with varying degrees of difficulty, they practice measuring mass and volume, molar calculations, and stoichiometry. Terrific teacher...
Nuffield Foundation
Effect of Size on Uptake by Diffusion
Cell size is limited by the surface area to volume ratio, but why is this true? Scholars measure the surface area and volume of cubes before placing them into liquid. After a set amount of time, they measure the uptake by diffusion for...
Beyond Benign
Water Bottle Unit
How much plastic do manufacturers use to create water bottles each year? The class explores the number of water bottles used throughout the years to determine how many consumers will use in the future. Class members compare different...
Curated OER
Finding Volume
In this volume worksheet, students are given the equations for finding the volume of a cube and the volume of a prism. They solve two multi-part problems finding the volumes of different solids.
Royal Society of Chemistry
Moles Equations (16-19)
How many calculations can you think of that include moles? Chances are, plenty! Show young chemists the uses of the multifaceted mole with thought-provoking puzzles. Individuals identify and associate the outcomes of molar quantities...
Curated OER
Attack of the Raging River
Students explore mass and volume. In this mass and volume lesson, students pretend to be on a hike and have lost their way. Students must cross a river get back on track. Students must use mass, volume, surface area, density, property...
NASA
Oh, Chute!
Using a scare model of the a test vehicle developed by the Systems Architecture and Integration Office at NASA, groups determine the dimensions for a scale model of the parachute compartment. The groups also determine the volume of the...
Teach Engineering
Density Column Lab - Part 1
Mass and density — aren't they the same thing? This activity has groups use balance beams and water displacement to measure several objects. The pupils use the measurements to calculate the density of the objects.
Curated OER
SA/V Ratio and Rate of Diffusion
Students calculate the SA/V ratio and volume of phenophthalien agar that are cut into different shapes. They then let ammonia diffuse into the various pieces of agar and determine the effect that SA/V had on the rate of diffusion.
Curated OER
Cross Sections and Collision Times
High schoolers solve five problems including finding the cross sectional area of two bodies, determining the swept out volume of a moving body, finding the average particle volume of a body and determining the collision time for a body.
Teach Engineering
Measuring Viscosity
Groups use a marble to determine the viscosity of household fluids. The procedure calls for pupils to measure the amount of time it takes a marble to fall a specified distance in the fluids. Using unit conversions and algebra, the teams...
Cornell University
Scaling Down: Effects of Size on Behavior
Two activities explore the concept of size, especially small sizes down to the nano. Scholars practice determining volume, mass, and density and calculate exponential increases and decreases. They then predict and test the effect of size...
Teach Engineering
Determining Densities
Don't be dense—use a robust resource. The second installment of a five-part Floaters and Sinkers unit has learners determine the densities of several objects. As part of the activity, they learn the displacement method for finding...
Teach Engineering
Density Column Lab - Part 2
Groups suspend objects within layers of liquids to determine the densities of different liquids and compare them to the densities of objects calculated in Part 1. The groups then carefully test their calculations by layering the liquids...
Teach Engineering
Floaters and Sinkers
Whatever floats your boat. Young engineers learn about density by measuring the masses and volumes of boxes filled with different materials. Using their knowledge of densities, they hypothesize whether objects with given densities will...
It's About Time
What Drives the Plates?
It's getting hot in here! Lead your emerging geoscientists on a thrilling journey as they calculate liquid densities to determine forces that stimulate thermal plates from within the earth's crust. They explore effects of temperature on...
Teach Engineering
Penny Perfect Properties (Solid-Liquid Interations)
I can get more water to stay on a penny than you can! Collaborative pairs determine the volume of liquids that can be contained on the surface of copper pennies and plastic coins. The pairs analyze their results using graphs and go on to...
Colorado State University
What Causes Pressure?
Are you feeling the pressure? Let loose a little with a kinesthetic activity that models molecular motion in a closed space! The activity varies conditions such as volume and temperature and examines the effects on molecules.