At a depth of 3,000 m in the ocean, the pressure is 300 times that at sea level! In the activity, individuals predict what will happen to Styrofoam cups submerged 3,000 meters into the ocean. They then convert these units to soccer fields, feet, miles, and a plethora of other calculations before seeing what happened to the Styrofoam cups. 

Concepts

water pressure, oceans, converting numbers, the scientific method

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Work with a math instructor when teaching conversions between units to make the activity easier
• Place scholars in pairs (strong math with someone who needs extra guidance)
• Could be used at beginning of year to review conversions between units

Classroom Considerations

• Activity assumes scholars have completed conversions before

Pros

• Activity includes data sheet
• Links to photos and videos of this lab are great

Cons

• None

Common Core

RST.6-8.3