DESIGN CAMP ACTIVITIES
Washington County Schools
Barbie Bungee NAME ______
FBI agent Al G. Briac decided to go Bungee jumping to relax after his big case where he brought down a big mob boss, but the boss’s son has sworn his revenge on Al. He went to Bungees R Us and gave them his height and weight and they told him they would take care of all the arrangements. When he showed up at the bridge to jump they hooked him up and when he jumped, the bungee was too long and he perished at the bottom of the canyon. The FBI think the mob boss’s son was behind it for revenge. They want you to recreate the scene using a Barbie and rubber bands to see how long the bungee cord should have been.
In this activity, you will simulate a bungee jump using a Barbie® doll and rubber bands.
Before you conduct the experiment, formulate a conjecture:
I believe that _____ is the maximum number of rubber bands that will
allow Barbie to safely jump from the balcony of the gym.
.
Now, conduct the experiment to test your conjecture.
PROCEDURE:
Complete each step below. As you complete each step, put a check mark in the box to the left.
?Create a double-loop to wrap around Barbie’s feet. A double-loop is made by securing one rubber band to another with a slip knot, as shown (below left).
?Wrap the open end of the double-loop tightly around Barbie’s feet, as shown (below).
?Attach a second rubber band to the first one, again using a slip knot, as shown below.
?With two rubber bands now attached, hold the end of the rubber bands at the jump line (the cork strip at the top of the white board) with one hand, and drop Barbie from the line with the other hand. Have a partner make a mark to the lowest point that Barbie reaches on this jump.
Check one:
- The distances of the jump depends on the number of rubber bands
- The number of rubber bands depends on the distance of the jump
?Measure the jump distance in inches, and record the value in the data table below.
Repeat this jump three times and take the average, to ensure accuracy. Accuracy is important—Barbie’s life could depend on it!
?Attach two additional rubber bands for each new jump.
1. Complete the data table below.
Number of Rubber bands (x) / Jump 1 / Jump 2 / Jump 3 / Average of the three jumps (y)2
4
6
8
10
12
2. Make a scatterplot of your data. Indicate the scale on each axis and label each axis.
3. On the graph above, sketch a line of best fit.
4. What is the slope of your equation, and what does it represent in this context?
m =
5. What is the y-intercept of your equation, and what does it represent in this context?
b =
6. What is the relationship between the number of rubber bands and jump distance?
7. What is the equation for your line of best fit? (y = mx + b)
8. Based on your data, what would you predict is the maximum number of rubber bands so thatBarbie could still safely jump from 114 inches? Show your work using your Line of Best Fit:
9. Are your predictions reliable? Justify your answer. Be sure to consider your methods ofcollecting, recording, and plotting data.
10. How do your predictions from Question 8 compare to the conjecture you made before doing theexperiment? What prior knowledge did you have (or not have) that helped (or hindered) yourability to make a good conjecture?
11. Al was 6 foot tall and your Barbie is _____in tall. If you used ____ in of rubber bands for your barbie, how many inches or feet should Al’s bungee have been?
12. Use the space below to list any additional comments.
Team Name : ______
The Hunt for Red October
You have four submarines that you must hide under the water. Enemy ships are also hiding in the same area. You must choose coordinates (firing solutions) to shoot and see if you hit the enemies sub. Each person must choose a firing solution. You will place a white flag on the coordinate for all misses. You will place your team’s flag to indicate a hit of the other team’s ship.
Where will you keep your ships?
Draw your ships on the Coordinate plane attached. Use the cardboard cut outs to trace where your ships are. Make sure you cover the number of points the ship must cover. DO NOT LET THE OTHER TEAM SEE YOUR GRID!
List the coordinates of your ships here:
Aircraft Carrier ( ____, ____ )( ____, ____ )( ____, ____ )& ( ____, ____ )
Battleship 1 ( ____, ____ )( ____, ____ )& ( ____, ____ )
Battleship 2 ( ____, ____ )( ____, ____ )& ( ____, ____ )
Submarine ( ____, ____ )& ( ____, ____ )
Turn in your grid to your teacher for approval and get some firing solutions ready. Remember don’t hit your own ship.
Name: ______Date: ______
How Tall Is That Tree? Worksheet (page 1)
Have you ever wondered how tall is a large tree or building? Foresters and scientists must often estimate the height of trees to determine the amount of lumber in an area or to learn about the health of the forest. Since it is not practical to climb up every large tree to determine its height, they have developed some other methods to estimate the height of large trees using measurements that are easy to make from the ground. In this exercise, you will use some of these methods to measure the height of a tree near your school or home. Follow your teacher’s directions about which methods to use. Once you have finished your measurements, answer the questions at the end.
Shadow Method
Outdoors, the length of your shadow, or the length of the shadow of any object, depends on the position of the sun. The sun’s position in the sky varies during the day and from season to season. However, at any particular time, you can estimate the height of a tall object, such as a tree, by comparing the ratio of its height and the length of its shadow to your own. Work with a partner and follow the directions below to use this method.
1. Go outside and locate a power pole “a” and measure the length of its shadow. Record this data, making sure to use inches.
2. One partner stands so their shadow ends at the same spot as the objects shadow, have your partner the length of your shadow using a tape measure. Record this data in Data Table 1 below. Be sure to include the unit of measurement (inches) that you are using.
3. Do the same procedure for the other objects in your table.
4. Measure your and your partner’s height in inches and record below the table.
Object’s Shadow / Student’s ShadowLength of Power Pole a’s
Shadow / Name ______
Length of bus’s shadow / Name ______
Length of guard’s shack
shadow / Name ______
Length of Tree b’s
shadow / Name ______
Length of Stadium Light’s
Shadow (DO NOT GO ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD)!!!!! / Name ______
Partner 1 ______, Height ______
Partner 2 ______, Height ______
2. Proportional Method
Here is an alternative to the Shadow Method that can be used even when it is cloudy outside. Again, work with a partner and follow the directions below.
1. Measure (if you have not done so already) and record your partner’s height in Table 2 below.
2. Locate Power pole “a” the same one as you measured before using the shadow method and have your partner stand next to its base.
3. You will be walking backwards while facing your partner. CAUTION: First, look behind you to make sure that it is safe and there are no obstacles in the way.
Then, begin to walk backward slowly, while holding a ruler at arm’s length and near your eye level.
4. Stop when the top and bottom of the ruler line up with the top and bottom of the power pole. At this point, the apparent height of the power pole equals the length of the ruler. Record this length below.
5. Now, note the apparent height of your partner on the ruler. This is the height that your partner appears to be when you are holding the ruler at arm’s length and the bottom of the ruler is lined up with your partner’s feet. Record this measurement in the table below.
6. Do the same procedure for the other objects in your table.
Object’s Ruler Height / Student’s Ruler HeightLength of Power Pole a’s
Shadow / 12in / Name ______
Length of bus’s shadow / 12in / Name ______
Length of guard’s shack
shadow / 12in / Name ______
Length of Tree b’s
shadow / 12in / Name ______
Length of Stadium Light’s
Shadow (DO NOT GO ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD)!!!!! / 12in / Name ______
Partner 1 ______, Height ______
Partner 2 ______, Height ______
CSI Question
The Governor was in a parade. At 10:13 a man standing on 1st street shot at the governor. The shooter was 90 feet from the corner of 1st and Main Street when he shot. Luckily he missed. The shooter then turned and ran straight through National Bank which was on the corner of 1st and Main. The bank’s security not knowing what was going on put the bank into a complete lockdown, but not in time to stop the shooter. The shooter came out the other side of the bank on Main Street, 120 feet from the corner of 1st and Main at 10:24. 1st and Main form a right angle. The police want to catch the shooter. If they could figure out how fast he is running they can shut down the area and find him. Since speed is distance divided by time they just need to figure out both. Time is easy but the distance will be harder since the bank is locked down and won’t be able to re-open for another 30 minutes. Time is too important, can you figure out the distance the shooter ran and then find out his speed so the cops can narrow their search for the shooter.
MEASUREMENT SCAVENGER HUNT
ITEM / LOCATION / LENGTH / WIDTH / SCALED LENGTH / SCALED WIDTH- doorway
2. window pane /
Science pod
3. bookshelf / N – pod
4. center-pod
wall / G – pod
5. table / K – pod
6. couch / F – pod
7. lamp / O – pod / no width / no scaled width
8. picture / H – pod
9. television / Library
10. classroom / Science pod