Measurement:
Fourth of July
Fireworks Study
Today's
Snack: On
the Fourth of July or any time you're feeling patriotic, take a large
marshmallow, a toothpick, a large strawberry and a large blueberry. With an
adult's help, cut the green top off the strawberry and place it, flat side
down, on the marshmallow. Place the blueberry on top. Push the toothpick
through it all so that it'll stand in a tower. Voila: red, white and blue! Once
you've admired it, pull the parts off, carefully, and eat! But don't eat the
toothpick!
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Supplies:
One 50' or 100' measuring tape
Sidewalk chalk or rag
Friend or adult with a watch with
second hand or stopwatch
Those big, wonderful, aerial fireworks shot off by
professionals in Fourth of July fireworks shows are pretty speedy.
They may shoot 300 feet in the air
before they explode, but it only takes a few seconds. Wow!
Let's do a little measurement study
and practice some multiplication.
Let's pretend that you are a
firecracker, and once your fuse is lit and you start to move, you can fly at
125 feet per second.
Tape your measuring tape and measure
on your driveway, sidewalk, lawn or parking lot a total of 125 feet. Mark with
sidewalk chalk on pavement, or leave a rag on the grass.
Now, stand at the starting line and
ask a friend or adult to time you, using a watch with a second hand or a
stopwatch, and see how far you can run in one second. Go your very fastest, but
stop at one second.
Hmm. Didn't get very far, did you?
That's how much faster a firecracker can fly than you can run.
Now, for some Fourth of July math:
let's say that the firecracker is going to travel at 125 feet per second and
will fly for three full seconds before it explodes in a gorgeous red, white and
blue display.
Your problem is: how many feet in
the air, total, does that firecracker fly in three seconds?
(Answer:
375 feet; 3 seconds x 125 feet per second)
