August 30, 2005
Math Lesson #5 - Craters in the Clouds
Volcanoes are one of Indonesia’s favorite attractions. With caution, visiting one of these volcanoes can be the experience of a lifetime. They provide cool relief from the heat of the lowlands and give an opportunity to see some incredible wildlife, active geology and beautiful landscapes not found any where else.
Climbers must be prepared for cold temperatures and wet conditions when walking from sea level to nearly 4,000m in elevation. For every 500m gained in elevation, the temperature decreases by about 3 degrees C. By the time you’re above 2000m, temperatures can easily get below 10 degrees C at night, and above 3000m, you would be near the freezing point.
Combine the cold with lots of rain and you have a potentially dangerous situation if not prepared. But, visiting an active volcano can be well worth it if the hiker does his homework!
Lesson Activities:
• Use this formula to convert meters to feet: Multiply the number of meters by 3.28. Your answer will be the equivalent distance in feet. Convert the meters in this lesson to their equivalent in feet. Discover how far you would walk from sea level to the top of an active volcano!
• To convert C degrees to F degrees, multiply by 1.8 and add 32. Convert the degrees in this lesson to see just how cold it can get in the tropics!
Posted by barb at 4:26 AM | Comments (1)
Math Lesson # 4 - Crikey It's Enormous
The metric system is used in Indonesia so to create a sense of
dimensions when researching Komodo dragons, it is helpful to know how to
calculate the difference between metric and standard units of measure. To
convert meters to feet, multiply by 3.8, i.e., 5 meters=16.4 feet. To
convert kilograms to pounds, multiply by 2.21, i.e., 3 kg=6.63 lbs.
The following are some interesting dragon facts which illustrate both the
metric and standard system of measure.
1. Of all monitor lizards, the ora lays the largest eggs-up to 12 cm long
and weighing around 200 g. The female lays 20-30 eggs which hatch 9 months
later.
2. Males outnumber females on the islands by a ratio of 3.4 to one. There
has been a decline on Komodo from 3336 dragons in 1990 to about 1600 in
1996.
3. The largest recorded specimen of a Komodo dragon was in excess of 3m long
and weighed a mammoth 150 kg! Most adults are about 2 meters and weigh
around 60 kg.
Lesson Activities:
a.. Read the Science Blog on Komodo dragons to discover facts about the
size and weight of these giant lizards. Convert the metric measurements in
these two articles to standard measure.
b.. Construct a life size model of the Komodo dragon for display in your
class. Check for accuracy in your measurements. You'll need lots of space!
Posted by barb at 4:25 AM | Comments (0)