Activity 1

Investigating the Relationship between Wind and Wave Size.

What you need:
Electric fan/hair dryer
Tray
Water
Sand and Pebbles.
What to do:

1. Construct a beach with sand and pebbles

at one end of the tray. Slowly fill the tray
with water to a depth of 3cm.
2. Position the fan at the opposite end of the
tray to the sand. Aim the fan so that it will
hit the water at roughly a 45 angle.
3. Using the low speed of the fan, turn it on for 3 minutes. Record your observations in the
table. Allow water to calm.
4. Using the high speed of the fan, turn it on for 3 minutes. Record your observations on the
table. Allow water to calm.
5. Write a prediction that describes what you think will happen when you turn the fan on for 5
seconds at high speed.
6. Turn the fan on for 5 seconds at high speed. Record your observations next to your
prediction.
7. Using your observations what can you say about the link between wave size and wind.
8.
Fan
Time
Observations
speed

Prediction of High speed for 5 seconds.

____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Observation of High speed for 5 seconds.
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

Activity 2
Investigating the Relationship between Wave Speed and Water Depth.
What you need:
Tray
Water
Two different lengths of wood.
Stopwatches
Ruler
1. Fill the stream tray to a depth of 1cm.
2. Use the longer piece of wood at one end to act as a reflector.
3. Using the shorter piece of wood, make a wave pulse by dropping or pushing the wood into
the water one end at a time. (Dont make a wave too big or you will have problems with the
depth).
4. Time how fast it takes the wave to travel the distance of the tray.
5. Record your findings in the table.
6. Complete again with water depths of 2cm, 3cm, 4cm and 5cm.
7. Record your observations and explanations you might have.
Water
(cm)

Depth

Time (s)

Velocity (cm/s)

Explanations
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

Activity 3
Formation of volcano
What you need:
Baking Soda
Vinegar
Plasticine
Food colouring
What to do:
1. Build a mini volcano using plasticine, baking soda and vinegar.
2. Reflect on the reaction that caused their volcano to erupt and how this is similar to active
volcanoes.
*Use your creativity to make this experiment a successful one

Activity 4
Finding North and South
The direction of true north and true south (towards the geographic north pole and south pole)
can be found by watching the changing length of a shadow during the middle of the day
(Compasses find magnetic north/south, not true north/south). When the Sun passes the highest
elevation in the sky it is said to transit the meridian, that is, the Sun crosses the line joining the
north celestial to south celestial poles. The highest position of the Sun will give the shortest
shadow which lies along thnorth-south line (Figure below).

North

You will need:

a piece of thick paper or cardboard (foolscap)
a 75 to 100 mm nail with a flat head or another suitable pointed object
a pair of compasses for drawing circles
a protractor for measuring angles
blue tack or gum
What to do:
1. Start your experiment soon after 11.00 a.m. and continue until about 1.00p.m. Times may be
different for different times of the year.
2. Find a flat place outside in the sun. A concrete path is ideal or use a flat board. Make sure
the paper or cardboard does not move or blow in the wind. Put heavy stones on it.
3. Mark a point near the centre of your paper. Stand the nail or stick upright
on the paper on this mark (Figure beside)
4. Mark where the shadow of the nail ends.
5. Take away the nail and use your compass to quickly draw a circle with a
radius less than the length of the shadow. Your circle should not reach the
end of the shadow.
6. Put the nail back in exactly the same position. Make sure the nail shadow ends where it did
before.
7. Leave the paper and nail in position for about 2 hours. Mark the position of the top of the nail
shadow every 15 minutes. You should also mark the point on the circle when the tip of the
shadow just touches the circle you drew.
8. Watch carefully as the shadow lengthens again after local noon time.
9. Mark the position when the top of the nails shadow again touches the circle.

10. Remove the nail. Join the centre of your circle to the two points where the shadows touched
the circle. Be careful not to move the paper.
11. Use a protractor or your compass to divide the angle between the shadow lines into two
equal parts. Draw this line right across your circle. This line points true north and south.
12. Mark this line on the concrete or ground. Now remove your paper. It is a good idea to paint
the line or put some white paint on a post or object that is along this line.
13. Explain to the class where is the true north/true south.

Activity 5
Star Patterns
Many stars have been grouped together into recognisable groups or patterns called
constellations. Some of these patterns were made up by the ancients and you need a lot of
imagination to see some of the mythical creatures. Most of the names of the constellations are
based on the ancient names however many southern star groups were only seen during the
explorations into the southern oceans. The Southern Cross (Crux) was named by these early
seafarers. However we should also recognise that the southern constellations were also well
known, by different names and different legends, by southern civilisations. For example, the
Polynesians such as the Tongans call the Southern Cross Toloa (wild duck).
You will need:
a piece of dark coloured cardboard
sticky tape
pin and nail
another small piece of cardboard
What to do:
1. Select one of the constellations.
2. Roll your cardboard into a tube, at least
80 mm across, and tape it.
3. Obtain another piece of cardboard large
enough to fit over the end of the tube. Use
the nail or pin to make different sized holes to
represent different brightness stars. (Large
holes for bright stars!)
4. Tape your constellation card over the end of
the tube. Make sure the side you pricked
faces the inside of the tube. It is now ready
for use.
5. Stand somewhere dark and look through the tube towards light.
6. Twist or rotate the tube and observe what happens to the star pattern.
7. Move your tube from east to west over the top of your head without twisting the tube.
Observe what happens to the appearance of the constellation. Where is the top and
bottom?
Question:
1. What is the effect of the rotation of the earth on the apparent movement of the
constellations?
2. The constellation Orion rises with the three stars of the belt pointing east. Predict what you
would observe when it sets? Sketch the changing orientation of Orion with reference to the
cardinal points.

New moon

Activity 6
Lines of Nodes and Eclipse Season
The moon goes through the full moon and the new moon phases once every month. Why is it
that we do not experience eclipse of the sun every month? An eclipse can only occur during a
period called an eclipse season during which the sun is close to a node in the moons orbit.
What is an eclipse season and what is a node?
What you need:
Earth
cardboard
one ping pong ball
one golf ball
one torchlight
What to do:
1. Draw an ellipse on the cardboard.
2. Place the golf ball that acts as the earth in the middle of the ellipse that represents the orbit
of the moon and the ping pong ball at the furthest end of the ellipse as in Figure 1 below.
3. Place the torchlight in the middle of a bigger ellipse that represents the orbit of the earth.
Full A,
moon
4. Place the cardboard at positions
B, C and D at an angle of 5 from the horizontal for new
and full moon.
5. Write done your observation of the shadows of the moon and earth.
Sun
6. Based on your observation, explain nodes and eclipse season.

B
C
Figure 1