Assuming the bike is 3ft by 5.5ft.
Assume the diameter is 2.5 bikes and the length is 2.5 bikes.
Diameter = 7.5 ft
Length = 13.75 ft
Volume of the can = 604.22 cubic feet
Volume of a regular can of soup = 12 fluid ounces or 0.0125326 cubic feet
From a student perspective, my first priority was estimating the size of the bike. I used my own bike as a reference. I think it is a good way to connect proportional reasoning to a real-life example. I looked up the size of a regular can of soup, although I could have just measured one that I had. How fun to think about how many cans of soup could fit into the big one!
Here is another activity that could be done by looking at some pictures!
If I were assigning an activity based on my adventures in the cranberry bogs today, I might show a picture of how many cranberries I could see within a certain area and then have students estimate how many cranberries were in the bog! It would be a great opportunity to teach about the process of growing and harvesting cranberries - something my friend does on his farm!
Thanks Christine! Lots of good stuff here, but there are a few things missing too. How many litres of water would the large 'soup can' hold? Would it be enough water to put out an average house fire? I love the idea of figuring out how many small cans of soup would be held by the big can, and I'd like to see your answer for that. And I love the cranberry bog photos and potential stories! The idea of estimating the number of cranberries is a good one, but what else could you ask your students to figure out as part of a problem-solving activity around the cranberries? Please add these missing elements, and let me know when you're done so I can mark this as complete then.
ReplyDeleteHope you've been having an excellent practicum with my former student Tak Umeki :) He let me know that you two are working together, and that he thinks you are doing great!
Edit:
ReplyDeleteBased on my calculations, 4513.5 gallons of water could fit inside the large can of soup. After doing some research, I see that I under-estimated the size of the can and it actually holds around 15000 gallons of water. This would be enough to put out an average-size house fire.
Students could also calculate the volume of water in the bog based on the dimensions of the field and estimating the height of the water based on the picture and knowing my height.
Thanks for the revisions and updates, Christine! All good now.
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