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Subject
Science
Mathematics
Objectives
The student will:
- Illustrate the water cycle of a hydrothermal feature.
- Calculate, with 100% accuracy, the number of gallons of water expelled by Old Faithful during a 24-hour period.
- Calculate, with 100% accuracy, the number of full bathtubs of water (based on a 36 gallon capacity) that Old Faithful Geyser expels each time it erupts.
- Calculate, with 80% accuracy, the number of minutes between each eruption of Old Faithful Geyser on a day in the year 1883 and another day in the year 2005, as well as the average length of the eruption intervals in 1883 and in 2005.
- Hypothesize, in writing, a reason for any noted change in interval length.
Materials
Old Faithful Eruption Information Worksheet
Background
Calculations indicate that the total amount of water used by Yellowstone’s hydrothermal features exceeds 70 million gallons per day. Most of this water begins as rain or snow. Only about five percent of Yellowstone’s total precipitation makes its way into the cracks and fissures that form the plumbing system of a hydrothermal feature. Eventually, the water encounters rocks that have been heated by underlying areas of magma. This rocky stove warms the water to great temperatures, and the water begins to rise back towards the surface of the Earth.
Old Faithful Geyser has been widely observed since the 1870s. Each time the geyser erupts, it expels an estimated 3,700 to 8,400 gallons of water, depending on the length of the eruption. There appears to be a direct relationship between the duration of Old Faithful’s eruption and the length of the following interval. During a short eruption, less water and heat are expelled; therefore, they rebuild again in a shorter amount of time. The interval between Old Faithful’s eruptions has lengthened from an average of 63 minutes in the 1880s to an average of 92 minutes in 2005. Some scientists think the geyser’s groundwater supply has been affected by parking lots and other development in the area. Other scientists think the increase is caused by changes within the geyser’s plumbing system from earthquakes.
Discussion Points for Students
What is the source of the water in Yellowstone’s hydrothermal features? Describe the water cycle that exists within a hydrothermal feature. Does the interval between a geyser’s eruptions always remain the same? Why or why not would the interval change? What factors could affect the geyser’s eruption interval?
Procedure
The instructor will:
- Invite students to theorize about the source of the water supply in Yellowstone’s hydrothermal features.
- Share the background information with the class and then direct students to illustrate the water cycle of a hydrothermal feature on a separate piece of paper.
- Inform students that Old Faithful uses between 3,700 and 8,400 gallons of water each time it erupts. In early 2005, Old Faithful has erupted approximately 15 times every day. Direct students to calculate the approximate amount of water Old Faithful uses during the course of a day (24 hours) and fill in the information on the Old Faithful Eruption Information Worksheet. Answer: 3,700 x 15 = 55,500 gallons of water (minimum) to 8,400 x 15 = 126,000 gallons of water (maximum)
- Inform students that a bathtub holds approximately 36 gallons of water. Direct students to calculate the number of bathtubs of water Old Faithful uses each time it erupts and write the answer on the Old Faithful Eruption Information Worksheet. Answer: 3,700/36 = 102.7 bathtubs of water (minimum) to 8,400/36 = 233.3 bathtubs of water (maximum)
- Direct students to refer to the information on the Old Faithful Eruption Information Worksheet and calculate the number of minutes between each eruption of Old Faithful on a day in the year 1883 and another day in the year 2005. Students should write their responses in the Length of Interval Column on the worksheet.
- Direct students to calculate the average length of the eruption interval in both 1883 and in 2005 and write the answers on the Old Faithful Eruption Information Worksheet. Answer: 63 minutes average interval in 1883, 92 minutes average interval in 2005
- Instruct students to hypothesize, in writing, why the interval between Old Faithful’s eruptions has changed.
- Invite students to discuss their hypotheses.
Assessment
Geyser Math Rubric
Resources
Bryan, T. Scott. 1990. Geysers: What They Are and How They Work. Roberts Rinehart, Inc.
Yellowstone National Park. 2004. Yellowstone Resources and Issues. Mammoth Hot Springs: Division of Interpretation, Yellowstone National Park.
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National Science Standards for Grades 5-8
NS.5-8.4 Earth and space science
National Arts Education Standards for Grades 5-8
NA-VA.5-8.1 Understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes
NA-VA.5-8.2 Using knowledge of structure and functions
NA-VA.5-8.6 Making connections between visual arts and other disciplines
National Mathematics Standards for Grades 6-8
NM-DATA.6-8.1 Formulate questions that can be addressed with data and collect, organize, and display relevant data to answer
NM-DATA.6-8.3 Develop and evaluate inferences and predictions that are based on data
NM-NUM.6-8.1 Understand numbers, ways of representing numbers, relationships among numbers, and number systems
NM-NUM.6-8.2 Understand meanings of operations and how they relate to one another
NM-NUM.6-8.3 Compute fluently and make reasonable estimates
NM-PROB.PK-12.1 Build new mathematical knowledge through problem solving
NM-PROB.PK-12.2 Solve problems that arise in mathematics and in other contexts
NM-PROB.PK-12.4 Monitor and reflect on the process of mathematical problem solving
NM-PROB.CONN.PK-12.1 Recognize and use connections among mathematical ideas
NM-PROB.CONN.PK-12.3 Recognize and apply mathematics in contexts outside of mathematics
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| This material is based on work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No.0307709 |
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| Funding for this trip was provided by generous grants to the Yellowstone Park Foundation. |
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