Activity Overview
Students perform an experiment that simulates a leaking pipe and gather data on volume of water lost over time. They graph the data collected as a scatter plot, find the equation of the line of best fit, find the total volume of water collected, and convert units from metric to customary.
Before the Activity
See the attached PDF file for detailed instructions for this adventure
Print pages 29 from the attached PDF file for your class
Set up the TI-Navigator™ system
During the Activity
Distribute the pages to your class.
Follow the Adventure procedures:
Collect Data:
Punch a hole in a plastic cup from the inside
Pour water from a bottle into the cup and collect the water that drips through the hole in a graduated cylinder
Measure at 10 second intervals, the volume of water that collects in the graduated cylinder
Plot the volume of water versus time data as a scatter plot
Find the line of best fit and determine the equation of this line
Calculate the number of seconds in 30 days
For this time period, find the corresponding volume of water collected
Convert this value from milliliter to liters and to gallons
TI-Navigator activity:
Display all graphs in the Activity Center
Discuss how slope is rate of change
After the Activity
Students analyze the results and answer the questions in the worksheet
Review student results:
As a class, discuss Linear equations have constant first differences