Education Technology


The Effect of Run-off on Water Turbidity

Activity Overview

In this activity, students' will model storm water run-off and its effects on local waterways. They will use a light sensor to determine the turbidity of the water in the model and use data from the model to analyze the effect of storm water run-off on local water turbidity.

Before the Activity

  • Plug in Light Sensor in Channel 1 of the CBL 2
  • Download DataMate™ program using the TI-GRAPH LINK™ or the TI Connect™ software
  • See the attached PDF file for detailed instructions for this activity
  • Print pages 157 - 163 from the attached PDF file for your class
  • During the Activity

    Distribute the pages to your class

    Follow the Activity procedure:

  • Pour 1000 ml of water in a clear container
  • Align the flashlight, container of water, and CBL 2™ light sensor so that the light passes through the container of water directly into the light meter
  • Turn on the flashlight and take an initial reading of light passing through clear water
  • Add 10 g of dirt to the water and stir
  • When the dirt dissolves take a turbidity reading using the light sensor
  • Repeat steps until 50 g of dirt have been added
  • Record the values and plot amount of dirt versus turbidity
  • Analyze the effects of storm water run-off on water turbidity
  • After the Activity

    Students' will complete Student Data Collection and Analysis Sheet.

    Review student results

  • As a class, discuss questions that appeared to be more challenging
  • Re-teach concepts as necessary