Activity Overview
Students create a musical instrument from empty 1-liter bottles and use fractional equivalents to tune the bottles.
Objectives
Students will explore the following concepts in this activity:
- multiplication
- division
- measurement
- problem solving
About the Lesson
To introduce this activity, students will fill one 2-liter bottle half-full with water and blow across the mouth of the bottle to make a sound. They will then take an empty 2-liter bottle and blow across the mouth of the bottle to make a sound. Discuss the two different pitches. Students will then use this experience to solve a new problem.
The Problem: How can an eight-note scale be made with 1-liter bottles?
Review the four problem solving steps with students:
- Understanding the problem
- Making a plan
- Carrying out the plan
- Evaluating the solution
Students will create a chart showing the amount of water in each bottle and how the amounts were calculated. Using their TI-15 calculators, students will discover what happens to a number when you multiply it by a fraction.