Earth Sci 2 - Lab 2.3.5

2.3.
5 Lab: Investigate Weathering and Erosion Dry Lab

Earth Science Sem 2 Name:
Points Possible:50 Date:
In this lab, you will be analyzing the processes that break down rock using graham crackers as the crust and
water and ice as erosion agents. As you complete these steps, think about how these forces act in the real
world on rock and soil. You will then get the chance to design an investigation to test a variable and determine
its impact on weathering and erosion in a model.
Be sure to:
Follow safe practices during this investigation.
Materials
NOTE: You do not need these materials in order to complete the dry lab.
Graham crackers: at least 2 identical rectangular sections
Plastic knife
Frosting
Bowl
12 clear glasses
Eyedropper/medicine dropper
Water
Ice cube tray or similar freezable containers smaller than a graham cracker
Additional materials as needed for the investigation, such as more graham crackers, hot water, ice, lemon
juice, or a drinking straw
Procedure
Part 1: Modeling Weathering and Erosion
Use the eyedropper to place 100 drops of water in each of two or three cells of the ice cube tray or small
containers. Freeze the water for as long as it takes to be completely solid (likely 1 to 3 hours).
Put one section of a graham cracker in the bowl. Prop one end of the graham cracker on the lip of the bowl
and rest the other end at the bottom of the bowl so that the graham cracker forms a ramp. Use a dab of
frosting on the back of the cracker to anchor it to the side of the bowl.
A.
Fill the eyedropper with water. Hold the dropper approximately 1 inch above the top of the cracker. Center
the dropper over the cracker (or if the cracker has a perforation line, over the right or left section halfway
between the perforation line and the edge of the cracker). Apply 100 drops, aiming for the same spot each
time.
Observe what happens to the cracker. Record your observations in the Data for Part 1-A section of your lab.
Remove the graham cracker, and then pour the water into a clear glass. Make observations about the water,
including rating the water's cloudiness. To create a cloudiness scale from 0 to 10:
Give pure water a score of 0.
Mix cracker crumbs into a glass of water until you can't see through the water. Give the cloudy water a score
of 10.
In a second glass, dilute one part of the cloudy water with an equal amount of pure water.
Repeat the addition of pure water, mixing equal parts each time and keeping track of the number of dilutions,
until a mixture with about the same degree of cloudiness as a water sample from the experiment is formed.
Count the number of dilutions made and subtract this number from 10 to create a score between 1 and 10 for
a test sample.
Graham Cracker Erosion Color Scale

Observations are recorded in the Data for Part 1-A section of your lab.
B.
Rinse and dry the bowl and place a graham cracker in the bowl exactly the way you did in Step 2. Take out an
ice cube (after it is completely frozen) and rub it over the surface of the graham cracker until it completely
melts.
Observe what happens to the cracker. Observations are recorded in the Data for Part 1-B section of your lab.
Remove the graham cracker and pour the melted water into a clear glass. (It may be a small amount, or none,
which is fine). If possible, make observations about the water, including rating the water's cloudiness with the
same scale you used in Part 1-A. Observations are recorded in the Data for Part 1-B section of your lab.
Data for Part 1: Modeling Weathering and Erosion

A. Result:
Appearance of the water collected after it moved across the graham cracker.
Describe what happened to the graham cracker in Step 3 of the experiment.
Answer:
Water ran down the cracker and pooled at the bottom. The entire side of the cracker got wet.
Describe the water's cloudiness. What number would you use to describe the water's cloudiness using the
scale described in Step 5 of the experiment?
Answer:
The water at the bottom was murky and brown in color. Specks of cracker could be seen. I would rate it a 4 on
the cloudiness scale.
B. Result:
Appearance of the water collected after frozen water moved across a graham cracker.
Use details to describe what happened to the graham cracker in Step 6 of the experiment.
Answer:
The ice scraped the top of the cracker off and then melted into the rest of the cracker. The entire cracker got
wet, but the water seemed to go into the cracker instead of running off. There was a little bit of water at the
bottom of the bowl.
If possible, use detail to describe the water's cloudiness. What number would you use to describe the water's
cloudiness, using the scale described in Step 5 of the experiment?
Answer:
The little bit of water was really murky and sludge-like. It was a 9 on the cloudiness scale.
Part 2: Investigating Weathering and Erosion (10 points)

You have used a graham cracker and water to observe erosion in two different scenarios. Did any questions
come to mind as you performed the experiment? For example, you might ask, "How would this change if
I . . .?"
In this part of your investigation, you are going to ask a question, generate a hypothesis, and design a
procedure to test your hypothesis.
Examples of questions you could ask include:
How will the amount of erosion change if I use more/less water?
How will the amount of erosion change if I use hot/cold water?
How will the amount of erosion change if I use more-acidic water (by adding lemon juice)?
How will the amount of erosion change if I use blown air instead of water?
How will the amount of erosion change if I increase/decrease the effects of gravity (by raising or lowering the
angle of the cracker)?
You may create your own question or use any of these except the first question, which will be used as an
example here.
A.
Write your question here. Be sure to include what you will be testing and how you will measure it. In the first
question given in the example list, the amount of erosion is what you are measuring (the dependent variable),
and the amount of water is what you will be testing (independent variable). (2 points)

B.
Write a hypothesis here. A hypothesis is your prediction about the results, with a reason given for that
prediction. An example of a hypothesis from the first question would be: "The amount of erosion will increase
because there is more water flowing over the cracker to remove crumbs." (4 points)

C.
Design a procedure similar to the steps in Part 1 to test your hypothesis. Be sure to identify the variable you
will be testing (independent variable) and the numeric values associated with your test. You may use your
data from Part 1 to compare with your new experimental data, or you may include two different situations. Be
sure to include qualitative (nonnumerical) and quantitative (numerical) observations. (4 points)
Data for Part 2: Investigating Weathering and Erosion

Sample results:
Result using 100 drops of tap water (left); result using 100 drops of hot water (right).
Answer:
Answers should show data that were collected from a model. Data could resemble the following example: The
cracker got wet on one side, and water with specs of the cracker pooled at the bottom. The cloudiness of the
collected water was a 6.
Analyze Data and Draw Conclusions (40 points)

1. Water Erosion (9 points)

a. How was erosion observed in Part 1-A? What real-life situation did these steps model? (3 points)

b. How was erosion observed in Part 1-B? What real-life situation did these steps model? (3 points)

c. Generate a bar graph comparing the water cloudiness in Parts 1-A and 1-B. What does the difference
between the results mean about erosion in real life? (3 points)

2. Sample Investigation (14 points)
a. Graph the data from the sample results to help you analyze the results. You will be comparing these results
with those of Part 1-A. (3 points)

b. Summarize the results. If the hypothesis was "Hot water causes more erosion than tap water," was the
hypothesis supported or not supported? How do you know? (What data drive this statement?) (4 points)

c. Were there any sources of error in the experiment? Suggest improvements to the experiment. (3 points)

d. What does the sample data from the investigation attempt to model about erosion in real life? Based on the
results, what would you hypothesize about erosion in real life? (4 points)

3. Did you model weathering, erosion, or both in this lab? Give an example of a step of the lab in which you
modeled a process to support your statement. If you say that you did not model one process, describe a way
in which you could model that process using the same graham cracker setup. (7 points)

4. Describe an area in the natural world in which you have observed weathering or erosion, and describe what
is occurring there. This area could be an area of your environment, a place you have visited, or an image you
have seen. (4 points)

5. Mass wasting is similar to the process of water erosion, in that it involves materials being moved downhill.
However, mass wasting is due primarily to gravity and happens very quickly (such as during a rockslide).
Describe a way in which you could model mass wasting using the same graham cracker setup. (6 points)

Earth Sci 2 - Lab 2.3.5

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Earth Sci 2 - Lab 2.3.5

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Earth Sci 2 - Lab 2.3.5

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

2.3.

5 Lab: Investigate Weathering and Erosion Dry Lab

Graham Cracker Erosion Color Scale

Data for Part 1: Modeling Weathering and Erosion

Describe what happened to the graham cracker in Step 3 of the experiment.

Part 2: Investigating Weathering and Erosion (10 points)

Data for Part 2: Investigating Weathering and Erosion

Analyze Data and Draw Conclusions (40 points)

You might also like