Bottles (2)

'Bottles (2)' printed from https://nrich.maths.org/

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Bottles (2)

This activity follows on from Bottles (1) which you may need to look at first.

You need to find a collection of jars and bottles of different sizes and shapes, for example there are some in the picture below.

You could use this picture as an example and number the bottles/jars 1 to 8 from left to right.
So, your challenges would be;
How many 2's needed to fill 1?
How many 3's needed to fill 4?
How many 2's needed to fill 6?

You could create your own questions for yourself or friends to answer.

Photograph Acknowledgement
http://www.jarsandbottles.co.uk/

Why do this problem?

This problem is useful for pupils to consolidate ideas associated with capacity and to begin to calculate in that context. It allows for good discussion between pupils and between pupil and teacher.

Possible approach

You could initiate some discussion by looking at the bottles pictured here, however having a set of your own bottles/jars would be better.

Give the pupils a long time to both discuss their answers and how they might validate them. Then give them chance to carry out some practical tests to see how close they were.

Key questions

Tell me about your ideas.
Why do you think this?

Possible extension

Ask the pupils to estimate what level a liquid would be in a larger vessel when it's poured from a smaller one.

Possible support

The activity Bottles (1) would be good to try before this. Some pupils made need assistance with any awkward pouring.