In Order
Problem
Have a look at the sets of four quantities below.
Can you rank them in order from smallest to largest? To help you decide, you may need to find extra information or carry out some experiments.
Can you convince us that your order is right?
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Temperature
Of a kettle of boiling water
Of the centre of the sun
On a thermometer when you are quite well
Of the water in a school pond
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Speed
Of a rocket going up on bonfire night
Of a train
Of a ladybird walking along a leaf
Of a ball being thrown to your friend
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Time
Taken for a puddle of water to evaporate on a hot day
Taken for frogspawn to grow into a frog
Taken to walk across the playground
Taken for the moon to orbit the earth
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Sound
Of a clap of thunder
Of a teacher blowing a whistle
Of a tap running
Of a recorder being played by a friend
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Getting Started
What extra information might you need to find out?
Student Solutions
Thank you to those of you who sent solutions to this problem. Unfortunately, though, not many of you explained how you knew the order in which to put the quantities.
Katie from Hymers College Junior School took us through the first set of quantities:
First of all I am going to tackle the temperature question.First you look at what to rank
Then you think about the ones that you know the temperature.
So it is clear that the sun is the hottest. So now tick that off the list.
Then you think, well our school pond is quite deep and therefore quite cold. So compared to the rest of the list the pond is the coldest so now you can check that off the list.
Now you are left with the two middle answers. Everybody knows that water boils at $100^\circ$ and your body temperature is around $38^\circ$. From this research you now know that the kettle of boiling water is the second hottest. Now you can tick that off the list.
Finally you are left with the last one to tick off the list, the temperature of the thermometer when you are quite well.
So now they are all ticked off the list you can put them into their final order which is:
1. Of the centre of the sun.
2. Of a kettle of boiling water.
3. On a thermometer when you are quite well.
4. Of the school pond.
Katie then ordered the speed, time and sound quantities:
Speed:1. Of a rocket going up on bonfire night
2. Of a train
3. Of a ball being thrown to your friend
4. Of a ladybird walking along a leaf
Time
1. Taken for frogspawn to grow into a frog
2. Taken for the moon to orbit the earth
3. Taken for a puddle of water to evaporate on a hot day
4. Taken to walk across the playground
Sound
1. Of a clap of thunder
2. Of a teacher blowing a whistle
3. Of a tap running
4. Of a recorder being played by a friend
The last one and the whistle depend on how hard they blow. For number 4, the friend is a controlled recorder player and for number 2, the teacher is having a bad day so is very loud.
Thank you, Katie. I like the way you've given us more information about the sound quantities. Someone from Ricards Lodge who didn't give their name, gave a different answer to the sound part of the problem:
It's interesting that there is a differing opinion about these sound quantities. However, it is great that Katie and the pupil from Ricards Lodge have both explained their own reasoning. Well done! I wonder what you think?