In this experiment you will discover if the crowbar from the scene of the crime
was buried with a shovel (most likely by Mr. Plover) or buried under sediment
deposited from the Stumporl Stream.
I.Hypothesis
Soil from shoveled dirt will exhibit different characteristics than soil deposited from moving water, such as a stream.
II.Materials needed
•
two clear 2-liter soda bottles or two large glass jars with lids.
• a large spoon or small shovel
• a bucket or pail
• a magnifying glass
• a permanent marker
• a funnel or rolled piece of paper (You will only need this of
you are using the 2-liter soda bottles.)
III. Procedure
Read
through all the steps of the procedure before starting your experiment.
Collect
enough soil to fill at least one 2-liter soda bottle. Make sure your
soil sample is made up of different size particles. You may want to
collect your soil sample from at least three different areas to ensure a good,
well-mixed sample.
Using a spoon, small shovel or stick mix the soil thoroughly. This is your soil sample that you will use throughout the experiment.
If you are using 2-liter soda bottles, cut one of the bottles in
half and discard its top in a recycling bin. Label the lower half, shovel with a permanent marker. Label the uncut bottle, stream.
If you are using large glass jars label one
jar, shovel and the other, stream.
Using
a spoon or small shovel fill the container you labeled shovel with about 12 centimeters (5 inches)
of soil sample and set it aside.
Fill the container that you labeled stream with about 12 centimeters (5 inches)
of soil from your sample. (If you are
using a 2-liter soda bottle you may need a funnel or rolled piece
of paper to get the soil into the bottle without spilling.)
Fill
the rest of the container labeled stream with water.
Leave about 3 centimeters (1 or 2 inches) of space at the top
of the container to prevent spilling.
Cap the container labeled stream securely and shake it thoroughly
until all the soil is well mixed in the swirling water. The dirty swirling water represents
sediment suspended in moving water, such as a stream.
While the water is still swirling set the container labeled stream next to the container labeled shovel and let it rest overnight.
The next day, without disturbing the containers, use your magnifying glass to look carefully at the two
containers labeled stream and shovel. What do you observe?
Pick the answer that best matches how your soil particles settled in your experiment results.
