The Incredible Shrinking Cup Lab: Connecting with Ocean and Great Lakes Scientists to Investigate the Effect of Depth and Water Pressure on Polystyrene

Pressure increases rapidly with depth in a water body. Ocean and Great Lakes scientists often use this physical feature of water as the basis of a fun pastime performed aboard research vessels around the world: the shrinking of polystyrene cups. Depending on the depth to which the cups are deployed,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science activities 2013-01, Vol.50 (1), p.1-8
Main Authors: Rose, Chantelle M., Adams, Jacqueline M., Hinchey, Elizabeth K., Nestlerode, Janet A., Patterson, Mark R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Boyle's law
Curricula
Great Lakes
Hypothesis Testing
Learning
Literacy
ocean depth
Oceanography
Physics
Polystyrene
Pressure
research vessels
Science Experiments
Science Instruction
Science Laboratories
Scientific Principles
Scientists
Secondary School Science
Water
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Summary:Pressure increases rapidly with depth in a water body. Ocean and Great Lakes scientists often use this physical feature of water as the basis of a fun pastime performed aboard research vessels around the world: the shrinking of polystyrene cups. Depending on the depth to which the cups are deployed, the results can be quite striking! Capitalizing on this fascinating display of ocean physics, the authors describe an activity designed to familiarize students with the effects of increased water depth on pressure and volume. This activity incorporates ocean and aquatic sciences into classroom curricula, an important goal of the Ocean Literacy Campaign and associated Great Lakes Literacy Campaign. Students will develop hypotheses to investigate the effects of depth and thus pressure on the volume of polystyrene cups. To test their hypotheses, they will determine the volume of polystyrene cups before and after they are submerged to differing depths in the ocean and the Laurentian Great Lakes. Students will also calculate the density of the cups and learn about the depths of the world's ocean and the Great Lakes. This lab also encourages students to contact scientists and engage with professionals in the field of oceanography and limnology.
ISSN:0036-8121
1940-1302
DOI:10.1080/00368121.2012.727754