Activities for Students: Soap and Slope: Mathematical Adventures in Fluid Dynamics
The mathematical concept of slope can be made real through a set of simple, inexpensive, and safe experiments that can be conducted in the classroom or at home. The experiments help connect the idea of slope with physical phenomena related to surface tension. In the experiments, changes in surface tension across the surface of the water, which correspond to greater slopes on the graph, lead to increased motion of the fluid. The mathematical content, targeted to middle school and high school students, can be used in a classroom or workshop setting and can be tailored to a single session of thirty to ninety minutes.
Supplementary Materials
- Supplemental Materials (PDF 532 KB)
Notes
Edited by Ruth Doverdover@imsa.edu Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy Aurora, IL
Patrick Harlesspdharless@gmail.com University of Rochester (PhD student) Rochester, NY
Contributor Notes
Rachel Levy, levy@hmc.edu, is an associate professor of mathematics at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California. She has taught middle school and high school at Carolina Friends School in Durham and now enjoys working with K–12 teachers.
