Length, Area, Volume, and Water Temperature

This lesson is a continuation of an Algebra 1 lesson, “Where’s the Beef? (Part 1)” In that lesson, students questioned the process of degradation of objects in landfills asking, “How is someone able to know that a diaper does not degrade for 500 years?” Of course destructive testing helps researchers predict these expected durations.

Students do their own experiment, determining how long it takes to dissolve a beef (or bouillon) cube in hot water. In the Algebra 1 version, students assume that the volume decreases linearly.  However, many more variables are at play in the process. This lesson considers what errors might occur if that assumption is not true, serving as the beginning of multiple Algebra 2 extensions.