1. Systems and Scale Unit Activity 2.1 Powers of Ten
Carbon: Transformations in Matter and Energy
Environmental Literacy Project Michigan State University
Systems and Scale Unit Activity 2.1 Powers of Ten
Image Credit: Craig Douglas, Michigan State University
Post the Powers of Ten 11 x 17 Poster on a wall in your classroom where all students can see it. Alternatively, project the 2.1 Powers of Ten PPT so all students can see. Lead a whole class discussion about the poster to help students become familiar with its key features. Here are suggested questions:
Ask students to identify words that are familiar to them.
Ask for students’ interpretations of the four benchmark scales across the top of the poster: atomic-molecular, microscopic, macroscopic, large scale.
Ask students about what each scale means: “What does macroscopic mean?” (It means the size of things we can see easily around us). Have students offer examples of objects that go in each scale.
Ask for students’ interpretations of the units of length in the ovals at the bottom.
Ask students what they can measure with those units and have students give examples of distances around that size.
Point out that the numbers on the bottom use exponents—Powers of Ten—to give sizes in meters. Explain that the video they will watch will show them what this means.