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This Week's Experiment - #247 Saving Water
Since we had so much fun in the Everglades, I thought we would do a related
experiment this week. One of the most important things in the Everglades is
water. There is a very delicate balance here, since the Everglades rely on
the same water sources used by Miami and other cities, area farmers and
industry. That makes it very important for people in this area to conserve
water, but water conservation is important everywhere. Most people have no
idea of how much water they waste every day. To give you an idea, we are
going make a few tests. You will need:
water
measuring cups
Even little things can make a big difference in conserving water. You would
be amazed how much water goes down the drain for something as simple as a
dripping faucet. To see how much water this can waste, turn on the water
faucet just enough to get a steady drip, drip, drip of water. Place the
measuring cup under the faucet. Now wait for 15 minutes. Turn off the water
and look to see how much water you collected. Multiply this by 4 and you
will see how much drips away in an hour. Multiply that by 24 and you have
how much drips in a day. Multiply that by 365 and you have a year's worth of
drips, which is a lot of water.
Next its time to brush your teeth. Do you leave the water running while you
brush? If you do, place a large bowl under the faucet when you brush your
teeth. When you finish, use the measuring cups to see how much water ran
down the drain while you were brushing. Multiply that by the number of times
a day you brush your teeth. Then multiply that by 365 for a year's worth of
tooth brushing. Again, over a year it is amazing how much water is wasted
this way. Place the empty pan back under the faucet. This time, turn the
water on long enough to wet the toothbrush and then turn it off. Turn it on
only when you are using it. Measure to see how much you saved. Over a year,
that could be a lot of water, especially if you have several people in your
family.
There are many things that you can do to use water more wisely. For example,
instead of pouring the water you use in these experiments down the drain,
pour it on potted plants or flower beds that need water anyway. Every little
bit helps. Look around your house to find all the ways that you use water.
Can you figure how many gallons your family uses each day? If you look at
your utility bill, you should be able to get an idea of how many gallons you
use each month. Multiply that by 12 and you get an idea of how much you use
each year.
Here is a math problem for you. Yes, I know that this is supposed to be
science, but math plays a very large role in the world of science. Find out
the population of your city. If each person in the city saved one cup of
water each day, how much water would they save after one year? Yes, even
small savings can add up.
From Robert Krampf's Science Education Company
PO Box 60982
Jacksonville, FL 32236-0982
904-388-6381
krampf@aol.com
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