Lesson 14 of 15 · Earth Systems

Experiment⭐ 30 XP🌋 Rock Realm

Mining Has Costs Above Ground

🧪Lab Brief #14

Earth Systems.

🎯 Your mission

Run the experiment. Find out what really happens.

⚡ The twist

Weather isn't random — it's just complicated.

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Mind = Blown

🌊 The deepest part of the ocean is deeper than Mount Everest is tall.

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Make a hypothesis first

Before you observe: what shape will it leave?

What You'll Learn

Getting metal out of the ground moves enormous quantities of rock, uses a great deal of water and energy, and leaves waste behind. Recycling aluminium uses about a twentieth of the energy of making it from ore.

Key Words

Tap a word to see its definition.

Materials Needed

cookies with chips
cocktail sticks
balance
paper plates

Safety First

Check for food allergies before starting, and do not eat anything used in the model.

Steps

Step 1 — Read

Read the explanation above and note the two key terms before you start.

Step 2 — Do

Model extraction by picking chocolate chips out of a cookie with a cocktail stick, weighing the chips and the crumbs. Work out the ratio of waste to product and compare it with a real ore grade.

Step 3 — Observe

Record what actually happened, including anything that did not match what you expected.

Step 4 — Record

Write a conclusion that answers the question this lesson opened with, and state your uncertainty.

Check Your Understanding

Question 1

1 of 2

Recycling aluminium compared with making it from ore uses about:

How sure are you going to be?😐 maybe

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Where you see this in real life

Today's weather, tomorrow's beach, next century's coastline — all this.

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Stretch Challenge

Try this in real life this week.

Look at the sky for 5 minutes and try to predict tomorrow's weather.

👨‍👩‍👧

For the dinner table

“What's the slowest change you can think of?”

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Next Smart Experiment

We'll pick an experiment that matches exactly how you're thinking right now.

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