Lesson 6 of 7 · Natural Resources
Experiment⭐ 30 XPMining Has Costs Above Ground
Natural Resources.
🎯 Your mission
Predict it first. Then prove yourself right (or wrong).
⚡ The twist
Nature loves to surprise the careful watcher.
Mind = Blown
🔬 The more you look, the more nature shows you.
Make a hypothesis first
Before you start: write down what you think will happen, and why.
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
Read the explanation above and note the two key terms before you start.
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.
Record what actually happened, including anything that did not match what you expected.
Write a conclusion that answers the question this lesson opened with, and state your uncertainty.
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
1 of 2Recycling aluminium compared with making it from ore uses about:
Where you see this in real life
This shows up in your everyday life more than you'd think.
Stretch Challenge
Try this in real life this week.
Try one experiment in real life this week — even a tiny one.
For the dinner table
“What's the most surprising thing you learned today?”
Next Smart Experiment
We'll pick an experiment that matches exactly how you're thinking right now.
Share this experiment
Send it to a parent who's looking for a 10-minute kitchen science win.
Ready?
Mining Has Costs Above Ground
Predict it first. Then prove yourself right (or wrong).
Full screen — no distractions
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