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    Relay Rice - Thermodynamics Model

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    Matthew Chafer
    This document describes an activity called "Relay Rice" meant to simulate the laws of thermodynamics. Students are divided into groups in a relay race, where one student pours rice into the hands of the next student in line representing the transfer of energy between levels. As the rice is transferred from student to student, representing different trophic levels, some rice is lost, demonstrating how useful energy decreases and becomes less useful or is lost as heat per the first and second laws of thermodynamics. The group with the least amount of rice lost or the fastest time wins. Data tables track the original and final rice amounts and times. Analysis questions then relate the simulation back to the laws of thermodynamics and food chains.

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    Relay Rice - Thermodynamics Model

    Uploaded by

    Matthew Chafer
    2K views3 pages
    This document describes an activity called "Relay Rice" meant to simulate the laws of thermodynamics. Students are divided into groups in a relay race, where one student pours rice into the hands of the next student in line representing the transfer of energy between levels. As the rice is transferred from student to student, representing different trophic levels, some rice is lost, demonstrating how useful energy decreases and becomes less useful or is lost as heat per the first and second laws of thermodynamics. The group with the least amount of rice lost or the fastest time wins. Data tables track the original and final rice amounts and times. Analysis questions then relate the simulation back to the laws of thermodynamics and food chains.

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    Relay Rice - Thermodynamics model

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    This document describes an activity called "Relay Rice" meant to simulate the laws of thermodynamics. Students are divided into groups in a relay race, where one student pours rice into the hands of the next student in line representing the transfer of energy between levels. As the rice is transferred from student to student, representing different trophic levels, some rice is lost, demonstrating how useful energy decreases and becomes less useful or is lost as heat per the first and second laws of thermodynamics. The group with the least amount of rice lost or the fastest time wins. Data tables track the original and final rice amounts and times. Analysis questions then relate the simulation back to the laws of thermodynamics and food chains.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    2K views3 pages

    Relay Rice - Thermodynamics Model

    Uploaded by

    Matthew Chafer
    This document describes an activity called "Relay Rice" meant to simulate the laws of thermodynamics. Students are divided into groups in a relay race, where one student pours rice into the hands of the next student in line representing the transfer of energy between levels. As the rice is transferred from student to student, representing different trophic levels, some rice is lost, demonstrating how useful energy decreases and becomes less useful or is lost as heat per the first and second laws of thermodynamics. The group with the least amount of rice lost or the fastest time wins. Data tables track the original and final rice amounts and times. Analysis questions then relate the simulation back to the laws of thermodynamics and food chains.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 3

    “Relay Rice”

    Objective: To visualize the intangible concept of energy (First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics)
    using a concrete process, a relay race using rice.

    1st Law of Thermodynamics: Often called the Law of Conservation of Energy. This Law states that energy
    cannot be created or destroyed, it just changes forms as it is transferred from one level to another. Thus, the
    total amount of energy available in any system is constant.

    2nd Law of Thermodynamics: As energy changes form, it moves from more useful forms to less useful forms.
    It gets degraded as it moves from a higher energy state to a lower energy state (usually heat). Energy flows
    in one irreversible direction. It cannot be recycled or reused.

    This law also predicts entropy. Entropy is the measure of disorder in a system. Because heat is lost when
    energy is transferred, entropy always increases with time. Eventually, because of the 2 nd Law of
    Thermodynamics, energy in the Universe is becoming less useful over time.

    Procedure: (This was done by the teachers watch the video of the demo )
    1. Record the original volume of the rice in the beaker in Table 1.
    2. One person in each group will be the timer. Set a stopwatch to zero.
    3. Start time, and the Timer will pour the entire beaker of rice onto the hands of the First Person. First
    Person moves as fast as possible to pass the rice to the Next Person in line, all the way to the Last
    Person. Try to beat the row across from you! Best time wins!
    4. Last Person holds onto the rice. Pour it back in the beaker and bring it inside. We will measure and
    record the new volume in Table 1. Timer records end time in Table 2.
    In this activity, you will run a relay race.
    ● Divide into two groups, and line up facing each other. Spread out slightly more than arm’s length
    apart.
    ● Groups should be sorted from the tallest to the shortest. The tallest person likely has the largest
    hands, and the shortest the smallest.
    ● Each group represents a “food chain.”
    ● The person with the biggest hands (can hold the most energy) goes first. The person with the smallest
    hands goes last.

    Data:
    GROUP ORIG MASS NEW MASS ORG VOL NEW VOL NET LOSS %
    Rice Rice Rice Rice (g) LOSS
    (g) (g) (ml) (ml)

    1 240g 160g 80g 33%


    300ml 200 ml

    2 240g 180g 60g 25%


    300ml 225 ml

    Table 1. Volume

    Table 2. Time
    GROUP TIME

    1 14.17

    2 16.22
    ***The MASS column must be determined by calculation, based on the formula for density: D = M/V.
    The average density of rice is 0.8g/ml

    % Change formula:

    % Change = [(new – original)/original] X 100


    Analysis:

    1. What does the rice represent? The rice represents energy

    2. What does the handing off of the rice represent? The energy lost between each level on the food
    pyramid

    3. What law is simulated when the rice is handed off to the nearest member of the “food chain”? First
    law of thermodynamics

    4. What would happen to the next organism if the rice was not handed off?
    It would have no energy and die.

    5. What law is simulated when the rice falls, either as you rush or as you hand off the rice to the next
    trophic level?
    Second law of thermodynamics

    6. What does the rice on the ground represent?


    The energy lost.

    7. Within a food web, how much energy is actually transferred from one trophic level to another? Take a
    guess if you aren’t sure.
    10% of the energy is transferred

    8. What is the source of energy for this chain?


    The Sun

    Examine the pyramid shown below, and answer the question that follows.

    Biomass Numbers
    Decreases Decrease

    9. Based on your understanding of the laws of energy, why is it so important to protect producers?
    Producers are in charge of keeping the food pyramid stable.

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