: Te Taumaha — Water Weights
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Approach:  One to one  
444Kb
Focus: Buoyancy displacement 
Resources: Video recording on laptop computer, mug of water, weight, spring balance
He whakatau kupu: maihea = weight, ine-taumaha = spring balance, äwhata = scale (for measuring)

Questions/instructions:

He mahi rorohiko tënei.

Ka mätakitaki täua i te whiti ataata. Ka kite koe i ëtahi tamariki i te hopua kaukau.

Päwhiria te pätene Te Taumaha, ka timata te whiti ataata.

I kite koe i a Aroha e hiki ana i töna tungäne. Käore e taea e ia töna tungäne te hiki i te taha o te hopua kaukau. Engari he mämä noa iho te hiki i a ia i roto i te wai.
  This activity uses the computer.

Let’s start this activity with a video. The video shows some children at the pool.

Click the Water Weights button. The video will start.

The video showed Alisa trying to lift her brother. She couldn’t lift him at the side of the pool. But when she got in the water she found it easy to lift him.

Video Script:
Kei te höpua kaukau a Aroha me töna tüngane.
Ka ngana ia ki te hiki i a Jess, ki te whiu kiroto i
te höpua kaukau. Auë, he taumaha rawa a Jess.

Nö muri kë, i a räua i roto i te wai, ka ngana anö ia ki te hiki i a Jess. Inäianei he mämä noa iho ki te hiki. Pai ana te hiki a Aroha i töna tüngane ki runga rä anö.
  

Video Script:
Alisa is at the swimming pool with her big brother.
She tries to lift Jess up to throw him into the pool. She finds that Jess is too heavy.

Later in the water she tries to lift Jess again.
This time it is easy to lift him. He feels much lighter in the water. Alisa can easily lift her brother up high.

% responses
1. He aha i mämä ake ai te hiki i te tungäne i roto i te wai?

Why was it easier to lift her brother when they were in the water?
buoyancy (water displaced) helps lift you up/ float

40
makes you light, weigh less

33
body pushes water aside, producing upwards force on body

0
Ka mahi täua i tëtahi whakamätau. Ka whakatairite i te taumaha o tëtahi mea i roto,
i waho hoki i te wai.
Hoatu te maihea me te ine-taumaha ki te äkonga.

Now we’re going to do an experiment. We’re going to compare the weight of an object in the water and out of the water.
Give students the spring balance and the weight.

2. Inea te taumaha o te maihea, ka tuhi ai ki
te pukapuka.

Weigh this object and then we’ll record its weight in the recording book.
not marked

•
  Tukuna te äkonga ki te ine i te taumaha o te maihea, ka tuhi ai ki roto i te pukapuka.

Let student weigh object and record weight on recording sheet.

3. Ki te kuhuna te maihea ki roto i te wai, ä, ka ine anö koe i te taumaha, ki töu whakaaro, he örite te taumaha, he taumaha ake, he mämä ake ränei?

If you weigh the same object again, but this time in water, do you think it will weigh more, less or the same?
Prediction: weigh less

78
Inea te maihea kia kitea ai mënä kei te tika tö whakautu. Kuhuna te maihea ki roto i te wai, engari kia kaua e pä atu ki te papa raro.
Tukuna te äkonga ki te ine i te taumaha o te maihea i roto i te wai.

Let’s weigh it and find out. Make sure the object is covered by the water but not touching the bottom.
Let the student weigh the object in the water.

4. Tirohia te äwhata, ka tuhi ai i te taumaha ki te pukapuka.

Look at the scale, then we will record its weight in the recording book.
not marked

•
Tuhia te taumaha.

Record weight.

5. He örite te taumaha, he taumaha ake, he mämä ake ränei te maihea i roto i te wai?

Does the object weigh more, less or the same in the water?
not marked

•
6. Whakamäramahia mai he aha i rerekë ai te taumaha o te maihea ina kuhuna ki te wai.

Try to explain why the weight changed when the object was in the water.
water helps support/lift/hold the object’s weight

38
object pushes water aside, producing upwards force on body

3

Total score:
4–5

1
3

21
2

27
1

30
0

21
Commentary:
About half of the students succeeded with two or more of the three marked components.
 
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