Module 7

For most Canadians, long winters are a fact of life—the outdoors can be enjoyed regardless of the weather. But winter storms can snarl traffic and make walking difficult, at least until the roads and sidewalks are cleared. Have you ever wondered how much snow falls on a large northern city, such as Edmonton, during a typical blizzard?

 

Edmonton is approximately 684 km2 in area, and a snowfall of 20 cm is not uncommon. A little math will tell you that the volume of 20 cm of snow on the city alone approaches 136 800 000 m3. If this snow is stacked in a pile 1 m wide and 1 m long, the pile will reach a height of 136 800 km! That height is almost 3.4 times the circumference of Earth, or more than one-third the distance to the Moon. This is quite the volume in a single snowfall!

 

In Module 7 you will explore the concepts of volume and capacity. You will investigate applications of volume formulas for common three-dimensional figures, such as prisms and pyramids, cylinders and cones, and spheres.

 

By the end of this module you will be able to estimate the volume of snow that falls in your community. The Module 6/7 Project: Clear the Roads! deals with the subject of snow volume and the ability of crews to remove snow from roads and parking lots.

 

In this module you will investigate the following question:

• How does an understanding of volume and capacity help to solve problems involving transportation and storage?