Simple Science Projects: The Dripping Tap

This simple science projects idea will demonstrate the quantity of water lost over time from a dripping tap. This project incorporates spreadsheet use.

Materials Needed: You will need the following:

* one dripping tap
* a measuring cup
* a spreadsheet program such as Excel

Procedure:

Step 1: Place the measuring cup under the dripping tap. Wait for one hour, then record the level of water in the cup. Repeat this for several hours (4 or more is best).

Step 2: Record results in a table similar to that shown at the top right of this page.

Step 3: Once your child has the results, enter them into the spreadsheet exactly as they are on the table. After this you can graph the results and see a picture of the water being lost.

What To Do With The Data?

The rate of water loss can be used to make the following calculations:

* amount of water lost in a day, week or year

* amount of water lost in your street for each of the d / w / y, assuming each house has one dripping tap.

This exercise is aimed at raising awareness of how even the smallest differences add up to large changes.

Note: The impact on the environment is far greater if it is a hot water tap that is dripping, as this will be causing loss of heated water from your system that needs to be continuously replaced and heated.

Possible Extensions: This project can be modified by altering the rate of the tap dripping. The difference in time between the drops can be used to estimate the difference in water dripped over the course of the experiment. The data can then be used to check the estimations.

If your child is already familiar with spreadsheet programs, she will be able to play with the data to present graphs and predict future results. If your child has little r no skills with spreadsheets, this is an excellent way to introduce her to them.