Half Full or Half Empty

Add to list Go to activity
Activity link broken? See if it's at the internet archive
In this activity (12th activity on the page), learners conduct an experiment to demonstrate how muscles are constantly feeding information to the brain about what they are doing. Two identical containers, labeled "A" and "B" are filled halfway with same amount of water (or dry substance). When a blindfolded learner holds the containers in each hand, they should feel the same weight. Then, more water is added to the containers until the blindfolded learner can detect a difference between container weights. Use this activity for a lesson on the sense of touch and/or detection threshold.

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
Under 5 minutes
Learning Time:
5 to 10 minutes
Estimated Materials Cost:
free per group of students
Age Range:
Ages 8 - 18
Resource Types:
Activity, Experiment/Lab Activity
Language:
English

Materials List (per group of students)

  • Containers - make sure they are the same before starting
  • Filling material - water or beans or rice or marbles
  • Marker to label containers
  • Blindfold

Keywords

Subjects

  • Life Sciences
    • Human Body
      • The Brain and Nervous System
      • Muscles and Skin
    • Human Senses and Perception
      • Touch
  • Mathematics
    • Measurement
      • Size and Scale
  • Physical Sciences
    • Structure and Properties of Matter
      • Mass and Weight
  • The Nature of Science
    • The Scientific Process
      • Conducting Investigations

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • read
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Other

This resource is part of:

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

  • Chudler, Ph.D., Eric H.

Rights:

  • All rights reserved, Eric H. Chudler, 2009