Voyage of Doom
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Student Handout |
Build A Cofferdam
To construct a cofferdam you need to sink pilings into the seabed, build a double wall around an area, fill the space between the walls with sand, and pump water out of the inner cavity. Do you think you can build a cofferdam model that keeps water out of an enclosed area? Work with your group and see.
Procedure
Look at the materials your teacher has laid out and
consider the Cofferdam Requirements listed. After you have talked about the requirements, think
about whether you would like to add anything to the materials shown. Build your cofferdam.
Questions
Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper.
What was the most difficult part of building a cofferdam? What might you do differently next time to solve any problems you had? How can your model be useful in simulating the final structure? If you were to repeat the experiment once more, how would you change your soil mixture? What factors affect a real cofferdam that are not simulated by your model?
Cofferdam Requirements
Your goal is to build a cofferdam that successfully keeps water out of
the interior. It needs to meet the
following requirements:
The water must be at equilibrium when you start, that is, at the same level inside and outside of the
cofferdam. You must find a way to extract
the water. Most of the water must stay out
of the interior once it has been removed.
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