Part I: Making a Model of Your Classroom
In this activity you will create a scale model of your classroom. In doing so, you will compare room measurements and model measurements and use symbols to indicate the presence of objects too small to reproduce at the model's scale.In a scale model, there is a consistent relationship between model/map measurements and corresponding measurements made in the real world. For instance, if the model-to-reality ratio is 1:50, an object in the model 1 cm in length represents an object 50 cm in length in the real world. This ratio may also be used to compute the size of a feature in the model: simply divide the real world measurement by 50. This is the scale you will use in this activity to create a model of your classroom.
Step #1
Measure the dimensions of your classroom in cm and convert them to model dimensions. Cut a sheet of paper or cardboard to the model dimensions of your classroom.
Step #2
Measure the dimensions of the floor space used by each piece of furniture in the room and convert them to model dimensions. Using colored paper, cut out scaled-down versions of these areas and position them in your classroom model. Describe how you determined where to locate these objects.
Step #3
Measure the locations of the door, the blackboard, the windows, the bulletin boards, and other features of your classroom walls. Place these objects in their correct locations in your model.
Step #4
Make a list of objects in the room that are too small to reproduce to scale. Devise symbols to represent these objects and make a legend that identifies them.
Step #5
Make a list of invisible things in the room, such as electical wires and water pipes. Devise symbols to represent these objects and include them in the legend.
Step #6
What should you keep in mind when using the model to study the room?
Step #7
To make a significantly better model, what would you need?
Step #8
Take your model home and show it to a friend or family member who has is unfamiliar with your room. Discuss the model and the room it represents. When you return to class, submit it to your teacher for comments and evaluation.
Part II: Making a Paper Model of a Mountain
In this activity you will create a scale model of a mountain. In doing
so, you will use elevation data from a contour map to create a 3-dimensional
paper model.
The Mt. Adams Topography figure (see below) uses different colors to indicate different elevations on Mt. Adams in the State of Washington, USA. Dark green corresponds to an elevation of 1848m. Each subsequent color corresponds to an increase in elevation of approximately 150m. The area represented by the figure is a square 7680m on a side.
Step #1
Download and printout an enlarged version of the figure Mt. Adams Topography. Measure the dimensions of the enlarged version of the figure Mt. Adams Topography.
Step #2
Determine the horizontal scale relating measurements made on the enlarged version of the figure Mt. Adams Topography to measurements made in the real world. Using the same scale, convert 150m of mountain elevation into mm of model elevation. Find cardboard that is approximately the same thickness.
Step #3
Using the enlarged version as a template, trace the outside perimeter of each region on a separate piece of cardboard, ignoring the inverted V at the top of the figure Mt. Adams Topography. Stack the cardboard regions as shown in the figure Mt. Adams Topography and fasten them in position.
Step #4
Create a surface for your model using paper mache, plaster, or some other safe and easy-to-use material. When the surface has dried, paint it to resemble the Model Mountain figure below. [Note: the vertical scale in this illustration is not the same as the horizontal scale. It has been exaggerated.]
Make a list of objects that might be found on any mountain (roads, streams, buildings, etc.) that are too small to reproduce at this scale. Devise symbols to represent these objects and make a legend showing them.
Step #6
What could you do to make your model more accurate and informative? Easier to understand?
Step #7
As shown below, the height of the model at a point determined by the horizontal bar may be read on the vertical ruler. Identify 10 locations on the model using straight pins, colored dots, or similar markers. Estimate and record the height of the model at each location. [Note: the vertical scale in this illustration is not the same as the horizontal scale. It has been exaggerated.]
Step #8
What should you keep in mind when using your model to explain the mountain to another person?
Step #9
To make a significantly better model, what would you need?
Step #10
Take your model home and show it to a friend or family member who has is unfamiliar with Mt. Adams. Discuss the model and the mountain it represents. When you return to class, submit it to your teacher for comments and evaluation.
Part III: Making a Computer Model of a Mountain
In this activity you will create a computer model of a mountain. In doing so, you will use elevation data from a contour map to create an interactive computer model.Model #1
The Mt. Adams Topography figure uses different colors to indicate different elevations on Mt. Adams in the State of Washington, USA. Dark green corresponds to an elevation of 1848m. Each subsequent color corresponds to an increase in elevation of approximately 150m. The area represented by the figure is a square 7680m on a side.Step #1
Print the figure Mt. Adams Topography and divide it into 8 rows and 8 columns as shown in the figure Mt. Adams Grid.
Step #2
Number the rows in the figure Mt. Adams Grid from top to bottom using the integers 1 - 8. Number the columns in the figure Mt. Adams Grid from left to right using the integers 1 - 8. Select one elevation/color in each grid cell to represent that cell in Table 1. Use the integers 1-13 to represent the 13 elevations/colors, lowest to highest.
Step #3
Start a spreadsheet program, such as MicroSoft Excel, and enter the 8x8 array of integers. Save the array as a tab delimited text file called model1. Exit the spreadsheet program. [See example]
Step #4
Start the program NIH/SCION Image. Select Import in the File
pull-down menu. Click the Text button. Select the file model1
so that it appears in the File name window. Click Open.
A tiny window will open with a small square in it. That square is the computer
model of the model1 data. Select the 
icon
from the Tools window. Move the icon onto the computer model and
click the mouse button several times. When the image is large enough to
see clearly, stop clicking. You can reset the image to its orginal size
by double clicking the icon
in the Tools window. Compare the computer model with the topographic
map from which it was derived. Which seems most informative?
How could you improve the computer model? What would you like a computer
model to offer users?
Model #2
In this activity you will create a computer model of a mountain. In doing so, you will use elevation data from a satellite to create a detailed, interactive computer model. The figure Mt. Adams Model is constructed from a data array with 256 rows and 256 columns, a significant improvement over the 8x8 array in the data file model1.
Download and save the Mt. Adams Model file. Start NIH/SCION Image. Select Open in the File pull-down menu. When the window appears, select Adams.tif and click Open. You should see a computer model similar to the figure Mt. Adams Model. Compare Mt. Adams Model with Mt. Adams Topography. Which image do you find more interesting? Which appears to provide greater detail? Which do you find more helpful in imagining the actual shape or form of the mountain?
A more interesting view of the data is obtained by selecting the Surface Plot option in the Analyze pull-down menu. The figure Mt. Adams Perspective illustrates such a view. What additional insights into the shape or form of the mountain does this view provide?
Other perspective views may be created by clicking on the Mt. Adams Model image, selecting one of the Rotate options in the Edit pull-down menu, and repeating the Surface Plot procedure. Print out two different perspective views of Mt. Adams and identify features that are visible in both views. Features that are visible in one view but not the other.
In a computer model, measurements of length and area are based on knowledge of what each picture element (pixel) represents in the real world. In this case, it is known that the image width of 256 pixels corresponds to a distance of 7680m in the real world.
Before using NIH/SCION Image to measure length or separation, you must perform several actions. First, select the Set Scale option in the Analyze pull-down menu. When the window opens, fill in the Measured Distance, Known Distance, and Units as shown.
Second, select Options in the Analyze pull-down menu. When the window opens, use the mouse to check the Perimeter/Length box. Remove any other checks.
Third, select the line tool (darkened in the Tools menu) and use it to draw a line between two points. In the Analyze pull-down menu, select Measure then Show Results. The measurement appears in a Results window. Take a series of measurements using this procedure: the width and width of the image; the diagonal of the image; the greatest distance between pixels colored green.
Step #3
A similar procedure is used to measure perimeter and area. Select Options in the Analyze pull-down menu. When the window opens, check the Perimeter/Length box. Next, select the freehand drawing tool (darkened in the Tools window) and use it to sketch a closed curve. Finally, use the Measure and Show Results procedures as before. Use this procedure to find the perimeter and area of the yellow, green, and light blue regions.
Step #4
Data in this model are integers ranging in value from 2- 242. Different data values are associated with different colors in the LUT, or look up table. Select the cross-hair tool in the Tools window and run it over the LUT. The data value associated with each color appears in the Info window as an Index. These data values represent elevations ranging from 1848m - 3753m. Use this information to develop a formula to convert data values (2-242) to elevations (1848-3753).
When a line is drawn in the model with the plot profile tool (darkened in the Tools window), a curve is generated showing the data values along that line. In this case the curve may be thought of as the elevations a hiker would pass through in traversing the mountain along the indicated path. Plot a series of profiles based on vertical lines drawn at even intervals across the image and use the formula you developed to find the highest elevation along each path. Which profile appears to be the longest?
Step #5
Select Threshold in the Options pull-down menu and the LUT tool (darkened in the Tools window). Move the LUT tool into the LUT window. Hold down the mouse key as you move the LUT tool up and down. As you do so, watch the Index values in the Info window. Thresholding shows all values in the model at or above the current Index value. Use the elevation formula developed in Step #4 to compute the Index values associated with the following elevations: 2000m, 2500m, 3000m, 3500m. Position the LUT tool at each of these values and find the area of each black region. Select the region using the wand tool in the Tools window, then use the Measure and Show Results options in the Analyze pull-down menu.
Step #6
A histogram of the Mt. Adams data shows the relative frequency of elevations in the model. Select Load Macros in the Special pull-down menu. When the window opens, select Plotting Macros. Return to the Special pull-down menu and select Histogram. The result is displayed in a Histogram window. What is the most frequent data value in the model? What elevation does this data value represent?
Step #7
What should you keep in mind when using the model to study the mountain?
Step #8
To make a significantly better model, what would you need?
Step #9
Take a printout of your model home and show it to a friend or family member who has is unfamiliar with Mt. Adams. Discuss the model and the mountain it represents. When you return to class, submit it to your teacher for comments and evaluation.
