Sample Investigation Questions

Shout Out Loud

• How is the loudness of sound measured?
• What are the possible reasons that some words may be said louder than others?
• What are the possible reasons that some people can shout words louder than others?
• How can we analyze data to answer questions about the loudness data collected?

Robolander on Mars

• How can a robot be controlled remotely using images of the region?
  

Hurricane Tracking Using GIS

• How can the path of hurricanes be tracked?
• What conditions affect the path and strength of hurricanes?

Water Quality Studies

• How do the profile, flow and chemical composition of Plymouth's Eel River change from year to year?

The Chernobyl Accident

• How has the Chernobyl accident affected the environment in Ukraine?
• Have resources been affected?
• What are the far-reaching effects of the Chernobyl accident?

Mt. St. Helens

• How did the eruption at Mount St. Helens affect the environment?
• Have ecosystems been affected?
• What were the effects on habitats?
• How were surrounding towns affected?

Locating Current Earthquake Activity

• How many earthquakes have occurred in the last 24 hours? In the last seven days?
• Where were these earthquakes located?
• Do you think earthquakes occur in predictable locations?

Using Excel to Analyze Mineral Density

• Is the density of a mineral related to its chemical composition?
• Are other properties of minerals related to density?

Climate Longitude Investigation

• Does longitude affect climate? What factors affect climate?

Earth System Investigation

• How does the Earth act like a system?
• In what way do energy and processes cause matter to cycle through various 'reservoirs' contained within the earth's spheres?

Looking for Alewife in all the Right Places

• When and where do Alewives spawn along the North Atlantic seaboard?
• Does the population fluctuate seasonally?

Density

• What is density?
• How can the density of a material be found given the volume and mass of a material?
• What is the importance of knowing the density?

Boston Harbor Investigation

• How much of Boston is built on fill?
• What areas of Boston didn't exist before 1838?
• What landmarks could be in jeopardy if an earthquake struck Boston?
• What would happen to the areas that were built on fill?

Sun Seasons

• How do the times of sunrise and sunset vary throughout the year?
• When are the day light hours the greatest and when are they the least?
• How do these times change with latitude?
• How does this affect the seasons?

Is Pluto a Planet?

• What are the characteristics of a planet?
• Do the characteristics of Pluto match more closely that of a planet or of a Kuiper object?

Investigating Plate Tectonics Using GIS from the Earth Exploration Toolbook Chapter

• What is the relationship between earthquakes and plate boundaries?
• What is the pattern of large earthquakes with respect to their proximity to diverging, converging and transform plate boundaries?
• How can the patterns and relationships of historic earthquakes be used to predict the location of future earthquakes?

Analyzing the Antarctic Ozone Hole from the Earth Exploration Toolbook Chapter

• What is an ozone hole? How big is the hole? Is there a significant increase every year?
• How do scientists interpret the images to identify the ozone hole?