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ABC News: Mapping a sea voyage: calculating distance

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Aerial view of a ship sailiing towards shore
ABC News: Mapping a sea voyage: calculating distance

SUBJECTS:  Maths, Science

YEARS:  5–6


Scientists involved in the Two Bays Project describe data collection methods for their 20-day expedition around Port Phillip and Western Port bays.

Watch this clip to view the route mapped out by the scientists. Use Google Maps to recreate the route and calculate the total distance travelled.


Things to think about

  1. 1.Estimate how far your home is from a place you visit often. Use a map to work out the distance. You will need to use the scale on the map to work out the distance in kilometres. If the scale is 1 cm = 1 km and, let's say, one street you walk or travel along measures 2 cm on the map, then this is equal to 2 km. Work out how far you walk, ride or drive to school per day, per week and per year.
  2. 2.Watch for the map of the ship's journey around Port Phillip Bay and French Island. Estimate the distance travelled around Port Phillip Bay. (Note: the approximate distance from Melbourne to Geelong is 80 km.) Estimate the return trip's total distance.
  3. 3.Use Google Maps to work out the distance the scientists travelled during their 20-day expedition. Locate Port Phillip Bay in Victoria. Zoom in to show a view of both Port Phillp Bay and Western Port Bay. Print the map and use a ruler to draw in the path as shown in the clip. Use the scale to calculate the total distance. Your answer should be one of the following: 215 km, 430 km or 860 km. Create a set of instructions to direct the ship's pilot to complete the expedition.
  4. 4.Get a more accurate distance by using the 'Distance Measurement Tool' available in Google Maps. (First, enable this tool by selecting the 'Maps Labs' link on the bottom left-hand panel. Next, select the Enable button for the ruler icon.) This will allow you to trace the path of the scientists' expedition. Work out how far, on average, they travelled each day.


Date of broadcast: 9 Jan 2010


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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