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I.S.125 Fahmeeda Alam 831 10-7-11 How to Measure a Puddle After it rains, puddles may form on sidewalks or streets. The apparent size of puddles may deceive people into thinking that the puddle is larger or smaller than it actually is. Scientists may measure puddles to record patterns whereas regular people may do it out of pure curiosity. Either way, before actually measuring them, people must know how to measure them. Although there are many ways to do this, I will be introducing an easy and logical procedure to measure a puddle. First, we need to find to find the area of the puddle. To do this, we need to know the formula for the area of a circle. The formula is A= . Then, we must find the radius of the circle. To find the radius, use a ruler or measuring tape. Put one end on any point on the circumference of the circle (the distance around the circle) and put the other end on the center of the circle. The distance from one end to the other is the radius. Next, square the radius. That is, multiply the radius by itself. Afterwards, we have to multiply the previous result with , or pi. Since pi is non-repeating and non-terminating, we can

How to Measure a Puddle

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Page 1: How to Measure a Puddle

I.S.125 Fahmeeda Alam

831 10-7-11

How to Measure a Puddle

After it rains, puddles may form on sidewalks or streets. The apparent size of puddles

may deceive people into thinking that the puddle is larger or smaller than it actually is. Scientists

may measure puddles to record patterns whereas regular people may do it out of pure curiosity.

Either way, before actually measuring them, people must know how to measure them. Although

there are many ways to do this, I will be introducing an easy and logical procedure to measure a

puddle.

First, we need to find to find the area of the puddle. To do this, we need to know the

formula for the area of a circle. The formula is A= . Then, we must find the radius of

the circle. To find the radius, use a ruler or measuring tape. Put one end on any point on the

circumference of the circle (the distance around the circle) and put the other end on the center of

the circle. The distance from one end to the other is the radius. Next, square the radius. That is,

multiply the radius by itself. Afterwards, we have to multiply the previous result with , or pi.

Since pi is non-repeating and non-terminating, we can use a simplified version, which is 3.14.

We now have the area of the circle and can move on to the next step.

Example:

The next step is to multiply the area by the depth of the puddle. But before this step, we

need to find the depth. The depth can also be referred to as the height. To find this measurement,

you need to place a ruler vertically straight-up in the puddle. The spot where the surface of the

puddle water touches the ruler is indicated by a number on the ruler, which is your depth. Then,

multiply your result from the first step (the area) by this result (the depth). Your answer should

be a logical measurement of the puddle.

Page 2: How to Measure a Puddle

Example:

Although this may be one in a hundred different procedures in measuring a puddle, this

procedure is logical and simple enough to follow. This measurement is the volume of the puddle.

There are other measurements, such as the surface area, that can be used to answer this problem.

This measurement, the volume, is the closest to what the question is asking for. There are also

other ways to measure the volume, such as using a syringe, measuring cup, or using the

displacement method. This procedure, however, is simple because we are using mathematical

terms such as area, depth, and pi. People may measure puddles for different reasons, but they can

all use the same procedure to measure puddles. If this problem comes up in the future, I hope this

procedure is and becomes helpful.