Sunday, 21 November 2010

How far will Earth's plates move in a year?

If Earth's plates move as fast as our fingernails grow, that explains why we can't sense their movement. Can you feel your nails growing? No, it happens too slow!
If we wanted to get an estimate of how far the plates will move in a week, we could try this experiment.
  1. Cut your fingernails tonight.
  2. Leave them to grow for a week.
  3. Cut again and measure the length of the cuttings after a week's growth.
How could you use that data to estimate how far plates move in a year?
Post your results and calculations in a comment. Don't forget to proofread what you write to be sure your ideas can be clearly understood by your readers!
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1 comment:

  1. ~Sophie Superblogger~1 December 2010 at 21:50

    Dear Class,
    You can use the data from this experiment and use it to see how far Earth's plates move. When I cut my nail only a little bit came off. I know this us like the plates because the plates move very slowly. You can't see your fingernails grow they just do. Just like the plates. You don't feel the plates moving until there is an earthquake.

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