Cupcake Core Sampling                    Name __________________________________

            Here is an extra credit assignment that you can do at home, or if the teacher permits, can be done in the classroom.  Below are some directions and some information about this activity.

PURPOSE:  Trying to see what is below the surface of the earth is one of the jobs of a geologist.  Rather than digging up large amounts of land, geologists use core samples to determine what is below the surface.  By studying the core samples, geologists can look for oil fields, or coal-bearing strata.  In this activity, students will model core-sampling techniques to find out what sort of layers are in a cupcake.

MATERIALS:

            --Cupcake Mix

            --Foil baking cups or double paper cups

            --Food Coloring

            --Frosting

            --Sprinkles, chocolate chips, ect.

Your teacher will provide if done in class:

            --Plastic Straws

            --Plastic Knives

            --Toothpicks

ACTIVITY:

To be done at home:  Make cupcakes with at least two different colored layers.  Marbled cupcake batter works best, but you could also use white batter with various food coloring.  This will improve the effectiveness of the activity.  Be creative and mix in other edible objects such as sprinkles or chocolate chips.  Be sure to frost the cupcake (topsoil) and keep the cups around the cake to stop students from seeing the interior of the cupcake.

            At home, or possibly in class:  Students will take core samples with straws to try and determine what the interior of their cupcake looks like.

SCIENTIFIC METHOD:

Observation:  Geologists need to study what is inside of the earth.

Problem:  How can scientists determine what the interior of the earth looks like?

Prediction:  By using a core sample, scientists can determine the interior of the earth.

Hypothesis:  If a scientist wants to determine what the interior of the earth looks like, then they should use a core sample, because this is an effective way to determine the interior of the earth.

Procedures:

1.  Make cupcakes.

2.  Make a prediction what the interior of your cupcake will look like.  You will need 3 observations.

            a.______________________________________________________________

            b. _____________________________________________________________

            c. _____________________________________________________________

3.  Take core samples from the cupcake using your straws.  Please mark where those core

samples were taken on the diagram below.

4.  Draw what each of your core samples looks like.

5.  Make a prediction on what your cupcake looks like on the interior based just on your

core samples.

6.  Cut your cupcake in half.

7.  Draw what your cupcake looks like on the interior.

Record and Analyze Data:

Core Sample Locations:                                                Core Sample Drawings

Prediction of cupcake based on core samples                Cupcake cut in half

Conclusion: Write a summary of what your learned from this experiment.  Be sure to tell whether your hypothesis was correct.

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