Discuss the museum femur activities with students:
Compare and analyze your museum measurements to understand more about the growth of living things.
Measuring Dinosaurs
Discuss the results of "Measure the Apatosaurus Femurs."
How many ways can students compare the sizes of the two femurs?
Start with the equation the students completed on the Femur worksheet:
Adult length ÷ Baby length = How many times longer?
What other ways could the two femurs be compared?
- Baby A is 130 cm shorter
- Baby A is 1/5 the size of Adult A
- Different English sentences
- Multiplication sentences
- Division sentences
- Percentages
Pull out the connection between "__ times bigger" and a multiplication sentence
How old was the Apatosaurus when it was this big?
Students use a graph to estimate the likely age of the young Apatosaurus and the adult measured at the Science Museum, based on femur length.
Download PDF: How Old?
Measuring the Diplodocus Challenge Wrap-up
Ask students to share data from the Challenge pages.
Discuss the process of measurement. How did students measure and what challenges did they face? How did the group resolve the challenge?
Scientists need to be consistent as to location of measurement, as well as communicate method of collecting data.
Actual Measurement: Diplodocus Femur 154.8 cm. The convention for measuring bones is basically maximum length, and minumum midshaft circumference (try to get as close to the midpoint, and away from muscle scars).
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