Scale – Big History on a Football Field
STUDENT MATERIALSSTUDENT MATERIALSS-1SCALE - BIG HISTORY ON A FOOTBALL FIELDBIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 1.1 ACTIVITYPurposeThis hands-on activity will help you gain another perspective on scale.ProcessHave you ever met a person over 100 years old? Imagine the changes such people have observed in their lifetimes! There are Galapagos tortoises that have lived for 175 or more years and some whales often live for 200 or more years. The lifespans of most animals are a lot different from those of humans, but differences on this scale are not that hard to appreciate. When you compare human lifetimes with the history of our Solar System, the Milky Way, or the Universe, it gets tricky. The scales of time needed for considering the Universe and its parts, which are recorded in billions of years, are enormous compared with that of a human lifetime. To help put the timescale of Big History into perspective, you’ll create a timeline showing the eight major thresholds of increasing complexity on the sideline of your school’s football field (or other large area).Your first step in the process is to calculate how many years each yard will represent. You’ll do this in groups and then check in with your teacher to ensure you’ve calculated everything correctly. Follow these steps, answering any questions:1. A football field is 100 yards from one goal line to the other, and the Big Bang happened 13.8 billion years ago. How many years would each yard equal if 13.8 billion years were to be mapped onto the football field?2. Work in your groups to calculate the yard line on which each of the major thresholds of increasing complexity should be placed. You can use one of the goal lines for Threshold 1, the Big Bang. The worksheet lists the thresholds and dates for each. To calculate how many yards from the goal each threshold should be placed, you’ll need to take the number of years after the Big Bang for that threshold and divide it by the number of years that each yard represents. This will tell you how many yards from your Big Bang goal line to place each threshold.3. After you’ve calculated everything, mark each of the thresholds on the football field diagram attached to your worksheet. Some of your numbers will not be whole numbers, so approximate those positions on the football field.4. Share your findings with the class. Once everyone has finished, you’ll move out to the football field (or another area chosen for this activity). Be sure you take your worksheet with you. 5. Once you’re out on the field, mark each threshold, checking your work carefully to make sure you’re matching up correctly to your calculations. When you’re done, you’ll have Big History laid out on the football field! 6. If you can, snap some pictures.
Name:Date:Name:Date:STUDENT MATERIALSS-2SCALE - BIG HISTORY ON A FOOTBALL FIELDBIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 1.1 ACTIVITYThreshold Conversion TableA football field is 100 yards from one goal line to the other, and the Big Bang happened 13.8 billion years ago. How many years would each yard equal if 13.8 billion years were to be mapped onto the football field? (Hint: divide 13,800,000,000 by 100.)ThresholdYears agoNumber of yearsafter the Big Bang (ABB)Years ABB divided by years per yardYard line placementThreshold 1: The Big Bang13,800,000,00000Goal lineThreshold 2: Stars Light Up13,600,000,000Threshold 3: New Chemical Elements13,550,000,000Threshold 4: Earth & the Solar System4,560,000,000Threshold 5: Life3,800,000,000Threshold 6: Collective Learning200,000Threshold 7: Agriculture 11,000Threshold 8: The Modern Revolution250
Name:Date:Name:Date:STUDENT MATERIALSS-3SCALE - BIG HISTORY ON A FOOTBALL FIELDBIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 1.1 ACTIVITYA Scale Diagram of a Football FieldOnce you and your group have made your calculations using the Conversion Table, carefully mark and label each threshold on this diagram. 102030405010203040504030201040302010