Information Gathering
Activities
Materials for Teachers
Welcome
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A Curvy Problem in San Antonio
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There have been several large trucks
that have hit the retaining wall and overturned in downtown San
Antonio. We constructed this module so students could explore the
causes of the accidents along this curve and present viable solutions
to decrease the number of accidents at this site. On Wednesday,
December 8, 1999 a tanker truck containing 5000 gallons of hydrochloric
acid overturned and spilled its contents. The tanker was carrying
diluted hydrochloric acid used to clean oil-well pipes. The tanker
lost about 90% of its cargo. This caused a large-scale evacuation
of people from their homes, businesses and students from nearby
schools. This curve is located near our school and initiated us
to begin this investigation. If you would like to view a video going
around this curve click here.
If you would like to learn more about this accident you can
visit AcuTeck
web site or reporternews.com.
In this module students will explore the affect of changing the
radius of this curve, the weight of the vehicle, the linear speed,
and the coefficient of static friction. The end product is expected
to be a multi-media presentation in which each group of students
will explain their solution to this problem. The group is expected
to use the data and information they have gathered in this module
to back up their position. Click here
to view a student-made newscast about this accident.
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This module was developed by
Team 21 (San Antonio and Houston, Texas)
