Exploring Size - Tiny Ruler

TYPE: Short Activities
AUDIENCE: Ages 4 - Adult
TOPIC: Measurement
In this activity, learners investigating just how small a billionth of a meter is by repeatedly cutting a paper ruler in half.
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DESCRIPTION

"Exploring Size - Tiny Ruler" is a hands-on activity investigating just how small a billionth of a meter is. Visitors attempt to cut a paper ruler down to a nanometer-sized sliver. They learn that nano is too small to see, and certainly too small to cut with a pair of scissors!

JUMP TO BROWSE RELATED RESOURCES
  • Learner cuts a paper ruler in half
  • A micrograph of a silicon wafer
  • Learner cuts a paper ruler in half
  • A micrograph of a silicon wafer

DESCRIPTION

"Exploring Size - Tiny Ruler" is a hands-on activity investigating just how small a billionth of a meter is. Visitors attempt to cut a paper ruler down to a nanometer-sized sliver. They learn that nano is too small to see, and certainly too small to cut with a pair of scissors!

JUMP TO BROWSE RELATED RESOURCES

OBJECTIVES

BIG IDEA

A nanometer is a billionth of a meter.

LEARNING GOALS

  • A nanometer is a billionth of a meter.

NANO CONTENT MAP

Nanometer-sized things are very small, and often behave differently than larger things do.

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TYPE:
Educational Resources
AUDIENCE:
Ages 4 - Adult
LANGUAGES:
English Spanish
ADDITIONAL TOPICS: Engineering and Technology Nanotechnology Mathematics Measurement
KIT: Purple NanoDays logo - the Biggest Event for the Smallest Science Browse kit
KEYWORDS:

Credits

YEAR CREATED
2008
PROJECT
OWNING INSTITUTION

Sciencenter

FUNDING

Developed for the NISE Network with funding from the National Science Foundation under Award Numbers 0532536 and 0940143. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this product are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foundation.

PERMISSIONS

Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike 3.0 United States (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US).
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DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

NISE Network products are developed through an iterative collaborative process that includes scientific review, peer review, and visitor evaluation in accordance with an inclusive audiences approach. Products are designed to be easily edited and adapted for different audiences under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike license. To learn more, visit our Development Process page.