Page 47 - Big Ideas Year 9 sciPAD 2025

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SCIPAD - BIG IDEAS - BOOK 1
THE NATURE OF MIXTURES
Emergency! A Dirty Water Problem
One afternoon as you are eating lunch you hear a deep rumbling noise.
Suddenly, an earthquake hits!
After the quake your home remains relatively undamaged. However, your water pipes have
ruptured. Dirt and soil have leaked into your water pipes. Your fresh water supply is now undrinkable.
Luckily, you have prepared a survival kit that contains water purification tablets. You know you
can kill any harmful bacteria in the water. However, you don’t have a water filter capable of
cleaning the water.
You search around your house and find the following equipment:
Three funnels.
A section of cloth measuring 10 cm by 10 cm.
A sieve that resembles a gauze mat.
A retort stand.
Three boss heads and clamps.
A single piece of filter paper from your coffee machine.
2 large glasses (that look like beakers).
Task: Using only the equipment listed above, you are to design and build a water
filtering system capable of purifying a 200 mL sample of dirty water.
Success Criteria: The system must be free-standing (you aren’t allowed to support it in any way
with your hands).
The water must look drinkable when it comes out of your system.
You can use only the equipment you are provided with (although you may
choose not to use all of the equipment).
All of the dirty water must be poured into your system in one go. You are not
allowed to add it gradually.
Planning: Using the space below, sketch a plan of your design. Once you have decided
on a good design you can construct it and see if it works.
Final Design: After you have tested your system and perfected it, draw a scientific diagram
of the system in the space below. Make sure it is clearly labelled.
Initial Plan Final Plan
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