What's
The Size of What You See?
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Introduction: Find the size of huge waves and the heights or widths of other objects and human feats using your estimation skills and benchmark measurements. This activity allows students to use their knowledge to help them make reasonable guesses about the size of objects viewed on the web. Step One What is the height of the wave? Click here to see the wave and then click BACK to this page to continue. This wave is from a photo of Maverick's, a big wave surf location off the coast of Half Moon Bay in Northern California. It rarely has waves this large. Step Two How can you make a reasonable guess about the height of this wave? What else is in the picture? Adult male humans are all roughly the same height. Use your best estimate about the height of an adult male human to figure out the height of the wave. Click here to see that wave again. Step Three How high are the waves right now? Let's check out the current wave conditions at Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz. Use the same technique (judge the wave height by the height of the surfers) to estimate the current size of the waves at Steamer Lane. Click here to go the live camera of Steamer Lane: The dark forms in the water are surfers sitting on their surfboards. Can you estimate the wave height by the height of a person sitting? Watch for a while to see someone standing up. Step Four How high is that jump? There are two websites here for you to see some jumps: one is a WNBA player, and the other is a pair of ballet dancers. Who has jumped higher? Use the jumper's waist to determine who has jumped higher. Click here to see the basketball player's jump. Then click here to see the ballet dancers leaping. Step Five How wide is that gap? An expert skateboarder is shown jumping the gap over a stairwell at San Francisco's Ocean Beach. Click here to see the jump. Scroll down the page to the article titled Jumping: The Ollie. How did you do? Here are some reasonable estimates to compare to your estimates. Exact answers are not required - these are estimates! Extension: Find your own images to use for more estimation activities.
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