How Tall Are You?

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DESCRIPTION 3. How Tall Are You? CONTENTS

• Information for Teachers

Science Concepts Collect data, calculate, analyze and evaluate data • Student Activities
to explain how gravitational force affects human • Assessment
joints, with special attention to the spinal column. • Extensions
Students are introduced to the creation of a
conceptual model and evaluation of rules of
evidence.

Math Connections Gather and record data to calculate change in

height. Create a mathematical model of the
change.

Grade Levels Grades 6-10

Instructional Strategy Structured Inquiry

Time Line 30 minute in-class introduction on day 1, brief data collection by students at home
both morning and evening for 4 days, followed by a 30 minute in-class discussion
and conclusion on day 5

Standards NATIONAL SCIENCE EDUCATION CONTENT STANDARDS

Science Content Standard A (subsection)
As a result of activities in grades 9-12, all students should develop
Understandings about scientific inquiry
• Mathematics is essential in scientific inquiry. Mathematical tools and
models guide and improve the posing of questions, gathering data,
constructing explanations and communicating results.
• Scientific explanations must adhere to criteria such as: a proposed
explanation must be logically consistent; it must abide by the rules of
evidence; it must be open to questions and possible modification; and it
must be based on historical and current scientific knowledge.
Science Content Standard B (subsection)
As a result of their activities in grades 9-12, all students should develop an
understanding of
Motions and force
• Gravitation is a universal force that each mass exerts on any other mass.
The strength of the gravitational attractive force between two masses is
proportional to the masses and inversely proportional to the square of the
distance between them.
Science Content Standard C (subsection)
As a result of their activities in grades 5-8, all students should develop
understanding of
Structure and function in living systems
• Disease is a breakdown in structures or functions of an organism. Some
diseases are the result of intrinsic failures of the system. Others are the
result of damage by infection by other organisms.
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How Tall Are You? Information for Teachers

GENERAL LESSON OVERVIEW

This activity gives students the opportunity to question the reliability of a body measurement we are
required to provide for everything from a driver’s license to medical information questionnaires—
height.

Lesson Opening:
The activity is most effective when you begin with a discussion of rules of evidence and how we know
that a measurement is valid or “real.” You might ask students how tall they are and what proof they
have that they are really that tall. Use their descriptions of measurement techniques to come to an
agreement about how everyone in the entire class should measure their height during this inquiry. A
measurement technique is described in the laboratory procedure you may wish to use.

Teacher Directed Instruction: Technique for

Measuring Height
MATERIALS
• paper
• pencil
• thick hardbound book (or other right angle instrument)
• measuring tape or strip
DATA COLLECTION
• It is helpful to demonstrate or practice the measuring technique for
height in class prior to the students’ first measurements.
• A data table is recommended for daily collection of the data from
the whole class. It might be drawn on a poster board or copied
onto a transparency for overhead display.
• The Student’s Answer Sheet is set up for the input of four morning
and four nighttime measurements. Data collection begins the
Monday after the pre-lab and ends the Friday before the post-lab
work.
• This laboratory may be done using either British measurements
(feet and inches) or metric system (meters and centimeters). While
the students will be more familiar with the British system, the metric
system will give them experience measuring height in centimeters.
• It is helpful to draw the bars in different colors to represent average
evening and average morning heights on the double bar graph.
How Tall Are You? 23

Calculation of % Change Example:

If a student finds her average height is 170 cm in the morning and her average height is 169 at
night, then her height is decreasing 1 cm, on an average, during the day. Thus she will find that her
% change is a negative quantity.

% change = (p.m. average height - a.m. average height) X 100

a.m. average height

% change = (169 - 170) X 100

170

% change = (-1) X 100

170

% change = - 0.588 % (note: three significant figures)

This student’s height decreased about 0.6%, i.e., a –0.6% change each day of the measurement
period. This negative change during the day is offset by a positive change at night. Results will vary,
but no student’s height should increase during the day, only at night. The changes in height are small
compared to total height, so accurate measurement is essential.

Discussion:
When students view the data collected from the whole class, it will become apparent that height
varies during the day. This should provide a teachable moment and an opportunity to ask “Why?”
2
Student explanations should lead to identification of the 9.8 m/s acceleration due to gravity acting on
our bodies each day of our lives, causing a compressive force on the cartilaginous discs in our
vertebral columns. Use a physical model or picture of a skeleton to count how many joints are in the
spinal column. Each one is subject to compression during a day of standing and sitting.
Encourage students to discuss the model on the student data sheet representing a decrease in
height of the spinal column during the day and an increase in the height of the spinal column during
sleep. Ask students to make predictions based on their model, including:
• What happens to the height of astronauts after a week in the space shuttle orbiting Earth?
Why?
• How would an astronaut’s height change on the moon? Why?

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
It is not commonly known that our height is actually a variable quantity. Throughout the course of a
day, the continual force caused by the downward pull of gravity on the vertebral column causes the
disks between the vertebrae, and the separate bones of the spinal cord to become noticeably
compressed. Whenever we lie down, however, this downward force no longer acts on the spinal
column to compress the disks and vertebrae. Accordingly, the vertebrae move further apart as the
spinal column is no longer affected by these compressive forces. As a result, a person is slightly, but
measurably, taller at the beginning of the day than at the end.
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An astronaut on the International Space Station experiences a reduced gravity environment
that is equivalent to one millionth of Earth’s gravity, designated microgravity. In these conditions, the
spine is able to lengthen---perhaps as much as its maximal physiological capability. This
phenomenon would be reversed up return to normal Earth gravity conditions at the end of the
mission. Approximately 65% of all space shuttle crew members experience lower back pain in-flight
(Miller, Acta Astronautica 36:581-7, 1995). This lower back pain can persist throughout the flight and
even into the post-flight period. Although the causes of this space-induced back pain have not yet
been conclusively identified, it is thought that spine lengthening/realignment and muscle de-
conditioning contribute. Additional research on space-induced back pain may lead to new
countermeasures and treatments for back problems here on Earth.

ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1. You measured your height in the morning and you were 200 cm, then you measured your height
in the evening and you were 198 cm. Why is your height in the evening less than in the morning?
The spine is flexible, composed of alternating layers of bone and cartilage, and bears the weight
of the body. It is also able to both stretch and compress. The force of Earth’s gravity acts to
compress the spine during the day while we are in a vertical position; i.e., sitting, standing,
walking, etc. In the evening, when we sleep in a horizontal position, the force of gravity is no
longer acting to compress the spine and it is able to stretch and lengthen. Thus, when you get up
in the morning, you are actually taller than at the end of the day!
2. Describe two possible sources of measurement error when determining a person’s height.
Possible sources of error could include: inconsistent posture while marking height (standing
straighter or slouching), inconsistent positioning of the book on top of the head, movement of the
book from the accurate location before marking, failure to remove shoes during some
measurements (measure sometimes with shoes on and others without shoes or with shoes of
different heights).
3. What is the percent change in your height in the evening compared to the morning using the data
in question #1?
A 1% change
4. A 176 cm tall astronaut landed on Earth after a week in a space shuttle orbiting Earth. What do
you predict will happen to her height after she lands? In space, the vertebral column (spine)
lengthens and height increases.
After returning to Earth, her height will decrease as the force of gravity acts to compress her spine.
5. What is the force that compresses the cartilage in our joints when we stand?
Gravity
6. Elderly people decrease in height with age. What do you think might be causing the decrease
over an adult lifespan?
Several factors that can contribute to decreased height include:
1) With age, the spongy disks between vertebrae shrink making the bones move
closer together causing a decrease in height;
2) The back begins to bend forward after age 40; and
3) Osteoporosis or bone loss.
How Tall Are You? 25
EXTENSIONS
In “Going Beyond”, the students are asked to make a model of the spinal column and submerge it in
water. At NASA, water is also used to model some aspects of microgravity in space. The Johnson
Space Center’s Sonny Carter Training Facility is the location of the Neutral Buoyancy Lab (NBL). At the
NBL, an enormous indoor pool is used to simulate some of the effects of a reduced gravity
environment. This enables astronauts to be trained in their space suits on a mock-up of the
International Space Station for future extravehicular activities, new procedures to be tested and
learned, and new hardware to be evaluated. For more information, search the Internet for “Neutral
Buoyancy Lab” or visit http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/dx/dx12.index.htm

Going Beyond:

• Create a model of the vertebral column using 7 empty wooden thread spools on a string. Each
spool represents a single vertebra. String the spools on the string with about 2 cm space between
the spools when the string is placed horizontally on a table. Attach a metal washer to the bottom
of the bottom spool with superglue or modeling clay.

washer spools

string

knots

• Demonstrate the effect of normal gravity on the vertebral column by holding the string vertically so
that the spools rest lightly on one another. Measure and record the height of the spool column.

• Demonstrate the effect of microgravity by submerging the entire column in a clear container filled
with water (suggestion: an aquarium or a clear plastic 2 liter bottle with the top cut off). This
creates a mini “neutral buoyancy laboratory”. Measure and record the height of the column.

Record this information:

1. Height of the column of spools in air

2. Height of the column of water
3. Explain how water can model some aspects of microgravity.

Anatomy of the Intervertebral Disc (IVD)

Another extension for students is an investigation of the anatomy of the intervertebral disc (IVD). The
IVD is the part of the spinal column causing the changes in height in this lab.
You may want to use a familiar analogy: the disc is similar in structure to an OREO cookie, or a
“jelly donut”. It is made up of an outer rigid annulus fibrosus and a soft jelly-like center known as the
nucleus propulsus. Compressing the disc is similar to pressing down on an OREO, or squeezing a jelly
donut. The compressive forces act on the nucleus of the disc and cause it to flatten. From time to time,
the nucleus of a disc might press so much on the outer annulus that it might actually pop out of the
disc, like the jelly from a squished donut or OREO cookie. This represents a “slipped” or herniated disc.
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How Tall Are You? Student Activities

INTRODUCTION

People are asked frequently to report their height for everything from a driver’s license to medical
information questionnaires. How do we know they are providing accurate information?

PRE-LAB QUESTIONS

How tall are you? How would you prove that your height measurement is accurate?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

If one person is 6’3” and another is 6’5,” is it accurate to say both people are six feet tall? Why or why
not?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

How precise does an accurate height measurement need to be?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

INVESTIGATION QUESTION

While we state our height with a great deal more certainty than our weight, is it really a fixed quantity?

PREDICTION

State what, if any, temporary variations you think might occur in a person’s height.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________
How Tall Are You? 27
MATERIALS
• paper
• pencil
• thick hardbound book
• measuring tape or strip

PROCEDURE

1. When you are home, tape a piece of paper horizontally to a wall at the approximate level of your
height.
2. Immediately before going to bed, measure your height to the nearest 1/8 inch or nearest
centimeter. Stand straight, with your heels, back, and head touching the wall. Place the book
above your head with the binding of the book against the wall. Lower it until it rests firmly on the
top of the head. Try to keep the book perpendicular to the wall when
it resting on top of your head. Technique for
Measuring Height
3. Carefully hold the book in place while stepping away from the wall.
Mark the position of the bottom of the book. Set the book down and
record next to the mark the date and “p.m.” to indicate an evening
measurement.
4. Measure and record the height of the mark both on your Personal
Data Table and on the paper taped to the wall.
5. Immediately upon waking, duplicate the procedure for measuring
height. Record the date and “a.m.” next to the mark to indicate a
morning measurement.
6. Repeat the above procedure at home for the next three evenings and
mornings.
7. Average your a.m. and p.m. measurements. Record this calculation on
your Personal Data Table.
8. Calculate the difference between the average a.m. and p.m. readings
and the percent change.
9. In your science class, record your average a.m. and p.m. readings on
the Class Data Table.
10. After all your classmates have recorded their data on the Class Data
Table, copy the a.m. and p.m. averages for each of your classmates
on your own CLASS AVERAGES DATA TABLE.
11. Display the a.m. and p.m. averages for each of your classmates on a
double bar graph.
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STUDENT DATA & ANSWER SHEET

Name: ___________________________________________ Date: _____________ Period: _______

HYPOTHESIS

Predict any temporary variations you think might occur in a person’s height each day.

PERSONAL DATA TABLE

Record your height in inches to the nearest 1/8 inch or in centimeters:

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Average

a.m. ---
p.m. ---

QUESTIONS

1. What is the difference between your average a.m. height and your average p.m. height? ______

2. What is the percent change of your height in the p.m. compared to the a.m. measurement? _____
Use the following formula:
% change = (p.m. average height -
a.m. average height) X 100
a.m. average height

Show your work calculating % change:

3. Explain any difference in your height between morning and evening.

4. Record the average a.m. and p.m. readings of class members in the CLASS AVERAGE DATA TABLE.
What patterns do you see in the differences in height between morning and evening among the
whole class?

5. What change in height would you expect for an astronaut in microgravity? Explain.
How Tall Are You? 29
CLASS AVERAGE DATA TABLE
Record the average a.m. and p.m. readings of each class member:

Student Name a.m. p.m. Difference

Average Average
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
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6. Graph the a.m. and p.m. averages for each of your classmates using a double bar graph.
Don’t forget to title your graph, label the axes, and include units of measurement.

7. Look at the patterns in the class data and describe the changes in height as % increase or
% decrease on this day-night cycle diagram:

height _______________________ about __________ %

{increases or decreases}
attend school

bedtime

wake up
sleep

height ______________________ about _________ %

{increases or decreases}

8. Answer the Investigation Question:

Is height really a fixed quantity? Use evidence to defend your answer.