Bouncing Back
Recommended for grades 5–8.
Introduction
We have just received new information on this unsolved, highprofile case from several years ago. On May 6, 2000, the wife of billionaire oil tycoon Donald Holloway drove away in her car and never returned. As we never found any evidence of foul play, we believed that Mrs. Holloway left her husband and changed her identity. Recently, Mrs. Holloway’s California vanity license plate, OIL GIRL, was found outside a remote gas station along the Desert Highway. This particular gas station happens to be quite close to lands owned by the Holloway oil empire. Also uncovered in recent weeks have been several documents detailing the purchase of some large properties along the road. It now looks like Holloway may have killed his wife and buried her and her car at one of the properties.
Objectives
- Explore the use of ground-penetrating radar (GPR) to find buried materials.
- Detect the presence of an object using a motion detector.
- Distinguish between different-shaped objects using a motion detector.
Sensors and Equipment
This experiment requires each of the following Vernier sensors and equipment (unless otherwise noted):
Additional Requirements
You may also need an interface and software for data collection. What do I need for data collection?
Download Experiment Preview
The student-version preview includes:
- Step-by-step instructions for computer-based data collection
- List of materials and equipment
Note: The experiment preview of the computer edition does not include essential teacher information, safety tips, or sample data. Instructions for Logger Pro and other software (such as LabQuest App or TI handheld software, where available) are on the CD that accompanies the book. We strongly recommend that you purchase the book before performing experiments.
Standards Correlations
No standards correlations for this experiment.
Included in the Lab Book
Vernier lab books include a CD with word-processing files of the student instructions, essential teacher information, suggested answers, sample data and graphs, and more.