TEA Banner
TEA Navbar

Using Triangulation to Locate Meteorites from Witnessed Falls

data | hook | main | background & resources | student

Hook
Meteorites hit the earth every day. We're going to pretend that a fireball event occurred recently and there were several witnesses. These witnesses all have different stories and perspectives on where they saw the meteorite explode.

Materials
Paper, pencils, hard surface to write on.

Procedure
You need to interview three witnesses to a fireball event. Each character will identify an object on the horizon. Youshould draw lines of sight after each interview in the direction of each object on your paper. Where the lines cross, the meteorite should be located. You should consider the pros and cons of each witness’ testimonial.

Discussions Questions/Extensions ......
Which interview had a flaw? Why?

How can this process be made more realistic?

What tools could you use to make it more accurate?

Return to top of page

Back to: TEA Activities Page

data | hook | main | background & resources | student