Activity A (continued from previous page)

4. Record: Click Reset ( ). Turn on Show data. A. The slope of the channel is how steep it is, or how many meters the streambed drops for every horizontal kilometer. What is the slope of the stream?
B. River speed is a measure of how fast water flows. What is the river speed?
C. How does the river speed compare to the speed of the barrel you calculated on the previous page?
D. Discharge is the water volume that flows past a given point every second, measured in cubic meters per second (m3/s). What is the stream’s discharge?
E. What types of sediments are transported by this stream?

Sediments are classified by size. The smallest sediments are clay particles, followed by silt, sand, and pebbles. Larger sediments include cobbles and boulders. 5. Observe: Turn off Show data. Next to River flow, select Flood. Look at the landscape, and then click on the movie cameras to see zoomed-in views. Describe what you notice below. 6. Calculate: Click Play to release the barrel. How many seconds does it take the barrel to get from one flag to the other? What is the speed of the barrel?

Time: Speed:


7. Compare: Turn on Show data. During a flood, how do the river speed, discharge, and transported sediments compare to normal flow conditions?