Introduction - Science - Investigating Walls

Garden wall, Block Island, RI.

Stone walls can be approached from any of the classic fields of science.

BACKGROUND

• Physics: Why do they stand up at all? Force balance and friction.

• Chemistry: Why are the surfaces of the stones rough?

• Biology: Who or what lives on stone?

ACTIVITY

Using pictures or a field trip, a teacher might ask these leading questions:

• Physics: Why do walls stand up so quietly? Answer: Force balance, friction, and mass.

• Chemistry: Why do stones look different on the outside? Answer: weathering from naturally acid rain, organic contributions.

• Ecology: What lives in stone walls? Answer: chipmunks, amphibians, snakes and "trolls." The plants are very different too.

• Geology: Where did the stones come from? Answer: glaciation and ancient mountain building.

Back to Investigation.