Extreme Science

You might think it’s a bad idea to build a lab next to the world’s most active volcano. But the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) is on the rim of the caldera, or crater, of Mount Kilauea in Hawaii. Geologist Matt Patrick can see a pool of lava from his office window. “You could throw a stone over the edge of the caldera,” he says.

It sounds dangerous, but the HVO is actually in the best spot to monitor the volcano. That’s because Kilauea’s main activity is from lava flows. Unlike volcanic explosions, which shoot lava, ash, and rock into the air, a lava flow oozes from a volcano and flows down the mountain like honey. Since the observatory is on higher ground, it’s safe.

Anything downhill, however, is at risk, and it’s the job of HVO geologists to track the scorching lava’s movements and alert the residents in its path. Being so close to the source enables Patrick and his colleagues to get the most up-to-date information possible. And they are in the perfect spot to study the volcano when it’s quiet. 

The South Pole is the driest and coldest place on Earth—which makes it a perfect place to put a telescope. That’s because moisture and heat in the atmosphere interfere with a telescope’s ability to collect precise data. 

Such a frigid location is especially important when studying cosmic background radiation. This is the radiation left over from the early days of the universe, and its signal is very faint.

“You’re taking a snapshot of what the universe was like just a few hundred years after the Big Bang, when it was still young and hot,” says Erik Shirokoff, a professor of astronomy at the University of Chicago. 

Use this method to write and evaluate expressions based on the information in the charts.

As you ascend a tall peak like Mount Everest, oxygen levels in the air decrease. That’s why you must space out days of rest along your route to get used to the thinner air. The chart shows how many days of rest you’d need after hiking to certain altitudes. Write an expression in the chart for how many days of rest you’d need after reaching t feet in altitude. 

If you were to hike from sea level to the Pyramid at 16,500 feet, how many days of rest would you need?

The chart shows how many yards a Kilauea lava flow traveled per hour in 2014. Write an expression for how far the lava traveled in h hours. 

How far did the lava travel in 24 hours?

The telescope collects data in chunks called observational fields. Write an expression for how long it would take to observe f fields.

How long would it take to observe 8 fields?

The LHC produces a lot of data! The chart shows how much data an experiment called ATLAS collects. Write an expression for how much data is collected in s seconds. 

How much data does ATLAS collect in 120 seconds?