Oil Spill Problems

For geometry students, suppose an oil tanker has sprung a leak Tell them that 20 metric tons per day are leaking out and ask them to find the volume per day.

If they ask, tell them that 1 metric ton = 1000 kg.

If they ask, tell them the density of the oil is 850 g/liter.

Next, ask them to find the area of the oil slick after 1 day, 2 days, 1 week.

If they ask, tell them that with some kinds of oil, an oil slick gets quite thin – 1 to ½ mm; other kinds of oil are thicker and may stay 1 – 2 cm thick. They will have to make an assumption.

Finally, ask them to assume the slick is round, and find the diameter after 1 day, 2 days, 1 week, and to plot their results.