About This Lesson
In this common-core aligned lab simulation, students use a dropper and paint to simulate sneezes and plot the reach and distribution of "snot droplets" in a histogram. Students repeat their measurements using a tissue to block the "sneeze” then use their data to answer the question: “At what distance from a sneezer is your notebook or cell phone at greatest risk of getting hit by snot and spit droplets?” and "Does using a tissue change the reach of a sneeze?" A video interview with a mathematician who studies sneezes is accompanied by a transcript, vocab, and reflection questions.