SCIENCE OF THE SUMMER OLYMPICS
Designing a Fast Pool
Video produced by NBC Learn in collaboration with NSF. Lessons plans produced by NSTA.
Background and Planning Information
About the Video
Anette Hosoi, a mechanical engineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, explains
how the knowledge of waves and the energy they transfer is applied to designing competitive
pools, such as those built at the London Aquatics Center for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
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Opening Credits
Introducing the London Aquatics Center
Olympian Missy Franklin’s opinions on pool design
Definition and examples of waves
Anette Hosoi: How swimmers generate waves
Comparison of Olympic pool designs
Hosoi: How competitive pools dissipate energy
Pool depth at the Aquatics Center
Anette Hosoi and Missy Franklin: Importance of pool depth
Dissipating wave energy with surfaces
Dissipating wave energy with size
Dissipating wave energy with lane lines
Importance of a swimmer’s lane position
Summary of London Aquatics Center features
Closing Credits
Language Support To aid those with limited English proficiency or others who need help
focusing on the video, make available the transcript for the video. Click the Transcript tab on
the side of the video window, then copy and paste into a document for student reference.
Connect to Science
Framework for K–12 Science Education PS3.A: Definitions of Energy
PS3.B: Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer
PS4.A: Wave Properties
Related Science Concepts
 Waves as a mechanical disturbance due to energy input
 Energy
 Energy transfer through waves
 Energy dissipation
 Turbulence in a fluid
 Wave propagation
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Absorption of energy
Reflection
Diffraction
Connect to Engineering
Framework for K–12 Science Education
ETS1.A: Defining and Delimiting Engineering Problems
ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions
ETS2.A: Interdependence of Science, Engineering, and Technology
Engineering in Action
The engineering problems addressed in Science of the Summer Olympics (SOTSO): Designing a
Fast Pool include how to design a competitive pool so that the waves created by the swimmers’
motions interfere as little as possible with their performance. To effectively dissipate the
energy moving through the water, the main competitive pool at the London Aquatics Center
includes an adjustable floor, side and end troughs that “swallow” water waves, and spinning
lane lines that absorb energy rather than propagating swimmers’ waves from lane to lane.
Engineers of competitive swimming pools work to test and design materials and configurations
within realistic constraints, including the practicality, cost, and function of the structures in the
real world, as well as the health and safety of the athletes who train and compete in the pools.
Modeling is an important step in the evolution of engineering designs. Students should
understand that models are not perfect representations of every aspect of the design
simultaneously but can give accurate data about certain aspects at any given time. Several
different models might be required to accurately represent all aspects of a given system. The
development of models and subsequent testing of the finished designs are part of the
engineering knowledge-generating activities experimental engineering research and direct trial.
Take Action with Students Help students brainstorm to form a list of some of the constraints
within which engineers have to work to reduce turbulence in a competitive swimming pool. Use
the list to initiate a discussion about how other types of waves such as light waves, sound
waves, radio waves, and earthquake waves, move through different types of media. Extend the
discussion to include engineering design problems associated with objects such as sunglasses
(stop certain wavelengths while still enabling enough transmission for sight), speakers (tensile
strength of the material used to amplify the sound), and buildings (flexibility of materials used
in earthquake-prone areas).
Inquiry Outline for Teachers
Encourage inquiry using a strategy modeled on the research-based science writing heuristic. Student
work will vary in complexity and depth depending on their grade level, prior knowledge, and creativity.
Use the prompts liberally to encourage thought and discussion. Student Copy Masters begin on page 7.
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Explore Understanding
Ask students to draw pictures of what happens to the water in the pool before, during, and
after someone dives in, to start students thinking about energy and water waves. Then begin a
discussion with students about what happens as a swimmer enters then moves through the
water, as well as some of the factors that might affect the size of the waves that result from the
swimmer’s movements. Use prompts such as the following to spark discussion.
 When I enter a pool, I like to _____ because….
 A competitive swimmer dives into a pool at the start of a race rather than doing a cannonball jump because….
 To move forward in a pool, a swimmer must….
 As a swimmer moves through the water, the water….
 Swimming underwater creates _____turbulence in the water than swimming at the surface
because….
 A swimmer doing the backstroke might cause _____ turbulence than a swimmer doing the
_____ because….
Show the video SOTSO: Designing a Fast Pool. Continue the discussion of some the effects of
energy transfer through a fluid, using prompts such as the following:
 When I watched the video, I thought about….
 The expert in the video claimed that _____ because….
 In the past, Olympic pools were….
 Pools at the London Aquatics Center were designed to minimize….
 Lowering the main competition pool’s bottom is beneficial to swimmers because….
 Troughs along the sides of the main competition pool help swimmers by….
 The width of the pool lanes was designed so that….
 Some lanes are often left empty during competition because….
Ask Beginning Questions
Stimulate small-group discussion with the prompt: This video makes me think about these
questions…. Then have groups list questions they have about how a swimmer’s mass or
movements might affect the resulting waves. Then groups should choose one and phrase it in
such a way as to be researchable and/or testable. The following are some examples.
 How does a swimmer’s mass affect the size of the waves he or she produces?
 How does a swimmer’s speed affect the waves he or she produces?
 How does a swimmer’s stroke affect the waves he or she produces?
Design Investigations
Choose one of these two options based on your students’ knowledge, creativity, and ability level.
Open Choice Approach (Copy Master page 7)
Groups might come together to agree on one question for which they will explore the answer,
or each group might explore something different. Students should brainstorm to form a plan
they would have to follow in order to answer the question. Work with students to develop safe
procedures that control variables and enable them to make accurate measurements. Encourage
students with prompts such as the following:
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The variable I will test is….
The variables I will control are….
The steps I will follow are….
To conduct the investigation safely, I….
Focused Approach (Copy Master pages 8–9)
The following exemplifies how students might investigate the question of how a swimmer’s
mass could affect the size of the waves he or she produces.
1. Ask students questions such as the following to spark their thinking:
 What is mass?
 What factors affect an object’s mass?
 What are some objects with similar sizes and shapes but different masses?
 What is a wave?
 How do swimmers produce waves?
2. Students might choose to explore waves produced by moving objects with the same mass
but different shapes. Or, they might explore how objects with the same shape and size but
different masses create waves of different sizes. Give them free rein in determining how
they will explore the effect of an object’s mass as it moves through water. Examining a
range of materials might help students refine their question or lead to new questions that
they should record for later exploration.
3. Ensure that students brainstorm a list of variables and determine which can be controlled
and which cannot. As needed, help them focus on their chosen variable in each trial. Use
prompts such as the following:
 The variable we will test is….
 The variables we will control are….
4. Students might thread a table tennis ball and a small foam ball of the same size that also
floats onto pieces of thin string and pull each at the same speed through a tub of shallow
water to observe the waves created by each object. Students might gather quantitative data
by actually measuring the heights of the waves produced as each ball moves through the
water or they might videotape the motions and do a qualitative analysis of the waves
produced. Use prompts such as the following with students:
 The materials we will use are….
 We will gauge the speed of movement by….
 To conduct the investigation safely, we will….
5. Students might continue their investigation by exploring how objects with the same mass
but different shapes create waves as they move at the same speed through water.
Make a Claim Backed by Evidence
As students carry out their investigations, ensure they record their observations. As needed,
suggest ways they might organize their data using tables and graphs or sketches and digital
photos. Students should analyze their data and then make one or more claims based on the
evidence their data shows. Encourage students with this prompt: As evidenced by… I claim…
because….
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An example claim relating mass to the waves it creates might be:
As evidenced by the waves created, I claim that objects with greater mass create larger waves
than objects with lesser mass because the foam ball caused the water in the waves it created to
be higher than those formed by the table tennis ball moving at the same speed, which shows
that more energy was transferred from the motion of the more massive ball than from the
motion of the less massive ball.
Compare Findings
Encourage students to compare their ideas with those of others—such as classmates who
investigated the same or a similar question, material they found on the Internet, an expert they
chose to interview, or their textbook. Remind students to credit their original sources in their
comparisons. Elicit comparisons from students with prompts such as the following:
 My ideas are similar to (or different from) those of the experts in the video in that….
 My ideas are similar to (or different from) those of my classmates in that….
 My ideas are similar to (or different from) those that I found on the Internet in that….
Students might make comparisons like the following:
My ideas are similar to my classmates’ in that the data from groups that researched the same
question showed similar results—objects of the same size and shape but greater masses create
larger waves than objects with smaller masses.
Reflect on Learning
Students should reflect on their understanding, thinking about how their ideas have changed or
what they know now that they didn’t before. Encourage reflection, using prompts such as the
following:
 I claim that my ideas have changed from the beginning of this lesson because of this
evidence….
 My ideas changed in the following ways….
 One concept I still do not understand involves….
 One part of the investigation I am most proud of is….
Inquiry Assessment
See the rubric included in the student Copy Masters on page 10.
Incorporate Video into Your Lesson Plan
Integrate Video in Instruction
Bellringer Show the video with the sound muted, perhaps twice, as students settle for class.
Have students answer a question such as What science and engineering concepts do you think
this video is about? State three reasons that support why you think so. Use students’ answers as
a lead-in to your introduction of the waves created as these swimmers plow through the water.
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Homework Introduce elite swimmers Michael Phelps (0:29) and Ryan Lochte (0:30) to students.
Inform students that when competing, Phelps typically weighs several pounds less than Lochte.
Also tell students that Phelps is a few inches taller than Lochte. Instruct students to watch the
video and consider if and how these small differences in weight and height might affect the
waves generated in each swimmer’s lane.
Using the 5E Approach?
If you use a 5E approach to lesson plans, consider incorporating video in these Es:
Explain Show students a segment of several swimmers in adjacent lanes (1:01–1:04). Then
provide students with a screen grab of the video at 1:02 and ask them to use the image to
explain the importance of lane position in terms of where a swimmer ideally wants to be during
an event.
Elaborate Use the video to elaborate on how different strokes create different disturbances in a
swimming pool. Allow students who swim competitively or regularly to share personal
experiences.
Connect to … Social Studies / Engineering
Suggest students research recent Olympic venues (summer or winter) to find out how hosting
the games impacted the economics of the area both at the time of the games and in the
passing years. As a springboard, students might listen to a story aired on National Public Radio
(NPR) about the 2008 Beijing games at http://www.npr.org/2012/07/10/156368611/chinaspost-olympic-woe-how-to-fill-an-empty-nest. Discuss with students how one factor that
engineers are very concerned with as they design is sustainability, or the ability for a structure,
design, or object to be viable with positive impact on the environment and economy. In student
reports or presentations, have them suggest how venues might have been designed to be more
sustainable.
Use Video in Assessment
Play the segments of the video with the sound muted that show three types of technology—the
moveable floor (2:29 to 2:36), the side troughs (2:55 to 3:03), and the rotating lane dividers
(3:42 to 3:46)—used to reduce the effects of turbulence caused by swimmers competing in a
fast pool. Give the following instructions.
Choose two of these technologies and explain, in detail, how each reduces wave propagation.
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COPY MASTER: Open Choice Inquiry Guide for Students
Science of the Summer Olympics: Designing a Fast Pool
Use this guide to investigate a question about how a swimmer’s mass, speed, or swim stroke
affects the waves he or she generates moving through the water. Write your lab report in your
science notebook.
Ask Beginning Questions
The video makes me think about these questions….
Design Investigations
Choose one question. How can you answer it? Brainstorm with your teammates. Write a
procedure that controls variables and makes accurate measurements. Add safety precautions
as needed.
 The variable I will test is….
 The variables I will control are….
 The steps I will follow are….
 To conduct the investigation safely, I will….
Record Data and Observations
Record your observations. Organize your data in tables or graphs as appropriate.
Make a Claim Backed by Evidence
Analyze your data and then make one or more claims based on the evidence your data shows.
Make sure that the claim goes beyond summarizing the relationship between the variables.
My Evidence
My Claim
My Reason
Compare Findings
Review the video and then discuss your results with classmates who investigated the same or a
similar question. Or do research on the Internet or talk with an expert. How do your findings
compare? Be sure to give credit to others when you use their findings in your comparisons.
 My ideas are similar to (or different from) those of the experts in the video in that….
 My ideas are similar to (or different from) those of my classmates in that….
 My ideas are similar to (or different from) those that I found on the Internet in that….
Reflect on Learning
Think about what you found out. How does it fit with what you already knew? How does it
change what you thought you knew?
 My ideas have changed from the beginning of this lesson because of this evidence….
 My ideas changed in the following ways….
 One concept I still do not understand involves….
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One part of the investigation I am most proud of is….
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COPY MASTER: Focused Inquiry Guide for Students
Science of the Summer Olympics: Designing a Fast Pool
Use this guide to investigate a question about how the mass of a swimmer affects the waves
that form as he or she moves through the water. Write your lab report in your science
notebook.
Ask Beginning Questions
How does the mass of an object affect the waves it generates as it moves through water?
Design Investigations
Brainstorm with your teammates about how to answer the question. Write a procedure that
controls variables and allows you to make accurate measurements. Add safety precautions as
needed. Use these prompts to help you design your investigation.
 The objects I will use to model the swimmers are….
 I will create waves with the objects by….
 I will model the pool with….
 The steps I will follow to test my variable include….
 The variables I will control are….
 I will repeat each trial _____times to make sure….
 To be safe, I need to….
Record Data and Observations
Organize your observations and data in tables or graphs as appropriate. The table below is an
example using similar balls with different masses moving at the same speed through water.
Mass and Wave Height
Wave Height (mm)
Ball
Trial 1
Trial 2
Trial 3
Table tennis ball
Small foam ball
Focused Inquiry Guide continued
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Make a Claim Backed by Evidence
Analyze your data and then make one or more claims based on the evidence shown by your
data. Make sure that the claim goes beyond summarizing the relationship between the
variables.
My Evidence
My Claim
My Reason
Compare Findings
Review the video and then discuss your results with classmates who investigated the same or a
similar question. Or do research on the Internet or talk with an expert. How do your findings
compare? Be sure to give credit to others when you use their findings in your comparisons.
 My ideas are similar to (or different from) those of the experts in the video in that….
 My ideas are similar to (or different from) those of my classmates in that….
 My ideas are similar to (or different from) those that I found on the Internet in that….
Reflect on Learning
Think about what you found out. How does it fit with what you already knew? How does it
change what you thought you knew?
 I claim that my ideas have changed from the beginning of this lesson because of this
evidence….
 My ideas changed in the following ways….
 One concept I still do not understand involves….
 One part of the investigation I am most proud of is….
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COPY MASTER: Assessment Rubric for Inquiry Investigations
Criteria
Initial question
Investigation
design
Variables
Safety procedures
Observations and
Data
Claim
Findings
comparison
Reflection
1 point
Question had a yes/no
answer, was off topic, or
otherwise was not
researchable or testable.
2 points
Question was
researchable or testable
but too broad or not
answerable by the
chosen investigation.
The design of the
While the design
investigation did not
supported the initial
support a response to
question, the procedure
the initial question.
used to collect data
(e.g., number of trials,
control of variables)
was not sufficient.
Either the dependent or
While the dependent
independent variable
and independent
was not identified.
variables were
identified, no controls
were present.
Basic laboratory safety
Some, but not all, of the
procedures were
safety equipment was
followed, but practices
used and only some
specific to the activity
safe practices needed
were not identified.
for this investigation
were followed.
Observations were not
Observations were
made or recorded, and
made, but were not
data are unreasonable in very detailed, or data
nature, not recorded, or
appear invalid or were
do not reflect what
not recorded
actually took place during appropriately.
the investigation.
No claim was made or
Claim was marginally
the claim had no
related to evidence
relationship to the
from investigation.
evidence used to support
it.
Comparison of findings
Comparison of findings
was limited to a
was not supported by
description of the initial
the data collected.
question.
Student reflection was
limited to a description
of the procedure used.
Designing a Fast Pool (Grades 6–12)
Student reflections
were not related to the
initial question.
3 points
Question clearly stated,
researchable or testable,
and showed direct
relationship to
investigation.
Variables were clearly
identified and controlled
as needed with steps and
trials that resulted in data
that could be used to
answer the question.
Variables identified and
controlled in a way that
results in data that can be
analyzed and compared.
Appropriate safety
equipment used and safe
practices adhered to.
Detailed observations
were made and properly
recorded and data are
plausible and recorded
appropriately.
Claim was backed by
investigative or research
evidence.
Comparison of findings
included both
methodology and data
collected by at least one
other entity.
Student reflections
described at least one
impact on thinking.
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