written by Rebecca E. Vieyra
content provider: David Sidebottom

In this interdisciplinary lab, students use sausages as model "cadavers" to calculate fat content as a percentage of total mass. Learners explore both physics and biology as they use the buoyant force equation to determine the "cadaver's" volume, then use algebraic expressions to calculate the PBF (percent body fat).

The lesson was inspired by an article in The Physics Teacher magazine, authored by David Sidebottom: Use of Bratwurst Sausage as a Model Cadaver in Introductory Physics for the Life Sciences Lab Experiments.  See Related Materials for a link to the full article (free access).

This file is available in multiple formats: .pdf, .docx

• Download FinalLessonPlan_BodySci-PercentBodyFat_CHall2016May.pdf - 673kb Adobe PDF Document
• Download FinalLessonPlan_BodySci-PercentBodyFat_CHall2016May.docx - 1044kb Word Document

Published May 4, 2016
Last Modified June 2, 2016

This file has previous versions.

by Rebecca Vieyra

This is a printable Word version of the Body Science-Calculating Body Fat lesson, which contains the complete lesson plan, assessment with answer key, tips for teachers, and detailed list of connections to the NGSS standards.

• Download FinalLessonPlan_BodySci-PercentBodyFat_CHall2016May.docx - 1044kb Word Document

Last Modified June 2, 2016

This file has previous versions.

by Rebecca Vieyra

This is a printable Student Worksheet to accompany the Body Science-Calculating Body Fat lesson.

• Download FINAL-Body-Student-Worksheet-2_Vieyra.docx - 375kb Word Document

Published May 4, 2016
Last Modified October 21, 2020

This file has previous versions.