RIVERS
AIM
The aim of my project was to learn about rivers, and demonstrate to others what I have learnt during the process, in the form of photos and written information.
METHOD
First I visited the school and local libraries and found books on rivers and creeks.
Using my mother's Nikon Automatic camera and 400 ASA film, I set about taking photos of rivers from different places.
Next I took the film to the camera shop to have it developed. I picked out the best of them and took them to Officeworks to photocopy and enlarge them to 150%. Then I chose contrasting cardboard to mount the photos onto.
I have also got this on the Internet if you want to look. How did I get it on the Internet? Well first I saved this report as an HTML file in Word. It was now in Internet language, then I posted it to the Internet using an FTP program. For the photos, with a bit of help from my Dad, I scanned the original photos using iPhoto Express.
SCIENTIFIC CONTENT
River Classification.
Rivers are classified according to drainage patterns, length and amount of water carried.
Here is an example of how rivers are classified:
Famous Rivers.
Some of the famous rivers of the world are the Thames, Murray Darling, Rhine, Amazon, Nile, Mississippi and the Danube.
Some of the famous rivers in Victoria are the Goulburn, Murray, and the Yarra.
How Rivers Formed.
The rain from the mountains runs down into the gullies (because of the earth's gravity which pulls every thing down towards the ground) and forms small streams. Streams form creeks, which form rivers. Streams become bigger and bigger to form creeks and rivers by joining together.
Where Do Rivers Go?
A lot of rivers join with other rivers and then run into the sea. Other rivers run straight to the sea or they can run into lakes.
General Facts.
Irrigating and spreading water will make it evaporate faster.
The rivers are an important part of the water cycle because without the evaporation from rivers, other water sources and the transpiration from trees, clouds would not be made so the water cycle would not work and we would run out of water very quickly.
Clouds are another important part of the water cycle because they send all the water back to earth and they are re-made from water evaporating and transpiation from trees.
You can see my "Cloud" project at:
http://www.contracts.com.au/~jburke/clouds1.htm
Other Uses For Rivers.
Farmers use rivers to irrigate and water for the animals to drink.
Some animals use rivers to live in, some use it to drink from and others use the animals in it as a food source.
Water sport is another common use for rivers. Water sports such as water skiing takes place a lot on the Yarra and other places. Rowing and conoeing is very popular on many rivers. Swimming is another water sport that takes place in rivers.
Fishing is very popular in many rivers for sporting purposes.
People that live or holiday on houseboats need rivers to get away from the crowed lakes.
Houses that are built above water, sometimes referred to as houses on stilts, are often built on rivers. These houses are especially popular in Asia
Canals are sometimes built on rivers. Canals are very popular in England and Europe.
Electricity that uses water is called hydroelectricity. Water from rivers is fed down a race into a power station. This turns the turbines to create electricity.
Rivers are often used by the public to swim in, sit by and picnic by.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Table 1 - Encyclopedia Britannica, (vol 26), 1998, Page 846.
Electricity and Magnetism, 1997, published by Two-Can London, page 34.
Cover Page Diagram - The Water Cycle at Work, from the United States Environmental Protection Agency web page updated 04/10/2001:
By: MICHELLE BURKE
April 2002