Measurement (mass & weight): Food Chain
The Problem
One summer evening, a female sparrowhawk caught and ate 3 sparrows. That same day, each sparrow had eaten 20 cabbage white caterpillars. Between them, the cabbage white caterpillars had eaten 2 whole cabbages from Professor Greenfinger’s vegetable patch.
Using the food chain mass information (see opposite), can you calculate the total mass of all the plants and animals described above?
How will you make sure that you don’t miss out any plants or animals from your calculation?
Did you know?
Female sparrowhawks are larger than males. They can be as much as twice as heavy.
Visualising the Problem and Getting Started
Hamza said. “The mass of 2 sparrowhawks is the same as a 1 kilogram weight.” Do you agree with Hamza? Discuss your answer with a partner.
Ava said, “The mass of 20 cabbage white caterpillars would be equal to the mass of a single sparrow.” Do you agree with Ava? Discuss your answer with a partner.
