I have this project:
The length of a football field is 100 yards. When you compare geologic time (4.6 billion years) to the length of a football field, you will find that each yard on the field will equal 46 million years, and each 10-yard section will equal 460 million years. Use this information to complete the activity below.
Create a digital model of a football field. Starting at the left and moving forward in time, label the
10-yard lines in years. Using different colors, draw a horizontal line to mark the beginning and
end of each of the following periods and eras [note that the years have been rounded up for this activity]:
• Cenozoic era (65 MYA to present)
• Triassic (245‒208 MYA), Jurassic (208‒146 MYA), and Cretaceous (146‒65 MYA)
periods
• Paleozoic era (570‒245 MYA)
• Proterozoic era (2,500‒570 MYA)
• Archean era (3,800‒2,500 MYA)
• Hadean era (4,600‒3,800 MYA)
I am going to use Google SketchUp, but I have some trouble with the organization. How big should the gaps in each era be? How should I decide that?
I ate 3 vitamin gummyes instead of two
Left goal line is 4600 Mya.
Each successive 10-yard segment subtracts 460 My.
10-yard line = 4600 - 460 My = 4140 Mya
20-yard line = 4140 - 460 = 3680 Mya
30-yard line = 3680 - 460 = 3220 Mya
40-y line = 2760 Mya
50-y line = 2300 Mya
40-y line = 1840 Mya
30-y line = 1380 Mya
20-y line = 920 Mya
10-y line = 460 Mya
right goal line = now (0 Mya)
Now each individual yard segment represents 46 My, so
65 Mya = 46x
x = 65/46 = 1.413 yard segments... so the beginning of the Cenozoic is at the 1.413 yard line at the right side of the field.
Beginning of Cretaceous is 146 Mya, so
yard line = 146/46 = 3.174 yard line on right side of field
Beginning of Jurassic at 208:
208/46 = 4.522 yard line
Is that enough help?