Rivet the Snake
Ssssup! I'm Rivet. I slither along the beach boards and I love a good measuring job.
That pier out there is super long. But the sources do not agree on the exact number!
How long is the Edge of America?
The Edwin S. Taylor Folly Beach Fishing Pier stretches out into the Atlantic Ocean. It is more than 1,000 feet long, so it makes a giant measuring stick. But sources give slightly different numbers. A good scientist checks, compares, and says about.
Length
The pier is about 1,049 feet long, says Live 5 News in a story about the rebuild.
A different number
Visit Folly says the pier spans 1,045 feet. Two sources, two numbers!
Width and height
About 25 feet wide. Live 5 News says it is 22 feet above sea level; Visit Folly says 23 feet.
Edge of America
Folly Beach is nicknamed the Edge of America. The official name is the Edwin S. Taylor Folly Beach Fishing Pier.
The big platform
The end of the pier has a diamond-shaped platform with about 7,500 square feet of space.
Tap a card, then tap the bin it belongs in: Estimate or Exact measurement.
Tap a card, then tap the bin it belongs in: Real fact or Imaginary example.
Tap a card, then tap the bin it belongs in: Measures distance or Measures time.
Tap a card, then tap the bin it belongs in: A source says or My guess.
Sage the Owl
Hoo there! I'm Sage. I've watched the water climb and fall under this pier for as long as I can remember.
Tide times are a puzzle. Want to help me solve it?
Why does the ocean move up and down the pier?
The pier has to stand in water that rises and falls all day. Tides are caused mostly by the moon's gravity. Read the cards, then show what you know. (Note: the pier's walkway stays at the same height. It is the ocean that moves.)
Two highs, two lows
Most coasts have two high tides and two low tides every lunar day. A lunar day is about 24 hours and 50 minutes.
Time between
High tides come about 12 hours and 25 minutes apart.
What pulls the water
The moon's gravity makes bulges in the ocean. The sun helps a little too, but less than the moon.
A steady pattern
Many places on the eastern coast of North America have two high and two low tides of about equal size each lunar day.
Pier parts
The rebuilt pier stands on a concrete foundation (pilings and substructure) with wooden walkways and railings.
Tap the ONE part that holds the pier up out of the water.
Tap the ONE thing in the sky whose gravity pulls on the ocean to make tides.
Tap the ONE part that people walk on.
Clover the Horse
Neigh! I'm Clover. I love a long, straight trail.
Let's use this long pier to practice measuring and math!
Use the pier as a measuring stick
We use rounding, adding, subtracting, multiplying, time, and fractions to understand the world. Keep scratch paper nearby. Real pier numbers come from the sources on the cards; imaginary examples are clearly labeled.
The pier is about 1,049 feet long, 25 feet wide, and 22 feet above sea level (Live 5 News). Real numbers come from the sources on the cards. Every "Imaginary example" is made up for practice.
Rivet the Snake
Ssssup! Rivet again. I know sand, I know water, and I know how to stay out of the way of nesting turtles.
This pier has changed a lot since 1995. Want to dig into why?
A pier with a past, and animals nearby
This pier was rebuilt after the ocean wore down the old one. The area also has fish, birds, and turtles. Use the cards to answer. Look, listen, and never touch wildlife.
The first modern pier
The wooden pier opened on July 4, 1995. Charleston County bought the land in 1992.
Why it was replaced
Marine borers and wear from the ocean slowly damaged the wooden pier. It closed October 19, 2020.
The rebuild
The new pier reopened December 26, 2022. It has concrete pilings with wooden walkways and railings, and is expected to last about 65 years. Most piers last 20 to 25 years.
Sheepshead
Gray, nearly oval, with 5 to 6 dark bars. Strong broad teeth crush mussels, clams, barnacles, and crabs. Adults live near reefs, piers, and pilings.
Red drum
Silver-gray with a copper look and one or more dark spots near the tail. Average about 18 inches and 2.6 pounds.
Brown pelican
About 48 inches long with a 78-inch wingspan. It dives head first for food. Its diet is fish only.
Sea turtles
Four kinds nest in South Carolina. A nest averages about 120 eggs, which hatch after about 60 days. Watch turtles from a distance. Never touch them or their nests.
Pier rules
Do not feed, harass, destroy or remove plants or animals. Release all fish or rays if they are not to be eaten.
Comet the Unicorn (Imaginary example)
Hello! I'm Comet. I'm an imaginary unicorn, so I can gallop the whole pier in one leap. You cannot, so we will need real measuring.
Ready to be a scientist?
How many steps is a pier?
You can use your own steps as a ruler. Do the experiment at home, then answer the questions. (No pier needed for this one!)
Predict
The pier is more than 1,000 feet long. Predict if it would take you more or fewer than 500 of your own steps to walk it.
Measure
Walk 10 normal steps in a line. Measure the distance from start to finish in feet. Write it down.
Calculate
Divide that distance by 10 to find about how long one step is. Then divide 1,000 feet by your one-step length to estimate how many steps it would take.
Compare
Was your prediction close? If you repeat the 10-step walk, do you get the same number? Scientists repeat measurements to check.
Tap two items to swap them until they are in the order you would really do them, then check your order.
Tap two items to swap them until they are in the order they happen, then check your order.
Tap a card, then tap the bin it belongs in: Distance tool or Time tool.
Tap a card, then tap the bin it belongs in: Estimate or Exact.
Sage the Owl
Hoo! Sage here, one more time. A pier is a great place to test your thinking.
Pack your field guide and let's plan what to look for.
Build a field guide. Test a prediction.
A scientist brings questions outside instead of deciding the answers ahead of time. Draw a model, predict what you will observe, and bring your field guide with you.
Tap exactly THREE things you want to investigate at the real pier.
Measure, observe, and stay safe. Respect the wildlife.
Rivet the Snake
Ssssuper! You've collected every ocean token.
Now go test your thinking at the real pier, then come tell me what you found.
Certified Pier Explorer
You've practiced making predictions, analyzing evidence, calculating with real data, and comparing habitats. Now test your thinking in the field.