Rainwater Collection Designer

Account for rainfall as roof losses, stored water and tank overflow.

Grades 3–5 · Earth Science

Explore one idea

Rainwater Collection Designer

Your goal

For a 10 square meter roof, 10 mm of rain and 20 percent losses, collect the rainfall using the smallest 50 liter tank size that prevents overflow.

1 of 3
Rainwater collection from a 10 square meter roof into a 50 liter tank10 m² roof10 mm rainLosses ? LTank 50 LStored? LOverflow? LRain volume = losses + stored water + overflow

Reduced motion is on. The controls still update the scene.

Choose a tank and collect one rainfall event. One millimeter of rain on one square meter gives one liter before collection losses.

m²
mm
L
%

One uniform rainfall event fills an initially empty tank. Losses are a chosen fraction of roof rainfall. Evaporation during storage, first flush equipment, water quality, plumbing and local construction requirements are not modeled. A collected sample is not a promise of drinkability.

Related simulations

Study as flashcards

Learn with Rainwater Collection Designer

Rainwater Collection Designer helps elementary students connect rainfall depth, roof area, and storage volume. Learners set the roof size and rain amount, choose an allowance for collection losses, and select a tank before running one rainfall event. The scene shows stored water and overflow, while the feedback accounts for every liter as a loss, storage, or spill. Guided challenges ask for the smallest available tank that avoids overflow under stated conditions. Children can compare larger roofs and heavier rain without assuming that the collected water is safe to drink.

What to look for

Convert rainfall

One millimeter on one square meter supplies one liter before losses.

Include losses

Subtract the chosen loss fraction before sizing storage.

Choose the smallest tank

Round the remaining liters up to an available 50 liter tank size.

For teachers and curious learners

Use rain depth and roof area to size a model collection tank. Ask students to predict what will happen, change one setting, and explain what they observe. Learn gives a starting point. Practice and Challenge offer new goals with the same scene.

One rainfall event with uniform rain, a fixed loss fraction and an initially empty tank; no water quality or construction advice.

← All simulations