A 7th–grade science project casts doubt on the standard explanation of the Gaussian plume model for seepage through soil

The Gaussian plume model is traditionally used to describe the movements of contaminants through carrier media. In two dimensions, the model is mathematically derived from a stochastic representation of sequential collisions between contaminant particles and the particles of the carrier medium. The corresponding model for three dimensions is derived by analogy. We show with a simple experimental system that this deduction by analogy is faulty.