Download MWW STUDENT GUIDED ACTIVITY ANSWERS Hot Air Rising

MWW STUDENT GUIDED ACTIVITY ANSWERS
Hot Air Rising
Does hot air rise or fall? Rise.
Does cool air rise or fall? Fall.
What makes the fan turn? Hot air rising.
What is convection? The upward movement of warm air.
Snowdrifts
Where are the drifts forming? Behind buildings.
Why? Because the wind slows down and drops the snow.
What happens to the drifts as the direction of the wind changes? They change in reaction to
the wind.
Challenge Question:
Where would you find conditions that are similar to the conditions that cause snow drifts? In
the desert; sand dunes form and move in a similar fashion to snow drifts.
Thunder Delay
Which travels faster, light or sound? Light.
Challenge Question:
Why do we hear thunder? Quick expansion and contraction of air around the lightening starts air
molecules moving back and forth, making sound waves.
Lightning
Press one of the two buttons. What is happening? Opposite electrical charges build up in the
clouds and on the ground. (The cloud and ground are being charged with opposite electrical
charges. In a typical thunderstorm, negative charges might travel down from the cloud toward
the ground and positive charges might travel upwards or vice versa. When they meet, a powerful
surge of electricity would occur.)
After a lightning flash occurs, try again using the other button.
How is this button different from the other button? With one button the cloud is negatively
charged while the ground is positively charged. With the other button the opposite happens.
What do the "pluses" and "minuses" stand for? Pluses stand for positive charges and minuses
stand for negative charges.
Lightning is a form of what kind of electricity? Static electricity.
Why should people not stand by a tree or in an open field during a storm? Lightning will
strike the tallest object in any open area. Lightning may also arc from one object to another.
Challenge Question:
Explain why lightning occurs. Lightning occurs when there is a sufficiently strong build-up of
opposite electrical charges.
Lightning can occur from ground to cloud and cloud to ground. Can you think of two more
ways lightning can travel? Within a cloud and from one cloud to another.
Uneven Heating
What location did you choose? Answers will vary.
What is the temperature of the land when the light (SUN) is directly shining on the
location you have chosen? Answers will vary.
What is the temperature of the water when the light (SUN) is directly shining on the
location you have chosen? Answers will vary.
What is the temperature of the water when it is on the opposite side of the light (SUN)?
Answers will vary. Lower than at Noon.
What is the temperature of the land when it is on the opposite side of the light (SUN)?
Answers will vary. Lower than at Noon.
Challenge Question:
Which one heats up more quickly, land or water? Land.
Which one cools down more quickly, land or water? Land.
Tornado
What is a vortex? A vertically rotating mass of air.
What causes a tornado to form? Cold, dry air from the west/north meets warm, moist air from
the south. The contrasting pressures and upward and downward movements produce a swirling
motion of the air.
Does air flow up or down in a tornado? The air goes in and up because of very low pressure.
Challenge Questions:
In which hemisphere would you find the tornado in the exhibit? The Northern Hemisphere.
What is the Coriolis Effect? The deflection of objects, including the atmosphere and the
oceans, due to the rotation of the earth. This effect turns winds to the right relative to the
earth’s surface in the Northern Hemisphere.
The Water Cycle
What makes water evaporate in the tank? Heat.
What makes water evaporate in the natural world? The sun.
What is the process called that forms clouds or fog? Condensation.
Does water need warmth or cold to form water vapor? Warmth.
Does water need warmth or cold to form clouds? Cold.
Challenge Question:
Can you give an example of condensation other than clouds in the sky or mist on a
mirror? Breathing outside in winter. Cold drink glasses dripping in summer.
How does a windshield get foggy? Air inside the car may be warmer than the air outside.
When the warm air on the windshield becomes cooled, the water vapor turns from a gas to a
liquid, causing fog (condensation) on the windshield.
Microburst
What is the temperature of the falling air, warm or cool? Cool.
Does a microburst need wet or dry air to form? Dry.
Why? Very dry air below a thunderstorm enables the rain to evaporate into the air. This
evaporation requires heat, which is pulled from the air. The now cooled, heavier air slams down
onto the ground.
Challenge Question:
Define a thermal. Warm air rising from the ground.
Radar Tracking
What is the speed of the ball when it is moving away from you? Answers will vary.
What is the speed of the ball when it is moving toward you? Answers will vary.
Point the gun at the center of the globe. What reading do you get? You should get a low reading;
the ball is neither moving away nor coming toward you.
Is it the same all the time? No. Radar gun gives an approximate reading; it is not as accurate
as the type police use.
Challenge Question:
What is the Doppler Effect? The waves bouncing back show a different frequency for a
ball moving away from the radar.
How is Doppler used in weather prediction? Doppler Radar is used by meteorologists to
look at wind patterns within storms. Meteorologists use radar tracking to warn the public
about tornadoes. Doppler Radar detects wind patterns, wind direction, type of storm, and
type of precipitation within a storm.
Weather Station
What is the temperature? Answers will vary.
What is the barometric pressure? Answers will vary.
What is the humidity? Answers will vary.
What is the Dew Point? Answers will vary.
What is the wind speed? Answers will vary.
Challenge Questions:
If the temperature is high, are air molecules moving fast or slowly? Fast.
What does the humidity number represent? The percent of water in the air as a vapor as
compared to what it could hold at a given temperature.