Materials
1. 1 Clear Plastic Box
2. 1 Beaker .50ml
3. 1 Pipette
4. 6 Styrofoam Cups
5. Food Coloring
6. Water (hot and cold)
7. Ice Cubes
8. Colored pencils
2. 1 Beaker .50ml
3. 1 Pipette
4. 6 Styrofoam Cups
5. Food Coloring
6. Water (hot and cold)
7. Ice Cubes
8. Colored pencils
Per-Lab Questions
1. Match the term below with its definition.
Conduction
> B - the transfer of heat by touching
Convection
> C - the transfer of heat in a fluid that rises due to density differences
Radiation
> A - the transfer of heat by infrared waves
2. If one beaker contains 100ml of cold water, and another contains 100ml of hot water, which beaker contains more molecules? Explain.
> The cold beaker because mass is the same as density.
3. Which water, hot or cold, would have the higher mass? Which would have the higher density? (Hint: Remember density = mass per unit volume; d = g/cm3)
> The cold water
4. As you open a refrigerator door, what happens to the air inside? Circle the correct answer.
> C - the cold air escapes from the bottom, sinking to the floor
5. As you lift the lid from a pot of soup, do the gases that escape rise from the pot, or sink around the base? Why?
> The gas will rise because the hot gas always goes up.
6. If you swim to the bottom of a pool and place a cork on the bottom, will the cork stay in place? Why or why not? Explain.
> Yes, it will stay in place because there is higher density at the bottom of the pool.
7. Both air and water are fluids. What will happen to an area within a fluid that becomes warmer than the surrounding fluid?
> It'll rise and we'll have an area of low density.
8. Atmospheric pressure is the pressure exerted on the earth by the force of gravity pulling the air towards the earth's surface. Where air is rising from the surface, will the atmospheric pressure be increased or decreased?
> The atmospheric pressure will decrease.
Conduction
> B - the transfer of heat by touching
Convection
> C - the transfer of heat in a fluid that rises due to density differences
Radiation
> A - the transfer of heat by infrared waves
2. If one beaker contains 100ml of cold water, and another contains 100ml of hot water, which beaker contains more molecules? Explain.
> The cold beaker because mass is the same as density.
3. Which water, hot or cold, would have the higher mass? Which would have the higher density? (Hint: Remember density = mass per unit volume; d = g/cm3)
> The cold water
4. As you open a refrigerator door, what happens to the air inside? Circle the correct answer.
> C - the cold air escapes from the bottom, sinking to the floor
5. As you lift the lid from a pot of soup, do the gases that escape rise from the pot, or sink around the base? Why?
> The gas will rise because the hot gas always goes up.
6. If you swim to the bottom of a pool and place a cork on the bottom, will the cork stay in place? Why or why not? Explain.
> Yes, it will stay in place because there is higher density at the bottom of the pool.
7. Both air and water are fluids. What will happen to an area within a fluid that becomes warmer than the surrounding fluid?
> It'll rise and we'll have an area of low density.
8. Atmospheric pressure is the pressure exerted on the earth by the force of gravity pulling the air towards the earth's surface. Where air is rising from the surface, will the atmospheric pressure be increased or decreased?
> The atmospheric pressure will decrease.
Pictures
Follow-Up Questions
1. During the lab, what effect did the cups of hot water have on the density of the water directly above them?
> It makes the water less dense by heating it up.
2. What happened as a result of this change?
> The swirls of red food coloring
3. A house has a glass "sun space" attached to its south side, which is just a small space all around the house, next to the outside wall, that holds air. Vents allow air to flow from the house into the sun space, and vice versa. Describe the direction air flow as the air in the sun space is warmed by the sun.
> The warm air goes up and the cold air fans out.
4. You may have noticed convection cells in a pot of boiling macaroni. Describe the direction of water flow in the pot. The hottest part of the burner is beneath the center of the pot.
> The water flows from the middle out.
5. Which situation would result in a decrease in atmospheric pressure at the earth's surface? Identify the correct answer.
> A - air gels hot and begins to rise.
6. Go back to the three diagrams you constructed in your lab. Label the spots in each diagram that became areas of lower pressure.
>
7. Above which area would the air become hotter in the afternoon? Identify the correct answer.
> A - a parking lot with lots of blacktop pavement.
8. Above which area would you find the lowest air pressure?
> A - the parking lot
9. Based on this arrangement, would you expect a breeze to blow toward the parking lot, or away from it? Why?
> It'll go toward the parking lot because the cold closes the gap while the heat travels up.
10. From your knowledge of onshore and offshore breezes, explain why the wind would blow in from the sea toward the land during the afternoon.
> The land is hot, the sea air is cold. The hot air from the land goes up while the air from the sea goes to the land.
11. A "monsoon effect" may happen in the summer as air over a continent becomes much warmer than air over the ocean. Fill in the blanks in the following statements:
11A) As air over the continent becomes hotter, it will begin to rise. (sink, rise)
11B) This causes lower pressure over the continent. (lower, higher)
11C) The flow of air will be toward the center of the continent. (away, toward)
12. Think globally now. Which region in our atmosphere is heated most intensely by the sun? Identify the correct answer.
> C - the equatorial region
13. As air nears the equator rises, does this become an area of higher or lower pressure?
> lower pressure
14. What moves in to replace the rising air?
> the winds
15. Number the following stages of atmospheric circulation (1-4) in the order in which they are most likely to occur.
> 1. C - uneven heating
2. D - area of low pressure develops
3. B - convection (air rises)
4. A - wind (movement of air)
16. If hotter air rises, why is air that is closer to the Earth's surface warmer than the air high above it?
> Conduction and the layers of the surface cause it to be warmer.
17. Wind is considered to be a form of " solar energy". Explain why.
> Since the sun warms up the earth, this causes the earth to heat up the wind. An area of low pressure develops, and cold air begins to rise. Then, wind comes in.
> It makes the water less dense by heating it up.
2. What happened as a result of this change?
> The swirls of red food coloring
3. A house has a glass "sun space" attached to its south side, which is just a small space all around the house, next to the outside wall, that holds air. Vents allow air to flow from the house into the sun space, and vice versa. Describe the direction air flow as the air in the sun space is warmed by the sun.
> The warm air goes up and the cold air fans out.
4. You may have noticed convection cells in a pot of boiling macaroni. Describe the direction of water flow in the pot. The hottest part of the burner is beneath the center of the pot.
> The water flows from the middle out.
5. Which situation would result in a decrease in atmospheric pressure at the earth's surface? Identify the correct answer.
> A - air gels hot and begins to rise.
6. Go back to the three diagrams you constructed in your lab. Label the spots in each diagram that became areas of lower pressure.
>
7. Above which area would the air become hotter in the afternoon? Identify the correct answer.
> A - a parking lot with lots of blacktop pavement.
8. Above which area would you find the lowest air pressure?
> A - the parking lot
9. Based on this arrangement, would you expect a breeze to blow toward the parking lot, or away from it? Why?
> It'll go toward the parking lot because the cold closes the gap while the heat travels up.
10. From your knowledge of onshore and offshore breezes, explain why the wind would blow in from the sea toward the land during the afternoon.
> The land is hot, the sea air is cold. The hot air from the land goes up while the air from the sea goes to the land.
11. A "monsoon effect" may happen in the summer as air over a continent becomes much warmer than air over the ocean. Fill in the blanks in the following statements:
11A) As air over the continent becomes hotter, it will begin to rise. (sink, rise)
11B) This causes lower pressure over the continent. (lower, higher)
11C) The flow of air will be toward the center of the continent. (away, toward)
12. Think globally now. Which region in our atmosphere is heated most intensely by the sun? Identify the correct answer.
> C - the equatorial region
13. As air nears the equator rises, does this become an area of higher or lower pressure?
> lower pressure
14. What moves in to replace the rising air?
> the winds
15. Number the following stages of atmospheric circulation (1-4) in the order in which they are most likely to occur.
> 1. C - uneven heating
2. D - area of low pressure develops
3. B - convection (air rises)
4. A - wind (movement of air)
16. If hotter air rises, why is air that is closer to the Earth's surface warmer than the air high above it?
> Conduction and the layers of the surface cause it to be warmer.
17. Wind is considered to be a form of " solar energy". Explain why.
> Since the sun warms up the earth, this causes the earth to heat up the wind. An area of low pressure develops, and cold air begins to rise. Then, wind comes in.