Laboratory Title: Wind and Air Pressure

Name: Yolanda Flores

Concepts Addressed: predicting weather, wind and air pressure

Lab Goals: To help students to:

  • Conceptualize the effects of wind and air pressure on weather
  • The importance of air to earth and humans.
  • Design and collect data on the weight of air.
  • Build weather instruments, collect data and draw conclusions about air pressure and weather conditions

Lab Objectives: Students will:

  • Experience air pressure in their bodies
  • Draw conclusions about how air presses down on us
  • Design a machine to test how much air weighs
  • Blow a balloon to find out if air has weight compared to a balloon with no air
  • Make a barometer to record wind pressure
  • Record the data of air pressure and daily weather
  • Determine if there is any correlation between air pressure and the daily weather

Benchmark(s) Addressed:

Grade 3

3.1 Structure and Function: Living and non-living things vary in their characteristics and properties.

3.1P.1 Compare and contrast the properties of states of matter.

3.2 Interaction and Change: Living and non-living things interact with energy and forces.

3.2E.1 Identify Earth as a planet and describe its seasonal weather patterns of precipitation and temperature.

3.3 Scientific Inquiry: Scientific inquiry is a process used to explore the natural world using evidence from observations and investigations.

3.3S.1 Plan a simple investigation based on a testable question, match measuring tools to their uses, and collect and record data from a scientific investigation.

3.3S.2 Use the data collected from a scientific investigation to explain the results and draw conclusions.

3.3S.3 Explain why when a scientific investigation is repeated, similar results are expected.

3.4 Engineering Design: Engineering design is a process that uses science to solve problems or address needs or aspirations.

3.4D.1Identify a problem that can be addressed through engineering design, propose a potential solution, and design a prototype.

Grade 4

4.1 Structure and Function: Living and non-living things can be classified by their characteristics and properties.

4.1P.1Describe the properties of forms of energy and how objects vary in the extent to which they absorb, reflect, and conduct energy.

4.2 Interaction and Change: Living and non-living things undergo changes that involve force and energy.

4.2E.1Compare and contrast the changes in the surface of Earth that are due to slow and rapid processes.

4.3 Scientific Inquiry: Scientific inquiry is a process of investigation through questioning, collecting, describing, and examining evidence to explain natural phenomena and artifacts.

4.3S.1Based on observations identify testable questions, design a scientific investigation, and collect and record data consistent with a planned scientific investigation.

4.3S.2Summarize the results from a scientific investigation and use the results to respond to the question being tested.

4.3S.3Explain that scientific claims about the natural world use evidence that can be confirmed and support a logical argument.

4.4 Engineering Design: Engineering design is a process of using science principles to solve problems generated by needs and aspirations.

4.4D.1Identify a problem that can be addressed through engineering design using science principles.

4.4D.2Design, construct, and test a prototype of a possible solution to a problem using appropriate tools, materials, and resources.

4.4D.3Explain how the solution to one problem may create other problems.

Grade 5

5.2 Interaction and Change: Force, energy, matter, and organisms interact within living and non-living systems.

5.2E.1Explain how the energy from the sun affects Earth’s weather and climate.

5.3 Scientific Inquiry: Scientific inquiry is a process of investigation based on science principles and questioning, collecting, describing, and examining evidence to explain natural phenomena and artifacts.

5.3S.1Based on observations and science principles, identify questions that can be tested, design an experiment or investigation, and identify appropriate tools. Collect and record multiple observations while conducting investigations or experiments to test a scientific question or hypothesis.

5.3S.2Identify patterns in data that support a reasonable explanation for the results of an investigation or experiment and communicate findings using graphs, charts, maps, models, and oral and written reports.

5.3S.3Explain the reasons why similar investigations may have different results.

5.4 Engineering Design: Engineering design is a process of using science principles to make modifications in the world to meet human needs and aspirations.

5.4D.1Using science principles describe a solution to a need or problem given criteria and constraints.

5.4D.2Design and build a prototype of a proposed engineering solution and identify factors such as cost, safety, appearance, environmental impact, and what will happen if the solution fails.

5.4D.3Explain that inventions may lead to other inventions and once an invention exists, people may think of novel ways of using it.

Materials and Costs:

List the equipment and non-consumable material and estimated cost of each

Item $

PowerPoint Slide Program on Air Pressure (found with this lesson plan) -0-

Computer and projector (school to provide) -0-
Metric Rulers (30 x $1.29) $38.70

Estimated One Time Total Cost $38.70

List the consumable supplies and estimated cost for presenting to a class of 30 students

30 color index cards at Fred Meyer $2.40

90 medium size balloons 3.20

30 barometer rules(cardboard paper) 3.00

Star stickers 1.99

30 (12inch long) pieces of string 1.00

Some scotch or masking tape 1.20

pencils (classroom supply) 0.00

medium size rubber bands 1.60

30 plastic drinking straws 0.90

30 wooden skewers 2.40

30 deli tooth picks 1.80

Estimated total cost of consumable supplies: $22.00

Time:

Preparation time: 1-2 hrs

Instruction time: 2-3 class periods (1-2 hrs), and daily recording of weather and barometer reading for a specific period of time

Clean-up time: 5-10 minutes

Assessment (include all assessment materials):

  • A quiz can be developed according to the grade level and needs of the students.
  • A short verbal set of questions can be used to find out if students understood the concepts.
  • Teacher’s observations during and after the lesson.
  • Wind and Air Pressure_Presentation NOTES Lesson Plan
  • Welcome to 3rd Grade Class.
  • (Be sure to have the PowerPoint downloaded, a computer and projector to show the slide show)
  • Today we are going to start our lesson by writing in these cool cards
  • (Hand out cards)
  • First, put your name on the cards then answer the question (you have 2-3 minutes)
  • SLIDE #1
  • What can you tell me about air and wind pressure?
  • Pick two or three students to share
  • Now put your card aside, and place your hands on your ribs, stomach
  • Take a deep breath; concentrate on where that air you’re inhaling is going.
  • Everyone inhale deeply.
  • Let’s do it one more time
  • What is happening? Did you notice your chest and belly expand, getting big?

Your chest expands because, like blowing up a balloon, you are increasing the number of air molecules inside your lungs. This causes your lungs to expand in order to provide space for the increased number of air molecules.

  • Does air weight ?
  • Pick two or three students to share
  • The air is all around us. This air is composed of atoms and molecules. Despite their small size, the quantity of atoms and molecules put weight on us known as pressure. Since our bodies are designed to live in this environment, we do not notice the pressure.
  • The air around us has weight. The air’s pressure is caused by the weight of the air pressing down on earth. Meteorologists don’t measure the total weight of the air. They measure the way that air weight is spread out (distributed) above ground.
  • Wind influences the weather!
  • When air pressure is low, air is rising into the sky.
  • Water vapor in the air turns to liquid and clouds form.
  • As more air rises, the pressure gets lower and lower. And the clouds get bigger and darker.
  • When air pressure is high, air is sinking toward earth. The skies stay mostly clear.
  • A few puffy clouds may appear, but it won’t usually rain.
  • The air is dry and sunny when the air pressure is high.
  • What is air pressure?
  • It might seem funny for you to think
    The air we breathe can rise and sink
    It might be really heavy, it may be light,
    But molecules of air have weight all right.

Source: What Will the Weather Be? By Linda DeWitt; All Kids Are Scientists Weather Curriculum.

  • Does air weight anything?
  • Pick two or three students to share
  • Now let’s try it with a balloon
  • Hand out balloons, skewers and tape

When a balloon is blown up, the air pressure inside the balloon slowly becomes greater than the air pressure outside the balloon. Since the balloon is made of rubber and is expandable, it grows larger and larger. But what happens when you take the air out? The balloon flattens. It collapses from the weight of outside air.

How much does air weigh?
It might not seem like it, but air has weight. In fact, anything that has mass, also has weight. The fact that you can feel the wind blow against you means air has mass. At sea level, the total weight of the atmosphere exerts a pressure of about 14.7 pounds per square inch. You don't notice this weight, however, because you are used to it. If you live in Denver, Colorado, which is at an elevation of about 5,000 feet, then about 15% of the mass of the atmosphere is below you, resulting in an air pressure of about 12.5 pounds per square inch. At the top of Mount Everest (over 29,000 feet), 70% of the atmosphere lies below, leaving an air pressure of only 4.4 pounds per square inch.
Interesting facts:
THATS HEAVY: The atmosphere of Venus is about 90 times heavier than that on Earth.
Resource:

Activity #1 - Let’s find out if air has weight

What we need:

  • 1 wooden skewer
  • 2 balloons
  • 2 feet length of kite string
  • 1 pencil
  • Some masking tape

Procedure:

  • How can we find out if air has weight using these supplies?
  • Allow students to spend time with the supplies
  • Call class back together and ask for ideas
  • Be sure that students have thought about:
  • Test the balance by using both balloons on either end of the skewer without blowing up either balloon.
  • Mark where the string is located
  • Blow up one balloon, hang it on one end and the empty balloon on the other end.
  • But before they build their scale…
  • Let’s make an observation. Blow up one of your balloons.
  • What is filling up the inside of the balloon as you blow it up?
  • Does the balloon weight the same as it did before?
  • Let the air out of the balloon
  • We are going to make a balance to find out if a balloon is heavier with or without air in it.
  • Tie the kite string to the middle of the wooden skewer.
  • How can we find the balance point (fulcrum) of the skewer?
  • Tape an empty balloon to each end of the skewer (use masking or scotch tape)
  • Hold the string up by the end not tied to the skewer.
  • What happens?(most student’s skewers will tilt to one side or the other)
  • Why? (it is not balanced)
  • How can we balance it?
  • Adjust the string on the skewer until it balances.
  • (When balanced, the skewer will hang perpendicular to the floor.)
  • With a pencil, mark the spot where the string rests on the skewer.
  • This point of balance is called the fulcrum.
  • What will happen if we add more weight to one end of our balance?
  • (it will tilt) *
  • Let’s try
  • Remove one balloon from the skewer, blow it up, and tie it.
  • Re-tape the blown up balloon to the skewer.
  • Reposition the string so it sits on the pencil mark made at the fulcrum.
  • Hold up the string by its end.
  • What happens? (the balance will tilt one way or the other)
  • Why? (because the air blown into the balloon has weight)
  • Can we balance the skewer again? *
  • Try it!
  • Is the position of the string the same or different than when neither balloon had air?
  • What does this prove? Why do we care if the air has weight? (because the weight or pressure of the air has an effect on the weather)

Sources for Diagram of Balloon Balance:

Activity 2: Measuring Air Pressure

What we need:

  • One 10oz plastic cup
  • One balloon
  • One straw
  • One deli tooth pick
  • A piece of scotch tape
  • One medium rubber band
  • Scissors
  • Masking tape
  • One piece of card stock paper (any color)
  • Metric ruler

Procedure:

  • Have you ever heard of a barometer?
  • What does a barometer measure?(air pressure)

Air pressure provides clues about what the weather will be like. When air pressure is high, it usually means that the weather will be sunny. Then the pressure is low, water in the air turns to tiny liquid droplets, and the weather will be cloudy.

  • Make your barometer
  • Cut the neck-end off the balloon
  • Carefully stretch the balloon over the rim of the cup and fit it to create a taut drum-like top
  • Wrap a rubber band around the cup’s rim to secure the balloon to the cup
  • Cut the straw in half and with the piece of scotch tape
  • Tape the straw in the middle of the balloon surface, note that half the straw should be sticking out from the edge of the cup.
  • Slide the cellophane end of the toothpick into the open end of the straw (to make a pointer)
  • Fold the card stock paper in half (to create a tent) to make the barometer ruler
  • Mark every 2 millimeters (5 marks in 1 centimeter) on your barometer ruler
  • Tape the barometer ruler to the back of the cup so the toothpick can point to the lines on the ruler.
  • Mark on the Barometer Ruler where the pointer points to on the ruler
  • Go outside and record the temperature (cold, cool, warm or hot) and if precipitation (clear, cloudy, drizzling, or raining) on your Barometer Ruler
  • What does the mark tell us?( the current air pressure )
  • What will happen if the mark goes up?
  • ( higher air pressure, means sunnier days )
  • What will happen if the mark goes down?
  • (lower air pressure, means cloudier days )

Although your barometers won’t usually make dramatic changes, you can take them home and check it for several days to see if it helps you decide what the weather will be like outside.

  • Record how many millimeters higher or lower your barometer is every day for 5 days.
  • Go outside and record the temperature and precipitation.
  • Keep these records for at least 2 weeks.
  • After you have completed recording your data, can you see any trends? For example, does your barometer go up if it is warmer or colder? Clear and dry or raining?
  • Can you draw any conclusions?

NOTE: it may be worth having a journal where we can record the air pressure for 10 days at the same time and at the same time make some weather observations.

Resource: All Kids Are Scientists Weather Lesson Plan Program taught by Oregon Health Career Ctr.

Activity #3

Origin of Wind

Wind is simply the air in motion. Usually when we are talking about the wind it is the horizontal motion we are concerned about. If you hear a forecast of west winds of 10 to 20 mph that means the horizontal winds will be 10 to 20 mph FROM the west.

Although we cannot actually see the air moving we can measure its motion by the force that it applies on objects. For example, on a windy day leaves rustling or trees swaying indicate that the wind is blowing. Officially, a wind vane measures the wind direction and an anemometer measures the wind speed.

The vertical component of the wind is typically very small (except in thunderstorm updrafts) compared to the horizontal component, but is very important for determining the day to day weather. Rising air will cool, often to saturation, and can lead to clouds and precipitation. Sinking air warms causing evaporation of clouds and thus fair weather.

You have probably seen a surface map marked with H's and L's which indicate high and low pressure centers. Surrounding these "highs" and "lows" are lines called isobars. "Iso" means "equal" and a "bar" is a unit of pressure so an isobar means equal pressure. We connect these areas of equal pressure with a line. Everywhere along each line is constant pressure. The closer the isobars are packed together the stronger the pressure gradient is.

Pressure gradient is the difference in pressure between high and low pressure areas. Wind speed is directly proportional to the pressure gradient. This means the strongest winds are in the areas where the pressure gradient is the greatest.

Also, notice that the wind direction (yellow arrows) is clockwise around the high pressure system and counter-clockwise around the low pressure system. In addition, the direction of the wind is across the isobars slightly, away from the center of the high pressure system and toward the center of the low pressure system. Why does this happen? To understand we need to examine the forces that govern the wind.

There are three forces that cause the wind to move as it does. All three forces work together at the same time.

The pressure gradient force (Pgf) is a force that tries to equalize pressure differences. This is the force that causes high pressure to push air toward low pressure. Thus air would flow from high to low pressure if the pressure gradient force was the only force acting on it.