Almost Accurate Weather

Name: ______

Lab Book

Table of Contents

Topic / Page Number
Fahrenheit and Celsius Conversions / 3
Heat Index and Wind Chill / 4 - 5
Mean Means Average / 6 - 7
Boiling and Freezing Points / 8 - 9
Isotherm Maps / 10
Dew Point Activity / 11 – 12
The Magic Can / 13 – 14
How Does Wind Move? / 15 – 16
Hurricane Tracking / 17 – 18
Create a Tornado / 19 – 20
Weather Station Model Activity / 21 - 22

Fahrenheit and Celsius Conversions

In the United States, temperature is measured in degrees Fahrenheit (F). Most other countries measure temperature in degrees Celsius (C). Use this temperature calculator to fill out the chart below.

Celsius / Farenheit
32
100
80
20



Can you make up a formula that helps you convert between Fahrenheit and Celsius? Write your formula here ______

Heat Index and Wind Chill

Sometimes it feels warmer than the temperature indicated on a thermometer. We then use the ‘Real Feel’ temperature.

For example, assume that the relative humidity is 65 and the temperature is 100. What temperature would you actually feel as you played outside during recess?

To answer this question, perform the following steps.

1. On the Heat Index Chart, locate 100 degrees Fahrenheit on the top row. Follow the column down that starts at 100 Degrees Fahrenheit until it intersects the 65-degree Relative Humidity line.

2. Draw a dashed horizontal line from the 65-degree line out to the right until you cross your other dashed line and stop. Read the temperature where your lines intersect each other.

3. Write that temperature here: ______That means is really feels like it is _____ outside!

Sometimes it feels colder than the temperature indicated on a thermometer. We then use the ‘Real Feel’ temperature.

For example, assume that the air temperature is 20 Degrees Fahrenheit, and the wind speed is ten mph. You are walking to school. What temperature would you actually feel?

To answer this question, perform the following steps.

1. On the Wind Chill Chart, locate 20 Degrees Fahrenheit on the top row. Follow the column down under the 20 Degrees Fahrenheit until it intersects the 10 mph wind speed line.

2. Find the 10 mph wind speed on the first column. Draw a horizontal line from the 10 mph mark across your paper until you intersect with your other line.

3. Read the temperature where your lines intersect. This is the wind chill equivalent temperature. The wind chill is: ______. That means it feels like it is _____ degrees outside.

Mean Means Average

Meteorology Vocabulary:

Range: put the temperatures in order from lowest to highest; the range will be the lowest temperature to the highest temperature (39 - 50)

Mean: (average) add up all the temperature readings; divide the total by the number of days

Kelly and Donna each live in a different city. Each Wednesday for nine weeks, they recorded the high temperature. The data below is the high temperature, in Fahrenheit, that they recorded.

Donna's Data: 48, 43, 44, 46, 50, 46, 45, 39, 43, and 43.

Kelly's Data: 75, 77, 71, 89, 76, 76, 73, 66, 61, and 60.

1. What is the range of temperatures in Donna's data? / 2. What is the range of temperatures in Kelly's data?
3. What is the mean temperature in Donna's city? / 4. What is the mean temperature in Kelly's city?
5. What is a good prediction for the high temperature in Donna's city for next week? Why? / 6. What is a good prediction for the high temperature in Kelly's city for next week? Why?

Great job on your calculations! Now go online and answer the following questions using data from one of the following weather sites.

Accuweather / Weather channel / Intellicast / National weather service

7. What is the predicted high/low temperature in State College today? ______

8. What is the predicted high/low temperature in Philadelphia today? ______

9. What is the predicted high/low temperature in Pittsburgh today? ______

10. State College, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh are all places in the same state. Why would they have different forecasted temperatures?

Does a Watched Pot Ever Boil?

At what temperature does water boil? At what temperature does water freeze? How can you find out?

Objective: To find out at what temperature water freezes and boils.

Hypothesis: I think that fresh water will freeze at _____ degrees Fahrenheit (_____ degrees Celsius) and will boil at ____ degrees Fahrenheit (____ degrees Celsius). I think that salt water will freeze at _____ degrees Fahrenheit (_____ degrees Celsius) and will boil at _____ degrees Fahrenheit (______degrees Celsius).

Materials: water, hot plate, kettle, thermometer, freezer, and container

Observations:

Fresh Water Data

Trial # / Freezing Point (degrees F) / Boiling Point (degrees F)
Trial 1
Trial 2
Trial 3
Trial 4
Average of all trials

Observations:

Salt Water Data

Trial # / Freezing Point / Boiling Point
Trial 1
Trial 2
Average

Fresh Water Conclusions:

We found that water freezes at _____ degrees Fahrenheit and boils at _____degrees Fahrenheit. This converts to a freezing point of _____ degrees Celsius and a boiling point of _____ degrees Celsius.

Salt Water Conclusions:

We found that salt water freezes at _____ degrees Fahrenheit and boils at _____degrees Fahrenheit. This converts to a freezing point of _____ degrees Celsius and a boiling point of _____ degrees Celsius.

Isotherm Map Activity

Draw the isotherms (in 10 degree increments) and color the isotherm zones, for example 80's brown, 70's red, 60's orange etc.

DEW POINT ACTIVITY

Measure the dew point yourself by following these steps:

Materials:

A thin metal cup (plastic will do in a pinch... DON'T USE STYROFOAM)

A good thermometer

Ice water

A large dropper

Procedure:

Put a couple of inches of warm (80 F) water in a cup.
Measure the temperature of the water.
Now add a few droppers of cold water and stir while measuring the temperature of the water.
Keep adding a small amount of cold water to the metal cup until you see a thin film of water (water vapor) form on the outside of the cup.
Make a note of the temperature of the water as soon as you see the water vapor form on the outside of the cup. The temperature you measured is the DEW POINT!

Observations:

Record your observations below.

Trial / Temperature
Starting Point
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

Draw a picture of what your cup looked like when you measured the dew point.

Here’s an example of what you could have observed

As I added colder water to the warm water in the cup, the temperature of the water in the cup kept dropping. The sides of the cup got colder as the water inside got colder. The cup also chilled the air right next to it! The air just next to the cup was cooled as well and water began to fall out of the air and stick to the cup!

Conclusion:

Record your dew point: ______

Go to a weather website and record the actual dew point: ______

Explain why the dew point measurements were the same or different.

The Magic Can: A Demonstration of Air Pressure

Materials:

Small coffee can

Coffee can lid

Water

Hypothesis:

Tell what you think will happen to the water in the can when you punch holes in the side/bottom of the can.

Procedure:

Take the coffee can and punch 3 small holes in the bottom. Also punch one hold in the plastic lid.
Now fill the coffee about 1/2 full of water and put the lid on.
Place your hand over the hole and press down on the lid. Notice how the water streams out of the holes on the bottom due to the pressure you are exerting on the lid.
Now slowly stop applying pressure to the lid. Notice how the stream of water stops. You can stop and start the flow of water simply by removing you finger from the hole.

Observations:

Draw a picture of what happened to the water when you pressed down on the lid.

Draw a picture of what happened to the water when you removed the pressure.

Conclusions:

Why did pressing on the lid make water pour out of the holes?

When you stopped pressing on the lid, but kept your finger over the hole, what happened to the air pressure inside and outside of the can?

How Does Wind Move?

Materials:

Aquarium

Clamp lamp

100-watt light bulb

Ice

Punk

Matches

Plastic wrap

Procedure:

1. Insert 100-watt bulb into clamp lamp socket. Set up the clamp lamp so that it shines down on one end of the aquarium.

2. Place the bowl of ice at the other end of the aquarium and cover aquarium with plastic wrap.

3. Make a small amount of smoke by lighting the end of a punk. Let it burn for a few moments and then blow it out.

4. Puncture a hole in the plastic wrap with the lit punk near the bowl of ice.

Observations:

Describe what happens to the smoke.

Draw a picture of what you observed.

Conclusion:

Have you observed how wind is formed? Explain your answer.

Here’s a sample response:

The atmosphere is composed of air, which, in turn, is made up of tiny particles of different gases like nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen. The Sun shines on our atmosphere all of the time. But, it heats the surface of the Earth unevenly, so that in some places it is warm while in other places it is cold. As air gets warmer, its particles spread out. This makes the air lighter, or less dense, so it rises. As air cools, it becomes heavier, or denser, and sinks. As warm air rises, air from cooler areas flows in to take the place of the heated air. This process is called convection and causes air to move. The differential heating of the Earth's surface and the resulting convection is what causes wind on this planet. Wind circles the Earth and plays an important role in determining weather conditions. (Hmmm, I wonder who wrote this?!)

Hurricane Tracking Activity

It’s easy to track a hurricane if you understand latitude and longitude. For example, if you see a hurricane's position is labeled 33.0N 64.5W, find the latitude line for 33 degrees, and the longitude line for 64.5 degrees, and place a mark on the map. That puts the storm directly over the island of Bermuda.

Plot the locations of one of these hurricanes on the map located on the next page.

Hurricane Andrew(16-28 AUG 1992)

11 N by 45 W

25 N by 70 W

28 N by 88 W

30 N by 90 W

35 N by 85 W

Hurricane Hugo (10-25 SEP 1989)

18 N by 32 N

18 N by 65 W

32 N by 82 W

38 N by 82 W

50 N by 65 W

If you want to see the actual tracking of these hurricanes, go to: Classic Hurricanes @

If you’d like to monitor current tropical storms, go to:

National Hurricane Center: Tropical Prediction Center (

Create a Tornado

Materials:

2, 2-liter plastic bottles

Water

2 teaspoons liquid dish detergent

2 teaspoons of white vinegar

2 drops of blue or green food coloring

Duct tape

Scissors

Pencil

Ruler

Paper towels

Procedure:

1. Fill one of the bottles with water until it is half full. Add the food coloring, detergent, and vinegar.

2. Cut a piece of duct tape that is 5 centimeters long and cover the mouth of the bottle that contains the water.

3. With the pencil, make a hole in the centre of the duct tape. Make sure that the hole is a little bigger than the pencil.

4. Take the second bottle and turn it upside down on top of the bottle containing the water, so that the mouths of the bottles line up. Wipe up any moisture from the necks of the 2 bottles.

5. Cut more duct tape and wrap it around the necks of the bottles so they are firmly attached.

6. Hold the 2 bottles by the neck: invert them so that the bottle containing the water is on top, and immediately start spinning them in circles.

7. Put the bottles on the table, with the empty one on the bottom.

Observations:

Describe what happened.

Draw a diagram of what happened.

Conclusion:

What have you learned about tornadoes?

Weather Station Model Activity

Use the key located on the next page to help you to decode these station models.