GIZMO Student Exploration_ Observing Weather (Metric) - ANSWER KEY

GIZMO Student Exploration_ ObsPrior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.) 1. If you were describing the weather to someone, what kinds of things would you talk about? The temperature, what season it is, humidity, & precipitation 2. What instruments can you use to gather information about weather? Thermometer, weather radar, & barometer. Gizmo Warm-up Earth is surrounded by a blanket of air called the atmosphere. The weather is the state of the atmosphere at a given time and place. In the Observing Weather (Metric) Gizmo™, you will record and compare weather conditions in several locations. To begin, check that New York is selected on the world map. Check that the date is January 1. Click Observe weather and select Metric units. 1. Click Play ( ) and observe for one day. A. What types of weather do you see? Rain & snow B. Based on the weather, do you think the day was hot or cold? Cold 2. Click the thermometer ( ) to measure the temperature, or how hot or cold it is. Temperature is measured in degrees Celsius (°C). Water freezes at 0 °C and boils at 100 °C. If the temperature is below 0 °C, use a negative number, like –8 °C. What is the temperature at 11:59 PM? -1 degrees Page 1 of 9 A+ Student Exploration: Observing Weather Question: How do we measure weather conditions? 1. Measure: The time should be 12:00 AM, or midnight. Notice the weather station, shown at right. Select the thermometer. Each line on the thermometer represents 2 °C. What is the current temperature? 5 degrees Record this value in the first row and of the Weather journal on the right side of the Gizmo, under Temp. (°C). 2. Measure: Select the anemometer, an instrument used to measure the wind speed and direction. Wind direction is the direction the wind is blowing from. For example, a “north” wind is moving from north to south. What are the wind speed and direction? 5 km/h W Record these values in the journal. 3. Measure: Select the rain gauge. The rain gauge collects any precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, or hail) that falls from the sky. Precipitation is measured in millimeters. Is there any water in the rain gauge? 0 If not, record “0” in the journal 4. Measure: Select the round hygrometer. The hygrometer measures humidity, or how much water is in the air. Humidity is measured as a percentage. Perfectly dry air has 0% humidity, while air with a maximum aerving Weather (Metric) - ANSWER KEY