GEG 111 EXAM 2 HARPER COLLEGE LATEST 2023-2024 ACTUAL EXAM 120 QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
DETAILED ANSWERS
Properties of water - (answer) • Exists as a liquid at most places on Earth's surface
• Expands when it freezes; which is important in the weathering of rock
• Hydrogen bonding creates surface tension, a "skin" of molecules giving water a stickiness
quality - surface tension
• Capillarity; water can "climb" up narrow openings. This is important to the movement of
groundwater.
• Good solvent; water dissolves most substances
• High specific heat; it takes a relatively high amount of energy to raise the temperature of
water.
Phase Changes and Heat Exchange - (answer) Water absorbs or releases energy as it changes from one
state to another.
• IMPORTANT: The heat exchanged between physical states of water provides more than
30% of the energy that powers the general circulation of the atmosphere.
Latent Heat - (answer) The heat energy absorbed or released during a phase change.
Three phases of water - (answer) 1) Ice: solid phase
2)Water: liquid phase
3)Water Vapor: gas phase
Ice, the solid phase - (answer) • Upon freezing water expands in volume and density (Note: maximum
density occurs
while water is still in a liquid phase, at 4°C (39°F)
• The decrease in density manifests itself in the buoyancy of ice in water
• The increase in volume can damage infrastructure e.g. roads, pipes and plays an
important role in the weathering (breakdown) of rocks
Water, the liquid phase - (answer) Non-compressible fluid that assumes the shape of its container
, GEG 111 EXAM 2 HARPER COLLEGE LATEST 2023-2024 ACTUAL EXAM 120 QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
DETAILED ANSWERS
• The phase change from ice absorbs heat energy
• A good solvent
Water vapor, the gas phase - (answer) • Invisible and compressible gas
• We see water vapor in the atmosphere after condensation has occurred in the form
of clouds, fog, and steam
• Water vapor is a greenhouse gas
Humidity - (answer) Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air
• The water holding capacity of air is influenced by temperature of the air and water vapor
• Humidity and air temperature determine our sense of comfort
Relative humidity - (answer) A measure of how close the air is to saturation (% saturation) at a given
temperature or the ratio of the amount of water vapor is in the air compared to the maximum amount
of water vapor that the air can hold at a given temperature
• Because there is a maximum amount of water vapor that can exist in a volume of air at a
given temperature, the rates of evaporation and condensation can reach equilibrium at
some point.
Saturation and Dew point - (answer) • Saturation = 100% humidity
• Dew-point temperature: temperature at which a given sample of air becomes saturated with water
vapor and net condensation begins.
Dry Adiabatic Rate (DAR) - (answer) rate at which "dry" air (i.e. unsaturated air) cools by expansion as
it rises or warms by compression as it falls. The average DAR is 10 C°/1000 m (5.5
F°/1000 ft.)
Moist Adiabatic Rate (MAR) - (answer) rate at which saturated air cools by expansion as it rises or
warms by compression as it falls. The average DAR is 6 C°/1000 m (3.3 F°/1000 ft.)
• MAR is lower than DAR because of the latent heat of condensation (cooling) and the
DETAILED ANSWERS
Properties of water - (answer) • Exists as a liquid at most places on Earth's surface
• Expands when it freezes; which is important in the weathering of rock
• Hydrogen bonding creates surface tension, a "skin" of molecules giving water a stickiness
quality - surface tension
• Capillarity; water can "climb" up narrow openings. This is important to the movement of
groundwater.
• Good solvent; water dissolves most substances
• High specific heat; it takes a relatively high amount of energy to raise the temperature of
water.
Phase Changes and Heat Exchange - (answer) Water absorbs or releases energy as it changes from one
state to another.
• IMPORTANT: The heat exchanged between physical states of water provides more than
30% of the energy that powers the general circulation of the atmosphere.
Latent Heat - (answer) The heat energy absorbed or released during a phase change.
Three phases of water - (answer) 1) Ice: solid phase
2)Water: liquid phase
3)Water Vapor: gas phase
Ice, the solid phase - (answer) • Upon freezing water expands in volume and density (Note: maximum
density occurs
while water is still in a liquid phase, at 4°C (39°F)
• The decrease in density manifests itself in the buoyancy of ice in water
• The increase in volume can damage infrastructure e.g. roads, pipes and plays an
important role in the weathering (breakdown) of rocks
Water, the liquid phase - (answer) Non-compressible fluid that assumes the shape of its container
, GEG 111 EXAM 2 HARPER COLLEGE LATEST 2023-2024 ACTUAL EXAM 120 QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
DETAILED ANSWERS
• The phase change from ice absorbs heat energy
• A good solvent
Water vapor, the gas phase - (answer) • Invisible and compressible gas
• We see water vapor in the atmosphere after condensation has occurred in the form
of clouds, fog, and steam
• Water vapor is a greenhouse gas
Humidity - (answer) Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air
• The water holding capacity of air is influenced by temperature of the air and water vapor
• Humidity and air temperature determine our sense of comfort
Relative humidity - (answer) A measure of how close the air is to saturation (% saturation) at a given
temperature or the ratio of the amount of water vapor is in the air compared to the maximum amount
of water vapor that the air can hold at a given temperature
• Because there is a maximum amount of water vapor that can exist in a volume of air at a
given temperature, the rates of evaporation and condensation can reach equilibrium at
some point.
Saturation and Dew point - (answer) • Saturation = 100% humidity
• Dew-point temperature: temperature at which a given sample of air becomes saturated with water
vapor and net condensation begins.
Dry Adiabatic Rate (DAR) - (answer) rate at which "dry" air (i.e. unsaturated air) cools by expansion as
it rises or warms by compression as it falls. The average DAR is 10 C°/1000 m (5.5
F°/1000 ft.)
Moist Adiabatic Rate (MAR) - (answer) rate at which saturated air cools by expansion as it rises or
warms by compression as it falls. The average DAR is 6 C°/1000 m (3.3 F°/1000 ft.)
• MAR is lower than DAR because of the latent heat of condensation (cooling) and the
