Student Exploration: Observing Weather
Prior 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 gath...
Prior 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
, 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 amount of moisture has 100% humidity. What is
the current humidity?
58
Record this value in the journal.
Page 2 of 9
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