Ch 2

Question 1

What is temperature?

Answer 1

It tells us how hot or cold something is relative to some standard reference point

Question 2

Whats degrees Celsius?

Answer 2

In reference to water’s freezing point

Question 3

Kelvin?

Answer 3

An absolute scale

Question 4

Degrees Fahrenheit?

Answer 4

A scale of human experience

Question 5

Celsius equation?

Answer 5

5/9 (F-32)

Question 6

Kelvin equation?

Answer 6

C + 273

Question 7

What is temperature a measure of?

Answer 7

Kinetic energy

The average speed (average motion) of atoms and molecules, where higher temperatures correspond to faster speeds

Question 8

In what area would it be -20F?

Answer 8

Higher levitation, upper north

Question 9

What’s energy?

Answer 9

The ability or capacity to do work on matter

It changes forms and transfers from one body to another, but cannot be created nor destroyed

Question 10

Potential energy

Answer 10

When something has the potential to do the work (it is up in the air, it can be burned, etc.)

Question 11

Kinetic energy

Answer 11

The energy of motion (the wind, a car)

Question 12

Three ways for heat to be transferred

Answer 12

Conduction, convection, radiation

Question 13

What’s the best conductor?
What’s the worst conductor?

Answer 13

Best: silver- 427W
Worst: still air- .023W

Question 14

Conduction

Answer 14

Heat transfer from molecule to molecule within a substance

Question 15

Convection

Answer 15

Heat transfer by a fluid (such as water or air)

Question 16

What do we call vertical motions? How about horizontal motions?

Answer 16

Vertical- CONvection
Horizontal- ADvection

Question 17

Radiation

Answer 17

Heat transfer that does not require the substances touching or a fluid between them: energy from the sun

Question 18

How does radiation travel?

Answer 18

In the form of electromagnetic waves, which move at the speed of light in a vacuum (186,000 miles per second)

The shorter the wavelength, the more energy it carries!

Question 19

What are the types of “light”?

Answer 19

Gamma ray, x-ray, ultraviolet, infrared, microwave, radio

Question 20

What is basically earths surface?

Answer 20

A boiling pot of water

Question 21

What do these have to do with the weather?

Answer 21

Conduction: only important very near the ground

Convection: many clouds form as a result of convection, as warm, moist air rises

Radiation: energy from the sun warms the planet; causes daily changes in temperature, and much more

Question 22

Stefan- Boltzmann Law

Answer 22

The amount radiation emitted is proportional to the 4th power of T

Total radiation= temp x temp x temp x temp x constant

Question 23

Wien’s Law

Answer 23

Hotter objects emit most of their energy at shorter wavelengths

Wavelength max= 2897/ T

Question 24

Solar radiation name

Answer 24

Shortwave radiation

Question 25

Earth’s radiation name

Answer 25

Infrared or longwave radiation - not visible to our eyes, transfers much less energy

Question 26

If the Earth is radiating energy all the time, why is it not extremely cold and always getting colder?

Answer 26

The sun is emitting radiation, atmosphere has a certain amount of radiation that stores heat (energy)

Question 27

Kirchoff’s Law

Answer 27

Objects that are good absorbers are also generally good emitters Ex. Asphalt road During the day the asphalt absorbs solar radiation and warms At night the asphalt emits infrared radiation and cools relative to its surroundings

Question 28

Blackbody radiation

Answer 28

“What comes in, goes out” Objects that absorb all radiation hitting them and emit all possible radiation at their temperature Ex. The sun and earth’s surface NOT THE ATMOSPHERE BC OF GREENHOUSE AFFECT

Question 29

Radiative equilibrium

Answer 29

Averaged over a long period of time, the amount of shortwave energy received from the sun is equal to the amount of longwave energy emitted by the earth’s surface

Question 30

What are the percentages when most of the longwave radiation is absorbed by the atmosphere? ( the selective absorbers)

Answer 30

6% is transmitted out of space 94% is absorbed by the atmosphere (I.e., opaque)

Question 31

Greenhouse effect

Answer 31

The surface of the Earth is warmer than it would be in the absence of an atmosphere because it receives energy from two sources: the Sun and the atmosphere

Question 32

Atmosphere is mostly _________ to solar radiation

Answer 32

Transparent

Question 33

Latent heat

Answer 33

Heat energy is required to change the phase of water- this heat is “hidden” or “latent”- we can’t measure it with a thermometer

Question 34

Ice to liquid _____ Liquid to ice ____ Ice to vapor _____ Vapor to ice _____ Liquid to vapor ____ Vapor to liquid _____

Answer 34

Melting, freezing, sublimation, desposition, evaporation, condensation

Question 35

Moist convection

Answer 35

When warm, moist air rises and clouds form, latent heat is released (condensation)

Question 36

Wavelength equation

Answer 36

Wavelength = constant/ frequency

Question 37

If the sun is out for all 24 hours in Alaska, why isn’t it hotter here than in College Station where it’s only light for 14 hours?

Answer 37

The flashlight tilt, like dusk in Alaska Solar radiation peak: 11am-3pm

Question 38

Equinox

Answer 38

“Equal night” Day and night are the same length; sun is directly over the equator (March 20 & September 22)

Question 39

Solstice

Answer 39

“Sun stands still” Summer solstice: June 21- longest day of year in northern hemisphere Winter solstice: December 21- shortest day of the year in northern hemisphere

Question 40

Northern hemisphere

Answer 40

Aurora borealis

Question 41

Southern hemisphere

Answer 41

Aurora australis

Question 42

Aurora

Answer 42

Different elements give off different color light (oxygen is red or green, nitrogen is red or violet) Deemed “space weather”

Question 43

About 6000C

Answer 43

Photosphere

Question 44

Estimated to be 15 million degrees Celsius

Answer 44

The core

Question 45

Cooler, dark regions

Answer 45

Sunspots

Question 46

Much hotter (2million C)

Answer 46

Corona

Question 47

Cooler region between the photosphere and the corona

Answer 47

Chromosphere

Question 48

Jets of gas that shoot up into the corona

Answer 48

Solar flares and prominences

Question 49

Solar flares can ______ Earths magnetic field, causing problems with ______ and _______ communications

Answer 49

Disrupt, radio, satellite