GIZMOs - Observing Weather - Answer Key GUARANTEED A+ Guaranteed A+: Latest 2023:2024

Name: Date:

Student Exploration: Observing Weather (Customary)

Directions: Follow the instructions to go through the simulation. Respond to the questions and

prompts in the orange boxes.

Vocabulary: anemometer, atmosphere, aurora borealis, cumulonimbus cloud, equator, evaporate, fog,

humidity, hygrometer, latitude, precipitation, rain gauge, thermometer, temperature, thunderstorm, weather,

weather station

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?

I would talk about the temperature and precipitation .

2. What instruments can you use to gather information about weather?

Thermometer, Barometer , weather vane .

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 (Customary) 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 check that Customary units

are selected.

1. Click Play ( ) and observe for one day.

A. What types of weather do you see? cloudy , rain , snowing

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 Fahrenheit (°F). Water freezes at 32 °F and boils at

212 °F. If the temperature is below 0 °F, use a negative number, like –8 °F.

 What is the temperature at 11:59 PM? -1 celsius

Reproduction for educational use only. Public sharing or posting prohibited. © 2020 ExploreLearning™ All rights reserved This study source was downloaded by 100000841996541 from cnn.com on 05-09-2022 07:22:12 GMT -05:00

https://www.cnn.com/file/97113977/ObservingWeatherCSEdocx/

VERIFIE

Activity A:

Collecting

weather data

Get the Gizmo ready:

● Check that the selected location and date is New

York, January 1.

● With Observe weather selected, click Reset ( ).

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 °F.

What is the current temperature? 6 celsius

Record this value in the first row and of the Weather journal on the right

side of the Gizmo, under Temp. (°F).

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?

Record these values in the journal

The wind speed is 5km and the

direction is west.

 .

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 inches.

Is there any water in the rain gauge? 0 percipitation 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.

5. Record: Select the Pause simulation every three hours box. Click Play. At 3:00 AM, record the

temperature, wind speed, wind direction, precipitation, and humidity in the journal. Then click Play and

repeat for 6:00 AM. Copy your data into the table below.

Time Temp. (°F) Wind Spd. (mph) Wind Dir. Precip. (in) Hum. (%)

3:00 AM 41 F 6km N/W 0 50%

6:00 AM 35.6 F 11 km N/W 0 50%

Reproduction for educational use only. Public sharing or posting prohibited. © 2020 ExploreLearning™ All rights reserved This study source was downloaded by 100000841996541 from cnn.com on 05-09-2022 07:22:12 GMT -05:00

https://www.cnn.com/file/97113977/ObservingWeatherCSEdocx/

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