Lesson 1 The Air Around You
The condition of Earth's atmosphere at a particular time and place.
weather
Elevation above sea level
altitude
The outer layer of the thermosphere
exosphere
Waves that can transfer electric and magnetic energy through the vacuum of space
electromagnetic waves
The transfer of thermal energy from one particle of matter to another through direct contact
conduction
An instrument used to measure wind speed
anemometer
atmosphere
An instrument used to measure air pressure without using a liquid
aneroid barometer
The lower part of the thermosphere
ionosphere
Gases in the atmosphere that trap energy
greenhouse effect
The transfer of thermal energy by the movement of fluid
convection
The effect of Earth's rotation on the direction of winds and current
Coriolis effect
Water in the form of gas
water vapor
The measurement of how much mass of a substance is contained in a given volume
density
The layer of Earth's atmosphere immediately above the stratosphere
mesosphere
Electromagnetic waves with wavelengths that are longer than visible light but shorter than microwaves
infrared radiation
The movement of a fluid, caused by differences in temperature, that transfers heat from one part of the fluid to another
convection current
Winds that blow steadily from specific directions over long distances
global winds
The most abundant gas in the atmosphere
nitrogen
An instrument that measures changes in air pressure, consisting of a glass tube partially filled with mercury, with its open end resting in a dish of mercury
mercury barometer
The second-lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere
stratosphere
The transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves
radiation
The transfer of thermal energy from a warmer object to a cooler object
heat
The flow of air from land to a body of water
land breeze
When fuels like coal and gasoline are burned, it releases what into the atmosphere
carbon dioxide
The pressure caused by the weight of a column of pushing down on an area
air pressure
The outermost layer of Earth's atmosphere
Thermosphere
Reflection of light on all directions
scattering
How hot or cold something is; a measure of the average energy of motion of the particles of a substance; the measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles of a substance
temperature
The distance in degrees north or south of the equator
latitude
The second most abundant gas in the atmosphere
oxygen
An instrument used to measure changes in air pressure
barometer
The lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere
troposphere
Electromagnetic waves with wavelengths that are shorter than visible light but longer than X-rays
The total kinetic and potential energy of all the particles of an object
thermal energy
Winds that blow over short distances
local winds
The four most common gases in the atmosphere
nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide and argon
What are some properties of air?
density, pressure and mass
The layer of the atmosphere where Earth's weather occurs
troposphere
The kind of radiation that causes sunburns
ultraviolet radiation
An instrument used to measure temperature
thermometer
The flow of cooler air from over an ocean or lake toward land
sea breeze
These form when water vapor condenses out of the air to form tiny droplets of liquid or crystals of ice
clouds
Units that are used to measure air pressure
inches of mercury and millibars
The layer of the atmosphere that contains the ozone layer
stratosphere
about 50%
The two scales used to measure temperature
Celsius and Fahrenheit
The horizontal movement of air from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
wind
Air contains tiny solid and liquid particles of what?
dust, smoke, salt, and chemicals
How does air pressure change as altitude increases
as altitude increases, air pressure decreases
The layer of the atmosphere that protects Earth's surface from being hit by most meteoroids
mesosphere
The amount of incoming sunlight that is reflected by clouds, dust and gases in the atmosphere
25%
Liquids that are used in some thermometers
mercury and alcohol
A measure of cooling combining temperature and wind speed
wind-chill factor