Evaporation & Condensation
What is the process called when water changes from a liquid to a gas?
Evaporation.
What are the three main states of matter we usually observe with water?
Solid, liquid, gas
What do we call water that falls from clouds as liquid drops?
Rain
What kind of severe weather includes very strong rotating winds and forms from severe thunderstorms?
Tornado
What is used to measure millimeters and centimeters?
Ruler, meter stick
Name the process when water vapor cools and becomes liquid water droplets.
Condensation
What is the name of the change from solid to liquid?
Melting
What type of precipitation is frozen raindrops that become larger as they fall and melt before reaching the ground?
Freezing rain (if it melts and reaches ground as liquid, it’s rain; if refreezes near surface as ice on surfaces it’s freezing rain)
Name two safety actions you should take during a thunderstorm with lightning.
Stay indoors, avoid tall isolated objects, unplug electronics, stay away from windows, and seek a sturdy interior room or basement. (Any two appropriate actions.)
What is used to measure liquid volume?
Graduated cylinder
Where does most evaporation from Earth’s surface occur? (Think large bodies of water.)
Explain which state change requires energy (absorbs heat) and which releases energy (gives off heat) for: melting, freezing, evaporation, condensation.
Melting and evaporation absorb energy. Freezing and condensation release energy.
What is sleet and how is it different from hail?
Sleet is frozen raindrops (ice pellets) that form when raindrops refreeze before hitting the ground. Hail is layered balls of ice.
What weather instrument measures wind speed?
Anemometer
What is used to measure mass?
Triple Beam Balance
According to Bill Nye, what do water droplets need to stick to in order to form clouds?
Dust particles
A snowball melts and then the puddle slowly evaporates. Describe the sequence of state changes and label each with the correct scientific term.
Snowball (solid) → melts to liquid (melting) → puddle evaporates to gas (evaporation)
Explain why some clouds produce snow while others produce rain. Include the role of temperature at different altitudes. (Think freezing)
Clouds that are cold enough let ice crystals form and stick together and form snow. If the atmospheric column below the cloud is cold enough, ice crystals remain as snow before reaching the ground.
Describe how a hurricane gets its energy
Hurricanes get energy from warm ocean surface waters (heat and moisture).
What is the formula for measuring density?
Density = Mass/Volume