Wild About Weather: 50 Wet, Windy and Wonderful Activities.WILD ABOUT WEATHER: 50 Wet, Windy and Wonderful Activities ED BROTAK The activities in this guide teach students about weather events such as snow and hurricanes, and about how the atmosphere operates. Brotak is a self-proclaimed weather fanatic and a professor of meteorology meteorology, branch of science that deals with the atmosphere of a planet, particularly that of the earth, the most important application of which is the analysis and prediction of weather. . Initial chapters get kids acclimated to the idea of observing the weather and keeping weather logs. subsequent chapters explain how the sun heats Earth, why there are seasons, what causes wind, and the importance of humidity humidity, moisture content of the atmosphere, a primary element of climate. Humidity measurements include absolute humidity, the mass of water vapor per unit volume of natural air; relative humidity (usually meant when the term humidity . These ideas lead to other sections that detail how clouds form, why there is lightning, and what forces produce hurricanes. These concepts are clarified via activities such as building an anemometer anemometer: see wind. anemometer Instrument for measuring the speed of airflow. The most familiar instruments for measuring wind speeds are the revolving cups that drive an electric generator (useful range approximately 5–100 knots). (to monitor the wind) and a psychrometer psychrometer (sīkrŏm`ĭtər), one of many instruments used for measuring the water vapor content or relative humidity of the atmosphere. (to measure relative humidity relative humidity n. The ratio of the amount of water vapor in the air at a specific temperature to the maximum amount that the air could hold at that temperature, expressed as a percentage. ). Young readers also learn how to make clouds and lightning in a bottle. Lots of diagrams, photos, and quizzes make the text enjoyable and informative. A final section pulls together all the information and describes how to forecast weather. Lark, 2004, 128 p., color photos/illus., hardcover, $19.95. |
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