Unit 2 Water and Weather - Spokane Public Schools

14. Explain how these factors help keep Earth’s temperaturewithin a narrow range that is good for life on the planet:a. The distance from the Sun.b. The atmosphere.c. The water on the planet’s surface.15. Earth is tilted at an angle of 23.5° as it revolves around the Sun.How does this tilt affect the amount of daylight that NorthAmerica receives in the summer versus the winter?Math and Writing SkillsSection 5.11. Imagine you are a space tourist guide. Some space touristswant to take a vacation on Earth. Make a one-page flyerthat advertises why Earth is a good place to visit. Your flyershould include information about the atmosphere, thetemperature range, other details, and drawings.2. Find out the atmospheric pressure for today. You can findthis value by listening to a local TV weather report or bygoing to a weather website on the Internet. Convert thispressure reading so that you have the value in inches ofmercury, atmospheres, and in millibars.3. In the chapter, you learned about the atmospheres of someplanets. Now find out about the atmosphere of one of theseplanets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.Section 5.24. You are an expert speaker on Earth’s atmosphere and havejust given a talk. Now, someone from the audience asks youthis question: Why does Earth’s atmosphere have layers?What do you say to the audience member?5. Here is a research question: How does the density of airmolecules in the mesosphere compare to the density of airmolecules in the thermosphere?a. Come up with a hypothesis.b. List a way you could test your hypothesis.Section 5.36. How long does each event take? Give your answer in days.a. Five Earth rotationsb. Two Earth revolutionsChapter Project—Mile High City BaseballDenver, Colorado is the Mile High City, because it is one mileabove sea level. At this location, rumor has it that hittingbaseballs a long way is easier than in other cities and it is hardto throw curve balls or sinkers.1. Come up with a hypothesis for why this rumor might be true in theMile High City.2. If the rumor is true, how might a game played in the Mile High Citybe different from a game played at sea level in terms of:a. number of runs earned by a team during a game?b. number of hits and home runs earned by a team during a game?3. See if the rumor is true by researching this effect called “The CoorsField Effect” after the field, Coors Field, where the Colorado Rockiesprofessional baseball team plays. Then, write up your finding in areport!120CHAPTER 5 EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE