Accompanies Lab 11 – Weather
Activity 1: Hot vs. cold water
Instructions:
Start with two glasses, one containing hot water and one containing cold water. You will be placing a single drop of food coloring into each glass. (Let the water sit at least 30 seconds before the food coloring is added.)
- Before you add the food coloring, predict what you think will happen. Discuss each group member’s prediction, and explain why you made your prediction.
- Add a drop of food coloring to each glass. Observe how the food coloring spreads out.
- Explain what is occurring.
Activity 2: Balloon on a bottle
Instructions:
Put a few centimeters of water in a plastic water bottle, and place a small balloon over the top of the bottle. You will be holding the bottle over the top of a lit candle and observing the behavior of the balloon.
- Before you place the bottle over the flame, predict what you think will happen. Discuss each group member’s prediction, and explain why you made your prediction.
- Hold the bottle over the candle. (Be careful that you don’t allow the bottle to touch the flame.) Once you see a change in the balloon, remove the bottle from the heat.
- Explain what is occurring.
Activity 3: Incense in a bottle
Instructions:
Cut the bottom off of a 2-liter bottle, and then cut a small, rectangular opening in the side. Set the bottle on a table with the cap off. Place a votive candle inside the bottle and light it. You will be holding a lit piece of incense above the candle.
- Before you place the incense inside the bottle, predict what you think will happen. Discuss each group member’s prediction, and explain why you made your prediction.
- Light the incense and place it inside the bottle. Observe the behavior of the smoke.
- Explain what is occurring.
Activity 4: The angle of light
Instructions:
Inflate a large balloon to serve as the Earth. Mark a north pole and a south pole on the balloon. Hold a flashlight parallel to the ground so that its beam represents the light from the Sun. You will be shining the flashlight beam on the balloon near the equator and then near the north pole.
- Before you shine the flashlight beam on the balloon, predict what you think will happen. Discuss each group member’s prediction, and explain why you made your prediction.
- Keeping the flashlight parallel to the ground, shine the beam near the equator of the balloon. Then move the balloon downward so that the beam strikes the balloon near the north pole. Observe how the light illuminates the surface of the balloon.
- Explain what is occurring.