Lesson 15.2: True or False

Name______Class______Date______

Write true if the statement is true or false if the statement is false.

_____ 1. A campfire warms the campers sitting around it by conduction.

_____ 2. Energy can travel only through matter.

_____ 3. Most of the energy on Earth comes from the sun.

_____ 4. The electromagnetic spectrum is the range of wavelengths of visible light.

_____ 5. Light with the most energy is infrared light.

_____ 6. Gamma rays do not penetrate Earth’s atmosphere.

_____ 7. Warmer molecules have more energy than cooler ones.

_____ 8. Conduction happens mainly in the upper atmosphere.

_____ 9. Warm air always sinks to the surface in a convection current.

_____ 10. The greenhouse effect causes more solar energy to reach Earth’s surface.

Lesson 15.2: Critical Reading

Name______Class______Date______

Read this passage based on the text and answer the questions that follow.

How Energy Moves Through the Atmosphere

Heat energy is transferred through Earth’s atmosphere in three ways: radiation, conduction, and convection.

Radiation is the transfer of energy by waves. Energy can travel as waves through air or empty space. Radiation is how the sun's energy travels to Earth through space and Earth’s atmosphere. After sunlight heats the planet's surface, some heat re-radiates back into the atmosphere.

Conduction is the transfer of energy from molecule to molecule by direct contact. Warmer molecules vibrate faster than cooler ones. They bump into the cooler molecules and transfer some of their energy. Conduction works best in solids or denser fluids because their particles are closer together. Conduction occurs mainly in the lower atmosphere.

Convection is the transfer of heat by a current. Convection happens in liquids and gases. It is the most important way that energy travels through the atmosphere. Air near the ground is warmed by heat re-radiated from Earth's surface. The warm air is low in density, so it rises. As it rises, it cools. The cool air is dense, so it sinks to the surface. This creates a convection current that transfers heat through the atmosphere.

Questions

  1. Describe how energy is transferred through the atmosphere by radiation.
  2. Why does conduction occur mainly in the lower atmosphere?
  3. How do convection currents form in the atmosphere?

Lesson 15.2: Multiple Choice

Name______Class______Date______

Circle the letter of the correct choice.

  1. Forms of energy include
  2. electrical energy.
  3. chemical energy.
  4. light energy.
  5. all of the above
  6. Which statement about energy is false?
  7. Energy can change form.
  8. Energy can be created.
  9. Energy can do work.
  10. Energy can travel.
  11. Convection occurs in
  12. gases.
  13. solids.
  14. liquids.
  15. two of the above
  16. Energy can travel through space by
  17. conduction.
  18. convection.
  19. radiation.
  20. two of the above
  21. Differences in solar energy by latitude result in
  22. winds.
  23. weather.
  24. ocean currents.
  25. all of the above
  26. A greenhouse gas mainly absorbs heat that
  27. radiates directly from the sun.
  28. re-radiates from Earth’s surface.
  29. comes from burning fossil fuels.
  30. before it reaches Earth’s surface.
  31. The greenhouse effect is caused
  32. completely by human actions.
  33. partly by natural processes.
  34. only by carbon dioxide.
  35. two of the above

Lesson 15.2: Matching

Name______Class______Date______

Match each definition with the correct term.

Definitions

_____ 1. ability to do work

_____ 2. tiny packet of energy

_____ 3. transfer of energy by a current

_____ 4. transfer of energy by waves through air or empty space

_____ 5. light with wavelengths too long for humans to see

_____ 6. transfer of energy by direct contact between molecules

_____ 7. light with wavelengths too short for humans to see

Terms

a. radiation

b. convection

c. ultraviolet light

d. photon

e. energy

f. infrared light

g. conduction

Lesson 15.2: Fill in the Blank

Name______Class______Date______

Fill in the blank with the appropriate term.

  1. ______waves have the longest wavelengths of all electromagnetic waves.
  2. ______rays have the highest energy of all electromagnetic waves.
  3. The only light that humans can see is ______light.
  4. The sun’s energy travels through space by ______.
  5. The main way that heat moves through the atmosphere is by ______.
  6. The sun’s rays strike Earth’s surface most directly near the ______.
  7. Gases that absorb heat in the atmosphere are called ______gases.

Lesson 15.2: Critical Writing

Name______Class______Date______

Thoroughly answer the question below. Use appropriate academic vocabulary and clear and complete sentences.

How does Earth’s temperature vary by latitude? What causes this variation? How does the variation in temperature affect Earth’s atmosphere?