Quiz #1 Study Guide
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Mass, weight,
density, and pressure (20 pts). Mass is the
amount of a
particular substance. On the earth gravity pulls downward on a mass
producing weight. Pressure at any level in the atmosphere is a
measure of the weight of the air above (this is one way of thinking
about and understanding pressure). Pressure is defined as
force
divided by area and acts like a force (a force that pushes upward,
downward, and sideways). Common pressure units and typical sea level
pressure values. What
instrument is used to measure
air pressure?
About when was it invented? Pressure and air density (density = mass
divided by volume) both decrease with increasing altitude (you should
be able to explain why). What relationship is there between the rate
of pressure decrease and air density (i.e. does pressure decrease
most rapidly in high or low density air)?
Layers of
the
atmosphere (15 pts).
Troposphere: lowest layer in the
atmosphere, decreasing temperature with increasing altitude (why is
the warmest air found near the ground), contains most of the water
vapor and clouds, can be unstable (strong vertical air motions
possible). Tropopause. Stratosphere: there's an isothermal layer and
a temperature inversion layer (what causes air to warm in the
stratosphere), stable layer, contains the ozone layer. Approximate
altitudes of these layers. Units: meters, kilometers, feet, miles.
Ideal
Gas Law (10 pts).
This is
a
microscopic-scale explanation of air pressure. Two equations: