Transcript
Understanding Weather and Climate
Solar Radiation and the Seasons
1) Power is:
A) the same as energy.
B) the rate at which energy is released.
C) measured in joules.
D) the ability to do work.
Answer: B
2) This method of energy transfer does not involve the net movement of particles or waves in the direction of energy transfer:
A) conduction.
B) convection.
C) radiation.
D) All three of the above involve the movement of particles.
Answer: A
3) Convection:
A) does not involve an actual transfer of energy.
B) involves potential energy only.
C) involves mixing in a fluid.
D) is another term for conduction.
Answer: C
4) Radiation:
A) is more like conduction than like convection.
B) supplies only a minute portion of the earth's energy.
C) cannot be thought of as consisting of particles.
D) can be transferred through a vacuum.
Answer: D
5) Energy:
A) occurs at only one scale.
B) occurs at more than one scale.
C) occurs only at scales that are very small.
D) occurs only at scales that are very large.
Answer: B
6) Energy transfer processes include:
A) only those processes that can be seen.
B) energy that is transferred at the molecular level only.
C) conduction, convection, and radiation.
D) only the energy interactions between the earth and the atmosphere.
Answer: C
7) Energy is traditionally defined as the ability to:
A) do work.
B) create movement.
C) cause acceleration.
D) none of the above
Answer: A
8) About one part in ________ of the Sun's total energy is transferred to Earth.
A) one hundred
B) one million
C) one billion
D) two billion
Answer: D
9) The standard unit of energy in the International System (SI) used in scientific applications is the:
A) Watt.
B) Ampere.
C) Joule.
D) Ohm.
Answer: C
10) An electron orbiting a hydrogen atom:
A) is restricted to a single energy state.
B) cannot be removed from that atom unless that atom combines with another hydrogen atom to form a hydrogen molecule.
C) has greater energy when it is further away from the nucleus.
D) can absorb and emit photons of nearly any wavelength.
Answer: C
11) The relationship between kinetic energy and potential energy is:
A) one must have potential energy before kinetic energy can be realized.
B) kinetic energy is proportional to the potential energy.
C) potential energy is the storage state of kinetic energy.
D) in practice, all of a potential energy source is never fully transformed to usable kinetic energy.
E) All of the above are true.
Answer: E
12) Radiation, as an energy transfer mechanism, is especially important because:
A) radiation energy can travel without an intervening medium.
B) everything radiates.
C) radiation provides us with visible light.
D) all of the above
Answer: D
13) This is a form of kinetic energy:
A) a charged battery not in use.
B) firewood.
C) water behind a dam.
D) electrical power.
Answer: D
; G7
14) This is a form of potential energy:
A) electromagnetic radiation.
B) boiling water.
C) food.
D) a water wheel in motion.
Answer: C
; G7
15) The measurement used to specify wavelengths is called the:
A) micrometer.
B) macrometer.
C) nanometer.
D) decameter.
Answer: A
16) Black bodies:
A) can only approximate the Stefan-Boltzmann law.
B) are hypothetical; they don't actually exist.
C) emit the same amount of energy regardless of their temperatures.
D) do not emit radiation as well as gray bodies do.
Answer: B
17) The Stefan-Boltzmann law:
A) gives energy intensities in watts per square meter.
B) demonstrates that a cooler body will radiate with greater intensity than will a hotter body.
C) does not apply to black bodies.
D) is derived from Wien's law.
Answer: A
18) Emissivity:
A) can have values greater than one.
B) will always be less than one for any object that is not a black body.
C) is typically .1 or below for most natural surfaces encountered on Earth.
D) is constant for the atmosphere.
Answer: B
19) The largest energy transfer in the solar spectrum occurs in the:
A) x-ray part of the spectrum.
B) ultraviolet part of the spectrum.
C) visible part of the spectrum.
D) infrared part of the spectrum.
E) radio wave part of the spectrum.
Answer: C
20) Bodies that emit some percentage of the maximum amount of radiation possible at a given temperature are called:
A) blackbodies.
B) black holes.
C) graybodies.
D) partials.
Answer: C
21) At the speed of light, energy from the sun takes how much time to reach the Earth?
A) 1 second
B) 30 seconds
C) 8 minutes
D) 24 minutes
Answer: C
22) The single factor that determines how much energy a blackbody radiates is its:
A) temperature.
B) mass.
C) volume.
D) density.
Answer: A
23) The single factor that determines how much energy a blackbody radiates is its:
A) size.
B) distance.
C) diameter.
D) temperature.
Answer: D
24) Which of the following orbit the nuclei of the atom in "shells"?
A) protons
B) photons
C) electrons
D) neutrons
Answer: C
25) Electromagnetic radiation:
A) consists of waves that can vary in amplitude.
B) is relatively rare in the universe.
C) consists of two waves that are 90 degrees out of phase with each other.
D) does not create an electric field.
Answer: A
26) All of the following are true statements about electromagnetic radiation, except:
A) it moves at the speed of light.
B) it is often measured in micrometers.
C) its energy is inversely proportional to its amplitude.
D) its energy does not decrease with distance.
Answer: C
27) The visible light spectrum is bounded by these two types of radiation:
A) x-ray and thermal infrared.
B) x-ray and radio wave.
C) microwave and gamma ray.
D) ultraviolet and near infrared.
Answer: D
28) According to Wien's law:
A) the wavelength of peak radiation is proportional to the amount of radiation.
B) the Sun's energy intensity peaks in the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.
C) the radiation emitted from Earth must be 4 micrometers or longer.
D) wavelength is proportional to the fourth power of the intensity of radiation.
Answer: B
; G4
29) The Stefan-Boltzmann Law gives the relationship between:
A) solar energy and temperature.
B) temperature and long-wave radiation.
C) the intensity of radiation and the temperature of an object.
D) emissivity and wavelength.
Answer: C
; G4
30) Electromagnetic radiation provides energy for:
A) the movement of the atmosphere.
B) the growth of plants.
C) the evaporation of water.
D) all of the above
Answer: D
31) The peak of the Earth's emission is ________, while the sun's peak is 0.5 microns.
A) 0.1 microns
B) 1 micron
C) 10 microns
D) 100 microns
Answer: C
32) ________ radiation is used to cook food and ________ radiation causes sunburn.
A) Infrared; ultraviolet
B) Microwave; ultraviolet
C) X-ray; infrared
D) Ultraviolet; infrared
Answer: B
33) Differences in emissivity of a substance are governed by differences in:
A) moisture.
B) pressure.
C) temperature.
D) wind speed.
Answer: C
; Analysis
34) Which of the following has the longest wavelength?
A) thermal infrared
B) radio
C) gamma
D) ultraviolet
Answer: B
; Analysis
; G4
35) If object A is at 400 K, and object B is at 800 K, then the radiation intensity of object A will be this amount of that the radiation intensity of object B:
A) one-half.
B) one-fourth.
C) one-eighth.
D) one-sixteenth.
Answer: D
; Analysis
; G3; G4
36) Choose the correct listing of radiation from the longest wavelengths to the shortest wavelengths:
A) radio, gamma rays, ultraviolet, visible, infrared, x-rays.
B) gamma rays, radio, ultraviolet, infrared, visible, x-rays.
C) x-rays, ultraviolet, infrared, gamma rays, visible, radio.
D) radio, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, x-rays, gamma rays.
Answer: D
; Analysis; Evaluation
; G3
37) How long does it take for energy generated near the core of the sun by fusion to reach the Earth-atmosphere system as solar radiation?
A) immediately
B) 8 minutes
C) 1 century
D) 1 million years
Answer: D
Section: 2.3 The Solar Constant
38) Sunspots:
A) are caused by locally intense magnetic fields.
B) appear in the chromosphere.
C) are warmer than the material surrounding them.
D) tend to be less than 100 miles in diameter.
Answer: A
Section: 2.3 The Solar Constant
39) Sunspot activity:
A) typically varies in number on a roughly eleven-year cycle.
B) was first observed in the late nineteenth century.
C) typically has the same number of sunspots per year.
D) has been conclusively linked to climate changes.
Answer: A
Section: 2.3 The Solar Constant
40) Sunspot numbers were lowest in this century:
A) seventeenth century.
B) eighteenth century.
C) nineteenth century.
D) twentieth century.
Answer: A
Section: 2.3 The Solar Constant
41) In the innermost portion of the Sun, the core, extremely high temperatures and high densities lead to the energy-creating process of:
A) nuclear fission.
B) nuclear fusion.
C) the big bang.
D) nuclear differentiation.
Answer: B
Section: 2.3 The Solar Constant
42) Sunspots are associated with the solar:
A) core.
B) corona.
C) photosphere.
D) chromosphere.
Answer: C
Section: 2.3 The Solar Constant
43) Energy created by the sun travels from the:
A) core.
B) corona.
C) photosphere.
D) chromosphere.
Answer: A
Section: 2.3 The Solar Constant
44) Temperatures within these features can reach 100 million degrees Kelvin:
A) granules.
B) flares.
C) sunspots.
D) the solar wind.
Answer: B
Section: 2.3 The Solar Constant
45) Which of these features are likely to have the highest solar temperatures?
A) sunspots
B) solar flares
C) chromosphere
D) core
Answer: B
Section: 2.3 The Solar Constant
46) The Sun's photosphere:
A) receives the energy from the Sun's core in a matter of minutes.
B) radiates much of the energy the earth receives.
C) decreases in density closer to the Sun's core.
D) lies above the chromosphere.
Answer: B
Section: 2.3 The Solar Constant
47) The Sun's photosphere:
A) lies above the Sun's core.
B) lies above the Sun's atmosphere.
C) cannot be viewed by Earth-based observers.
D) affects the earth's hydrosphere.
Answer: D
Section: 2.3 The Solar Constant
48) The solar constant:
A) is the same throughout the solar system.
B) varies inversely with the fourth power of an object's distance from the Sun's surface.
C) is independent of the Stefan-Boltzmann law.
D) is higher for Earth than for Mars.
Answer: D
Section: 2.3 The Solar Constant
; Analysis
; G4; G7
49) The Northern Hemisphere has its maximum tilt toward the Sun on the:
A) December solstice.
B) March equinox.
C) September equinox.
D) June solstice.
Answer: D
50) The Tropic of Capricorn is directly under the Sun during the:
A) December solstice.
B) June solstice.
C) March equinox.
D) September equinox.
Answer: A
51) The Antarctic Circle has 24 hours of daylight on the:
A) March equinox.
B) June solstice.
C) September equinox.
D) December solstice.
Answer: D
52) The Earth is actually the farthest from the sun on:
A) January 3rd.
B) April 1st.
C) July 4th.
D) December 25th.
Answer: C
53) Incoming solar radiation is often referred to as:
A) conduction.
B) diffused radiation.
C) insolation.
D) albedo.
Answer: C
54) At which point during the year can we have 24 hours of daylight and 1 day of 24 of darkness in the northern hemisphere?
A) Arctic Circle
B) North Pole
C) Antarctic Circle
D) Tropic of Capricorn
Answer: A
55) Which of the following statements about Earth is not true?
A) It has an elliptical orbit.
B) Its rotational axis is pointed toward Polaris.
C) It is closest to the Sun in July.
D) It is closest to the Sun at perihelion.
Answer: C
56) The earth's axis of rotation is tilted roughly this number of degrees away from a line perpendicular to the plane of the earth's orbit:
A) 5.3.
B) 11.2.
C) 23.5.
D) 90.
Answer: C
57) If the earth's axis were parallel with its orbital plane around the Sun:
A) there would be no significant weather.
B) the South Pole would always be in darkness.
C) the North Pole would always be in darkness.
D) there would be at least one day a year when every spot on Earth would receive 12 hours of daylight.
Answer: D
58) The subsolar point:
A) never moves more than 23.5 degrees in a year.
B) is at the Tropic of Cancer on the June solstice.
C) reaches above the Arctic Circle only in summer.
D) is independent of the solar declination.
Answer: B
59) The solar angle:
A) is the same at the Arctic Circle and at the equator on the solstices.
B) affects the degree of beam spreading.
C) is lowest in the Northern Hemisphere during its winter.
D) is lowest at the North Pole during its summer.
Answer: B
60) On the June solstice:
A) the solar declination is 23.5 degrees North.
B) the Southern Hemisphere overall receives more energy than does the Northern Hemisphere.
C) the South Pole experiences 24 hours of daylight.
D) the subsolar point is on the Tropic of Capricorn.
Answer: A
61) All of the following about equinoxes is true, except:
A) the solar declination is zero degrees.
B) both hemispheres receive the same amount of insolation.
C) every place has 12 hours of daylight.
D) the solar angle at the North Pole is 90 degrees.
Answer: D
62) The solar declination angle:
A) changes daily.
B) moves from north to south and back again.
C) has a northern most and southern most limit of 23.5 degrees.
D) all of the above
Answer: D
63) Which of these cities is likely to see its coldest temperatures in July?
A) London, England
B) New York, New York
C) Buenos Aires, Argentina
D) Moscow, Russia
Answer: C
; Analysis
; G7
64) The greatest seasonal change in the period of daylight is experienced at the:
A) Equator.
B) Tropic of Capricorn.
C) North and South Poles.
D) Tropic of Cancer.
Answer: C
; Analysis
65) On which of the following holidays is Earth closest to the Sun?
A) New Year's Day
B) Fourth of July
C) Thanksgiving
D) Labor Day
Answer: A
; Analysis
; G5
66) Most, but not all, of the earth's energy comes from the Sun.
Answer: TRUE
67) A raindrop falling from a cloud is an example of kinetic energy changing into potential energy.
Answer: FALSE
68) A solid object at rest is still moving internally.
Answer: TRUE
; Analysis
69) The energy it takes for you to write the answer to this question ultimately comes from the Sun.
Answer: TRUE
; Analysis
70) Radiation consists of both an electric wave and a magnetic wave.
Answer: TRUE
71) According to the Stefan-Boltzmann law, there are three factors that determine how much energy an object will radiate.
Answer: FALSE
72) The emissivity of a black body is one.
Answer: TRUE
73) The concept of emissivity is especially useful when applied to the atmosphere.
Answer: FALSE
74) The amount of energy a wave carries is inversely proportional to the wave's amplitude.
Answer: FALSE
75) According to astronomers, the Sun is different from most other stars in our galaxy.
Answer: FALSE
76) Granules are the result of convective energy transfer within the Sun.
Answer: TRUE
77) The orientation of the earth's rotational axis has little effect on either climate or weather.
Answer: FALSE
78) The subsolar point is confined between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
Answer: TRUE
79) The period of daylight at the Equator is the same every day of the year.
Answer: TRUE
80) It is possible on a given day for a location with a smaller solar angle to receive more total radiation than a location with a larger solar angle.
Answer: TRUE
81) There is always more daylight in the Northern hemisphere on a solstice then on an equinox.
Answer: FALSE
82) Beam depletion is at maximum at noon.
Answer: FALSE
83) Heat transfer through fluid mixing is called ________.
Answer: convection
84) Nearly all of the energy available on Earth comes from the ________.
Answer: Sun
85) List three forms of kinetic energy and five forms of potential energy.
Answer:
86) Describe the three processes of energy transfer.
Answer:
87) A ________ is a perfect emitter of radiation.
Answer: blackbody
88) The earth's radiation is strongest in this portion of the spectrum, the ________.
Answer: longwave (or infrared) portion
89) The solar constant is measured in ________.
Answer: watts per square meter
90) Define and discuss the following terms involving radiation: electric wave, magnetic wave, wavelength, wave amplitude, wave speed, black body, Stefan-Boltzmann law, Wien's law, electromagnetic bands.
Answer:
91) Discuss the various factors which affect the absorption and emission of photons by a hydrogen atom.
Answer:
92) Describe the sections of the Sun and the important activities that happen in each.
Answer:
93) Why is it not completely accurate to describe the energy coming from the Sun as visible radiation?
Answer: Although the peak emission of solar radiation is in the visible portion of the spectrum, the Sun emits radiation across the full range of the spectrum from gamma rays to radio waves.
94) Describe how Wien's law has been applied to the understanding of satellite images that you see on television weather broadcasts.
Answer: The color enhanced satellite images depict the height of cloud tops, which can be used as an indicator of the intensity of precipitation. The images are obtained by measuring the intensity of IR radiation emitted by the cloud tops. Colder surfaces radiate less energy than do warmer objects. Higher clouds tend to be colder than lower level clouds because the temperature in the troposphere decreases with height. The colder cloud tops imply thicker clouds and therefore identify areas with significant weather.
95) Explain why ultraviolet (UV) radiation causes sunburn and infrared (IR) radiation does not.
Answer: The amount of energy delivered is determined by wavelength; shorter wavelengths are more energetic. Ultraviolet radiation is associated with shorter wavelengths and can deliver more energy to exposed skin than can infrared radiation.
96) ________ have a fairly regular period of maxima, but the maxima themselves can vary significantly.
Answer: Sunspots
97) The ________ is the upper part of the Sun's atmosphere.
Answer: corona
98) Explain why the solar "constant" actually varies over time.
Answer: The Sun "flickers" as it burns, so very small variations in solar output occur.
99) Define beam depletion.
Answer:
100) Day and night have an equal length during a(n) ________.
Answer: equinox
101) At the December solstice, the subsolar point is on the ________.
Answer: Tropic of Capricorn
102) On the June solstice, the area poleward of the ________ experiences 24 hours of darkness.
Answer: Antarctic Circle
103) Earth's annual trip around the Sun is called ________.
Answer: revolution
104) Explain why it is cold in the Northern Hemisphere when the Earth is closest to the Sun.
Answer: The orientation of the hemisphere with regard to the Sun is the main cause of the seasons, not the varying Earth-Sun distance
105) What are the characteristics of the earth's orbit around the Sun and Earth's rotation on its axis?
Answer:
106) Discuss the angle of the Sun and the position of the earth at both equinoxes and both solstices.
Answer:
107) Describe the various ways energy receipt can vary with latitude and time of year.
Answer:
108) What is the difference between beam spreading and beam depletion? Which one is the most important cause of seasonal change?
Answer: Beam depletion is the depth of atmosphere sunlight must penetrate before reaching the surface. Beam spreading is the increase in the surface area over which sunlight is distributed in response to a decrease in solar angle. The beam spreading contributes more to causing Earth's seasons.
109) Winnipeg, Canada, is located near latitude 50N and Austin, Texas, is located near 30N, but Winnipeg receives slightly more solar radiation on the June solstice. Explain this apparent paradox.
Answer: The period of daylight at Winnipeg is over two hours longer and this compensates for the lower midday solar angle.
110) Winnipeg, Canada, receives slightly more solar radiation on the June solstice than Austin, Texas; yet summers at Austin are hotter. Explain this apparent paradox.
Answer: Solar radiation is not the only influence on seasonal temperatures; other factors such as clouds, atmospheric conditions, wind, precipitation, and the type of surface all play a role as well.
