Review Summary for Semester Examination #1

REVIEW SESSION FOR EXAM #1

The review session will begin at 6:30 PM Monday evening February 2nd. I will stay until a half hour after the last person has arrived. I will not be giving out information as to what will be on the test, rather I will spend the time answering your questions and helping you understand the material better. The location of the Review Session will be announced in lecture Monday but will likely be in Room 101 Love where the lecture meets.

The exam is Wednesday, February 4 from 12:20 PM to 1:10 PM in Room 101 Love. Do not be late! Time will be of the essence!

The exam will cover lecture material and assigned readings through February 2.

The exam will consist of 25 multiple choice questions each worth 3 points each and an essay question worth 25 points. You will select one essay question from 5 choices.

You will have 50 minutes to complete the examination.

Here are some hints that may help you out:

• Don't spend too much time on any one multiple choice question. If you get stuck, move on. Time is of the essence.
• Read each question carefully. I do not try to trick students, but be careful not to overlook the obvious.
• Material will come from assigned readings and lectures. In lecture, we cover some material that is not mentioned in the textbook. Be advised of this.
• You may be expected to perform some very basic calculations. Certainly nothing that will require algebra or anything fancy. You will be permitted to use a simple calculator however if you choose.
• On the essay section, write ledgibly. You will be graded on to effectively you communicate the material you know. Do not try to B.S.!!! I do not like B.S. at all!

Although I will not tell you what is on the exam directly, I will simply provide you with the following as a checksheet of some of the more important topics we focused on so far this semester:

• There are different length scales in meteorology:
  • Planetary scale
  • Synoptic scale
  • Mesoscale
  • Microscale
  • Atomic scale
• The atmosphere is comprised of many different gases. Nitrogen and Oxygen are the two primary gases. Carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, argon, and many others are present in trace amounts.
• The atmosphere varies greatly in the vertical direction. We have discussed at length the four vertical layers of the atmosphere:
  • Troposphere
  • Stratosphere
  • Mesosphere
  • Thermosphere
• For the most part, temperature decreases with elevation. However, there are layers in the atmosphere where, due to chemical and physical processes, the atmosphere warms with increasing elevation.
• Climate refers to average weather patterns over a geographical area whereas weather refers to more short-term meteorological considerations. Both are aspects of the science of meteorology.
• On January 30, we discussed cloud classification. You better click here and check out the cloud chart online.
• Just as certain materials of specific physical characteristics absorb heat better than others (for instance, rough blacktop absorbs heat much better than smooth white cement), different gases in the atmosphere absorb heat better than others. For instance, Greenhouse Gases tend to absorb heat much better than most others and are suspected to be responsible for global warming.
• Temperature is actually a measure of the average kinetic energies of the atoms and molecules that comprise a substance. Average kinetic energy remember is a function of the speed and mass of the cumulative distribution of particles that comprise a substance.
• The Earth requires nearly all of its energy from the sun. The sun is a giant nuclear reactor that burns hydrogen. Helium is the wasteproduct of this nuclear reaction.
• There are four primary means of transferring heat that we have discussed:
  • Advection
  • Conduction
  • Convection
  • Radiation
• Advection refers to quantities that are transported via the wind.
• Because all substances and objects that have a temperature above zero have molecular motions, they also as a result radiate energy. Energy from an object is proportional to the fourth power of the temperature.
• Planets follow elliptical orbits about the sun. The degree of "non-roundness" of an elliptical orbit is termed eccentricity.
• Interestingy, the seasons on Earth are not caused by fluctuations in the distance between the Earth and the sun, but are caused by the fact that the Earth's axis of rotation is tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees.
• There are two types of thermometers we discussed. A thermometer is an instrument used to measure temperature. We discussed mercurial thermometers which work by principles of thermal expansion and digital thermometers which work by principles of electrical resistivity.
• Density is a quantitative measure of the mass of a substance that will fit into a particular volume.
• The Ideal Gas Law states that the Pressure of a gas is equal to its Density (rho) times the Gas Constant R times Temperature.
• We discussed why we feel cool when we step out of the pool or out of the shower. In order for water to evaporate off of our skin, heat must be drawn out of our body for the liquid to escape to the higher energy gas (vapor) phase. This is an example of Latent Heat of Vaporization.
• The amount of heat that is radiated back to space through reflection is termed the albedo of a planet. The current albedo of Earth is believed to be near 0.3.
• We discussed a very modern and cutting edge means of telecommunications in class. It is already replacing metal wires and conductors in computers and in the cable and telephone industry.
• Pressure gradient is the driving force behind the wind. A gradient is a change in a given quantity divided by a change in distance. The stronger the magnitude of a pressure gradient, the faster air will move from a region of higher pressure toward lower pressure. This is essentially the principle behind wind.
• The saturation ratio refers to the vapor pressure of the air divided by the saturation vapor pressure. Vapor pressure is a measure of the amount of water vapor in the air. Saturation vapor pressure is what the vapor pressure would need to be for the air to be saturated. Saturation describes a condition where the rate of condensation over a liquid water surface is equal to the rate of evaporation. When the vapor pressure is equal to the saturation vapor pressure, the dewpoint temperature has been reached and the relative humidity is 100 %.
• Refraction essentially refers to the bending of light rays. When light moves from one medium into a slower or faster medium, it will bend. How fast light moves in a medium is determined by that medium's Index of Refraction.
• We described many different terms used to define the amount of water vapor in the air. Vapor pressure and relative humidity are only a couple of them.
• We discussed two forms of the Ideal Gas Law. P=rho*R*T (the mass form) and PV=nRT (the molar form). You should be familiar with each.
• We talked about the processes that lead to cloud formation. One interesting type of cloud we discussed in the January 30 lecture is a cirrostratus cloud. Cirrostratus clouds can create halos (rings) around the sun or moon. They often form out ahead of a warm front and often are an indication that precipitation is on the way.
• The Wien Displacement Law describes at which wavelength the maximum amount of energy will be emitted for a particular object and it is determined by the temperature of that object.
• The visible light portion of the electromagnetic spectrum is extremely narrow. Only from about .3 to .7 micrometers.

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