Question 1

​Design a house with the goal to limit its heating and cooling costs.

Accepted Answer

Student answers should state that large windows should face south, allowing sunshine to penetrate the home in winter. To block out excess sunlight during the summer, a small eave or overhang should be built. A kitchen with windows facing east will let in enough warm morning sunlight to help heat this area. Because the west side warms rapidly in the afternoon, rooms having small windows (such as garages) can be placed here to act as a thermal buffer. Deciduous trees planted on the west or south side of a home provide shade in the summer. In winter, they drop their leaves, allowing the winter sunshine to warm the house. If you like the bedroom slightly cooler than the rest of the home, face it toward the north. Let nature help with the heating and air conditioning. Proper house design, orientation, and landscaping can help cut the demand for electricity, as well as for natural gas and fossil fuels, which are rapidly being depleted. From our reading of the last several sections, it should be apparent that, when solar heating a home, proper roof angle is important in capturing much of the winter Sun's energy.​

Question 2

​Describe the seasons that you would experience in Australia in comparison to those in Germany.

Accepted Answer

Student answers may vary somewhat, but overall need to demonstrate knowledge that Australia is located in the Southern Hemisphere, whereas Germany is located in the Northern Hemisphere.

After June 21^st, the Southern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun. Nights are long, days are short, and solar rays come in at an angle, which means that air temperatures are fairly low. The June solstice marks the astronomical beginning of winter in the Southern Hemisphere, however, summer does not "officially" begin until the Sun is over the Tropic of Capricorn (23¹/₂S) on December 21^st. So, when it is winter and June in the Southern Hemisphere, it is summer and June in the Northern Hemisphere. Conversely, when it is summer and December in the Southern Hemisphere, it is winter and December in the Northern Hemisphere.

We know Earth comes nearer to the Sun in January than in July. Even though this difference in distance amounts to only about 3 percent, the energy that strikes the top of Earth's atmosphere is almost 7 percent greater on January 3 than on July 4. These statistics might lead us to believe that summer should be warmer in the Southern Hemisphere than in the Northern Hemisphere. However, this is not the case. A close examination of the Southern Hemisphere reveals that nearly 81 percent of the surface is water, compared to 61 percent in the Northern Hemisphere. The added solar energy due to the closeness of the Sun is absorbed by large bodies of water, becoming well mixed and circulated within them. This process keeps the average summer (January) temperatures in the Southern Hemisphere cooler than average summer (July) temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere. Because of water's large heat capacity, it also tends to keep winters in the Southern Hemisphere warmer than we might expect. Another difference between the seasons of the two hemispheres concerns their length. Because Earth follows an elliptical path as it journeys around the Sun and because the ellipse is slightly off-center from the Sun, the total number of days from the vernal (March 20) to the autumnal (September 22) equinox is about 7 days longer than from the autumnal to vernal equinox. This means that spring and summer in the Northern Hemisphere not only last about a week longer than northern fall and winter, but also about a week longer than spring and summer in the Southern Hemisphere. Hence, the shorter spring and summer of the Southern Hemisphere somewhat offsets the extra insolation received due to a closer proximity to the Sun.

Question 3

​Data loggers are gradually replacing ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  ​radiosondes 
B)  ​mechanical thermographs 
C)  ​electrical thermometers 
D)  ​mercury thermometers 
E)  ​wind-chill measurement devices 
A)  ​radiosondes 
B)  ​mechanical thermographs 
C)  ​electrical thermometers 
D)  ​mercury thermometers 
E)  ​wind-chill measurement devices B

Question 4

​Explain the heating degree day application.

Accepted Answer

Students should state that the heating d

Question 5

​A(n) ____ thermometer consists of two different pieces of metal (usually brass and iron) welded together to form a single strip.

Accepted Answer

A)  ​thermograph 
B)  ​bilateral 
C)  ​electrical 
D)  ​thermoresistant 
E)  ​bimetallic 
A)  ​thermograph 
B)  ​bilateral 
C)  ​electrical 
D)  ​thermoresistant 
E)  ​bimetallic

Question 6

​In the northern hemisphere, a solar panel should be placed on the side of the roof facing

Accepted Answer

A)  ​east. 
B)  ​west. 
C)  ​north. 
D)  ​south. 
E)  ​any of these directions. 
A)  ​east. 
B)  ​west. 
C)  ​north. 
D)  ​south. 
E)  ​any of these directions.

Question 7

​During the afternoon, the greatest temperature difference between surface air and the air several meters above occurs on a

Accepted Answer

A)  ​clear, calm afternoon. 
B)  ​clear, windy afternoon. 
C)  ​cloudy, calm afternoon. 
D)  ​cloudy, windy afternoon. 
E)  ​cold, windy afternoon. 
A)  ​clear, calm afternoon. 
B)  ​clear, windy afternoon. 
C)  ​cloudy, calm afternoon. 
D)  ​cloudy, windy afternoon. 
E)  ​cold, windy afternoon.

Question 8

​If the tilt of Earth's axis suddenly increased to 45o, average winter temperatures in the middle latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere would ____________________.

Accepted Answer

Question 9

​Which of the following latitudes is closer to Earth's axis?

Accepted Answer

A)  ​0$\degree$N 
B)  ​15$\degree$N 
C)  ​40$\degree$N 
D)  ​60$\degree$N 
E)  ​90$\degree$N 
A)  ​0$\degree$N 
B)  ​15$\degree$N 
C)  ​40$\degree$N 
D)  ​60$\degree$N 
E)  ​90$\degree$N

Question 10

​In humid Iowa, where summer nighttime temperatures are high, corn takes ____ time to mature than in the drier west.

Accepted Answer

A)  ​the same amount of 
B)  ​twice as much 
C)  ​a quarter of the 
D)  ​more 
E)  ​less 
A)  ​the same amount of 
B)  ​twice as much 
C)  ​a quarter of the 
D)  ​more 
E)  ​less

Question 11

​On a warm summer day, one city experienced a daily range of 22$\degree$C (40$\degree$F), while another had a daily range of 10$\degree$C (18$\degree$F). One of these cities is located in New Jersey and the other in New Mexico. The highest daily range probably occurred in ____________________ where relatively dry summer air allows for large daily temperature ranges. The lowest daily range more than likely occurred in ____________________ where the humid summer air keeps the daily temperature range small.

Accepted Answer

New Mexico

Question 12

​During summer near the North Pole, the Sun is above the horizon a shorter period of time than in the mid-latitudes.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

​The most important reason why summers in the Southern Hemisphere are not warmer than summers in the Northern Hemisphere is that

Accepted Answer

A)  ​Earth is closer to the Sun in January. 
B)  ​Earth is farther from the Sun in July. 
C)  ​over 80 percent of the Southern Hemisphere is covered with water. 
D)  ​the Sun's energy is less intense in the Southern Hemisphere. 
E)  ​ice from Antarctica prevents it from getting very hot. 
A)  ​Earth is closer to the Sun in January. 
B)  ​Earth is farther from the Sun in July. 
C)  ​over 80 percent of the Southern Hemisphere is covered with water. 
D)  ​the Sun's energy is less intense in the Southern Hemisphere. 
E)  ​ice from Antarctica prevents it from getting very hot.

Question 14

​In the Northern Hemisphere, which day has the fewest hours of daylight?

Accepted Answer

A)  ​summer solstice 
B)  ​winter solstice 
C)  ​vernal equinox 
D)  ​autumnal equinox 
E)  ​spring solstice 
A)  ​summer solstice 
B)  ​winter solstice 
C)  ​vernal equinox 
D)  ​autumnal equinox 
E)  ​spring solstice

Question 15

​Minimum thermometers are usually read during the ____________________, yet they are reset in the ____________________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of ​Minimum thermometers are usually read during the...

Question 16

​Considering each hemisphere as a whole, seasonal temperature variation in the Southern Hemisphere is ____________________ that in the Northern Hemisphere.

Accepted Answer

The answer of ​Considering each hemisphere as a whole, seasonal...

Question 17

​On what date is the Sun the most intense in the Northern Hemisphere?

Accepted Answer

A)  ​July 15 
B)  ​December 21 
C)  ​June 21 
D)  ​September 22 
E)  ​March 20 
A)  ​July 15 
B)  ​December 21 
C)  ​June 21 
D)  ​September 22 
E)  ​March 20

Question 18

​Orchard heaters that generate smoke are known as ____________________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of ​Orchard heaters that generate smoke are known...

Question 19

​The first sign of hypothermia is ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  ​stupor 
B)  ​dehydration 
C)  ​exhaustion 
D)  ​collapse 
E)  ​frostbite 
A)  ​stupor 
B)  ​dehydration 
C)  ​exhaustion 
D)  ​collapse 
E)  ​frostbite

Question 20

​Over Earth as a whole, one would expect to observe the smallest variation in temperature from day to day and from month to month

Accepted Answer

A)  ​at the North Pole. 
B)  ​in the center of a large land mass. 
C)  ​along the Pacific coast of North America. 
D)  ​high in the mountains in the middle of a continent. 
E)  ​on a small island near the equator. 
A)  ​at the North Pole. 
B)  ​in the center of a large land mass. 
C)  ​along the Pacific coast of North America. 
D)  ​high in the mountains in the middle of a continent. 
E)  ​on a small island near the equator.

Design a house with the goal to limit its heating and cooling costs.

Describe the seasons that you would experience in Australia in comparison to those in Germany.

Data loggers are gradually replacing ____.

Explain the heating degree day application.

A(n) ____ thermometer consists of two different pieces of metal (usually brass and iron) welded together to form a single strip.

In the northern hemisphere, a solar panel should be placed on the side of the roof facing

During the afternoon, the greatest temperature difference between surface air and the air several meters above occurs on a

If the tilt of Earth's axis suddenly increased to 45^o, average winter temperatures in the middle latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere would ____________________.

Which of the following latitudes is closer to Earth's axis?

In humid Iowa, where summer nighttime temperatures are high, corn takes ____ time to mature than in the drier west.

During summer near the North Pole, the Sun is above the horizon a shorter period of time than in the mid-latitudes.

The most important reason why summers in the Southern Hemisphere are not warmer than summers in the Northern Hemisphere is that

In the Northern Hemisphere, which day has the fewest hours of daylight?

Minimum thermometers are usually read during the , yet they are reset in the .

Considering each hemisphere as a whole, seasonal temperature variation in the Southern Hemisphere is ____________________ that in the Northern Hemisphere.

On what date is the Sun the most intense in the Northern Hemisphere?

Orchard heaters that generate smoke are known as ____________________.

The first sign of hypothermia is ____.

Over Earth as a whole, one would expect to observe the smallest variation in temperature from day to day and from month to month

Earth and Its Atmosphere

Energy - Warming the Earth and the Atmosphere

Atmospheric Humidity

Condensation - Dew - Fog - and Clouds

Stability and Cloud Development

Precipitation

Air Pressure and Winds

Wind - Small-Scale and Local Systems

Wind - Global Systems

Air Masses and Fronts

Middle Latitude Cyclones

Weather Forecasting

Thunderstorms

Tornadoes

Hurricanes

Earths Changing Climate

Global Climate

Air Pollution

Light - Color and Atmospheric Optics

Filters

Exam 3: Seasonal and Daily Temperatures