21111
21111
Instructor(s): Prof. Seiberling
PHYSICS DEPARTMENT
MET 1010
Final Exam
Name (print, last first):
December 16, 2004
Signature:
On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this examination.
YOUR TEST NUMBER IS THE 5-DIGIT NUMBER AT THE TOP OF EACH PAGE.
(1) Code your test number on your answer sheet (use 76–80 for the 5-digit number). Code your name on your
answer sheet. DARKEN CIRCLES COMPLETELY. Code your UFID number on your answer sheet.
(2) Print your name on this sheet and sign it also.
(3) Do all scratch work anywhere on this exam that you like. Circle your answers on the test form. At the end of
the test, this exam printout is to be turned in. No credit will be given without both answer sheet and printout with
scratch work most questions demand.
(4) Blacken the circle of your intended answer completely, using a #2 pencil or blue or black ink. Do not
make any stray marks or some answers may be counted as incorrect.
(5) The answers are rounded off. Choose the closest to exact. There is no penalty for guessing.
(6) Hand in the answer sheet separately.
There are 33 multiple choice questions. Clearly circle the one best answer for each question. If more than one answer
is marked, no credit will be given for that question, even if one of the marked answers is correct. Guessing an answer is
better than leaving it blank. All questions are worth 3 points except 1, marked 4 points. Good Luck!
1. Which of the following is NOT an electromagnetic wave?
(1) blackbody radiation emitted by a rock (2) microwaves (3) visible light (4) sound waves (5) infrared radiation
2. What best describes a baroclinic condition?
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
when thunderstorms organize in a rotational motion
a sudden change in air pressure that causes hives in some people
when isotachs are parallel to isobars
when dew points rise while temperatures drop
when isotherms cross contour lines
3. A cold front is moving through your area, traveling from the northwest. During the passage of the cold front, surface
winds will most likely blow in the following way:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
they
they
they
they
they
will
will
will
will
will
be
be
be
be
be
northwesterly both before and after the front passes
southwesterly before and southeasterly after the front passes
southeasterly both before and after the front passes
northwesterly before and calm after the front passes
southwesterly before and northwesterly after the front passes
4. Which is true about the change of state between water and ice?
(1) the vapor pressure above water and ice at the same temperature is the same
(2) if heat is added slowly to an ice/water mixture that stays in equilibrium, the temperature of the mixture will
slowly rise
(3) pure water can be lowered to temperatures well below 0◦ C before freezing starts
(4) freezing water absorbs latent heat
(5) pure water can be raised to temperatures well above 0◦ C before melting starts
21111
21111
5. A wind reported at 315◦ would be a wind blowing from the:
(1) S
(2) NW
(3) NE
(4) SW
(5) SE
6. You are at latitude 30◦ South (in the southern hemisphere), and the date is December 21. In what direction would
you observe sunrise?
(1) directly east
(2) south of west
(3) north of east
(4) south of east
(5) north of west
7. According to the 3-cell general circulation model, at the equator we would NOT expect to find:
(1) cumuliform clouds
(2) heavy showers
(3) the ITCZ
(4) light winds
(5) surface high pressure
8. Upwelling occurs along the northern California coast because:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
water flows from the Atlantic into the Pacific because they are at different levels
winds cause surface waters to move away from the coast
of tidal motions
of larger than normal fish hatches in El Nino years
of seismic activity on the ocean bottom
9. Which of the following is NOT a usual way that clouds are formed?
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
lifting along weather fronts
convergence of surface air
surface heating and free convection
orographic uplift
a subsidence inversion
10. The force exerted by the wind blowing against an object is related to the wind speed, V , as:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
F
F
F
F
F
is
is
is
is
is
not a function of V
proportional to V 3
proportional to V
proportional to V 2
proportional to the square root of V
11. A general trend that is expected to last for 2 or 3 decades and is expected to enhance hurricane activity in the North
Atlantic is:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
increasing levels of CO2
global warming
increased volcanic activity
a strengthening ocean conveyor belt
increasing eccentricity of the earth’s orbit
21111
21111
12. Which of the following statements is NOT correct?
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
Generally, the smaller the pure water droplet, the lower the temperature at which it will freeze.
Much of the rain falling in middle northern latitudes begins as snow.
Ice crystals may grow in a cold cloud even though supercooled droplets do not.
Ice nuclei are more plentiful in the atmosphere than condensation nuclei.
The larger the water drop, the higher its terminal velocity.
13. (4 points) Suppose the surface air temperature is 25◦ C. If the base of a cumulus cloud directly above you is 800 m,
what would be the approximate temperature at an altitude of 2300 m above you inside the cloud? (Hint: the dry
adiabatic rate is 10◦ C per 1000 m and the moist adiabatic rate is 6◦ C per 1000 m.)
(1) 25◦ C
(2) 42◦ C
(3) 8◦ C
(4) 35◦ C
(5) 2◦ C
14. Which of the following is true about the stratosphere?
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
it contains most of the weather we are familiar with
it has a temperature inversion
ozone is the most abundant gas
the winds are generally calm
it is mostly warmer than the lower troposphere
15. Light or moderate-but-steady precipitation is most often associated with:
(1) cirrostratus
(2) altocumulus
(3) cirrocumulus
(4) cumulonimbus
(5) nimbostratus
16. In the region between 30◦ and 60◦ South latitude, the winds are generally:
(1) westerly
(2) easterly
(3) southerly
(4) calm
(5) northerly
17. Which below is the best indication that a severe thunderstorm is about to produce a tornado?
(1) large hail
(2) a mammatus cloud
(3) a gust front
(4) a wall cloud
(5) a roll cloud
18. When viewed from the surface of the earth, the smallest individual cloud elements (puffs) are observed with:
(1) stratocumulus
(2) cumulonimbus
(3) cirrocumulus
19. A building anticyclone means:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
separate cyclones are merging
the anticyclone is causing a middle latitude storm to form
the central pressure is increasing
the central pressure is decreasing
the anticyclone is moving toward the east coast
(4) altocumulus
(5) cumulus
21111
21111
20. Which of the following statements describe the snow-albedo positive feedback effect?
(1) Rising temperatures would lead to melting of snow, which absorbs latent heat and causes cooling of the earth.
(2) Rising temperatures would lead to more snow, which would reflect sunlight, leading to lower temperatures.
(3) Lowering temperatures would produce more snow, which would trap infrared energy and cause a warming of the
earth.
(4) Lowering temperatures would produce more snow, which would reflect sunlight, leading to lower temperatures.
(5) Lowering temperatures would lead to less snowfall, which would reflect less sunlight, leading to a warming of the
earth.
21. Streamlines on a weather map depict:
(1) ocean currents
(2) pressure
(3) water temperature
(4) dew point
(5) wind flow
22. Which of the following conditions would lead to a more UNSTABLE atmosphere?
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
daytime heating of the earth’s surface
nighttime cooling of the earth’s surface
a subsidence inversion
air moving over a cold surface
an environmental lapse rate less than the moist adiabatic rate
23. Severe thunderstorms are different from air-mass thunderstorms in that severe thunderstorms:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
have a strong updraft and downdraft
contain lightning and thunder
produce hail
have an anvil
have a tilted updraft in the mature stage
24. Hurricanes derive their energy primarily from:
(1) latent heat
(2) upper level winds
(3) the trade winds
(4) the Coriolis force
(5) the trade wind inversion
25. The blue color of the sky is due to:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
the filtering effect of water vapor in the earth’s atmosphere
the emission of blue light by oxygen molecules
transmission of visible light through the ozone layer
selective scattering of visible light by air molecules
reflection of sunlight off of the earth’s oceans
26. Around a surface high pressure system in the Southern Hemisphere, the surface winds blow:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
counter-clockwise and inward
counter-clockwise and outward
clockwise and inward
in no particular direction
clockwise and outward
21111
21111
27. Which association below is NOT correct?
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
cirrocumulus — layer cloud
cumulonimbus — thunderstorm
altostratus — middle cloud
cirrostratus — ice cloud
stratocumulus — low cloud
28. Which of the following properties of an object is something that enhances its ability to get hot when radiant energy is
applied to it?
(1) low melting point
(2) high heat capacity
(3) low albedo
(4) high thermal conductivity
(5) high porosity
29. The most abundant gas in the atmosphere is:
(1) argon
(2) carbon dioxide
(3) oxygen
(4) water vapor
(5) nitrogen
30. For air circulating clockwise around a high pressure system far above the earth’s surface in the Northern Hemisphere:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
the Coriolis force balances the frictional force
air moves in the direction of the net force
the pressure gradient force points inward and the Coriolis force points outward
the Coriolis force points inward and the pressure gradient force points outward
the centripetal force balances the frictional force
31. An analysis is:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
a
a
a
a
a
forecast chart that shows the atmosphere at some future time
surface or upper-level chart that interprets the present weather patterns
forecast method used in long range weather prediction
method used to determine skill in predicting weather
forecast chart that compares past weather maps with those of the present
32. It takes longer to cook food in boiling water at high altitudes because:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
the cooler air conducts heat away from the food faster
food cooks in the same amount of time at all altitudes
the air is less dense and rapid evaporation cools the water by loss of latent heat
the lower air pressure causes the water to boil at a lower temperature
the dryer air at high altitudes cools the water through the latent heat of evaporation
33. What is true about refracted light?
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
it
it
it
it
it
causes the bottoms of clouds to appear white
is responsible for the blue color of the sky
causes the sun to appear to set after it actually does
is also known as Rayleigh scattering
is responsible for red sunsets