Investigating the Temperature of Air
How does the temperature of the earth’s
surface affect the temperature of the air
above it?
If _________, then________, because______.
If the temperature of the surface air is warm
then the temperature of the air above it will
______________, because_______________.
If the temperature of the surface is cold then
the temperature of the air above it will
be____________, because_______________.
2 – Convection Tubes
1 – Container of hot water
1 – Container of ice
1 – Stopwatch
1 – Digital Thermometer
Same amount of ice and water.
Materials under the convection tube for the
same amount of time.
The thermometer will be used in degrees of
Celsius.
The temperature of the surface will change
when using different materials of the water
and the ice.

Restate the Big Question

State whether or not your hypothesis was
accurate and explain why.
A. How did the temperature of each container of
water affect the temperature of the air above it?

The hot water heated the air directly above it.
This means that the temperature of
Thermometer B probably rose higher than the
temperature of Thermometer A in the
Convection Tube with the hot water. The cold
water cooled the air directly above it. This
means that in the Convection Tube with the cold
water, the cold water made the temperature of
Thermometer B drop.
B. The movement of
heat is called heat
transfer. Describe the
heat transfer between
the container of hot
water and the air.
Describe the heat
transfer between the
container of cold water
and the air.

Heat energy always
moves from warm
materials to cooler
ones. Therefore, heat
moved [1] from the
warm water to the
cooler air, and [2] from
the warm air to the
cooler water, which
heated the water and
cooled the air.
C. Under what conditions
was it difficult to see
through the cylinder?
Why do you think this
happened?

The inside of the tube
with the hot water
“fogged” up, because
moisture formed on the
inside of the Convection
Tube. More
condensation took place
with hot water than with
cold water, because of
greater evaporation from
the container of hot
water.
D. Why do you think
covering the container
helped keep the
cylinder clear?

The plastic reduced
evaporation by
blocking the escape of
water vapor.

Heat – a form of energy that transfers because
of a temperature difference

Temperature – an indication of the amount of
heat energy in matter

Air masses – bodies of air with nearly uniform
conditions of temperature and humidity, they
take on the conditions of the surface over which
it forms

Stable air mass – when the temperature of an
air mass does not decrease with altitude

Unstable air mass – when the temperature of an
air mass decreases rapidly with an increase in
altitude

Latent heat – heat required to change a
substance from one state to another
(example – liquid water changing to water vapor
through evaporation)

Evaporation – water changes from a liquid to
a gas, water vapor

Condensation – water vapor rises and cools
causing it to change into liquid or ice

Sublimation – transition from a solid to a gas
phase so rapidly that the liquid phase cannot
be observed (example – snow)