Windy Calculations
Name_____________________________ Date ______________Period _____________
1. Most people think that Chicago is the windiest city in the U.S. It's not. Boston is the windiest
city. The numbers below indicate the miles per hour of the winds for Boston for a 2-week
period. Use the information to make a stem and leaf plot. Then find the range, median and
mode.
22 35 27 15 38 32 22 35 25 29 22 18 24 36
2. Thirty-seven states use wind as a source of energy. What fraction of the states does not
use wind energy?
Twelve states in the midsection of the country, Texas to North Dakota, contribute 90% of
the wind electric potential. What fraction of the states is this? What percentage?
Wind power plants in California produced over 3.1 billion kWh of electricity during 1995,
about 1.2% of the electricity used by California. What % of California's electricity does not
come from wind?
Would you say that California depends on wind for most of its electricity? Explain.
3. Tornadoes and the threat of tornadoes are a key part of the USA's spring weather because
spring brings favorable tornado conditions. Forecasters and researchers use a wind
damage scale called the F scale to classify tornadoes. The ratings are based on the
amount and type of wind damage. The ratings are:
F-0: Light damage. Wind up to 72 mph. F-1: Moderate damage. Wind 73-112 mph. F-2:
Considerable damage. Wind 113-157 mph. F-3: Severe damage. Wind 158-206 mph. F-4:
Devastating damage. Wind 207-260 mph. F-5: Incredible damage. Wind above 261 mph.
What is the range for an F-2? F-3?
What would the median wind be in an F-1 tornado?
If winds were clocked at 165 mph how the tornado would be classified? What kind of
damage could be expected?
4. Damon loves to fly his kite on the weekends. If March 1st is on a Saturday, how many days
will he get to fly his kite in March?
If one weekend is a washout, what fraction of the weekend days is this?
What fraction shows the days out of the month when he can fly his kite?
5. Who are the kite flier, sailor, windsurfer and balloonist?
Kate, Wayne, Ben, and Sarah are all 20 years old. Here are some clues to help you solve
the problem:
No one is involved in the sport that has the same first letter as his or her name.
Kate is not friends with the balloonist but she is best friends with the sailor.
Wayne is a male chauvinist and he can't believe that a girl could be a balloonist.
Ben is afraid of water.
6. On one windy day in March, the combined winds of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh totaled 68
mph. The winds in Pittsburgh were 10 mph more than in Philadelphia. What were the winds
in each city?
7. Look at the Wind-chill Factor chart below to answer these questions.
What effect does a 5-mph wind have on temperature?
If the air temperature is above freezing what is the lowest wind speed that will make the air
feel like it is below freezing?
If the temperature is 15 degrees and the wind is 15 mph, what temperature does it feel like
out?
What wind speed makes a 25 degree air temperature feel like it's below 0?
What air temperature feels like -24 when there is a 20-mph wind?
Wind speed in miles per hour
0
5
10
15
20
25 30 35 40
Air Temperature (F)
Apparent or "Feels Like" Temp. (F)
35
35
32 22
16
12
8
6
4
3
30
30
27 16
9
4
1
2
-4
-5
25
25
22 10
2
-3
-7
-10 -12 - 13
20
20
16 3
-5
-10
-15 -18 -20 - 21
15
15
11 -3
-11
-17
-22 -25 -27 -29
10
10
6
-9
-18
-24
-29 -33 -35 - 37
5
5
0
-15
-25
-31
-36 -41 -43 - 45
0
0
-5
-22
-31
-39
-44 -49 -52 - 53
-5
-5
-10 -27
-38
-46
-51 -56 -58 -60
-10
-10
-15 -34
-45
-53
-59 -64 -67 -69
Windy Calculations: Solutions
1. 15 18
22 22 22 24 25 27 29
32 35 35 36 38
range=23; median=26; mode=22
2. 13/50; 6/25=24%; 98.8%; No, because only 1.2% comes from wind
3. 44 mph-F2; 48mph-F3; median-36mph; F3; severe
4. 9 more days; 1/5; 8/31
5. Kate-windsurfer; Wayne-sailor; Ben-kite flier; Sarah- balloonist
6. 29mph-Phila.; 39mph-Pitts.
7. Makes the temp. go down at least 3 degrees; 10mph; -11 degrees; 20mph; 10 degrees
How did you do?
Energy Transfer- online interactive http://www.ornl.gov/sci/btc/apps/energytransfer/index2.html