Used to introduce 4th grade students to air pressure and wind concepts

1. How Does Temperature Affect Air Movement? You’re riding an elevator and suddenly you can hardly hear. You swallow. POP! Oh, much better. What caused your ears to pop? It’s called air pressure.

2. Air Pressure: the amount that air presses or pushes on anything You usually do not notice air pressure, but you do notice its effects Air Pressure and Wind

3. As you travel higher above the earth, the air pressure changes Higher=Less Pressure

4. Temperature also changes the higher you travel. The Earth’s surface heats the air. Farther From Earth = Cooler Temperature Temperature: 34ºF Temperature: 54ºF Temperature: 76ºF

5. As the air near the surface of the earth becomes warmer, the air particles move farther apart. The air become lighter and rises This is when a low-pressure area forms Low Air Pressure

6. Cole air s heavier than warm air. It’s air particles are packed closer together and push down harder. This is when a high-pressure area forms. High Air Pressure

7. Air moves from a place with high pressure to a place with low pressure. Air moving is called wind. When the cooler air from a high-pressure area sinks toward the earth, it causes wind. That’s why you will feel a cool breeze…even on a warm, summer day. Wind

8. Barometer Measuring Air Pressure

9. Wind Vane Measuring Wind Direction

10. Anemometer Measuring Wind Speed

11. What causes wind? Let’s Review! Wind is caused by air moving from a high-pressure area to a low-pressure area.

12. How is air pressure measured? Air pressure is measured by a barometer.

13. How do scientists measure wind direction? Scientists measure wind direction with a wind vane.

14. How do scientists measure wind speed? Scientists measure wind speed with an anemometer.

15. Suppose the daily high wind speeds in a place for a week are 30 kph (kilometers per hour), 10 kph, 30 kph, 20 kph, 15 kph, 25 kph, and 40 kph. What is the range, median, and the mode of the wind speeds? Range, Median, and Mode

16. Order the numbers! 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 30, 40 1st Step

17. Find the range! 40-10 = 30 Range = 30 kph 2nd Step

18. Find the median 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 30, 40 Median = 25 kph 3rd Step

19. Find the mode 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 30, 40 Mode= 30 kph 4th Step