IQ Weather Experiments 1 thru 8

EXPERIMENTS AT HOME

Cloud In A Bottle

Water covers over 2/3rds of the planet. As it heats up and evaporates, it replenishes the moisture we need in the air to creates clouds, rain, snow, and ice! This experiment explores the water cycle by creating a cloud in a bottle. Watch closely as the vapor rises off the hot water and creates a cloud! Parental supervision is recommended for this experiment.

Experiment Equipment List:

  • 2 Glass Bottles

  • Matches
  • Towel or Hot Pad Mitt
  • Icepack or Bag of Ice
  • Hot Water

EXPERIMENTS AT HOME

Hot versus Cold Air Masses

Unequal heating of our atmosphere is the mechanism that helps move air around the planet. Water and air are both types of fluids, so you can study the movement in water to understand the movements of air. Cold water tends to sink, and warm water tends to rise. This experiment helps you visualize the interactions between cold, dense water, and the warmer water than surrounds it. Watch closely to see what happens, and make notes on how you think this matches what happens in the air above you!

Experiment Equipment List:

  • Ice Cube Tray
  • Red and Blue Food Coloring
  • Large Clear Plastic Bin

  • Luke-warm Water

EXPERIMENTS AT HOME

Hurricane Sea Level

The air above us is always pressing down on everything it surrounds. We don’t notice it because we are used to carrying the weight of the air. At sea level, air weighs 14.696 pounds per square inch…which means there is over 2,116 pounds or weight on every square foot of our planet. The weight of the air is called air pressure, and this experiment shows you what happens when the pressure drops in one area. Some people experience aches and pains when the air pressure drops because less air pressure allows joints to swell. Think about how this also affects how the air moves around the high and low pressure areas of Earth by observing the results of this experiment!

Experiment Equipment List: 

  • Dinner Plate

  • Play Dough

  • Candle
  • Lighter or Matches

  • Tall Clear Drinking Glass (2)

  • Glass of water

EXPERIMENTS AT HOME

Thermal Expansion

In many of our lessons, we talk about how the air expands and rises when it heats up, and shrinks and drops when it cools off.  This simple experiment demonstrates how the differences in temperature cause this to happen.  Molecules in the air move faster and move farther apart when the air heats up. They move slower and move closer together when the air cools. Watch the results of this experiment to see the expansion and contraction of air happen in real time!

Experiment Equipment List: 

  • 2 Clear Plastic Bins

  • Plastic Water Bottle

  • Small Rubber Band

  • Regular Size Balloon
  • Hot and Cold Water

EXPERIMENT

Atmospheric Vapor Pressure

This experiment demonstrates how a gas expands in the atmosphere. It helps your student to understand what a powerful force expansion, and contraction, of the atmosphere can be as it relates to weather!

IMPORTANT: This experiment requires adult supervision. Please read the Safety precautions BEFORE attempting to perform this experiment.

Experiment Equipment List
Teacher Guide: Atmospheric Vapor Pressure
Lesson Resources/Safety Precautions
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Experiment 1: Atmospheric Vapor Pressure

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1. Liquid nitrogen boils at:

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2. How much of the air we breathe is made up of nitrogen?

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3. When air heats up it:

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4. When liquid nitrogen turns back into a gas it expands at a ratio of:

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5. What happens when a liquid boils?

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Quiz Answers: Atmospheric Vapor Pressure

EXPERIMENT

Pressure and Condensation

This experiment will show your students how air pressure affects the ability of the air to hold moisture. In this case, the air in the jug is in a closed system, while the air in the atmosphere is in an open system. However, the principal physical changes work the same way in both the experiment and the atmosphere.

Discussion Questions:

Have you ever walked outside on a foggy day? Did you realize that was a cloud on the ground?  Did you get wet?

If the air is saturated with water vapor, what do you think that mean?

Discuss how hot air causes water vapor to evaporate.

IMPORTANT: This experiment requires adult supervision. Please read the Safety precautions BEFORE attempting to perform this experiment.

Experiment Equipment List
Teacher Guide: Pressure and Condensation
Lesson Resources/Safety Precautions
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Experiment 2: Pressure and Condensation

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1. In this experiment, the increase in air pressure inside the bottle leads to:

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2. When the air pressure is released, what happens to the moisture inside the bottle?

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3. In weather systems, high pressure tends to lead to:

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4. In weather systems, low pressure helps form clouds because:

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5. When air pressure decreases, the molecules inside the bottle:

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Quiz Answers: Pressure and Condensation

EXPERIMENT

Convective Chemical Cloud

This experiment demonstrates how the sun’s heat creates upward motion of air (convection) and forms thunderstorms. The experiment reinforces previous lessons on clouds and precipitation.

Discussion Questions:

Discuss what role the sun plays in creating clouds, and in the water cycle.

Have you ever observed a cumulus cloud grow on a hot day?

IMPORTANT: This experiment requires adult supervision. Please read the Safety precautions BEFORE attempting to perform this experiment.

Experiment Equipment List
Teacher Guide: Convective Chemical Cloud
Lesson Resources/Safety Precautions
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Experiment 3: Convective Chemical Cloud

1 / 5

1. In this experiment, the chemical reaction in the jar creates:

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2. The heat generated in the jar, represents the energy provided by:

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3. The cloud that forms in this experiment is similar to a:

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4. Warm, humid, rising air is generally associated with:

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5. The cloud that forms in this experiment represents what stages of storm development?

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Quiz Answers: Convective Chemical Cloud

EXPERIMENT

Liquid Nitrogen Cloud

Clouds form in the sky all the time. This experiment demonstrates the process by which clouds are formed. Use the knowledge your students gained from previous lessons to anticipate the results of this experiment.

Discussion Questions:

What do you think happens when liquid nitrogen is heated rapidly?

Discuss what you expect to happen when you combine the water and the liquid nitrogen.

Be ready to watch the results of the video closely.  Think about what you will see happen and try to explain the processes.

IMPORTANT: This experiment requires adult supervision. Please read the Safety precautions BEFORE attempting to perform this experiment.

Experiment Equipment List
Teacher Guide: Liquid Nitrogen Cloud
Lesson Resources/Safety Precautions
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Experiment 4: Liquid Nitrogen Cloud

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1. What happens when any liquid boils?

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2. Liquid nitrogen boils at:

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3. The difference between the temperature of the liquid nitrogen and the water is almost:

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4. When the hot water hits the liquid nitrogen, what happens to the liquid nitrogen?

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5. When the cold liquid nitrogen gas comes in contact with the air above the 55-gallon can, what happens to the water vapor in the air?

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6. What happens to the water in the container when it hits the liquid nitrogen?

Your score is

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Quiz Answers: Liquid Nitrogen Cloud
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CONGRATULATIONS

You have completed the IQ Weather course! We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about the world around us.

Click on the link below to download your printable certificate of completion.

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