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Hot AirFind out more about air temperature and pressure , experiment with air, and the answers to trivia questions sent with the kids science project on air.
Trivia Questions1) What causes hot air to expand? Find the answers to these kids science questions.
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Kids Science Library
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Science doesn't have to be
complicated, expensive or use specialized laboratory equipment.
There are great science projects that can be performed using common
household items.
Whether you are a parent or a student trying to find an idea for a science project, a teacher looking for ideas for the classroom, or a science enthusiast who enjoys the delight of experimentation, you'll find what you're looking for in this book. |
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Why does Hot Air Rise?Warm air rises, and when it rises it becomes cooler. That information is key to understanding a lot of meteorology (science of weather). Rising air experiences a drop in temperature, even though no heat is lost to the outside. The drop in temperature is a result of the decrease in atmospheric pressure at higher altitudes. If the pressure of the surrounding air is reduced, then the rising air parcel will expand. The molecules of air are doing work as they expand. This will affect the parcel's temperature (which is the average kinetic energy of the molecules in the air parcel). One of the results of the Laws of Thermodynamics is that there is an inverse relationship between the volume of an air parcel and its temperature. During either expansion or compression, the total amount of energy in the parcel remains the same (none is added or lost). The energy can either be used to do the work of expansion, or to maintain the temperature of the parcel, but it can't be used for both. If the total amount of heat in a parcel of air is held constant (no heat is added or released), then when the parcel expands, its temperature drops. When the parcel is compressed, its temperature rises. In the atmosphere, if the parcel of air were forced to descend, it would warm up again without taking heat from the outside. This is called adiabatic heating and cooling, and the term adiabatic implies a change in temperature of the parcel of air without gain or loss of heat from outside the air parcel. Adiabatic processes are very important in the atmosphere, and adiabatic cooling of rising air is the dominant cause of cloud formation.
Key Points
Websites with information on Air Pressure and Air TempertureMake a hot air balloon Experiment with a Pin WheelMaterials - toy pinwheel, pot of boiling water, pot-holder glove
The heated air molecules from the steam move faster and farther apart. The air becomes lighter and rises upward creating an air current which moves the pinwheel.
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Trivia Answers1) What causes hot air to expand? Heat increases the motion of air molecules. The faster molecules move, the more space they use, so as air heats up it expands. 2) In experiment 2 which balloon expands more? Why? The balloon on the larger bottle expands more. There is more air in the larger bottle. So heating a larger amount of air causes the balloon to expand more.
3) What types of vehicles use hot air? Hot Air Balloons
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