Weather Water cycle, rain, snow, evaporation, clouds, lightening, thunder, sunrise, sunset, blue sky Misconceptions

Concepts

• Water cycle
  
• Water evaporatesand becomes a gas when heat energy is transferred to it.
  
• Waterin the form of a gas condenses to form water vapor in the form of a liquid when heat energy is transferred from it.

Misconceptions

• Water in a saucer doesn't evaporate the water has soaked into the saucer.
• When water evaporates it disappears or ceases to exist.
  
• When water boils or evaporates it goes straight to clouds (there is no water vapor in air).
  
• The (visible) steam from kettles rises, as steam, to form (visible) clouds.
  
• When water boils and the gaseous form condenses some of the original water is lost.
  
• Rain falls when the clouds are too full of water and it drips out (or the cloud bursts open).
  
• Coldness turns into water (something taken from the refrigerator).
  
• We sweat more on a humid day.
  
• The bubbles in boiling water are bubbles of air, or oxygen, or oxygen and hydrogen, or heat.
  
• All liquids boil at 100 degrees Celsius; boiling water must always be hotter than other non-boiling liquids, heated oil.
  
• If you melt cooking fat it will stay as a liquid (cooking oil).
  
• A liquid will become lighter if it turns into a gas.
  
• Water vapor is less dense than water.
  
• Water evaporates only from objects that contain visible water as a source (oceans, lakes, ponds, rivers, puddles, wet soil, anima wastes…).
  
• Water transpires from plantsin liquid form
  
• Clouds, dew, fog, and frost is water in a gaseous form.

Concepts

Rain

Misconceptions

• It falls from the clouds like from a sprinkling can
  
• Clouds make rain. Rain people cry in the clouds.. God makes it. God, angels, sweat, crying, Rain comes from holes in the clouds, clouds sweating, clouds shaken, melt
  
• Rain occurs because we need it
  
• Sun and clouds combine to make rain
  
• Moisture in the air causes rain (no relationship about energy)
  
• Rain is cause by moisture reacting with carbon dioxide
  
• It rains when there are enough clouds
  
• It will rain when the water in the sky or clouds becomes less and less gaseous and eventually it becomes water and rains down
  
• Rain has something to do with hot and cold
  
• It rains when water evaporates, gets cold, freezes, and falls out of the cloud.
  
• Rain happens when a cool front hits a warm front or a moist front… (contact)
  
• When clouds become too heavy to hold water it rains
  
• Raindrops are tear shaped.
  
• When water evaporates it disappears or ceases to exist.
• Rain, water cycle, just comes from sky, comes from clouds, comes from water on earth to clouds to rain, process but not energy transfer or change of states.

Concepts

Snow

Misconceptions

• Snow is made of water and air, chemicals, cold air,
  
• Snow flake has points on the outside and holes in the middle
  
• Rain starts up high and as it gets closer to Earth it gets colder and turns to snow
  
• What falls is rain or snow depending on the temperature

Concepts

Evaporation

Misconceptions

• Water is absorbed into a surface, rather than evaporate into the air. Or an animal drinks it.
  
• Air takes water up into the sky.
  
• Water and air connect and go into the sky
  
• Water turn to steam
  
• Sun absorbed it
  
• Water evaporates as water particle
  
• Water disappears when spilled on surfaces.
  
• Water evaporates to form water vapor.
  
• Evaporation is effected by different variables.
  
• Surface area, air flow, temperature, humidity, air pressure above the water, effect the rate of evaporation.
  
• Evaporation only takes place at the surface.
  
• Other liquids can not evaporate.
  
• When water evaporates it disappears or ceases to exist.
  
• Water comes on shore as waves and evaporates.
  
• Bubbles in boiling water are air.

Concept

Clouds

Misconceptions

• Clouds just go around the Earth.
  
• Are made of pillows, cotton, wool, smoke, vapor from cooking
  
• Clouds move because we move,
  
• Jet contrails are smoke
  
• Clouds are made from air and water
  
• Air pressure keeps clouds in the air

Concepts

• Lightning and thunder
  
• Air is heated so fast that it expands rapidly and explodes
  
• About one inch in diameter
  
• Will strike power lines underground
  
• Will strike inside a house. Number one killer on phone.
  
• Car metal not tires will disperse it
  
• Florida most strikes a year
  
• When lightening strikes sand it melts it and creates sand fulgenites

Misconceptions

• Thunder happens when clouds hit, bump, rub, friction… each other. When a negative cloud hits a positive cloud it makes lightening
  
• When rain rubs against the air
  
• Big spark
  
• Supernatural event (God makes, angels when get a strike bowling)
  
• Found by a famous inventor flying a kite.
  
• Thunder occurs without lightening. Lightening occurs without thunder (heat lightening).
  
• Lightening never strikes twice in the same place.

Concepts

• Sunrise, sunset, and blue sky
  
• White light is scattered by the gases in the atmosphere and since blue has the shortƒpressureest wavelength it is scattered less than others and that is why the sky is blue.

Misconceptions

• Sun changes color
  
• Dirt, dust, clouds, smog,
  
• Color depends on how close the sun is at the time.
  
• When the sun sets it is farther away and therefore its color changes
  
• Because the Sun is just coming up or going down
  
• Sun gives off all colors and we see what is reflected
  
• Sun’s position determines the color of the sky. When the sun is behind the clouds that is why there isn’t any color except the color of the clouds.
  
• Humidity or moisture in the air can change the color

Dr. Robert Sweetland's Notes ©