AOS 3 Midterm Practice

The atmosphere is a mixture of …….

• particulate matter and water

• Gas molecules, small particulates, moisture

• Moisture and gas molecules only

• Precipitation and air

Technological advances in computer hardware and software ...

• occurred long before the landmark achievements of early meteorologists.

• have had a huge impact on our ability to understand and predict the weather.

• are essentially irrelevant to meteorology

• have had little effect on our ability to understand and predict the weather.

Radiosondes …

• have been used by the National Weather Service since the mid-1800s

• measure the intensity of rainfall

• allow us to measure weather conditions in the upper atmosphere

• use the Doppler effect to observe severe storms

A network of surface and upper-air observations is crucial to meteorological understanding because

• organized weather systems often cover large areas

• most of the atmosphere is close to the surface

• states and countries rarely share weather observations

• modern computers cannot predict weather in other states.

The invention of the telegraph in the mid-1800s improved weather forecasting because

• an instrument for measuring temperature had not yet been invented

• computers hadn't been invented yet

• the location and movement of weather conditions could be tracked

• radiosondes carried telegraph instruments to multiple locations

According to the scientific method, a hypothesis

• must be phrased in highly technical jargon

• must have already been tested in previous experiments

• must lead to predictions

• must always be understandable to the layperson

The yellow arrows in this image demonstrate that

• hypotheses must always be revised at least once.

• experiments must always be performed at least three times

• the scientific method is not a rigid process

• the analysis must always be performed by at least two different scientists

Atmospheric motions are mostly horizontal because

• gravity restricts vertical motions.

• the oceans restrict vertical air motions

• the atmosphere is very heavy.

• its shallowness doesn't allow large vertical motions.

The troposphere

• is thicker in summer

• often disappears near the poles in winter.

• is thinnest at the tropics

• maintains a relatively constant temperature

Which of the following will increase given an increase in pressure?

• both mass and volume

• density

• volume

• Mass