Earth Systems Science
Laboratory 11 Answer sheet
Weather
1.1) What do you think will happen to the temperature of the can of compressed gas when you
release some of the gas? (Releasing the gas will decrease the pressure on the gas contained in
the can.) Should it stay the same, get hotter, or get colder? Formulate a hypothesis.
1.2) Why do you expect that the air within the can should stay the same temperature, get hotter,
or get colder?
1.3) Release some of the gas. Was your hypothesis supported or falsified? If it was falsified,
explain why the temperature behaved in the way that it did.
1.4) When air rises, its pressure decreases. What should happen to the temperature of a parcel
of air as it rises?
2.1) What should happen to the air in the chimney above the candle? What should happen to the
air in the chimney that is not over the candle? Formulate a hypothesis about how the air in the
box should move.
2.2) Why do you think the air will behave in the way you hypothesized it would?
2.3) Sketch what happens to the incense smoke.
