11.

2 MEASURING AIR AND

BAROMETERS
ANEROID BAROMETER
AN ANEROID BAROMETER HAS AN AIRTIGHT METAL CHAMBER. THE METAL
CHAMBER IS SENSITIVE TO CHANGES IN AIR PRESSURE. WHEN AIR PRESSURE
INCREASES THE THIN WALLS OF THE CHAMBER ARE PUSHED IN. WHEN THE
PRESSURE DROPS, THE WALLS BULGE OUT. THE CHAMBER IS CONNECTED TO
A DIAL BY A SERIES OF SPRINGS AND LEVERS. AS THE SHAPE OF THE
CHAMBER CHANGES THE NEEDLE ON THE DIAL MOVES.
MERCURY BAROMETER
A MERCURY BAROMETER CONSISTS OF A LONG TUBE THAT IS CLOSED AT ONE
END AND OPEN AT THE OTHER. THE OPEN END OF THE TUBE RESTS IN A DISH
OF MERCURY. THE CLOSED END OF THE TUBE ALMOST A VACUUM- THE SPACE
ABOVE THE MERCURY CONTAINS VERY LITTLE AIR. THE AIR PRESSING DOWN
ON THE SURFACE OF THE MERCURY IN THE DISH IS EQUAL TO THE PRESSURE
EXERTED BY THE WEIGHT OF THE COLUMN OF MERCURY IN THE TUBE. WHEN
THE AIR PRESSURE INCREASES, IT PRESSES DOWN MORE ON THE SURFACE
OF THE MERCURY. GREATER AIR PRESSURE FORCES THE COLUMN OF
MERCURY HIGHER. SO THE LEVEL OF MERCURY IN THE TUBE SHOWS YOU THE
PRESSURE OF THE AIR.
COMPARE AND CONTRASTING THE
MERCURY BAROMETER AND THE ANEROID
BAROMETER
COMPARE CONTRAST
1. BOTH FIND THE AIR PRESSURE 1. THE MERCURY BAROMETER USES
EFFECTIVELY. A LIQUID, A ANEROID BAROMETER
2. BOTH RESPOND TO THE AIR PRESSURE DOESNT.
DROP/INCLINE ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. 2. A MERCURY BAROMETER IS HARD
TO TRANSPORT WHERE AS THE
ANEROID BAROMETER ISNT.
3. THE MERCURY BAROMETER IS
FRAGILE, WHERE AS THE
ANEROID BAROMETER IS COMPACT
AND STABLE.
3. BOTH ARE SORT OF LIKE VACUUM,
THE ANERIOD BAROMETER
SQUEEZES IN AND OUT AND A
MERCURY BAROMETER THE VACUUM
EFFECT KEEPS THE MERCURY LEVEL
WITH THE AIR PRESSURE
ANOTHER INSTRUMENT USED TO MEASURE
AIR PRESSURE
BAROGRAPH A BAROMETER THAT RECORDS ITS READINGS ON A MOVING
CHART; A BAROGRAPH IS A BAROMETER THAT IS OUTFITTED WITH A WRITING
ARM THAT RECORDS RISES AND FALLS IN BAROMETRIC PRESSURE ON A
ROTATING SCROLL OF PAPER. BAROGRAPHS WERE ONCE THE PREEMINENT
TOOL OF WEATHER FORECASTERS, MARINERS AND OTHERS WHO CLOSELY
FOLLOWED PRESSURE CHANGES OVER TIME. COLLECTING AND STUDYING THE
SCROLLS PROVIDED GREAT INSIGHT INTO FRONTS, WEATHER SYSTEMS AND
GENERAL ATMOSPHERIC CHANGES, AND IT ALLOWED A RECORD OF THESE
PATTERNS TO BE KEPT FOR POSTERITY.
A INSTRUMENT USED TO MEASURE
HUMIDITY
A PSYCHROMETER / HYBROMETER A HYGROMETER IS AN INSTRUMENT
USED TO MEASURE RELATIVE HUMIDITY. HUMIDITY IS THE MEASURE OF THE AMOUNT OF
MOISTURE IN THE AIR. A PSYCHROMETER IS AN EXAMPLE OF A HYGROMETER. A
PSYCHROMETER USES TWO THERMOMETERS TO MEASURE RELATIVE HUMIDITY; ONE
MEASURES THE DRY-BULB TEMPERATURE AND THE OTHER MEASURES THE WET-BULB
TEMPERATURE. THE WET-BULB THERMOMETER CONTAINS WATER IN THE BASE THAT
EVAPORATES AND ABSORBS HEAT WHICH DECREASES THE TEMPERATURE READING. TO
DETERMINE THE RELATIVE HUMIDITY, THE TEMPERATURES ARE TAKEN FROM THE DRY-BULB
THERMOMETER AND THE TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE WET AND DRY BULB
THERMOMETERS. FROM THESE MEASUREMENTS, A TABLE IS USED TO FIND THE RELATIVE
HUMIDITY AT A CERTAIN LOCATION. A SLING PSYCHROMETER IS A COMMON INSTRUMENT
USED BY METEOROLOGISTS TO DETERMINE THE RELATIVE HUMIDITY. THIS INSTRUMENT IS
SWUNG AROUND WHILE BEING HELD.
THINGS USED TO FORECAST THE WEATHER
WEATHER MAPS INDICATE ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS ABOVE A LARGE
PORTION OF THE EARTH'S SURFACE. METEOROLOGISTS USE WEATHER MAPS
TO FORECAST THE WEATHER.
WEATHER SATELLITES ARE USED TO PHOTOGRAPH AND TRACK
LARGE-SCALE AIR MOVEMENTS. THEN METEOROLOGISTS COMPILE AND
ANALYZE THE DATA WITH THE HELP OF COMPUTERS.
A WEATHER BALLOON MEASURES WEATHER CONDITIONS HIGHER UP
IN THE ATMOSPHERE.