Barometer

A barometer is a scientific instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure. It is an essential tool in meteorology and plays a crucial role in weather forecasting. There are two main types of barometers: mercury barometers and aneroid barometers.

Mercury Barometer

A mercury barometer consists of a long glass tube filled with mercury, inverted into a dish containing mercury. The height of the mercury column in the tube is a measure of the atmospheric pressure. As the atmospheric pressure changes, the height of the mercury column also changes. The standard atmospheric pressure at sea level can support a column of mercury that is 760 millimeters high, and this is known as one atmosphere (1 atm) of pressure.

Aneroid Barometer

An aneroid barometer uses a small, flexible metal box called an aneroid cell. This cell is made from an alloy of beryllium and copper. As the atmospheric pressure changes, the cell expands or contracts, and this motion is translated into a pointer reading on a dial, indicating the current atmospheric pressure.

How Barometers Work

The principle behind a barometer is that atmospheric pressure exerts a force on the surface of the mercury or the aneroid cell, causing a displacement that can be measured and used to determine the pressure. High atmospheric pressure typically indicates fair weather, while low pressure often signifies the approach of a storm or unsettled weather.

Applications

Barometers are used in weather stations, aviation, and marine navigation to provide accurate and timely information about changes in atmospheric pressure. They are also essential for monitoring and predicting weather patterns and for determining altitude based on changes in pressure as elevation increases.

Study Guide

Describe the principle of operation of a mercury barometer.
Explain how an aneroid barometer measures atmospheric pressure.
Discuss the significance of changes in atmospheric pressure in weather forecasting.
Identify and explain the various applications of barometers in different fields.
Compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of mercury and aneroid barometers.

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The resources above cover the following skills:

Skills And Processes: The student will demonstrate ways of thinking and acting inherent in the practice of science. The student will use the language and instruments of science to collect, organize, interpret, calculate, and communicate information.

The student will explain why curiosity, honesty, openness, and skepticism are highly regarded in science.

The student will modify or affirm scientific ideas according to accumulated evidence.

The student will pose scientific questions and suggest investigative approaches to provide answers to questions.

The student will test a working hypothesis. (NTB)

The student will use relationships discovered in the lab to explain phenomena observed outside the laboratory.

The student will demonstrate that data analysis is a vital aspect of the process of scientific inquiry and communication.

The student will organize data appropriately using techniques such as tables, graphs, and webs (for graphs: axes labeled with appropriate quantities, appropriate units on axes, axes labeled with appropriate intervals, independent and dependent variables on correct axes, appropriate title).

The student will analyze data to make predictions, decisions, or draw conclusions.

The student will use analyzed data to confirm, modify, or reject a hypothesis.

The student will use appropriate methods for communicating in writing and orally the processes and results of scientific investigation.

The student will use, explain, and/or construct various classification systems.

The student will communicate conclusions derived through a synthesis of ideas.

Concepts Of Chemistry: The student will demonstrate the ability to use scientific skills and processes (Core Learning Goal 1) to explain composition and interactions of matter in the world in which we live.

The student will explain that atoms have structure and this structure serves as the basis for the properties of elements and the bonds that they form.

The student will analyze the structure of the atom and describe the characteristics of the particles found there.

The student will demonstrate that the arrangement and number of electrons and the properties of elements repeat in a periodic manner illustrated by their arrangement in the periodic table.