In Investigation One, you will explore the effects of changing temperature in the atmosphere. In particular, changes in density and air movement are a result of temperature differences in the atmosphere. During this Investigation, you will:

1. Apply Charles Law as you heat and cool air inside a flask to measure changes in volume and density.
2. Measure the change in temperature of air above and below a frozen ice pack and hot metal cube.

In Investigation Two, you will model the movement of air in high and low-pressure systems and learn how differences in pressure cause wind. During this Investigation, you will:

1. Model how areas of low and high-pressure result from different movements of air.
2. Construct an Isobar Map for a high and low-pressure system and model the differences of pressure from varying distances.
3. Construct a model of a barometer and observe how changes in atmospheric pressure are measured using a barometer.
4. Calculate Pressure Gradient Force (PGF) using the following formula:

In Investigation Three, you will experiment with warm and cold fronts and observe the result of precipitation as they collide in the atmosphere. During this Investigation, you will:

1. Create a model of the atmosphere and observe what happens when a cold air mass and warm moist air mass meet to form a front.
2. Model the changes in pressure that occur when warm and cold fronts pass over an area.

This Performance Assessment is designed to allow students to solve a problem using the:

• concepts with which they have become familiar during the previous three Investigations, and
• procedures used during the previous three Investigations.