Record your answers to the following questions in your technology notebook.
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Explain why the investigation using the spinning cardboard was a model of the Coriolis effect.
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At the beginning of this Elaborate activity, you wrote your best answers in response to the question, “How does Earth’s rotation affect the movements of the wind?” Refer back to your answer. Make changes or additions to your answer based on what you know now.
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When your area has wind from storms, in which direction does the wind tend to move?
Answers to Reflect and Connect
Allow students time to answer these questions. Once they have had time to complete their responses, you may want to hold a class discussion on some or all of them.
Explain why the investigation using the spinning cardboard was a model of the Coriolis effect.
At the beginning of this Elaborate activity, you wrote your best answers in response to the question, “How does Earth’s rotation affect the movements of the wind?” Refer back to your answer. Make changes or additions to your answer based on what you know now.
When your area has wind from storms, in which direction does the wind tend to move?
The spinning cardboard was a model of the Coriolis effect because it showed an apparent change in direction due to rotation. In actuality, the movements of the felt-tipped pens were the same when the cardboard was not spinning and when it was spinning.
Students’ answers will vary, but they should now be able to add more detail to their answers and include information related to the Coriolis effect.
Storms in most areas of the United States tend to move from west to east, especially during the winter when the upper-level jet stream is strong. This is apparent in figure 1-17. If your area is near a coast, a large body of water, or a mountain range, the patterns may be more complicated. To answer this question, students may need to check the weather forecasts for several days (on television, on the Internet, or in the newspaper). The direction of a storm’s movement may be clearer by following the progression of a weather front through your area.