where does rain come from?
Copyright © 2017
Rain comes from clouds in the sky; that’s an easy observation to make. But where do the clouds come from? And where does the water that puddles on our driveways disappear to after a rain? In this activity, we’ll see where rain comes from and where it goes by using a cup as a lake (water reservoir), and a bag as our atmosphere. Come up with other roles for each after you’ve done the experiment.
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In your CoCoRaHS investigation, you record precipitation from a rain gauge each day in the summer, and using your gauge and a snow pad in the winter. During the summer months, some days you will go out to record your precipitation observation to find that there is nothing in your rain gauge but that your toes are wet from walking in the grass. The grass is wet because of dew. Investigate what causes dew to form on your grass. Then, for one week, record your precipitation data and if the grass is dry, a little wet, or very wet.
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.Pour a small amount of water in the dixie cup, filling it about half way. 2. Place cup into ziplocking bag in close. Discuss how the bag is symbolic of the atmosphere, encapsulating the Earth and all its sources of water. The cup is a sink for water, like a lake or ocean. 3. Place bag with water-filled cup on a windowsill during a sunny day. Predict what will happen inside the bag. 4. Check often and observe any changes happening in the bag. 5. After a few hours, observe the bag again. Water is now laying on the bottom of the bag. How did it get there? How is this representative of our water cycle?
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Matter is neither created nor destroyed. Therefore, all of the rain/snow/hail we experience is recycled water from some other source. This recycling process is called the water cycle. Water in the cup represented water in a basin, like a lake or an ocean. When it was heated by the Sun, the water evaporated. However, the bag, which represents our atmosphere, created a closed loop. Eventually the evaporated water condensed on the bag and precipated toward the bottom of the bag.
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which represents our atmosphere, created a closed loop. Eventually the evaporated water condensed on the bag and precipated toward the bottom of the bag. The puddles of water sitting outside the cup at the end of the experiment represent the streams and rivers that fill with runoff from rains and melting snows, eventually running into a lake or a stream. This activity re-created the water cycle that the Earth benefits from every day!
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Published: Mar 18, 2017
Latest Revision: Mar 18, 2017
Ourboox Unique Identifier: OB-271749
Copyright © 2017
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