Description

This guide is intended to help you focus your study of the module mini-lecture content (and the
videos and textbook readings therein) for successful fulfillment of the module learning
objectives (MLOs – see Module 2 – Overview and Objectives) in preparation for the module
graded activities – Putting It All Together Discussion and Concept Check (the module quiz).
Module 2 – Mini-Lecture 1: The Recipe – The Gases of Earth’s Atmosphere
From the mini-lecture content and Textbook sections 17.1 and 17.3:
 Discuss the difference between permanent and variable atmospheric gases.
 State the permanent and variable gases in our atmosphere and their percentages by volume
 Discuss the important roles of water on Earth – as a gas, as a liquid, and in solid form
 For water vapor (the invisible, variable gas in our atmosphere), define humidity
 Discuss the important role of aerosols in the atmosphere (like dust, salt, and ash) as cloud
condensation nuclei.
 For nitrogen, discuss:
o the processes that add it to and remove it from the atmosphere
o its chemical reactivity
From the discussion of properties of matter in the mini-lecture and textbook sections 4.1 and
4.3:
 Differentiate between the states of matter
 Describe the four quantities that describe and quantify gases
After viewing the video The ABC’s of gas: Avagadro,Boyle, and Charles (TED-Ed)(2:49):
 Differentiate between Charles’, Boyle’s, and Avagadro’s gas laws
 Be able to identify a given statement as an example of one of the three gas laws
Module 2 Mini-Lecture 2: The Layers – The Vertical Structure of Atmospheric Temperature
National Weather Service
From the mini-lecture content, textbook section 17.1, and the JetStream tutorial The Atmosphere:
 Discuss the layered structure of the atmosphere
 Specify important aspects of the troposphere, stratosphere, and ionosphere
 Describe the role of radiosondes in measuring the vertical structure of the atmosphere.
 Discuss some of the routine uses of atmospheric sounding data.
 Explain the use of the Stüve Diagram as a graphical representation of atmospheric sounding
data.
 Be able to interpret the graph of average temperature with height as shown on the JetStream
Atmosphere Tutorial, website (i.e., determine the height for a given average atmospheric
temperature value, or vice-versa)
Module 2 Mini-Lecture 3: The Big Pile of Air – The Vertical Structure of Atmospheric Pressure and
Density
From textbook section 17.1 and the NWS JetStream Atmosphere – Pressure Tutorial:
 Describe how air pressure and air density change with increasing height above the Earth’s
surface
 Explain the effects of changes in air temperature on air density
 Discuss the roles of gravity and the compressibility of air in the structure of atmospheric
pressure and density (i.e. “The Pancake Analogy”)
 Be able to interpret the graph of air pressure vs. height per the discussion about the figure
of Pressure vs. Altitude at the beginning of the Hewitt video in the mini-lecture.
 Discuss aviation applications of the structure of air pressure and density (hypoxia, cabin
pressurization, etc.)
Module 2 Mini-Lecture 4: Connecting It – The Impact of Air Density on Flight
 Qualitatively compare the density of air containing water vapor with the density of
completely dry air.
 Summarize the dependence of air density on altitude, temperature, and humidity (explicitly
discussed and detailed in the mini-lecture content)
 After reviewing the readings and videos on density altitude provided in the mini-lecture,
explain:
o what density altitude measures in terms of aircraft performance
o why “hot, high, and humid” conditions create a high density altitude
o how and why high density altitude affects an aircraft’s ability to achieve flight

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