Geography GCSE: How much does a cloud weigh?
Scientists in an airship want to determine the mass of water in a small cloud.
They fly the airship into the cloud and use lasers to determine its length and width. They then take a sample of the water droplets in it and determine its density.
Using an estimate of its height, they calculate an approximate volume and then use the formula density = mass/volume (not shown in the clip) to calculate its mass. A comparison of the masses of different clouds is made.
This clip is from the series Operation Cloud Lab: Secrets of the Skies.
Teacher Notes
Could be used as an introduction to the idea of measurements or be shown to begin a discussion of how to measure and calculate.
Could potentially lead on to a lesson about materials and how to determine the density of them.
Curriculum Notes
This clip is suitable for teaching Geography at GCSE in England and National 4 in Scotland. Appears in AQA, OCR, EDEXCEL, CCEA, WJEC, SQA.
