Weather & Climate: Time Scales and Comparisons — Drills · Grade 6 Science
Chapter: Water, Air, Weather & ClimateWhat these drills covers
By the end of Weather & Climate: Time Scales and Comparisons you should be able to:
- I can explain the difference between weather and climate in terms of timescale.
- I can explain why an average alone is an incomplete description of a climate.
- I can explain why a small shift in the average changes the number of extreme days a lot.
4 questions, multiple choice and written answer, each with a worked explanation.
Vocabulary used: climate, variation, evidence, system boundary, uncertainty.
Problem 1
- climate: Long-term patterns and distributions of atmospheric conditions in a region.
- A single weather event proves or disproves a whole long-term climate trend.
- Equal average temperatures mean identical daily conditions.
- A sample with missing measurements has proved those values are zero.
Answer and explanation
climate: Long-term patterns and distributions of atmospheric conditions in a region.
Long-term patterns and distributions of atmospheric conditions in a region.
Problem 2
- Equal average temperatures mean identical daily conditions.
- variation: Differences among observations that a single average may not describe.
- A single weather event proves or disproves a whole long-term climate trend.
- Repeating any method makes every causal claim true.
Answer and explanation
variation: Differences among observations that a single average may not describe.
Differences among observations that a single average may not describe.
Problem 3
Answer and explanation
Season, site, exposure, timing, instrument method, and the interval represented by each record.
Compare the scientific meaning and reasoning after an independent attempt. A different accurate supported response can be correct; human review is required.
Problem 4
Answer and explanation
A changing average does not eliminate day-to-day variation or seasonal differences; one event does not represent the whole distribution.
Compare the scientific meaning and reasoning after an independent attempt. A different accurate supported response can be correct; human review is required.