Thunderstorm Kinematic Flow Fields Lab

Date Due _________________

Objective:

Students are expected to diagram standard kinematic flow fields and combine various fields to
illustrate thunderstorm dynamics.
Read pages 152-157. Answer the following questions:

1. What is the overarching concept being illustrated in Figure 8.2?

2. Under what conditions would the pressure in a column of air decrease?

3. What do you call the wind when the flow is curved but follows the isobars?

Read http://www.physics4kids.com/files/motion_vectors.html

4. What is a net, or resultant, vector?

Pre-lab Assignment:

Background:

Kinematics is the study of how things move without having to explain why they move. One of
the easiest tools used to explain motions is a vector – an arrow whose length determines
magnitude (speed) and the arrow indicates direction.

Draw a kinematic flow field of pure 2-dimensional divergence in blue. Use 8 vectors.
Draw a kinematic flow field of pure translation in green. Use 9 vectors.

Combine the two and draw the net vectors assuming that the magnitude of the blue and green
vectors are the same. Start by drawing the divergence field and add the translation vectors where
appropriate. Draw the net vector in red.

Do the same thing but this time make the magnitude of the divergence greater than the
magnitude of the translation.
Do the same thing but this time make the magnitude of the divergence less than the magnitude of
the translation.

What would the kinematic flow field look like of an object were purely rotating?

Instead of using vectors, what would the streamline of this pure rotation be?
What would that streamline look like if the translation was of lesser magnitude than the rotation?
Of greater magnitude? Of equal magnitude? Draw the path in the boxes below.

translation < rotation

translation > rotation

translation = rotation

Do the following two summarizations on a separate sheet.

Summarize how a thunderstorm’s anvil is affected by understanding divergence and translation.

Summarize how tornadoes can leave swirl marks in its damage path/