Meteo 300 -- Introduction to the Atmospheric Sciences
Study Sheet for the First Mid-term Exam

Study everything on this study guide.  If you really understand everything on this study guide, you have a very good chance of doing well on the first mid-term exam.  The exam with have one section of short answer questions, definitions, and equations.  The rest of the exam will be questions that require somewhat longer answers and problems related to those you have already done or seen.
 

  1. Fraction of air that is nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor, and carbon dioxide.
  2. Variation of pressure with altitude: equation -- p = po exp(-z/H)
  3. Vertical temperature distribution: "spheres" amd "pauses".
  4. Longitudinally averaged winds the troposphere and stratosphere.
  5. Homosphere and heterosphere.
  6. Ideal gas law: equation in any form -- for example, pV = nR*T.
  7. Avagadro's number: 6.02x1026 molecules per mole
  8. Average mass per mole of air; mass per mole of water vapor.
  9. Dalton's law of partial pressures: concept.
  10. Virtual temperature: concept.
  11. Hydrostatic equilibrium: equation -- dp/dz = -g r
  12. Geopotential: definition and concept.
  13. Geopotential height: definition related to geopotential.
  14. Hyposometric equation and thickness: concept and important variables.
  15. Relationship between thickness and average temperature of the layer.
  16. The First Law of Thermodynamics: equation -- du = dq - dw.
  17. Joule's Law: concept.
  18. Relationship between work and pressure and volume: equation -- dW = p dV.
  19. Specific heat: constant pressure and constant volume: equations and concepts -- du/dT = cv, for example.
  20. Enthaply: equation --  h = u + pa.
  21. Latent heats; concepts for water vapor.
  22. Latent heats and change in air temperature.
  23. Dry adiabatic lapse rate: concept and rough value.
  24. Potential temperature: equation and concept.
  25. Water vapor mixing ratio: concept and equation.
  26. Relative humidity: concept and equation.
  27. Lifting condensation level: concept and method for determining.
  28. Saturated adiabatic lapse rate: concept and approximate value.
  29. Equivalent potential temperature: concept.
  30. Stability -- be able to identify stable, unstable, and neutrally stable air.
  31. Conditional instability: concept.