Radiation Budget Activity: Jeopardy Game

Note:
The format has been manipulated into questions instead of answers for students unfamiliar with the original game. An asterisk (*) indicates that the Earth's Energy Budget components diagram is needed to answer the question. The teacher may need to alter terms for appropriate grade level. However, options are provided.

Recommended Grades: 5-8

Objective: Recall Earth's Radiation Budget concepts

Materials: * Earth's Energy Budget Diagram (required) and Trading Cards (optional)

• Select 3 or 4 students to compete against each other.

• Illustrate categories and value of points on the chalkboard or poster board.

• Designate a student to erase or remove the value of points when students successfully answer the question. It is recommended that the teacher keep score.

• If the student successfully answers the question, then the student receives the points, but if the student unsuccessfully answers the question, then the points are deducted from that student's score. At that time, any of the other students can answer to receive the points.

• Students should raise their hand to indicate a chance to answer. This will prevent all of the students from speaking at once.

• The student who answers the question correctly will select the next category.

• The student with the most points can be the challenger for the next set of competitors.

100 Points

• ERBE was deployed by this astronaut.
  [Who is Sally Ride?]

• The comparison of how much sunlight reaches the Earth vs. how much heat the Earth gives off into space.
  [What is the Earth's radiation budget?]

200 Points

• A mission other than ERBE focusing on the radiation budget.
  [What is CERES? or What is SAGE?]

• Satellites are carried into space.
  [What are rockets? or What is a space shuttle?]

300 Points

• Two types of ERBE instruments used to study sunlight, heat and the total radiation.
  [What are scanner and non-scanner instruments?]

• Energy in the form of electromagnetic waves.
  [What is radiation?]

400 Points

• Solar radiation is energy released from the Sun in this form.
  [What are electromagnetic waves: short-wave radiation (sunlight) and long-wave radiation (heat released by Earth)?]

• An experiment designed to collect information about sunlight reaching the Earth, sunlight reflected by the Earth, and heat released by the Earth into space?
  [What is the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment]

^ Top of Page.

100 Points

• * The percentage of energy absorbed by the atmosphere.
  [What is 16% ?]

• The fraction of incoming sunlight reflected from the Earth, if albedo is 50%.
  [What is 1/2 ?]

200 Points

• * Double the percentage of energy absorbed by clouds.
  [What is 14% ?]

• The fraction of incoming sunlight reflected from the Earth, if albedo is 25%.
  [What is 1/4 ?]

300 Points

• * Triple the amount of "incoming energy reflected by the atmosphere". Hint: 3a;a=6%
  [What is 18% ?]

• How many years will CERES be in operation?
  [What is 18 years?]

400 Points

• (1/2 of 100%) - 50% =
  [What is 0 %, which represents a balance?]

• If 3/4 of all sunlight reaching the Earth is reflected into space the albedo would be this percentage.
  [What is 75% ?]

^ Top of Page.

100 Points

• s-a-t-e-l-l-i-t-e

• r-a-d-i-a-t-i-o-n

200 Points

• e-x-p-e-r-i-m-e-n-t

• l-a-u-n-c-h

300 Points

• a-s-t-r-o-n-a-u-t

• e-l-e-c-t-r-o-m-a-g-n-e-t-i-c

400 Points

• a-l-g-o-r-i-t-h-m

• r-e-f-l-e-c-t-i-v-i-t-y

^ Top of Page.

100 Points

• ERBE stands for this.
  [What is the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment?]

• NASA stands for this.
  [What is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration?]

200 Points

• ASDC stands for this.
  [What is the Atmospheric Science Data Center?]

• ERBS stands for this.
  [What is the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite?]

300 Points

• NOAA stands for this.
  [What is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration?]

• CERES stands for this.
  [What is the Cloud and the Earth's Radiant Energy System?]

400 Points

• SAGE stands for this.
  [What is the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment?]

• EOS stands for this.
  [What is the Earth Observing System?]

^ Top of Page.

100 Points

• A person who travels beyond the Earth's atmosphere.
  [Who is an astronaut?]

• The amount of sunlight that the Earth reflects into space.
  [What is albedo?]

200 Points

• A science dealing with the operation of aircraft.
  [What is Aeronautics?]

• A reusable spacecraft designed for transportation between Earth and space.
  [What is a space shuttle?]

300 Points

• A measuring device that sweeps back and forth across a satellite's path as it flies.
  [What is a scanner instrument?]

• An operation carried out under controlled conditions in order to discover an unknown effect of law/ to test or establish a hypothesis/ to illustrate a known law.
  [ What is an experiment?]

400 Points

• An aerospace task sent to perform a service or carry on an activity.
  [What is a mission?]

• A manufactured object designed to orbit the Earth, the moon, or another celestial body.
  [What is a satellite?]