Table of contents Four Elements Are Responsible for Weather 4 Celsius Tops Fahrenheit in Temperature Measurement 6 Hot Weather Causes Heat Lightning Heat Waves Are Impossible to Predict 10 Rain Follows the Plow 12 The Cosmos cause the Weather 14 Past Weather Can Predict Today's Weather 16 Tornadoes and Hurricanes strike without Warning 18 Raindrops Are Teardrop shaped 20 Mild Cloudy Days Cause Blizzards Cloud Movement Drives Hurricanes 24 Open Windows During a Tornado 26 Fact Sheet 28 Glossary 30 For More Information 31 Index 32 About the Author 32
Busted Four Elements Are Responsible for Weather SEASONS Early weather watchers did not know what caused weather They could not predict it But that did not stop them from writing about it The Greek scientist Aristotle wrote four books on weather He lived more than 2 300 years ago Aristotle was very intelligent But much of his science was wrong Aristotle did not test his ideas He only thought about Aristotle also thought stars and planets orbited Earth In 1543 Nicolaus Copernicus proved Aristotle was wrong Copernicus showed Earth orbited the Sun This discovery helped explain why seasons changed As Earth orbits the Sun it rotates on its axis But this axis is tilted The tilt changes the angle at which the sun s rays hit the earth This causes the change in seasons Aristotle's theory could not explain seasons them He did not measure or do experiments Aristotle thought only four elements made up all matter on Earth These were earth air fire and water He thought these elements worked together Aristotle came up with the four elements theory but never tested it to cause
110 030 A barometer records atmospheric Aristotle believed pressure the sun caused air pressure Now they could begin to understand weather They started to understand that many factors large masses of air to move He thought water vapor formed clouds These statements happen to be affected weather true But the four elements could not explain most weather Starting in the fifteenth century scientists began to make 2 000 instruments to measure weather Number of years people accepted Aristotle's ideas changes They made instruments to measure humidity temperature and THINK ABOUT IT Aristotle claimed four elements controlled weather earth air fire and water His ideas did not explain most weather Science has changed a lot since Aristotle's time Explain what changes have occurred to cause people to turn away from most of Aristotle's science In the fifteenth century scientists began to invent instruments to measure weather
