| A | B |
|---|
| thermal energy | The energy of motion in the molecules of a substance. |
| temperature | The average amount of energy of motion in the molecules of a substance. |
| thermometer | An instrument used to measure temperature, consisting of a thin, glass tube with a bulb on one end that contains a liquid. |
| heat | The energy transferred from a hotter object to a cooler one. |
| conduction | The direct transfer of heat from one substance to another substance that it is touching. |
| convection | The transfer of heat by the movement of a fluid. |
| wind | The horizontal movement of air from an area of high pressure to an area of lower pressure. |
| anemometer | An instrument used to measure wind speed. |
| wind-chill factor | Increased cooling caused by the wind. |
| local wind | Winds that blow over short distances. |
| sea breeze | The flow of air from an ocean or lake to the land. |
| land breeze | The flow of air from land to a body of water. |
| monsoons | Sea and land breezes over a large region that change direction with the seasons. |
| global wind | Winds that blow steadily from specific directions over long distances. |
| Coriolis effect | The way Earth's rotation makes winds in the Northern Hemisphere curve to the right and winds in the Southern Hemisphere curve to te left. |
| latitude | The distance from the equator, measured in degrees. |
| jet stream | Bands of high-speed winds about 10 kilometers above Earth's surface. |
| evaporation | The process by which water molecules in liquid water escape into the air as water vapor. |
| humidity | A measure of the amount of water vapor in the air. |
| relative humidity | The percentage of water vapor in the air compared to the maximum amount the air could hold at that temperature. |
| psychrometer | An instrument used to measure relative humidity, consisting of a wet-bulb thermometer and a dry-bulb thermometer. |
| condensation | The process by which molecules of water vapor in the air become liquid water. |
| dew point | The temperature at which condensation begins. |
| cumulus | Clouds that form less than 2 kilometers above the ground and look like fluffy, rounded piles of cotton. |
| stratus | Clouds that form in flat layers. |
| cirrus | Wispy, feathery clouds made mostly of ice crystals that form at high levels, above about 6 kilometers. |
