A large family lives in northern Minnesota. This family gets together for a huge dinner three times a year: on Thanksgiving, on Christmas, and on the March equinox. The Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners consist of turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, and lots of boiled vegetables. The equinox dinner is pizza. The air temperature inside the home is about the same for all three meals (70°F), yet

everyone remarks about how "warm, cozy, and comfortable" the air feels during the Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, and how "cool" the inside air feels during the March meal. Explain to the family members why they might feel "warmer" inside the house during Thanksgiving and Christmas and "cooler" during the March equinox. (The answer has nothing to do with the amount or type of food consumed.)
What will be an ideal response?


ANSWER: The process of cooking the turkey, ham, potatoes and vegetables involves adding water vapor to the air, raising the relative humidity. The air feels "cozy and comfortable" because of the added humidity. The air feels warmer because with the high relative humidity, perspiration is relatively ineffective at cooling the skin. In contrast, cooking pizza doesn't add very much water vapor to the air, keeping the relative humidity lower.

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

You might also like to view...

Widespread cyclothem deposition in the Pennsylvanian has been attributed to glacial advances

and retreats on Gondwana. Indicate whether the statement is true or false.

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

From the 1960s to the present, the trend has been that ________ over time

A) less waste was sent to landfills B) less overall waste was produced C) more overall waste was produced D) less waste was recovered for recycling

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

The largest flood known in an area is likely to be exceeded someday by a larger one, even in an area with a long history.

Answer the following statement true (T) or false (F)

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

In one's cognitive image of Paris, the Eiffel Tower can be both a node and a landmark

Indicate whether this statement is true or false.

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences