Unit 5: Nature and Environment

12 Weather, Air and Water

Expected Learning Outcomes

Knowledge to be gained : •The Sun causes changes in weather • Air • Land and sea breezes
• Change of state of water • Water cycle
Skill to be developed : •Various methods of purifying water.
A tude to be inculcated : • We should avoid waste of water.

You must have heard people saying that “it is

RANCHI, JHARKHAND o
very hot today”, or “it will rain today.” These are
generally the answer to the question— “How is
+30 C
Saturday
the weather today?” 50%
East, 20km/h
We can say that the weather of a place at any
1010 hPa
time is the condition of the air over that place.
We have read about weather and seasons in the
previous class. Weather is defined as the
condition of air surrounding us with respect to
temperature, wind and rain at a particular place
or time. It keeps on changing every day. SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
o o o o o o o
Changes in these factors (temperature, wind +30 C +28 C +27 C +24 C +20 C +19 C +25 C

and rain) bring about the change in weather.

Why does weather keep on changing? What is responsible for this? The answer to these
questions is the Sun. The Sun is responsible for causing changes in the weather. Let's read on
further to see how.

THE SUN CAUSES CHANGES

IN WEATHER
The Sun plays an important role in
causing changes in weather
conditions. The Earth moves on its
own axis. This is called rotation. The
part of the Earth facing the Sun has
day and the part away from the Sun
has night.
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The Earth is tilted on its axis at such as an angle that the side of the Earth closer to the Sun
has longer and warm days and, thus, has summer. The part of the Earth away from the Sun
has cooler and shorter days and, thus, has winter.
The movement of the Earth around the Sun is called revolution. It causes change in
seasons, while rotation caused day and night.

Earth tilt

Night

Day

Rotation of Earth causes day and night

N.P.
Northern spring
Southern autumn

S.P. 21 March

Sun
21 June 22 December

Northern summer,
Northern winter
Southern winter
23 September Southern summer

Northern autumn,
Southern spring
Revolution of the Earth around the Sun
We can say that the rotation of Earth causes day and night and the revolution of Earth
around the Sun causes the change in seasons.
It takes 365 days and 6 hours for the Earth to complete one revolution around the Sun. The
Earth completes one rotation on its own axis in 24 hours. Therefore, we have 12 hours of
Sunlight and 12 hours of darkness in a day.
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 Sun Causes the Wind to Blow
The heat of the Sun also causes winds to
blow. When the air gets heated up due
to the Sun, it becomes lighter. This
makes the warm air rise. Cool air which
is heavier then comes in to take its
place. This movement of air causes
winds to blow.
Blowing up of wind
Sun Causes Changes in the State of Water
Sun also causes humidity and rain.
e quantity of water vapour in the air is called humidity. e heat of the Sun changes
water into water vapour. e vapour rises, cools and turns into tiny water droplets. Small
droplets of water vapour combine together to form clouds. As more and more water
evaporates, these clouds get bigger and heavier.
When these clouds get big enough, they are not able to hold water droplets any longer. The
water droplets fall down as rain.

AIR
Air is all around us. It is a mixture of several gases. It also contains water vapour, germs and
dust. e Earth is surrounded by a blanket of air called the atmosphere. Atmosphere
protects us from the harmful rays of the Sun.
A slow wind is called a breeze, while a fast wind is called a gale. Very fast winds are called
wind storms. If they occur along with thunder and lightning, they are called
thunderstorms.
A basic property of air is that, hot air rises up and cool air sinks down .
You would have noticed that the A.C. (air conditioner) used in summers is usually placed on
top of the wall, this is because cool air sinks down and cools the room.
You would have also noticed that the heater we use in winters are placed on the oor. is is
because the warm air rises and warms the room.

Land and Sea Breezes

During the day, due to the heat from the Sun, the land gets heated faster than water. e hot
air above the land rises and the cool air from the sea ows to take its place. us, wind blows
from the sea to the land during the day. It is called sea breeze. During the night, the land
cools faster than water. So, the air above the sea being warm, rises up and cooler air from the
land blows to take its place. us, wind blows from the land to the sea during the night. It is
called land breeze.
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Day warm air rises Night warm air rises

cool sea breeze cool land breeze

moves towards land moves towards sea

land (warmer) sea (cooler) land (cooler) sea (warmer)

Sea breeze during the day Land breeze during the night

CHECK YOURSELF
A. Tick (3) the correct option:
1. Weather changes due to the
(a) Sun (b) Moon (c) stars
2. The movement of the Earth around the Sun is called
(a) rotation (b) revolution (c) circulation
3. A slow wind is called
(a) gale (b) storm (c) breeze

CHANGE OF STATE OF WATER

In nature, water exists as snow (solid), water (liquid) and water vapour (gas). It can change
its form easily. Let us know about it more.
Evaporation
e heat of the Sun changes water to water vapour. is
process is called evaporation.
If we keep a tumbler of water out in the Sun, the water level
goes down by the evening. is is because the heat of the Sun
has evaporated some water. e increase in water vapour in
air makes the weather humid.
Condensation Evaporation
When water is boiled in an utensil, and covered with a lid, we nd tiny droplets of water on
the underside of the lid. ese drops have been formed because water vapour has changed
into water. is process is called condensation.
Evaporation and condensation Dew Formation

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 On cold winter mornings we see small droplets of water on the grass and on the leaves of
plants. is is called dew. ese droplets are also formed by the condensation of water
vapour.

Activity 1
Fill a glass with ice cubes and leave it for a while at room temperature. Now
observe. You will see small droplets on the outer side of the glass. This is
because water vapour in the air cools down on the cold glass and forms tiny
droplets. This is called condensation.

WATER CYCLE
Water cycle is the continuous
movement of water in nature,
Condensation
between water bodies, land and air. Precipitation
Evaporation
Study the picture showing the water from Oceans,
Lake & Streams
cycle. e checklist below explains
the different processes involved in
the water cycle.
Surface Runoff
1. Water evaporates from water Groundwater
bodies such as rivers, lakes and
oceans. Water cycle

2. It is cooler up in the atmosphere, so water vapour in air condenses into water droplets to
form clouds.
3. When clouds become heavy with water droplets, the water falls to the ground in the
form of snow or rain.
4. e surface water reaches the oceans and the entire process continues.

PURIFYING WATER
Unclean, dirty and impure water needs to be puri ed. It can be done in the following ways:
1. Boil the water. Boiling water for at least 10 minutes kills the germs in it. Boiled water
should be stored in clean and covered pots or bottles.
2. Decantation is also used for purifying water. In this method, water is kept in big
vessels, without being touched, for a few hours. All the mud and impurities gets settled
at the bottom of the vessels. en, water is poured out very gently, without disturbing
the settled impurities. Decanted water may still have some other type of impurities.
3. Filtration is a better process than decantation to purify water. In this process, water is
passed through a lter paper. e impurities are left behind on the lter paper and clean
water is collected below.
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4. Chlorine is a gas that kills germs. ese days, chlorine tablets are easily available. Adding
chlorine tablets to water kills germs and makes the water germ-free. e process of
adding chlorine to water is called chlorination.

Impure Water
Beaker

Sand Funnel
Water
Filter Paper
Sand
Clear Water
Clear Water

Sedimentation Decantation Filtration

Avoid Wastage of Water
1. Clean the utensils regularly before lling them with water.
2. Never keep drinking water near bins and drains.
3. Store water in a clean place and in clean vessels. Keep it covered.
4. Water is precious. Do not waste water.
Water in which vegetables and fruits
5. Water storage tanks should be cleaned Do have been washed can be used to
from time to time. You ?
water plants. If you have some water
le in your water bo le, do not
6. Tap water should be boiled before using Know throw it away. Use it to water plants.
it for drinking purposes.

CHECK YOURSELF
Tick (3) the correct option:
1. The process of formation of water vapour is called:
(a) condensation (b) evaporation (c) chlorination
2. Which of these is not a method of purifying water?
(a) Decantation (b) Germination (c) Filtration

New words
Humidity : amount of water vapour present in the air
Evapora on : the process by which a liquid changes into a gas
Condensa on : the process by which a gas changes into a liquid
Decanta on : the process in which water is kept in a vessel for a long me and impuri es
are se led at the bo om
Filtra on : the process in which water is cleaned by passing it through a filter paper

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 SUMMARY
v Weather keeps on changing every day.
v The Sun is responsible for causing changes in the weather.
v The heat of the Sun also causes winds to blow.
v The quantity of water vapour in the air is called humidity.
v The Earth is surrounded by a blanket of air called the atmosphere.
v A slow wind is called a breeze.
v The increase in water vapour in air makes the weather humid.
v Water cycle is the continuous movement of water in nature between water bodies, land and
air.
v Unclean, dirty and impure water needs to be purified.

Exercise
A. Name the following:
1. Small droplets of water on the leaves. ________________
2. e process of adding chlorine to the water. ________________
3. e movement of the Earth around the Sun. ________________
B. Select the best alternative for each of the following:
1. Which of these is responsible for changes in weather and seasons?
(i) Air (ii) The Earth
(iii) The Moon (iv) The Sun
2. Which of these heats up faster?
(i) Land (ii) Air
(iii) Water (iv) Rain
3. Water cycle is a result of the following two processes happening in nature:
(i) boiling and melting (ii) evaporation and condensation
(iii) melting and condensation (iv) boiling and melting
C. Answer the following questions:
1. What is meant by weather?
2. Why should we drink puri ed water only?
3. What steps would you suggest to avoid wastage of water?

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D. Fill in the blanks with the correct words:
1. e small droplets of water on grass and leaves you see on cold winter mornings
are _______________. (dewdrops/water vapour)
2. e simplest way to purify water is by _______________ it. (boiling/ ltering)
3. Moving air is called _______________. (wind/atmosphere)
4. _______________ air does not allow water to evaporate easily. (Dry/Humid)
5. Water is a _______________ at room temperature. (solid/liquid/gas)
E. Match the following:
1. Snow (a) kill germs
2. Revolution (b) gaseous state of water
3. Chlorination (c) lter paper
4. Filtration (d) seasons
5. Water vapour (e) solid state of water
F. Give reasons for the following:
1. Heat from the Sun causes winds to blow.
2. Clothes take longer to dry on a cloudy day.
3. Wind blows from sea to the land during the day.
4. Drops of water can be seen on the grass on a cold winter morning.
G. Answer the following questions in your own words:
1. What is atmosphere?
2. What role does the Sun play in changing weather conditions?
3. De ne water cycle.
4. What is chlorination?
5. Why do we need to purify water?
6. With the help of labelled diagrams, explain the following processes:
(i) Decantation (ii) Filtration

Activity Time

A. Group Discussion
Why are mornings in winter often foggy? Discuss.

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 B. Project work
Make a wind vane with the materials as shown in the gure. Place the wind vane on
the top of a house and nd out the direction of the wind.

Tagboard Nail Tape

Straw

Pencil

Clay

Let Us Visit
On a winter morning, go out for a morning
walk with your parents or grandparents.
Observe grass and leaves of plants. What do
you notice? Can you see small droplets?
ese are dew drops. If you touch the leaves,
the dews will fall on the ground.
Try to nd out how dew is formed.
Sometimes you would even encounter foggy
weather. Try to nd out why are mornings in
winter, often foggy?
Discuss your ndings with the class.

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 Subject Link : English
Find the words you have learnt in the chapter in the Word Maze given below. You must
search the words vertically, horizontally and even diagonally. ere are a total of 15 words.
One has been done for you.

W H W E D T T I A A E H R N

A E Z E E R B A E S T D G E

O E T R I E E N S I N H C V

L T I O N A L U O H I U 0 A

N O N E N I A A B Y A M N P

I R D L E I G W I H R I D O

I L A N D B R E E Z E D E R

T C T N R A N V A L L I N A

M R O T S R E D N U H T S T

D R O T A T I O N R W Y A I

N N O I T A R T L I F O T O

I C R E V O L U T I O N I N

W D C H L O R I N A T I O N

O O D E C A N T A T I O N T

FOOTNOTE
• The reasons for air pollution could be discussed and the students could be encouraged to come up with simple ideas
on how they can prevent air from being polluted.
• Explain how trees help to filter the air and also how the roots bind the soil together.

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