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Educational field courses for educators & students in
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©Holbrook Travel, Inc. 2007 IMPORTANT LEGAL NOTICE:
Holbrook Travel believes all information to be accurate at the time of
publication. However, we reserve the right to make corrections. |
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Volcano Vertigo
Purpose:
In this experiment, we will use the Barometer Sensor to measure the change in atmospheric or air pressure during our drive up the road to the summit of Poas Volcano, and back again down.
Background Information:
Poas Volcano, at 2,708 meters (8,884 ft) high, is located in the Central Volcanic Mountain Range, 37 km north of Alajuela on the
Alajuela-San Pedro de Poas route. It is one of the most spectacular volcanoes in the country and has the largest geyser in the world. This park protects various types of forest containing abundant epiphytes and parasitic plants growing on the tree trunks.
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| Poas's crater is an enormous, gaping hole one kilometer in diameter and 314 meters deep. The long-extinct von Frantzius composite cone, the oldest eruptive center on the massif, is at the north of the arctic crater. Another cone named Botos is to the southwest. It was the active center until 7,500 years ago and now contains astonishingly beautiful cold water Botos Lake. The lake is about 400 meters in diameter. |
Equipment:
Equipment Set-Up:
- Power on the Xplorer
Datalogger.
- Connect the Temperature Sensor to the Xplorer
Datalogger.
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Data Collection Procedure:
1. We'll take measurements every 5 minutes. To change the Sample Rate:
a) Press ( 
) several times to view the Sample Rate display.
b) Press (  ) to edit the field. Use (
 ) to increase sample to "5".
c) Press (  )
to tab to the next field. Use ( )
to change time to "Minutes"
d) In the air with a dark shadow
e) In the water of a shallow pond
f) Against the surface of the bare ground next to the pond water
2. Press ( )
to save your settings.
3. Press (
) to begin collecting data.
4. Once we finish the decent from Poas Volcano, press (
) again to stop collecting data.
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Data Analysis:
1. Connect the Xplorer Datalogger to the computer's USB port using the USB cable.
2. Download the data from Xplorer to the computer.
3. Click the Retrieve Now (
) button.
4. Examine the data in the Graph display and determine if there's a relationship between barometric pressure and elevation.
5. Enter annotations noting any weather conditions or trip milestones.
a) Click the Annotate button ( 
), and enter your text.
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Conclusions and Extensions:
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- What relationship did you observe between barometric pressure and elevation? How can you explain the data you observed?
- Consider how today's weather patterns (i.e., an approaching storm) may have influenced the barometric pressure data you recorded. Can you draw any conclusions about current weather conditions and the associated barometric pressure data?
- What common physiological responses do people sometimes experience as a consequence of changing barometric pressure? Compare your experiences with others in your group.
- Optional:
Choose one person who noticed their ears often "popped" during the drive up the mountain. Ask that person to monitor the pressure reading on Xplorer while driving back down. Once the data is downloaded to the computer, use the Annotation feature of DataStudio to record when the physiological effects were most pronounced!
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| This experiment is brought to you courtesy of
PASCO. |
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Equipment
