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Challenge Team Interim Report

Team Number: 033 School Name: Bernalillo High School Area of Science: Meteorology Project Title: Simulation and Photography of Tornado Behavior

· Project Definition

This project involves the study of the formation of tornadoes. The project will simulate a land spout. Tornadoes are usually formed when warm air and cold air meet, coming from opposite directions. When the warm air mass meets a cold air mass, turbulence will form on a horizontal axis while some may form on a vertical axis creating a shear zone tornado. An actual land spout, or a shear zone tornado, will be formed in the tornado chamber. By manipulating the angle of the airflow and the amount of airflow allowed to enter the chamber, it should become evident what the effects are. A tracer, such as a piece of confetti, will be tracked by using a high-speed video camera and a variable speed strobe light to determine the vortex, the movement, and the general stages that a tornado goes through during its "life".

· Project Plan

The tornado chamber will be constructed out of many materials, including wood, glass, a fan, a humidifier, a hot plate, and many others. Once the chamber is constructed, the experiment will be conducted and the observations recorded. The data collected will then be put into various C++ programs, using various scientific formulas and equations.

· Group Progress

The team has been learning and practicing C++ programming, as well as doing Internet and library research. All necessary materials have been ordered, and have been delivered to the group. Construction of the tornado simulator will begin in the near future. Upon completion of the tornado chamber, the experiments will be conducted and the data will be used in the program to simulate the results.

· Expected Results

Hopefully, the data collected will provide meaningful results. By seeing the effects of the modifications, it could lead to better predictions of future tornadoes and help the public become more prepared for whatever type and force of tornado could come.

Team Members

Team Mail

• Pete Griego
• James Melchor
• Joshua Leyba
• Amanda Constancia
• Stephanie Paiz
• Nathan Hill

Sponsoring Teachers

• Candace Martinez

Project Advisor(s)

• Jeff Ganley