Question

Part A: Explain why we do not measure the rate at which rain falls in meters per second? In your explanation, use reasoning based on appropriate units to model this situation.

Part B: What are the two quantities that should be measured to find the rate at which rain falls? Explain how the rate can be determined.

Answer 1

The rate at which rain falls is usually really slow, most places it only rains about 50 inches over the entire year. Measuring in meters per second, we'd have to have really small decimals.

For example, 1m/s rain would be a flood in less than a second...

To find the rate at which rain falls, you would need to measure the amount of rainfall and the time for that much rain to fall.

Answer 2

@thehumantorch10

Answer 3

A: If a single rain drop were falling at 100,000 m/s, would that mean anything? No, it's a single rain drop. Hate to be under it though...

B: We currently measure rainfall in 'inches', although this is actually a volume measurement. Think of a glass, with area A, but the glass is only about an inch in diameter. How much water falls in the glass is measured by how full the glass gets...again, about an inch deep of water. So how we ACTUALLY measure rainfall is by volume = area*height. (height is the depth of the water in the glass) **or about 25 mm diameter and 25 mm deep**

Answer 4

thnx :)