Mr Ting's notes on GI

Please thank Mr Ting for his summarized notes on GI

Measuring Temperature using an Analogue Thermometer (Alcohol/ Mercury in-glass Thermometer)

1.     The temperature should be recorded over a grassy/dirt surface. (Concrete surfaces tend to radiate more heat which may affect data collected).

2.     Hold the analogue/digital thermometer away from the body so that it does not pick up body heat. Also ensure that the thermometer is held at the tip and not at the bulb.

3.     The thermometer should also be placed at a height of around 1.5m away from the ground to ensure that data collected is not affected by heat radiating from the ground.

4.     Also ensure that there is no direct sunlight heating up the bulb of the thermometer.

5.     Keep the thermometer at the position for 2 minutes before reading off the markings on the thermometer and taking down the temperature.

Evaluation of process of measurement

·        Reading the thermometer inaccurately due to parallax error. ·        Holding the thermometer too close to the body/ ground, thus allowing heat radiated from these surfaces to affect the reading of air temperature ·        Swinging the thermometer while taking measurements may also affect the results

Measuring Diurnal Temperature Using a Maximum and Minimum Thermometer

1.     Ensure that the maximum and minimum thermometer is calibrated and that the two metal indexes within the instrument are sitting on top of the mercury/alcohol.

2.     Place the maximum and minimum thermometer in a Stevenson’s screen where it is kept out of direct sunlight and is elevated off the ground.

3.     Ideally, the instrument should be placed during solar noon (where sun is at its highest elevation in the sky [may not be 12 noon]). The instrument will be placed for 24 hours.

4.     After 24 hours, read the thermometer by looking at the lowest point of the metal index which indicates the temperature.

5.     Subtract the temperatures read from the maximum thermometer with that from the minimum thermometer to record the diurnal temperatures recorded for that day.

Evaluation of process of measurement

·         Read “Measuring Temperatures”

Measuring Precipitation Using a Rain Gauge

1.     Position the rain gauge in an open area where there is no obstructions from buildings or vegetation. Also ensure that the area is uniformly protected from the wind in all directions to ensure that there will not be underestimation of rainfall due to wind turbulence.

2.     Sink the rain gauge into the ground with 30 cm of the equipment protruding above the ground to ensure that the equipment does not topple over. 

3.     Record the time at which the rainfall events start and end. (The time where the rain gauge is placed at the location depends on the investigation you are conducting [can be one rainfall event or total rainfall in one day)

4.     Pour out the rain collected in the rain gauge and measure the amount with a measuring cylinder.

Evaluation of process of measurement

·        Reading of measuring cylinder inaccurately due to parallax error ·        Setting up rain gauge at unsuitable locations (e.g. under a tree/ on top of a building [too much wind turbulence]) ·        Not ensuring that glass bottle within rain gauge is completely empty before placing equipment at location

Measuring Relative Humidity Using a Sling Psychrometer

1.     Before collecting data on the field, thoroughly saturate the wick of the wet bulb thermometer with water.

2.     Swing the sling psychrometer at a steady and comfortable pace of about 2 seconds per turn for one minute. Ensure that the equipment is swung away from the body so that it does not pick up body heat.

3.     After one minute, read and record the temperature on the wet bulb thermometer.

4.     Swing the psychrometer for another minute and ensure that reading for the wet bulb temperature is the same. Repeat this step until a constant reading is achieved. Then, read and record the temperature on the dry bulb thermometer.

5.     Calculate the wet bulb depression and refer to the conversion table to determine the relative humidity.

Evaluation of process of measurement

·        Psychrometer is swung too quickly, causing more evaporation to occur on the wick which would result in lower temperatures for the wet bulb. ·        Psychrometer is swung too close to the body, resulting in the body heat affecting the readings. ·        Moving/Walking around while taking the readings can also result in inaccurate data since rate of evaporation may be altered.

Measuring Wind Speed using an Anemometer

1.     Identify an open area where wind flows freely.

2.     Hold up the anemometer and ensure that there is no obstruction of wind by any objects.

3.     Read the wind speed off the display on the anemometer found above the handle (readings are either in m/s or Beauforts)

Evaluation of process of measurement

·        Obstruction of wind, for example, holding the equipment in front of the body (torso) ·        Human intervention such as turning on a fan when data was collected leading to data recorded to be inaccurate ·        Moving/ walking around when data is collected, resulting in the speed of movement to be added to the wind speed

Measuring Wind Direction using a Wind Vane

1.     Identify an open area where wind flows freely.

2.     Use a compass to determine the cardinal directions of a location and align the wind vane to the compass directions

3.     Hold up the wind vane and ensure that there is no obstruction of wind by any objects.

4.     Record the direction the wind vane points to (the direction the wind is blowing from)

Evaluation of process of measurement

·        Misaligning wind vane with compass directions, resulting in wrong directions recorded ·        Obstruction of wind, for example, holding the equipment in front of the body (torso)

Measuring Air Pressure using an (Aneroid) Barometer

1.     Set up the barometer by manually calibrating it. Turn the moveable pointer to match the current barometric pressure in your location. You may want to verify the current barometric pressure reading with an online source such as the NEA (National Environment Agency) website.

2.     The time where the barometer is placed depends on the investigation you are conducting (can be a few hours to one day).

3.     The measuring hand moves according to the air pressure. If the measuring hand moves to the left of the moveable pointer, it shows that pressure has decreased and if the hands moves to the right of the moveable pointer, it shows that pressure has increased.

Evaluation of process of measurement

·        Barometer was not calibrated beforehand thus resulting in inaccurate readings

Class test 2 answers

Top student - Shufang and Sophiann

Answers

aii		What does the number in the circle of the wind rose represents?                                                                                                                                                                                        .The number of calm days / days without wind.                                                                       [1]
	2		Name the instrument in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. Describe two factors that would affect the accuracy and reliability of data collected for both instrument.                                          [6] - Sling psychrometer [1] - Hold the sling psychrometer away from the body so that it does not pick up the body heat [1] - Swing it a steady pace about 2 seconds per turn so that the instrument can measure the temperature accurately [1] - Wind vane [1] - Use a compass to determine how the wind vane should be positioned so that the direction is accurate [1] - Place the wind vane in an open area where the wind is blowing directly and there is no obstruction [1] Note: wind vane is not to be placed above the HEAD!
	3		‘The Green Mark Scheme is the most successful national strategy implemented in Singapore to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.’ To what extent do you agree with the statement? Use examples to support your answers. Policies Success Limitations Green Mark Scheme Constructing ‘green’ buildings - This was launched in 2005 to encourage buildings to be energy-efficient and environmentally friendly ‘Green’ buildings such as the National Library Building have reported energy savings of 15-35%. This cuts down greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the use of fossil fuels to generate electricity. ‘Green’ buildings may cost more to build because the materials used are more expensive. Singapore Green Plan Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by using natural gas as an energy source as it does not produce smoke By 2010, 79% of Singapore’s electricity was being generated from natural gas, which exceeds the Ministry of Environment’s target ahead of schedule. Natural had requires complex treatment plants to process and pipelines to transport. These pipelines have high maintenance costs because they need to be laid underground and have to be checked regularly for leakage. Plant A Tree Started in 1971 to plant more trees and plants. Residents are encouraged to donate money to buy a tree or take part in tree planting events. The programme contributed to 60,000 trees planted yearly throughout Singapore by the National Parks Board. Trees are the green lungs of the environment as they remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Trees take many years to mature so it takes time to materialize. Even relatively fast growing trees likes Angsanas take 25 years to reach their full height.

Conclusion : Suggestion / new ideas/ eg India's energy labelling programme/ Copenhagen conference

P50 - 51

TOPIC 1. GEOGRAPHICAL INVESTIGATION - TOURISM

A) HYPOTHESIS

	ADMIRALTY SECONDARY SCHOOL PRELIM PAPER
5	Another student suggested investigating the impact of Resorts World Sentosa on the tourists’ experiences using a bipolar survey. His hypothesis is: The built environment in Resorts World has a positive effect on tourists’ experience. The survey is conducted at the various attractions using the systematic sampling between 1pm to 3pm on a weekday afternoon. Study Fig. 6, which shows the bipolar graph. Bipolar Graph Fig. 6
(i)	State whether the hypothesis has been proven or disproven. Support your stand using evidence in Fig. 6. ·         The hypothesis has been proven. ·         The bipolar graph has most of the responses at a positive numbers. [1] ·         For example, response for well-kept buildings has about 43 positive responses. [1] ·         For example, response for the litter around has about 42 positive responses. [1]

ANGLICIAN HIGH SCHOOL PRELIMS  

6

 (a)     What conclusion can the students make about the hypothesis?  Support your answer with data from     

           Table 2.                                                                                                                                               [4]

Number of visitors to Orchard Road and their length of stay

Origin of visitors	No. of visitors interviewed	Length of stay
		No overnight stay	1 – 3 nights	4 – 7 nights	8 – 14 nights
United States of America	7	0	2	4	1
United Kingdom	6	0	1	3	2
Japan	10	0	4	5	1
Australia	5	0	1	4	0
India	9	0	3	6	0
Malaysia	8	3	5	0	0
Indonesia	5	1	4	0	0

Table 2

Reserve 1 mark for proving hypothesis:

·         The students can conclude that the hypothesis is true.

                        

                         3 marks for support with data:

·         Visitors from the place farthest away from Singapore stayed the longest (places more than 12 hours away from Singapore by flight).  A majority of the visitors from UK and US interviewed would stay for 4 nights or more (5 out of 7 for USA and 5 out of 6 for UK).

·         Visitors from the place of between 6 to 12 hours away from Singapore by flight stayed mostly between 1 to 7 days.

Visitors closest to Singapore such as Malaysia and Indonesia did not stay overnight or stayed only 1 to 3 days in Singapore

(b)     Suggest one reason why the data in Table 2 may not be valid in proving the hypothesis.                     [1]

Reserve 1 mark for the following:

·         The data in Table 2 may not be valid as an unequal number of visitors were interviewed from each country. 

·         OR

·         The students could have gone to other places other than Orchard Road to conduct their interviews.

B) DATA

BEDOK NORTH SECONDARY SCHOOL PRELIMS  

7         Describe a sampling method that students could use to select which visitors to interview. State the advantage and disadvantage of using this sampling method.                                                                    [3]                                                             

Accept any plausible sampling methods- systematic or random. [1]

Accept any plausible advantage and disadvantage. [2]

Random Sampling

·         Randomly select people to interview.

·         Firstly, a list of guests from various hotels should be collated. The hotels should comprise of various ratings and not only the 5 star hotels.

·         Names of 50 guests (candidate must give a sizable number of at least 10) are randomly selected either through a computer generated number or manual drawing of lots. The survey form is to be administered only to the guests selected through this process.

·         Data collection should commence and end at the same time to ensure the accuracy and reliability of data collected. Data collected from sampling points to be collated and represented with the use of a suitable mode such as a bar graph.

Advantages:

·         Can be used with large sample populations of visitors.

·         Can reduce biasness because the selection of visitors for interview is fair.

Disadvantages:

·         Can lead to poor representation of the total population if a large population is missed/left out.

·         There may be practical constraints in terms of time available and access to certain parts of the study area.

        Systematic Sampling

·         Has a systematic way of selecting people to interview. For instance, every 5^th person will be selected to participate in the interview.

·         Firstly, multiple sampling points should be chosen to ensure that there is a good mix of tourists being surveyed.

·         The survey form is to be administered to every fifth tourist that moves past each sampling point.

·         Data collection should commence and end at the same time to ensure the accuracy and reliability of data collected. Data collected from sampling points to be collated and represented with the use of a suitable mode such as a bar graph.

Advantage:

·         An effective method to cover a large area of study.

Disadvantage:

·         Can be seen as more biased compared to random sampling in that not all members of a population have an equal chance of being picked. Thus, systematic sampling can result in over or under representation in a particular trend study.

D) GATHERING DATA AND ANALYSIS

BEATTY SEC PRELIMS  

9	Group C came up with Hypothsis : ‘Tourism has a negative impact on the environment in Chinatown.’ The group decided to use a bi-polar survey to investigate the hypothesis. Design a bi-polar survey that the students can use how it can be used to investigate the Hypothesis.	[4]
(a)	·         Table with positive and negative aspects ·         Scoring system/ Scale included – at least a 5 point scale (ie: -2 to +2) ·         At least 2 relevant criteria to be tested (litter, noise, pedestrain count, tourist adverts and signs, well – kept buildings) ·         To be done at all four sites ·         Added and averaged for all four sites ·         Positive score suggests minimal environmental impacts and negative scores suggests large environmental impacts

C) EXERCISE REASONING

NGEE ANN SECONDARY PRELIMS  

			Explain the limitations of using a desire line map.
			·   They lack precise interpretation of data. ·   Lines may overlap and hinder the accuracy of reading the map. ·   Does not show changes in average length of stay over time. ·   Arrows become congested.	[2]