Reasons For the Seasons

 Reasons For the Seasons Lab

 
 


Guiding Question:  How does the tilt of the Earth's axis affect the light received by the Earth as it revolves around the sun?
Hypothesis: The tilt of the  Earth's axis affects the light received by the Earth as it revolves around the sun because the light goes at the equator and there is not that much light at the poles and at the other side of the Earth there is no sun at all (it is night)
 
Lab Observations

Winter:

·         More squares at the equator (below it).

·         Most light near the equator.

·         More rectangular/stretched out at the poles.

·         Not much shadow in the Northern Hemisphere.

Summer:

·         No light in the Southern Hemisphere.

·         Most light near the equator.

·         Very long shadow.

·         No shadow at night.

·         Longer shadow in the morning and evening.

·         Less shadow during midday.

 


Questions from Lab

ANALYZE AND CONCLUDE

1. Observing   When it is winter in the Northern Hemisphere, which areas on  Earth get most concentrated light? Which areas get the most concentrated light when it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere? When there is winter in the Norther Hemisphere the areas below the equator get the most concentrated light and when it is summer in the Norther Hemisphere, the areas below the equator get the most concentrated light.
2. Observing  Compare your observations of how the light hits the area half way between the equator and the North Pole during winter and during summer. When it is summer, there is no light in the Southern Hemisphere and the most light it is near the equator and it has a very long shadow. There is longer shadow in the morning and evening and less shadow during midday. When it is winter, the most loght is again near the equator but there is not much shadow at the Norther Hemisphere 
3. Inferring If the squares projected on the ball from the acetate became larger, what can you infer about the amount of heat distributed in each square?  If the squares were becoming larger there would be less heat in that area because it would be near the poles (as we observed)
4. Inferring According to your observations, which areas on Earth are consistently coolest? Which areas are consistently warmest?Why?The warmer areas on Earth are the ones that are near the equator and the coolest ones are the ones that are near the poles (because they don't get so much light and the areas near the equator are always warm because the sunlight it is always coming directly near the equator)
5. Predicting What time of year will the toothpick shadow we longest? when will the shadow be shortest? The longer shadow there will be in the summer and the shortest will be in the winter
6. Drawing conclusions How are the amounts of heat and light received in a square related to the angle of the sun's rays? When the sun is indirect there is less heat and it spreads. When the heat spreads that means that there is less heat so the squares ill receive less heat and sunlight.
7. Communicating Use your observations of an Earth sun model to write an explanation of what causes seasons Seasons are caused by the Earth's rotation around its axis!