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Monday, May 9, 2011

Reasons for the Seasons Lab

Guiding Question: How does the tilt of Earth's axis affect the light received by Earth as it revolves around the sun.
Hypothesis: I think that the tilt of the Earth determines the amount of light received by earth.When it is tilted to the left, and the sun is on the right, the southern hemisphere is gets more light, which means that it is summer in the southern hemisphere.


1. When it is winter in the Northern Hemisphere, which areas on Earth get the most concentrated light? Which areas get the most  concentrated light when it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere?
When it is winter in the northern hemisphere, the southern hemisphere gets the most concentrated light. When it is summer in the northern hemisphere, the northern hemisphere gets the most concentrated light.
2. Compare your observations of how the light hits the area halfway between the equator and the North Pole during winter and during summer.
When it is winter in the area halfway between the north pole and the equator, it is dark there and little light falls on it. When it is summer there, lots of light falls on it.
3. If the squares projected on the ball from the acetate become larger, what can you infer about the amount of heat disturbed in each square?
If that happened, there would be more total heat in each square.
4.  According to your observations, which areas on Earth are consistently coolest? Which areas are consistently warmest? Why?
The north and south poles are the coolest areas. The equator is a warmer area.
5. What time of year will the toothpick's shadow be the longest? When will the shadow be shortest?
The shadow is longest spring and fall. The shadow is shortest during summer.
6. How are the amounts of heat and light received in a square related to the angle of the sun's rays?

The more directly the light/heat hits the square, the more intense the heat/light are. For example, if the light/heat hit Earth directly level, at 180 degrees, it will be warmer than if it hits the Earth at 45 degrees.
7. Use your observations of an Earth-sun model to write an explanation of what causes seasons.

The seasons exist because of the Earth's tilt. The tilt remains the same as the Earth moves around the Sun, so during some parts of the year, more light shines on the top of the Earth (northern hemisphere) and more light shines on the bottom of the Earth (southern hemisphere) during other parts of the year. 


Conclusion
My partner and I both had problems understanding the instructions for this lab, but we did eventually figure it out. We found out that seasons depended on the position of the earth's tilt in relation to the earth. The earth's tilt doesn't change as it moves around the sun, so when the earth is in certain positions, some areas of the earth get more sun than others, and it is summer there. This is essentially the same as my hypothesis, so I was correct.

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