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Seasons 3DSE finished - student gizmos answer key
Earth Science
Standard
High School - US
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Name: ______________________________________ Date: ________________________
Student Exploration: Seasons in 3D
Vocabulary: axis, equinox, latitude, Northern Hemisphere, revolve, rotate, solar energy, solar intensity, Southern Hemisphere, summer solstice, winter solstice
Prior Knowledge Question (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.) Both New Zealand and Argentina are in the Southern Hemisphere (south of the equator).
What time of year would you plan a ski vacation in New Zealand? Winter
What time of year would you visit the beaches of Argentina? Summer
Gizmo Warm-up Seasons in the Southern Hemisphere are different from seasons in the Northern Hemisphere (north of the equator.) Using the Seasons in 3D Gizmo, you will discover what causes the seasons and learn why seasons are different in each hemisphere.
To begin, move the Sim. speed slider all the way to the right. Click Play ( ) and observe the SIMULATION pane.
- Describe Earth’s movements: earth tilts forward and also rotate towards the sun
Earth revolves around the Sun and rotates on its axis. On the SIMULATION pane, the axis is represented by a red line.
- Click Reset ( ), and then click Play again. Look at the side view of Earth at the bottom of the SIMULATION pane.
A. What do you notice about Earth’s axis as Earth revolves around the Sun? earth’s axis does not move.
B. When is the Northern Hemisphere tilted toward the Sun? May through September
C. When is the Southern Hemisphere tilted toward the Sun? November through D. march
Activity A (continued from previous page)
- Predict: On the DESCRIPTION pane, set the Latitude to -45° (45° S). For this latitude, on which date do you expect the noon Sun to be highest? Circle your choice.
June 21 December 21
- Observe: Select the 2D VIEW tab and select Facing north.
Set the date to June 21, and click Play. Click Pause when the Sun reaches its highest point in the sky. Draw and label that position in the picture at right. Then, find the Sun’s highest point in the sky for December 21, and draw and label that position.
Analyze: On which date was the noon Sun higher in the sky? June 21st
Explain: Why were your results for the Southern Hemisphere opposite of what you found for the Northern Hemisphere?
When the northern hemisphere is facing the sun, the southern hemisphere is tilted away. For this, northern hemisphere has the longest day.
- Infer: Based on the height of the Sun in the sky, at what time of year is it summer in the Southern Hemisphere? When is it winter in the Southern Hemisphere? Explain.
Southern hem. has winter when northern hem. has summer. Sun is highest on southern hemisphere on December 21st.
Activity B:
Solar intensity
Get the Gizmo ready: Click Reset and make sure the Sim. speed slider is all the way to the left.
Question: Why is it warmer in summer than in winter?
- Describe: Look up the latitude of your city or town. Set the Latitude to this value.
A. What town do you live in, and what is its latitude? Cypress CA, 29B
B. What is the temperature of a typical summer day in your town? 70 degrees
C. What is the temperature of a typical winter day in your town? 30 degrees
- Observe: Select the GRAPH tab. The Day graph shows solar intensity, or the amount of solar energy striking a location in an hour. Set the date to March 21, which is the spring equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. Click Play, and then Pause before 24 hours pass.
A. At what time of day is solar intensity greatest? Hour 12, or noon
B. What is the solar intensity at night? 0 W
C. Why do you think the solar intensity follows this pattern?
because sometimes the sun is facing it, and sometimes it’s not`
- Gather data: Record the solar intensity at noon on March 21. Then record the times of sunrise (solar intensity begins to rise) and sunset (solar intensity returns to zero). Based on these times, calculate the hours of daylight. Repeat for each solstice and equinox.
Date Noon solar intensity (W/m 2 h)
Sunrise Sunset Hours of Daylight
March 21 42 6 am 4:30 pm 10 hours and30min
June 21 53 4:45 am 7PM 14 hours and45min
September 23 39 6 am 6PM 12 hours
December 21 21 8 am 5:20 PM 9:
- Analyze: Use the table to compare the hours of daylight on the equinoxes (March 21 and September 23) and solstices (June 21 and December 21).
A. What is the longest day of the year? June 21 Shortest? December 21
Activity B (continued from previous page)
- Explain: Why is the noon solar intensity greater on the summer solstice than on the
winter solstice? The sun is higher in the sky on summer solstice, so it hits earth more
directly
- Observe: Click Reset and move the Sim. speed all the way to the right. On the GRAPH tab, select the Year graph. Click Play. After a year has passed, sketch the resulting graphs at right.
What factors are responsible for the changes you see in the Solar energy graph?
Solar energy, position
- Summarize: Seasonal changes are related to the length of a day and the height of the Sun in the sky. Describe how these two factors change throughout a year, and how this relates to the seasonal changes you observe in your home town.
___days are longest when solar energy is the most intense.
______________________________________________________________________
- On your own: Change the Latitude to the opposite of its current value and create a year graph for this latitude. Sketch this graph on a separate sheet of paper, describe the patterns that you see in this graph, and explain why the graph looks the way it does. Turn in this graph with this sheet.
Seasons 3DSE finished - student gizmos answer key
Subject: Earth Science
Standard
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