Name: Areel Hussain Date: June 3, 2021

Student Exploration: Seasons: Why do we have them?

Directions: Follow the instructions to go through the simulation. Respond to the questions and
prompts in the orange boxes.

Vocabulary: direct sunlight, Earth’s axis, equator, indirect sunlight, northern hemisphere, North Pole, season,
solstice, southern hemisphere, South Pole, summer solstice, winter solstice

Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)

1. At what time of day is sunlight strongest – in the early morning (when the Sun has just risen) or at
noon (when the Sun reaches its highest point)? Around noon, due to the fact, the sun
covers most of a country/time zone at
noon,rather than in the morning, where the
moon is still in its declining phase.

2. At what time of year does the noon Sun rise highest in the sky? Summer

3. At what time of year does the noon Sun rise highest in the sky? Summer

4. Based on your answers, why is it warmer in summer than in winter?

Summer is hotter than winter due to the tilt in the axis of the earth causing the sun’s rays to hitthe
earth at a steeper level.

Gizmo Warm-up
The reasons for seasons have a lot to do with the angle at which
the Sun’s rays hit Earth. To see why, select the PLATE tab on the
Seasons: Why do we have them? Gizmo. The image shows a
solar panel (Plate M) facing the Sun. Check that the Axis angle is
set to 0˚.

1. Click Fire to release 100 “rays” of sunlight. Look next to

“Number of hits” below the plate.

How many of these rays hit Plate M? 100

2. Click Reset. Change the Axis angle to 40˚, and click

Fire. How many rays hit Plate M now? 76

3. Which do you think will warm up the plate more quickly? ( Highlight the answer.)

A. Direct sunlight (sunlight that hits the plate at a 90° angle)

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 B. Indirect sunlight (sunlight that hits the plate at an angle of less than 90°)

Activity A:
Get the Gizmo ready:
Sunlight on a ● Click Reset.
plate

Question: How does the angle of sunlight affect the amount of energy that is absorbed?

1. Form hypothesis: How do you think the angle of the plate will affect how much sunlight hits the plate?

The closer the angle is to zero, the more sunlight that will hit the plate.

2. Collect data: Set the Axis angle to -80° and click Fire. Record the Number of hits. Repeat for each angle
and fill in the tables below. You can use the slider or type the number into the text field directly and click
Enter on your keyboard. (Note that “0°” appears in both tables.)

Axis angle Hits Axis angle Hits

-80° 18 0° 100
-60° 50 20° 92
-40° 76 40° 76
-20° 92 60° 50
0° 100 80° 18

3. Analyze: What is the relationship between the axis angle and the number of solar rays that hit the plate?

The closer the angle is to zero, the more solar rays that hit the plate.

4. Interpret: Select the GRAPH tab. What does the graph show?

The graph shows a number of dots where the plate angle is measured with the number of hits.
Every time I fire sunlight at a certain angle a dot shows up. The negative angled dots have a
direct mirror image of them on the positive angled dots. They also have the same number of hits.
A negative angle like -80 would have 18 hits compared to a positive angle like 80 with also 18
hits. Both would be a mirror dot of the other on each side of the graph.

5. Apply: At what angle will the plate get the hottest? 0 axis angle ­

6. Extend your thinking: The plate is a model for how sunlight hits Earth’s surface.

A. Which parts of Earth are most similar to the plate with an axis angle of 0°? Explain.

The equator, because that is an investable line that receives the most amount of sunlight

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 like the axis angle of zero.

B. Which parts of Earth are most similar to the plate with an axis angle of 80°?

The North and South poles because that is where the sunlight hits the least like the axis
angle of 80.

Get the Gizmo ready:

Activity B:
● Select the EARTH tab on the left and the
Sunlight on Earth DESCRIPTION tab on the right.
● Check that the Axis angle is set to 0 degrees.

Question: What causes seasons on Earth?

1. Predict: Look at the image of Earth (not to scale). Plate A is located at the North Pole, and plate G is
located at the South Pole. Plates D and J are located at the equator.

A. Of the plates that are facing the Sun (plates A through G), which ones will receive the most
Solar energy? D

B. Which of plates A through G will receive the least? A and G

2. Check: Click Fire. Select the TABLE tab to see how many rays hit each plate.

A. Which plate got the most sunlight? D The least? J

B. Why is it colder at the poles than at the equator?

The amount of solar energy given to the equator is greater than the solar energy given to
the North and South pole.

3. Set up Gizmo: Click Reset, and turn on Show axis. Earth’s axis is an imaginary line that connects the
North Pole to the South Pole. Earth spins around its axis, which is tilted relative to Earth’s orbit. Click Earth
axis angle to set the axis angle to a realistic 23°.

4. Collect data: On the DESCRIPTION pane, check that Time A is selected. Click Fire. Select the TABLE
pane to see the results, and fill in the left table below. Click Reset, and on the DESCRIPTION pane select
Time A + 6 months. Click Fire and fill in the right table.

Time A Time A + 6 months

Plate Angle Hits Plate Angle Hits

A -67 0 A -67 9
B 83 2 B -37 22

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 C 53 16 C -7 26
D 23 25 D 23 25
E -7 26 E 53 16
F -37 22 F 83 2
G -67 9 G -67 0

5. Analyze: Plates A, B, and C all lie in the northern hemisphere, the half of Earth north of the equator.
Plates E, F, and G all lie in the southern hemisphere, south of the equator.

A. Which hemisphere gets more direct sunlight at Time A? Southern Hemisphere

B. Which hemisphere gets more sunlight at Time A + 6 months? Northern Hemisphere

6. Interpret: Plate B is a typical northern hemisphere location, and plate F is a typical southern hemisphere

location. Highlight the answer to each question below.

A. On plate B, which season is Time A? Start of summer Start of winter

B. On B, which season is Time A + 6 months? Start of summer Start of winter

C. On F, which season is Time A? Start of summer Start of winter

D. On F, which season is Time A + 6 months? Start of summer Start of winter

E. In general, how are seasons in the northern hemisphere related to seasons in the southern
hemisphere? In general there are 2 seasons in the northern hemisphere related to
seasons in the southern hemisphere.

7. Apply: December 21 and June 21 are important dates called solstices. The winter solstice is the shortest
day of the year. The summer solstice is the longest day of the year.

Highlight the answer to each question below.

A. Which date does Time A represent? June 21 December 21

This date is the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere, and the summer solstice in the southern
hemisphere.

B. Which date does Time A + 6 months represent? June 21 December 21

This date is the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere, and the winter solstice in the southern
hemisphere.

8. Summarize: Based on what you have seen, what causes the seasons?

Reproduction for educational use only. Public sharing or posting prohibited. © 2020 ExploreLearning™ All rights reserved
Reproduction for educational use only. Public sharing or posting prohibited. © 2020 ExploreLearning™ All rights reserved