Seasons and Their Causes
Physics ⇒ Earth and Space Physics
Seasons and Their Causes starts at 6 and continues till grade 12.
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A city at 60°N latitude experiences 18 hours of daylight during the summer solstice. Explain why this occurs.
Describe how the angle of sunlight affects the intensity of solar energy received at different latitudes.
Describe the difference between the terms 'solstice' and 'equinox'.
Describe what happens to the length of day and night during the equinoxes.
During the March equinox, which hemisphere is transitioning from summer to autumn?
During which month does the Northern Hemisphere experience the summer solstice?
A city at 60°N latitude experiences 18 hours of daylight during the summer solstice. Explain why this occurs.
Calculate the maximum difference in solar energy received per square meter at 45° latitude between the summer and winter solstice, assuming the solar constant is 1361 W/m² and neglecting atmospheric effects. (Hint: Use the cosine of the solar elevation angle at noon, which is 68.5° at summer solstice and 21.5° at winter solstice.)
Which of the following best describes the Earth's orbit around the Sun?
(1) Perfectly circular
(2) Slightly elliptical
(3) Highly elliptical
(4) Parabolic
Which of the following best explains why the Southern Hemisphere experiences summer when the Northern Hemisphere experiences winter?
(1) The Southern Hemisphere is closer to the Sun during its summer.
(2) The tilt of Earth's axis causes the Sun's rays to strike the Southern Hemisphere more directly during its summer.
(3) The Earth's orbit is highly elliptical.
(4) The Southern Hemisphere rotates faster during its summer.
Which of the following is NOT a result of Earth's axial tilt?
(1) Variation in day length
(2) Seasonal temperature changes
(3) The phases of the Moon
(4) The occurrence of solstices and equinoxes
Which of the following is the primary cause of the seasons on Earth?
(1) The distance between the Earth and the Sun changes significantly during the year.
(2) The tilt of the Earth's rotational axis relative to its orbital plane.
(3) The speed of Earth's rotation changes during the year.
(4) The shape of Earth's orbit is a perfect circle.
Fill in the blank: During the December solstice, the Sun is directly overhead at the ______.
Fill in the blank: The Earth's axis is tilted at an angle of approximately ______ degrees relative to the perpendicular of its orbital plane.
Fill in the blank: The imaginary line around which the Earth rotates is called the ______.
Fill in the blank: The latitude at which the Sun is directly overhead at noon on the June solstice is called the ______.
True or False: The Earth is closer to the Sun during the Northern Hemisphere's summer than during its winter.
True or False: The Earth's orbital eccentricity is the main reason for the difference in temperature between summer and winter.
True or False: The equinoxes occur when the Earth's axis is neither tilted toward nor away from the Sun.
True or False: The length of a day (sunrise to sunset) is longest at the poles during the solstices.
