Time A 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.
Plate M
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?
2. Click Reset. Change the Axis angle to 40, and click
Fire Reset
Fire. How many rays hit Plate M now?
Als angle
degrees
3. Which do you think will warm up the plate more quickly? (Circle one.)
A. Direct sunlight (sunlight that hits the plate at a 90° angle)
I
B. Indirect sunlight (sunlight that hits the plate at an angle of less than 90°)
Pun or pronohibited