Starter quiz
- Which two of these astronomical objects give off light (are luminous)?
- planets
- stars ✓
- the Sun ✓
- the Moon
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- What causes a parked car to heat up to a higher temperature than its surroundings on a sunny day?
- the material inside the car
- the heat from the road underneath it
- the hot air around it
- the sunlight shining on it ✓
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- Which of these days in the northern hemisphere (e.g. in London) has most hours of daylight?
- March 21st
- June 21st ✓
- September 21st
- December 21st
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- Put these planets in order of how bright the sun appears from each one. Start with the one where the sun appears brightest.
- 1⇔Mercury
- 2⇔Earth
- 3⇔Jupiter
- 4⇔Neptune
- Put these planets in order of their average temperature, starting with the hottest.
- 1⇔Mercury
- 2⇔Earth
- 3⇔Saturn
- 4⇔Neptune
- Which of these cars would be the hottest? Apart from colour, the cars are identical.
- a silver car on a cloudy day
- a black car on a cloudy day
- a silver car on a sunny day
- a black car on a sunny day ✓
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Exit quiz
- Which produces the greatest heating effect?
- heating a surface from directly overhead ('face-on') ✓
- heating a surface from a 45 degree angle
- heating a surface from far to one side
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- Starting with sunrise, put these positions that the Sun appears in the sky (from the UK) into the order they occur during a day.
- 1⇔the Sun is low in the sky, to the east
- 2⇔the Sun is high in the sky, to the south
- 3⇔the Sun is low in the sky, to the west
The picture shows the path of the Sun across the sky during one day at a beach. A towel is laid out across the ground. At which point in the day is the towel heated most strongly by the Sun?- early in the morning
- at midday ✓
- in the afternoon
- the heating effect from the Sun is the same at the different times of day
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- Why is heating a surface from directly overhead (or ‘face-on’) more effective than heating a surface at a different angle?
- the rays are more spread out over the surface when the surface is 'face-on'
- the rays are less spread out over the surface when the surface is 'face-on' ✓
- when the surface is at an angle less heat will be absorbed
- tilting the surface away means fewer rays hit the same area of the surface ✓
- when the surface is 'face on' more heat will be absorbed ✓
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- What is the correct reason why the heating effect of the Sun is greater at midday/noon than at sunrise?
- A place is closer to the Sun at noon than at sunrise, due to Earth's spin.
- The Sun is hotter at noon than at sunrise.
- A place is more face-on to the Sun at noon than at sunrise, due to Earth's spin. ✓
- The Sun is higher in the sky at noon so it is further from Earth then.
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Izzy is investigating how the heating angle affects the temperature rise of a card in two minutes. Match the variables in this investigation.- independent variable⇔the angle of the surface to the rays ✓
- dependent variable⇔the temperature rise in two minutes ✓
- a control variable⇔the distance between the centre of the card and the heater ✓
Worksheet
Presentation
Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Heating a surface from directly overhead is more effective than heating a surface at a different angle.
- When rays of light hit a surface face-on, they are less spread out than if they hit at an angle.
- At a place on Earth, the heating effect of the Sun is greatest at midday and lowest at sunrise and sunset.
- Over a day, Earth's spin changes the Sun's height in the sky and the angle at which the Sun's rays arrive at a place.
Common misconception
Students may think that the midday Sun is higher in the sky because the Sun is further away then, or that the midday Sun has a greater heating effect because the Sun is closer or hotter then.
Use physical models (such as a globe, or a flat card in front of a light bulb with a thermometer attached) to show students how the changes observed over a day to Sun's position in the sky and the Sun's heating effect are caused by Earth's spin.
Keywords
Heating - Anything that raises the temperature of an object is heating the object.
Ray - Rays are straight lines with arrowheads, drawn to represent light.
Angle - An angle measures the difference between two directions, in degrees.
Thermometer - A thermometer is used to measure temperature in degrees Celsius.
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