Effects of Rotation and Revolution

Effects of Rotation and Revolution

The student is expected to model and illustrate how the tilted Earth rotates on its axis, causing day and night, and revolves around the Sun, causing changes in seasons.

First, quick review!

• Earth spins or ROTATES on its axis, causing day and night (24 hours).

• Earth REVOLVES around our star, the Sun (1 year).

• Because Earth's axis is also tilted 23.5 degrees, the revolution creates seasons due to the uneven heating of the Earth.

Summer Northern Hemisphere

• The northern hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun. 

• Most direct sunlight (focused)

• Longer days and shorter nights. 

• North pole: constant daylight South pole: constant night. 

• While the north has summer, the Southern hemisphere has winter.

Multiple Choice

At point X:

Is it day, or night?

• Day

• Night

Multiple Choice

At point X:

Is it in the Southern or Northern hemisphere?

• Southern

• Northern

Multiple Choice

At point X:

Is it winter or summer?

• Winter

• Summer

Multiple Choice

At point X:

Is the day length-

greater than/equal to/less than night?

• Greater than...

• Equal to...

• Less than...

Fall Northern Hemisphere

• The axis is not pointed towards or away from the Sun. 

• Equal sunlight in both hemispheres 

• Equal length days and nights at the equator

• While the north has fall, the Southern hemisphere has spring.

Winter Northern Hemisphere

• The northern hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun. 

• Most indirect sunlight

• Shorter days and longer nights

• North pole: constant night, but South pole: constant daylight 

• While the north has winter, the Southern hemisphere has summer.

Multiple Choice

At point X:

Is it day, or night?

• Day

• Night

Multiple Choice

At point X:

Is it in the Southern or Northern hemisphere?

• Northern

• Southern

Multiple Choice

At point X:

Is it winter or summer?

• Winter

• Summer

Multiple Choice

At point X:

Is the day length-

greater than/equal to/less than night?

• Greater than...

• Equal to...

• Less than...

Spring Northern Hemisphere

• The axis is not pointed towards or away from the Sun. 

• Equal sunlight in both hemispheres 

• Equal length days (12 hours) and nights (12 hours) at the equator

• While the north has spring, the Southern hemisphere has fall.

Solstices

• The longest or shortest days of the year (💡 sol=>sun)

• The Sun reaches its highest or lowest point in the sky at noon.

• NH: Summer Solstice – June 21st

• NH: Solstice – December 21st

• Southern hemisphere has same solstice dates, but switched; (summer, longest day Dec. 31).

Equinoxes

• Day and night are equal at the equator (💡:eq=>equator=>equal)

• The Vernal equinox – about March 20th

• The autumnal equinox – about September 22nd

• Since the light is equal on both hemispheres, only the names are switched between the southern and northern hemispheres.

Multiple Choice

At point X:

Is it day, or night?

• Day

• Night

Multiple Choice

At point X:

Is it in the Southern or Northern hemisphere?

• Northern

• Southern

Multiple Choice

At point X:

Is it winter or summer?

• Winter

• Summer

Multiple Choice

At point X:

Is the day length-

greater than/equal to/less than night?

• Greater than...

• Equal to...

• Less than...

Multiple Choice

At point X:

Is it day, or night?

• Day

• Night

Multiple Choice

At point X:

Is it in the Southern or Northern hemisphere?

• Northern

• Southern

Multiple Choice

At point X:

Is it winter or summer?

• Winter

• Summer

Multiple Choice

At point X:

Is the day length-

greater than/equal to/less than night?

• Greater than...

• Equal to...

• Less than...

Multiple Choice

At point X:

Is it day, or night?

• Day

• Night

Multiple Choice

At point X:

Is it in the Southern or Northern hemisphere?

• Northern

• Southern

Multiple Choice

At point X:

Is it winter or summer?

• Winter

• Summer

Multiple Choice

At point X:

Is the day length-

greater than/equal to/less than night?

• Greater than...

• Equal to...

• Less than...

Multiple Choice

Michelle is going on vacation in a location on the globe that is currently experiencing summer and daylight, according to the model. Which location is she visiting?

• Location A

• Location B

• Location C

• Location D

Multiple Choice

In order to best model SEASONS of Earth using a basketball, you would:

• Shine a flashlight on one side of the basketball while you rotate the basketball.

• Tilt the basketball along an axis of 23.5 degrees and revolve it around an object to represent the sun

• Revolve a basketball around an object to represent the moon

• None of the above would model the cause of Earth seasons.

Multiple Choice

The 24 hour cycle of day and night on Earth is due to:

• The revolution of Earth around the Sun

• the 23.5 degree tilt of Earth's axis

• The movement of the Sun

• The rotation of Earth about its axis

Multiple Choice

Mars' axis is tilted at an angle of 25 degrees. As a result, you could infer that Mars has...

• A day length that is equal to Earth's day length

• The same length of day and night during a Martian year.

• Seasons in both its Northern and Southern hemispheres.

• A longer time to revolve around the Sun than Earth does.