What’s Your Angle?
Directions: Use the following information to answer questions 1 through 7.
Sunlight strikes Earth at different angles due to the shape of Earth, as shown below.
Sunlight Striking Earth
Two students, Amy and Chris, wanted to know if the shape of Earth affects surface temperatures on
Earth. They investigated this phenomenon with a model of the Earth-Sun system as described in the
Earth-Sun Model.
Question: What is the effect of the angle at which light strikes a wooden block on the surface
temperature of that block?
Hypothesis (prediction): As the angle that the light strikes the block increases to 90°, the block’s
surface temperature will increase because the light will strike the block more directly.
Materials:
wooden block
thermometer
black paper
lamp
protractor
meterstick
stand and clamp
timer
What’s Your Angle?
1
Investigation Setup
Earth-Sun Model
Procedure:
1. Lay the thermometer on the wooden block.
2. Cover the lower end of the thermometer with black paper and attach the paper to the wooden block.
3. Tilt the block so the light beams will strike at a 15˚ angle as shown in the Investigation Setup diagram.
4. Record the starting temperature of the block’s surface.
5. Turn on the lamp. Record the temperature after 2.5 minutes and again after 5 minutes.
6. Turn off the lamp and wait 10 minutes for the thermometer to return to room temperature.
7. Repeat steps 3 through 6 using 30˚, 60˚, and 90˚ angles. Keep the lamp at the same distance from
the wooden block for each condition.
8. Repeat steps 1 through 7 two more times as trials 2 and 3.
Data:
Angle Light Strikes Block vs. Block’s Surface Temperature
Angle Light
Strikes Block
(degrees)
Block’s Surface Temperature
(degrees Celsius)
Starting
2.5 minutes
5 minutes
15
26
31
36
30
27
35
41
60
28
38
46
90
28
46
56
Note: Temperatures are the averages of the three trials.
2
What’s Your Angle?
1
Which variable was the responding (dependent) variable in Chris and Amy’s investigation?
o A. Surface temperature of the wooden block
o B. Distance of the lamp from the wooden block
o C. Color of the paper covering the wooden block
o D. Angle that light beams strike the wooden block
2 Sunlight strikes Earth at different angles due to the shape of Earth as shown below.
Sunlight Striking Earth
At which location would shadows be longest at noon on a clear summer day?
o A. Location A
o B. Location B
o C. Location C
o D. Location D
3 Amy and Chris want to repeat their investigation with a different color paper over the thermometer.
Which color would result in the lowest surface temperature of the block?
o A. Red
o B. Blue
o C. White
o D. Green
3
What’s Your Angle?
4 Predict the surface temperature of the wooden block if the block was set at a 45° angle for
five minutes.
In your prediction, be sure to:
 Predict the approximate surface temperature of the wooden block.
 Include data from the Angle Light Strikes Block vs. Block’s Surface Temperature table to
support your prediction.
4
What’s Your Angle?
5
How could Amy and Chris change their Earth-Sun Model to more accurately show how Earth
is heated by the Sun?
Be sure to:
 Identify one change that could be made to the model.
 Explain how this change would more accurately show how Earth is heated by the Sun.
Change:
How this change would more accurately show how Earth is heated by the Sun:
5
What’s Your Angle?
6 Describe two energy transfers that happened in Chris and Amy’s investigation.
In your description, be sure to:
 Identify the energy forms before and after each energy transfer.
 Describe where in the system each energy transfer happened.
Use words, labeled pictures, and/or labeled diagrams in your response.
One transfer:
Another transfer:
6
What’s Your Angle?
7 Plan a new investigation to answer Chris and Amy’s new question printed in
the box.
In your plan, be sure to include:
 Hypothesis (prediction) of the investigation results
 Materials needed to perform the investigation
 Procedure that includes:





logical steps to perform the investigation
one controlled (kept the same) variable
one manipulated (changed) variable
one responding (dependent) variable
how often measurements should be taken and recorded
Question: How does the angle at which sunlight strikes Earth affect the
length of shadows cast
on the ground?
Hypothesis (prediction):
Materials:
7
What’s Your Angle?
You may use the space below for a labeled diagram to support your procedure.
Procedure :
8
Clean Water?
Directions: Use the following information to answer questions 8 through 13.
Darcie and Matt were hiking in the Cascade Mountains and ran out of clean water. The only water they
could find was from a muddy stream. They designed and built the water cleaner system shown in the
diagram below.
Darcie and Matt used their scientific understanding of the water cycle around them in the design of
their water cleaner system.
Darcie and Matt made their water cleaner system from equipment found in their backpacks. They
poured muddy water into the bottom of a large plastic bowl. They placed a metal cup into the middle
of the muddy water in the plastic bowl. Then they stretched clear plastic wrap over the top of the
plastic bowl. Finally they placed a rock on top of the plastic wrap causing the plastic wrap to sag in
the middle.
Their water cleaner system functioned with the energy input from sunlight.
9
Clean Water?
8 Which force caused the clean water to drop into the metal cup?
o A. Electric
o B. Magnetic
o C. Frictional
o D. Gravitational
9 Which of the following statements explains why Darcie and Matt should be more concerned about
running out of water than running out of food?
o A. The human body is able to obtain more nutrients from water than from food.
o B. The human body is able to survive longer without food than without water.
o C. The human body is made up of very little water.
o D. The human body is made up of very little liquid.
10 If Darcie uses filter paper to filter the muddy water, which of the following parts of the muddy
water will remain in the water once the water has been filtered?
o A. Sand
o B. Leaves
o C. Insects
o D. Bacteria
10
Clean Water?
11
Describe two human activities that could make the stream water muddy.
In your description, be sure to:
 Identify two different human activities that may have made the stream muddy.
 Describe how each activity may have made the stream muddy.
One human activity:
Another human activity:
11
Clean Water?
12
Darcie and Matt realized that their Water Cleaner System was not cleaning as much
water as they needed. They decided to redesign their water cleaner system to produce
clean water faster than the original. They had the following four items available to use in
their redesign:
 large pieces of aluminum foil
 metal pot
 large, black plastic bag
 white towel
Use one or more of the materials listed to redesign the original Water Cleaner System.
You may also use any of the original materials.
Be sure to:
 Describe how you would use the material(s) to redesign the original Water
Cleaner System.
 Explain how your redesign would clean water faster than the original Water
Cleaner System.
Use words, labeled pictures, and/or labeled diagrams in your response.
12
Clean Water?
13
Darcie and Matt used their scientific understanding of the water cycle around them in the design
of their Water Cleaner System. Four processes that are part of the water cycle are listed below:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Condensation
Evaporation
Precipitation
Collection
Explain how Darcie and Matt used each of these four water cycle processes in the design of their
Water Cleaner System.
In your explanation, be sure to:
 Identify a specific location in the Water Cleaner System that models each of the four water
cycle processes listed above.
 Describe how each of the four water cycle processes is used in the design of their Water
Cleaner System.
 Describe how each process occurs in the environment around Darcie and Matt.
You may use words, labeled pictures, and/or labeled diagrams on the diagram below.
How does the design use condensation?
How does condensation happen in the environment?
70
Clean Water?
How does the design use evaporation?
How does evaporation happen in the environment?
How does the design use precipitation?
How does precipitation happen in the environment?
How does the design use collection?
How does collection happen in the environment?
71