Lesson 5 - Supplemental Materials

In the summertime, when the weather is hot...

Summer! Vacation! Time for catching rays on the beach, sailing into the hot wind, or watching the highway ripple with searing heat and hoping the hotel has a pool. But while Americans bask in warmth from about the middle of May to the beginning of October, Australians are donning their barest shorts and tees right around the Christmas holidays! The following experiment shows why.

1) Take some black paint and two tin can lids.

2) Paint both sides of the lids with the paint and let them dry.

3) On a sunny day, place both lids in the sunshine, but position each according to the following:

a.) Allow the sun's rays to strike one lid directly, at a 90° angle.

b.) Angle the second lid so that the sun's rays reach it at a slant, perhaps a 45° angle.

4) Leave the lids in the sun for at least ten minutes.

5) After ten minutes, place your hands on the lids. Record your observations.

Lid #1 __________________________________________________

Lid #2 __________________________________________________

"Summer" is the time when the sun's rays hit a certain area on the earth directly.

6) Find the longitude and latitude measurements for:

a.) Denver, Colorado _______________________________

b.) Sydney, Australia _______________________________

From your observations of the can lids and your longitude and latitude measurements, explain why Denver and Sydney enjoy summer at different times during the year

Conclusion: _____________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________

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