Aim: What is evidence of the 2

motions of the Earth?

Do Now: What are 2 motions of the Earth?
Homework: Study for Midterm
January 28, 2008

What are the

two motions
of the earth?
How long
does it take
the earth to
rotate?

Rotation & Revolution

24 hours (one day) to

rotate (spin) once on its
axis

How long does 365 Days (one year) to

complete one revolution
it take the
earth to revolve around the sun
around the
sun?

What does the

earths rotation
cause?

Day & Night

As the earth rotates (counter-clockwise), part of

it faces the sun and the rest of it faces away from
the sun and is in darkness.

Why does the

length of the day
change
throughout the
year?

Due to the tilt of the earths

axis (23.5 angle)

Example: When the

North Pole is tilted toward
the sun, the Northern
Hemisphere has longer
days and shorter nights
= SUMMER

Where does the

north pole of the
earth always
point?

Towards Polaris
(A.K.A. The North Star)

Where does
the sun and
moon appear
to rise and set?

The sun, moon, & stars all

appear to rise in the East and
set in the West
Due to the counter-clockwise
rotation of the Earth

How does the rotation of the earth affect the

motion of the winds & ocean currents?
Northern Hemisphere:

Southern Hemisphere:

The Earth rotates

Counterclockwise

The Earth rotates

Clockwise.

Causing: winds and

ocean currents to be
deflected to the Right.

Causing: winds and

ocean currents to be
deflected to the Left.

What is the deflection

(of winds & water) at
Earths surface called?
Observe an animation of the Coriolis effect over Earth's
surface.

The Coriolis Effect.

Yahoo! Video Detail for

coriolis.avi

What evidence 1) Coriolis Effect

shows that the 2) Satellite Pictures
earth rotates?

3) Pictures from the earth

of the night sky would show
arcs of light, or star trails,
from the motions of the
earth.

What evidence
shows that the
earth revolves
around the
sun?

1) Constellations (patterns
of stars) appear to move
Observing the Sky: Motion of the Sun and
Stars - The Night Sky

2) The Sun appears to be larger

during the winter months and
smaller as summer approaches.
Perihelion earth closest to the
sun
Aphelion earth furthest away
from the sun

LETS REVIEW
Why do we have day and night on earth?
If the earths axis was not tilted every where
on earth would have how many hours of
daylight and darkness?
Why does the sun appear to rise in the east
and set in the west?
What would happen if the earth did not
rotate?

Summary
What is the Coriolis Effect?
How do we know that the Earth
rotates?
Which motion of the earth causes day
and night?
How do we know the earth revolves
around the sun?

Aim: Why do we have seasons?

Do Now: How does the rotation of
the earth affect winds in
the Northern Hemisphere?
Homework: Big 8 Review Book
pgs 57-64 & Review Sheet
(Study for next Fridays Midterm) 2/2

What causes
summer?

The hemisphere that is

tilted toward the sun gets:
1. more hours of sunlight
&
2. more direct sun

The combination of more direct

sunlight & longer days causes the
Earths surface and atmosphere to
receive more heat from the sun.

Summer and winter are not affected

by the Earths distance from the sun.

Which day of the

year gives us
the most
sunlight?

Summer:
a) Begins in the Northern
Hemisphere on June 21
b) Called the Summer
Solstice Sun Stop
c) The most sunlight is
received on this day
d) Length of daylight varies
depending on your distance
from the equator

Which day of the Winter:

year is the
a) Begins in the Northern
shortest?
Hemisphere on Dec 21st
b) Called the Winter Solstice
c) The day of the year when
the Northern Hemisphere
gets the least amount of
sunlight

What is an a) 2 days of the year the sun

shines directly overhead on
equinox?

the equator:
Spring equinox is March, 21st
&
Fall equinox is September, 23rd

b) During this time all places on

earth have 12 hours of daylight
and 12 hours of darkness.

If it is summer
in the northern
hemisphere,
what season is
it in the
southern
hemisphere?

The Northern and

Southern hemispheres
have opposite seasons.
Earth: What causes the
Seasons?

SUMMARY
During the year when is the earth closer to the
sun?
Why do we have seasons on earth?
If the North Pole is having summer, what
season is the South Pole having?

Aim: How can we explain

time zones on Earth?
Do Now: What causes
the seasons on earth?
Homework:
Handout (17-4)

What are the

time zones?

The earth is divided into

24 time zones
(called standard time)
WHY 24?

USA has 4 time zones:

1.

EASTERN STANDARD TIME

2. CENTRAL STANDARD TIME

3. MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME
4. PACIFIC STANDARD TIME

As you move west the time in each zone is

one hour earlier than in the previous zone.

What is the
international
date line?

The boundary formed where

the 1st and 24th time zones
meet

What happens when you cross

the International Date Line?
How could you travel back in
time?

Pacific

7 pm

Mountain Central

8 pm

9 pm

Eastern

10 pm

Practice Problem
You board a 6 PM flight from New Yorks
JFK Airport headed to Los Angeles LAX
in California. The expected flight time is
5 hours. Predict the time your plane will
land and explain why you chose that time.

Why are some time zones

crooked?

Time Zones
NASA Math News

Summary
Why do we have 24 time zones?
What happens when you cross the
International Date Line?
How could you travel back in time?
Why are some time zones crooked?
In your own words, explain what time
zones are.