Question

1. at what time of day is sunlight strongest – in the early morning (when the sun has just risen) or at noon (when the sun reaches its highest point)?
2. at what time of year does the noon sun rise highest in the sky?
3. based on your answers, why is it warmer in summer than in winter?

gizmo warm-up
the reasons for seasons have a lot to do with the angle at which the sun’s rays hit earth. to see why, select the plate tab on the seasons: why do we have them? gizmo. the image shows a solar panel (plate m) facing the sun. check that the axis angle is set to 0°.

1. click fire to release 100

ays\ of sunlight. look next to
umber of hits\ below the plate. how many of these rays hit plate m?

1. click reset. change the axis angle to 40°, and click fire. how many rays hit plate m now?

Explanation:

These questions are related to a Gizmo simulation about the reasons for seasons, specifically about the angle of the Sun's rays and how they interact with a solar panel (Plate M). To answer them, you would typically:

For Question 1 (How many rays hit Plate M?):

1. Follow the instructions: Click "Fire" to release 100 rays of sunlight.
2. Observe the "Number of hits" next to the plate (the exact number depends on the Gizmo’s simulation, but with the Axis angle at 0°, the plate is likely facing the Sun directly, so most or all 100 rays might hit it, or a high number like 80–100, depending on the simulation’s setup).

For Question 2 (After resetting and setting Axis angle to 40°):

1. Click "Reset" to clear the previous simulation.
2. Adjust the "Axis angle" slider to 40° (this changes the angle at which the Sun’s rays hit the plate, simulating a seasonal tilt).
3. Click "Fire" again and observe the "Number of hits"—with a 40° angle, the rays will hit the plate at an oblique angle, so the number of hits will be less than when the Axis angle was 0° (e.g., 50–70, depending on the simulation).

For the other questions (time of strongest sunlight, seasonal Sun height, why summer is warmer):

• Strongest sunlight: At noon, because the Sun is at its highest point, so its rays are most direct (less spread out, more concentrated energy).
• Highest noon Sun: In summer (for the Northern Hemisphere, around June; Southern Hemisphere, around December), because the hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun, so the Sun’s rays hit more directly.
• Why summer is warmer: In summer, the Sun’s rays hit the hemisphere at a steeper (more direct) angle, so the energy is more concentrated per unit area, and days are longer (more hours of sunlight), leading to more heating.

If you need exact numerical answers, you must run the Gizmo simulation (click "Fire" and read the "Number of hits" display). The key concept is that the angle of the Sun’s rays (and Earth’s axial tilt) determines how concentrated the sunlight is, which drives seasons and daily temperature patterns.

Answer:

These questions are related to a Gizmo simulation about the reasons for seasons, specifically about the angle of the Sun's rays and how they interact with a solar panel (Plate M). To answer them, you would typically:

For Question 1 (How many rays hit Plate M?):

1. Follow the instructions: Click "Fire" to release 100 rays of sunlight.
2. Observe the "Number of hits" next to the plate (the exact number depends on the Gizmo’s simulation, but with the Axis angle at 0°, the plate is likely facing the Sun directly, so most or all 100 rays might hit it, or a high number like 80–100, depending on the simulation’s setup).

For Question 2 (After resetting and setting Axis angle to 40°):

1. Click "Reset" to clear the previous simulation.
2. Adjust the "Axis angle" slider to 40° (this changes the angle at which the Sun’s rays hit the plate, simulating a seasonal tilt).
3. Click "Fire" again and observe the "Number of hits"—with a 40° angle, the rays will hit the plate at an oblique angle, so the number of hits will be less than when the Axis angle was 0° (e.g., 50–70, depending on the simulation).

For the other questions (time of strongest sunlight, seasonal Sun height, why summer is warmer):

• Strongest sunlight: At noon, because the Sun is at its highest point, so its rays are most direct (less spread out, more concentrated energy).
• Highest noon Sun: In summer (for the Northern Hemisphere, around June; Southern Hemisphere, around December), because the hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun, so the Sun’s rays hit more directly.
• Why summer is warmer: In summer, the Sun’s rays hit the hemisphere at a steeper (more direct) angle, so the energy is more concentrated per unit area, and days are longer (more hours of sunlight), leading to more heating.

If you need exact numerical answers, you must run the Gizmo simulation (click "Fire" and read the "Number of hits" display). The key concept is that the angle of the Sun’s rays (and Earth’s axial tilt) determines how concentrated the sunlight is, which drives seasons and daily temperature patterns.