Year 7 - Science
Heating by the Sun
Our solar system and beyond
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit explores gravity as the force between masses, including weight calculation using gravitational field strength. It covers the relationship between Earth, the Moon, and the Sun, the concept of light years, and seasonal changes due to Earth's tilt.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain why the heating effect of the Sun is greater at midday than at sunrise.
Key Notes
- Heating a surface from directly overhead is more effective than heating a surface at a different angle.
- When rays of light hit a surface face-on, they are less spread out than if they hit at an angle.
- At a place on Earth, the heating effect of the Sun is greatest at midday and lowest at sunrise and sunset.
- Over a day, Earth's spin changes the Sun's height in the sky and the angle at which the Sun's rays arrive at a place.
Vocabulary To Learn
- heating: Anything that raises the temperature of an object is heating the object.
- ray: Rays are straight lines with arrowheads, drawn to represent light.
- angle: An angle measures the difference between two directions, in degrees.
- thermometer: A thermometer is used to measure temperature in degrees Celsius.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Students may think that the midday Sun is higher in the sky because the Sun is further away then, or that the midday Sun has a greater heating effect because the Sun is closer or hotter then.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the scientific idea in this lesson using two key points.
Heating a surface from directly overhead is more effective than heating a surface at a different angle. When rays of light hit a surface face-on, they are less spread out than if they hit at an angle.
2. Define this scientific word and use it in context. 'heating'
Anything that raises the temperature of an object is heating the object. Include the word in a full scientific explanation, not as a single label.
3. Correct this common scientific misunderstanding.
Mistake: Students may think that the midday Sun is higher in the sky because the Sun is further away then, or that the midday Sun has a greater heating effect because the Sun is closer or hotter then. Correction: Use physical models (such as a globe, or a flat card in front of a light bulb with a thermometer attached) to show students how the changes observed over a day to Sun's position in the sky and the Sun's heating effect are caused by Earth's spin.
More Lessons In This Unit
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