UCCS PES 1620 Solar Energy Lab Seasons Lab Fall 2014 name: 1. During the winter in the Northern Hemisphere, the "land of the midnight sun" would be found a. at high latitudes. b. at middle latitudes. c. near the equator. d. in the desert southwest. 2. In the Northern Hemisphere, which of the following days has the fewest hours of daylight? a. summer solstice b. winter solstice c. vernal equinox d. autumnal equinox 3. Earth s Polar circumference is about: a. 40,008 km b. 12,714 km c. 12,756 km d. 40,075 km 4. During the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, a. astronomical winter begins in the Northern Hemisphere. b. the noon sun is overhead at 23.5 S latitude. c. at middle latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, this marks the longest night of the year. d. all of the above 5. Which latitude below would experience the fewest hours of daylight on Dec. 22? a. 60 S b. 20 S c. 0 (Equator) d. 20 N e. 60 N 6. Considering each hemisphere as a whole, seasonal temperature variation in the Southern Hemisphere is that in the Northern Hemisphere. a. greater than b. about the same as c. less than 7. Which of the following helps to explain why even though northern latitudes experience 24 hours of sunlight on June 22, they are not warmer than latitudes further south? a. Solar energy is spread over a larger area in northern latitudes. b. Some of the sun's energy is reflected by snow and ice in the northern latitudes. c. Increased cloud cover reflects solar energy in the northern latitudes. d. Solar energy is used to melt frozen soil in the northern latitudes. e. all of the above 8. Earth s Equatorial circumference is about: a. 12,714 km b. 12,756 km c. 40,075 km d. 40,008 km
9. The north-facing side of a hill in a mountainous region in the US tends to a. receive less sunlight during a year than the south-facing side. b. grow a variety of trees that are typically observed at higher elevation. c. be a better location for a ski run than the south-facing side. d. have snow on the ground for a longer period of time in winter compared to the south-facing side. e. all of the above 10. is an angular distance north or south of the equator, measured from the center of Earth. a. Parallel b. Latitude c. Meridian d. Longitude 11. The maximum in daytime surface temperature typically occurs the earth receives its most intense solar radiation. a. before b. after c. exactly when 12. When it is January and winter in the Northern Hemisphere, it is and in the Southern Hemisphere. a. January, summer b. January, winter c. July, winter d. July, summer 13. The most important reason why summers in the Southern Hemisphere are not warmer than summers in the Northern Hemisphere is that a. the earth is closer to the sun in January. b. the earth is farther from the sun in July. c. over 80 percent of the Southern Hemisphere is covered with water. d. the sun's energy is less intense in the Southern Hemisphere. 14. For maximum winter warmth, in the Northern Hemisphere, large windows in a house should face a. north. b. south. c. east. d. west. 15. A line connecting all points along the same latitudinal angle is a. a. Parallel b. Latitude c. Meridian d. Longitude 16. Our seasons are caused by a. the changing distance between the earth and the sun. b. the angle at which sunlight reaches the earth. c. the length of the daylight hours. d. b and c
17. During the northern hemisphere s Summer the experiences 24 hours of uninterrupted. a. Arctic; night b. Antarctic; day c. Antarctic; night d. Equator; day 18. is an angular distance east or west of a point on Earth s surface, measured from the center of the Earth a. Parallel b. Latitude c. Meridian d. Longitude 19. The earth is tilted at an angle of 23.5 with respect to the plane of its orbit around the sun. If the amount of tilt were increased to 40, we would expect in middle latitudes a. hotter summers and colder winters than at present. b. cooler summers and milder winters than at present. c. hotter summers and milder winters than at present. d. cooler summers and colder winters than at present. 20. Although the polar regions radiate away more heat energy than they receive by insolation in the course of a year, they are prevented from becoming progressively colder each year by the a. conduction of heat through the interior of the earth. b. concentration of earth's magnetic field lines at the poles. c. circulation of heat by the atmosphere and oceans. d. the insulating properties of snow. 21. In July, at middle latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, the day is long and is with each passing day. a. less than 12 hours, getting longer b. less than 12 hours, getting shorter c. more than 12 hours, getting longer d. more than 12 hours, getting shorter 22. During the afternoon, the greatest temperature difference between the surface air and the air several meters above occurs on a a. clear, calm afternoon. b. clear, windy afternoon. c. cloudy, calm afternoon. d. cloudy, windy afternoon. 23. The greatest variation in daily temperature usually occurs a. at the ground. b. about 5 feet above the ground. c. at the top of a high-rise apartment complex. d. at the level where thermals stop rising. 24. The daily minimum temperature is usually observed a. at the time of sunset. b. near midnight. c. several hours before sunrise. d. around sunrise.
25. The distance from the Sun to the Earth is. a. One light year b. One Astronomical Unit c. Two A.U. d. 6,370 km 26. The wobbling of the Earth in space is termed:. a. Angular momentum b. Precession c. Tangential acceleration d. Tilting 27. The celestial equivalent of latitude is called: and the equivalent of longitude is called:. a. DEC; R.A. b. R. A.; DEC c. Right Ascension; Declination d. Prime Meridian; Right Ascension 28. The lag in daily temperature refers to the time lag between the a. time of maximum solar radiation and the time of maximum temperature. b. time of minimum temperature and the time of maximum solar radiation. c. minimum and maximum temperature for a day. d. minimum and maximum solar energy received at the surface for a given day. 29. If you were at a latitude 30 degrees North, the North celestial pole would be above the northern horizon. a. 60 degrees b. 150 degrees c. 30 degrees d. 0 degrees 30. On a clear, calm night, the ground and air above cool mainly by which process? a. evaporation b. reflection c. convection d. radiation 31. Three factors that affect the appearance of the sky are: the time of night, the time of the year and? a. Latitude. b. Longitude. c. Right Ascension. d. Declination. 32. A line connecting all points along the same longitude is called a. a. Declination b. Meridian c. Latitude d. Parallel 33. If tonight's temperature is going to drop into the middle 20s ( F) and a fairly stiff wind is predicted, probably the best way to protect an orchard against a hard freeze is to (assume that cost is not a factor) a. use helicopters. b. use wind machines. c. sprinkle the crops with water. d. put orchard heaters to work.
34. An important reason for the large daily temperature range over deserts is a. there is little water vapor in the air to absorb and re-radiate infrared radiation. b. the light-colored sand radiates heat very rapidly at night. c. dry air is a very poor heat conductor. d. free convection cells are unable to form above the hot desert ground. 35. Longitude is the name of the angle, meridian names the line, and both indicate distance east or west of an arbitrary: designated as 0 degrees. a. Prime Time b. Equator c. Prime meridian d. International Date Line 36. What causes the change of the constellations with the seasons? a. It is caused by the Earth s motion around the Sun. b. It is caused as the constellations move amongst themselves. c. This is merely an illusion caused as the length of the day changes. d. The cycle of lunar phases. 37. Hypothermia is most common in a. hot, humid weather. b. cold, wet weather. c. hot, dry weather. d. cold, dry weather. 38. What is meant by the phrase "angular size"? a. An object's diameter. b. How big an object looks, expressed as an angle. c. The distance around an object. d. The angle between two circular objects. 39. If you triple your distance from an object, what happens to its angular size? a. It decreases by one half. b. It says the same. c. It reduces to one third what it was. d. It increases by a factor of nine. 40. When a liquid thermometer is held in direct sunlight, a. it will accurately measure the air temperature. b. it will measure a much higher temperature than that of the air. c. it will measure a much lower temperature than that of the air. d. it will measure the temperature of the sun rather than the air. 41. An ideal shelter for housing a temperature-measurement instrument should be a. white. b. black. c. in the shade. d. both white and in the shade. 42. During summer near the North Pole, the sun is above the horizon in the mid-latitudes. a. for a longer period of time than b. for a shorter period of time than c. for the same amount of time as
43. On the summer solstice, the altitude of the noonday sun is highest a. near the North Pole. b. in the mid-latitudes of the northern hemisphere. c. in the mid-latitudes of the southern hemisphere. d. near the South Pole. 44. The Sun and the other stars are all orbiting the centre of the Milky Way galaxy (MWG); the Sun takes about years to complete one orbit. a. 365 million years b. 500 million years c. 100 million years d. 250 million years 45. Which of the following latitudes is closer to the earth's axis? a. 0 N b. 40 N c. 60 N d. 90 N 46. What is the celestial sphere? a. An observatory dome. b. The Sun. c. The Earth. d. The imaginary sphere of the sky, on which stars lie. 47. In the northern hemisphere, north-facing hillsides have a growing season than south-facing hillsides. a. shorter b. longer 48. In the northern hemisphere, a solar panel should be placed on the side of the roof facing a. east. b. west. c. north. d. south. 49. In contrast to meridians, only one parallel is a great circle, which is the:. a. Arctic Parallel b. Equatorial Parallel c. Antarctic Parallel d. Tropic of Cancer 50. Water heats up and cools off than land. a. more quickly, more quickly b. more quickly, more slowly c. more slowly, more quickly d. more slowly, more slowly