Scientific Method Project

By Dr. A. Davila10/20/2010

Problem:

• Does the Sun affect the seasons on planet Earth?

Hypothesis:

• I believe that the sun has nothing to do with the Earth’s seasons.

Materials:• A worksheet to record data collected from the an

Internet valid source• Graph paper to record a broken line graph of the

duration of daylight and darkness.• Graph paper to record a bar graph of the length of

daylight of and darkness.• An internet source to validate the beginnings of each of

the seasons• Flashlight and regular graph paper• Pictures to record the changes that occur on humans

and animals during each season

Procedures:• Daily record the sunrise and sunset data on a

worksheet which was collected from http://www.valleycentral.com/weather/

• Calculate the duration of daylight and darkness, plus record points on a graph paper, every Monday

• Graph the sunrise and sunset on a graph paper that represents the length of a day on planet Earth.

• An internet source to validate the beginnings of each of the seasons (see following slide)

• Pictures to record the changes that occur on humans and animals during each season

13:00

12:50

12:40

12:30

12:20

12:10

12:00

11:50

11:40

11:30

11:20

11:10

11:00

10:50

10:40

10:30

10:20

10:10

10:00

6/7 6/14 6/21 6/28 7/5 7/12 7/19 7/26 8/2 8/9 8/16 8/23 8/30 9/6 9/13 9/20 9/27 10/4 10/11 10/18 10/25 11/2 11/9 11/16 11/23 11/30 12/7 12/14 12/21

Month/DaySPRING SUMMER AUTUMN

DAY-LIGHTDARKNESS

DAYLIGHT AND DARKNESS (hrs:min.)

12 A.M.

15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45

00002400

military time

15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45

1200 1300 1400

15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45

1700 1800 1900 2000 2100 2200

15 30 45

2300 24000000

1 A.M.

2 A.M.

3 A.M.

4 A.M.

5 A.M.

6 A.M.

7 A.M.

8 A.M.

9 A.M.

10 A.M.

11 A.M.

12 P.M.

1 P.M.

2 P.M.

4 P.M.

5 P.M.

6 P.M.

7 P.M.

8 P.M.

9 P.M.

10 P.M.

11 P.M.

12 A.M.

1500

3 P.M.

standard time

160008000700 110010000900060005000400030002000100

12 A.M.

15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45

00002400

military time

15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45

1200 1300 1400

15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45

1700 1800 1900 2000 2100 2200

15 30 45

2300 24000000

1 A.M.

2 A.M.

3 A.M.

4 A.M.

5 A.M.

6 A.M.

7 A.M.

8 A.M.

9 A.M.

10 A.M.

11 A.M.

12 P.M.

1 P.M.

2 P.M.

4 P.M.

5 P.M.

6 P.M.

7 P.M.

8 P.M.

9 P.M.

10 P.M.

11 P.M.

12 A.M.

1500

3 P.M.

standard time

160008000700 110010000900060005000400030002000100

12 A.M.

15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45

00002400

military time

15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45

1200 1300 1400

15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45

1700 1800 1900 2000 2100 2200

15 30 45

2300 24000000

1 A.M.

2 A.M.

3 A.M.

4 A.M.

5 A.M.

6 A.M.

7 A.M.

8 A.M.

9 A.M.

10 A.M.

11 A.M.

12 P.M.

1 P.M.

2 P.M.

4 P.M.

5 P.M.

6 P.M.

7 P.M.

8 P.M.

9 P.M.

10 P.M.

11 P.M.

12 A.M.

1500

3 P.M.

standard time

160008000700 110010000900060005000400030002000100

12 A.M.

15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45

00002400

military time

15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45

1200 1300 1400

15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45

1700 1800 1900 2000 2100 2200

15 30 45

2300 24000000

1 A.M.

2 A.M.

3 A.M.

4 A.M.

5 A.M.

6 A.M.

7 A.M.

8 A.M.

9 A.M.

10 A.M.

11 A.M.

12 P.M.

1 P.M.

2 P.M.

4 P.M.

5 P.M.

6 P.M.

7 P.M.

8 P.M.

9 P.M.

10 P.M.

11 P.M.

12 A.M.

1500

3 P.M.

standard time

160008000700 110010000900060005000400030002000100

12 A.M.

15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45

00002400

military time

15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45

1200 1300 1400

15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45

1700 1800 1900 2000 2100 2200

15 30 45

2300 24000000

1 A.M.

2 A.M.

3 A.M.

4 A.M.

5 A.M.

6 A.M.

7 A.M.

8 A.M.

9 A.M.

10 A.M.

11 A.M.

12 P.M.

1 P.M.

2 P.M.

4 P.M.

5 P.M.

6 P.M.

7 P.M.

8 P.M.

9 P.M.

10 P.M.

11 P.M.

12 A.M.

1500

3 P.M.

standard time

160008000700 110010000900060005000400030002000100

12 A.M.

15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45

00002400

military time

15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45

1200 1300 1400

15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45

1700 1800 1900 2000 2100 2200

15 30 45

2300 24000000

1 A.M.

2 A.M.

3 A.M.

4 A.M.

5 A.M.

6 A.M.

7 A.M.

8 A.M.

9 A.M.

10 A.M.

11 A.M.

12 P.M.

1 P.M.

2 P.M.

4 P.M.

5 P.M.

6 P.M.

7 P.M.

8 P.M.

9 P.M.

10 P.M.

11 P.M.

12 A.M.

1500

3 P.M.

standard time

160008000700 110010000900060005000400030002000100

12 A.M.

15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45

00002400

military time

15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45

1200 1300 1400

15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45 15 30 45

1700 1800 1900 2000 2100 2200

15 30 45

2300 24000000

1 A.M.

2 A.M.

3 A.M.

4 A.M.

5 A.M.

6 A.M.

7 A.M.

8 A.M.

9 A.M.

10 A.M.

11 A.M.

12 P.M.

1 P.M.

2 P.M.

4 P.M.

5 P.M.

6 P.M.

7 P.M.

8 P.M.

9 P.M.

10 P.M.

11 P.M.

12 A.M.

1500

3 P.M.

standard time

160008000700 110010000900060005000400030002000100 DATE: ____________

SUNRISE: ____________

SUNSET: _____________

DATE: ____________

SUNRISE: ____________

SUNSET: _____________

DATE: ____________

SUNRISE: ____________

SUNSET: _____________

DATE: ____________

SUNRISE: ____________

SUNSET: _____________

DATE: ____________

SUNRISE: ____________

SUNSET: _____________

DATE: ____________

SUNRISE: ____________

SUNSET: _____________

DATE: ____________

SUNRISE: ____________

SUNSET: _____________

9/6/2010

7:1219:45

8/30/2010

7:0919:52

8/23/2010

7:0619:59

2004 3/20 9/22   6/21   12/212005 3/20 9/22   6/21   12/212006 3/20 9/23   6/21   12/222007 3/21 9/23   6/21   12/222008 3/20 9/22   6/20   12/212009 3/20 9/22   6/21   12/212010 3/20 9/23   6/21   12/212011 3/20 9/23   6/21   12/222012 3/20 9/22   6/20   12/212013 3/20 9/22   6/21   12/21

       Source:

http://aa.usno.navy.mil/    

Seasons

Results:• My hypothesis was incorrect. The sun does

affect the seasons on planet Earth. However, if the Earth was not tilted the seasons would stay the same at each location.

• For my next project, I would like to research the Earth’s tilt. Is the Earth tilted the same degrees all the time? What could possibly be causing the Earth’s tilt?

Sources:

The sun 523.7 BIR

Birch, Robin. Published by

Berkeley Heights, NJ : Enslow in 2004

http://

www.nasa.gov/

worldbook/

sun_worldbook.html

EBSCOURL: http://search.ebscohost.com

Username: s5003051 Password: ________

Earth: Size, Computation of Time, Seasons. World Almanac & Book of Facts, 2009, p124-124, 1p, 1 Chart; Reading Level (Lexile): 1170; (AN

44742654)HTML Full Text

Science project ideas about the Sun

551.57 GAR Gardner, RobertPublished 1997

http://streaming.dis coveryeducation.com/

The Sun.BBC, 2006. Full Video.

9 September 2010. <http://www.discoveryeducation.com/>.