Original Project
Weather and Climate I: Basic Elements
Item WC107001: Both the blocking of sunlight by clouds and the height of the sun above the horizon affect the amount of energy transferred from the sun to a place on the earth's surface.
What affects how much energy is transferred from the sun to any place on the earth’s surface?
- Both the blocking of sunlight by clouds and the height of the sun above the horizon affect the amount of energy transferred to a place.
- The height of the sun above the horizon affects the amount of energy transferred to a place, but the blocking of sunlight by clouds does not.
- The blocking of sunlight by clouds affects the amount of energy transferred to a place, but the height of the sun above the horizon does not.
- Neither the blocking of sunlight by clouds nor the height of the sun above the horizon affect the amount of energy transferred to a place.
- Distribution of Responses
- Students Responding Correctly
| Group | Correct | Total | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 1727 | 4188 | 41% |
| Grades | |||
| 6–8 | 1008 | 2560 | 39% |
| 9–12 | 717 | 1625 | 44% |
| Gender | |||
| Male | 853 | 2001 | 43% |
| Female | 843 | 2107 | 40% |
| Primary Language | |||
| English | 1545 | 3740 | 41% |
| Other | 140 | 340 | 41% |
- Disciplinary Core Ideas
- ESS1.B The orbits of Earth around the sun and of the moon around Earth, together with the rotation of Earth about an axis between its North and South poles, cause observable patterns. These include day and night; daily changes in the length and direction of shadows; and different positions of the sun, moon, and stars at different times of the day, month, and year.
- NRC Framework
- ESS2.D Changes in surface or atmospheric reflectivity change the amount of energy from the sun that enters the planetary system. Icy surfaces, clouds, aerosols, and larger particles in the atmosphere, such as from volcanic ash, reflect sunlight and thereby decrease the amount of solar energy that can enter the weather/climate system.
- Notes
- NGSS does not explicitly address the relationship between the height of the sun in the sky and the amount of energy that is transferred from the sun to Earth.