Original Project
Weather and Climate II: Seasonal Differences
The air temperature at any place depends on the amount of energy that is transferred to that place by sunlight, …
Item CL063002: The air temperature range is usually smaller the closer a place is to an ocean.
Student 1 and Student 2 live in different places that are the same distance from the equator. Each student calculated the air temperature range where she lives by finding the difference between the average temperature in January and in August.
|
|
January Temperature (°F) |
August Temperature (°F) |
Temperature Range (°F) |
|
Student 1 |
30° |
80° |
50° |
|
Student 2 |
52° |
62° |
10° |
Could the difference in the temperature ranges at the two places be explained by one student living closer to an ocean than the other student?
- Yes, the temperature range is usually smaller the closer a place is to an ocean.
- Yes, the temperature range is usually larger the closer a place is to an ocean.
- No, being closer to an ocean can make the air warmer or colder than it would otherwise be, but being closer to an ocean does not affect the temperature range.
- No, how close a place is to an ocean does not have any effect on air temperature, so it cannot affect the temperature range.
- Distribution of Responses
- Students Responding Correctly
| Group | Correct | Total | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 620 | 2226 | 28% |
| Grades | |||
| 6–8 | 322 | 1173 | 27% |
| 9–12 | 296 | 1042 | 28% |
| Gender | |||
| Male | 294 | 1079 | 27% |
| Female | 306 | 1072 | 29% |
| Primary Language | |||
| English | 527 | 1856 | 28% |
| Other | 68 | 251 | 27% |