Consider the following discussion between two students about the cause of the se
ID: 232695 • Letter: C
Question
Consider the following discussion between two students about the cause of the seasons.
Student 1: I get it. So since the Earth is tilted, there are times when the northern part of Earth is closer to the Sun than the southern part. So the north has summer and the south has winter. And then later, the south is tilted toward the Sun and gets closer and has summer.
Student 2: I disagree. Although the tilt does bring one hemisphere closer to the Sun, the difference in distance between the northern half and southern half of Earth is really small compared to how far away Earth is from the Sun.
Do you agree or disagree with either or both of the students? Explain your reasoning.
Explanation / Answer
I agree only with the first student.
He is right in saying that the seasons are as a result of Earth's tilt (23.5 degrees) with reference to the ecliptic plane.