Movie

Today we watched a movie that talked about the years of science people go through since grade school yet even Harvard grad students and faculty still have misconceptions about basic topics.

Dr. Klett gave us questions that the movie asked and we had to say what we thought and then found out the correct answer

1. What are the causes of seasons:

My original answer - I think the seasons are caused by the way the Earth orbits around the sun. The seasons are caused by the tilt of the Earth's axis away or toward the sun as it goes through its path around the sun.

After it was explained answer - The seasons are caused by the tilt of the Earth's rotational axis away or toward the sun as it travels through its year-long path around the sun. Winter has indirect rays so the angle is different so its rays are spread out over a greater surface. In the summer the rays are direct and more concentrated in one area.
direct: straight on rays
indirect: the only difference is the angle

2. Why do we have different phases of the moon:

My original answer - I believe it has something to do with the way the sun is hitting the moon.

After it was explained answer -The revolution of the moon around the earth makes the moon appear as if it is changing shape. The moon phases are produced by the alignment of the moon and the sun.