Dear Constructors of Knowledge,

Scientists are questioners, hypothesizers, observers, experimenters, data collectors, and synthesizers. But they’re also model makers.

Sometimes, in order to really know something, you have to look at all of pieces at one time. If you’re studying something as massive as outer space, you’re going to have to make a model.

Today, we’ll model the sun’s rays hitting Earth. We know Earth’s tilt causes the angle of the sun’s rays to change at different latitudes and at different times of year. How does that affect tempearture? We can’t see the entire Earth at one time and we can’t go through an entire year in a day, so we’ll build a model.

It’s amazing to think how thoroghly Earth’s 23.5 degree tilt has shaped our human lives. What would live be like if there were no tilt? Maybe our model will offer some hints.

Sincerely,

Mr. H