NCEA Level 1 Physics 92046 Sun, Earth and Moon: past papers, practice and marking
- NCEA Level 1
- Physics
- AS92046
- 5 credits
- External exam
About 92046
AS92046, Demonstrate understanding of the effect on the Earth of interactions between the Sun and the Earth-Moon system. Day and night, shadows, latitude and day length, the seasons, Moon phases and moonrise, tides and eclipses: the 5-credit Level 1 external, in the six question types it keeps reusing.
What 92046 covers
- Day and nightDay and night from the spin of the Earth, the Sun rising in the east and setting in the west, the Sun's height through a day, shadow length and direction, 15° per hour
- LatitudeThe noon Sun lower and shadows longer further from the Equator, solar radiation spread over a bigger area, day length changing more through the year further from the Equator
- SeasonsThe tilt of the Earth's axis as it orbits the Sun, more direct solar radiation and longer days in summer, opposite seasons in the two hemispheres, distance is not the cause, solstices and equinoxes
- Moon phasesThe Moon lit by the Sun, phases from its orbit, 27.3 days and 29.5 days, moonrise about 50 minutes later each day, perigee, apogee and the super full moon
- TidesTwo bulges from the Moon's gravitational pull, two high and two low tides a day, spring and neap tides about every 14 days, king tides
- EclipsesSolar eclipse at new moon, lunar eclipse at full moon, why not every month (the Moon's orbit tilted about 5°), why a lunar eclipse lasts longer and is seen more widely
92046 past papers
Open a 92046 past paper beside your own Ako page, then get it marked, part by part.
Work through a past paper All NCEA Level 1 Physics past papers
Practice questions
Question 1: Day and night
A school in Napier sets up a sundial: a shadow stick on a flat dial marked with the hours. The Sun appears to move across the sky at 15° per hour.
- Describe the path of the Sun across Napier's sky on a summer day.(up to Achieved)
- Describe how the midday shadow on the sundial compares in summer and in winter.(up to Achieved)
Check your answer
Part a: what gets the marks
- On a summer day the Sun rises south of east, is high in the northern sky at midday and sets south of west.
A full answer: In summer the Sun rises in the east (towards the south-east), climbs high in the northern sky around midday and sets in the west (towards the south-west). Its path is high and long.
Part b: what gets the marks
- The Sun is higher at midday in summer than in winter, so the midday shadow is shorter in summer and longer in winter.
A full answer: The midday shadow is short in summer because the Sun is high, and long in winter because the Sun is low. Both point south.
What gets each grade
Question 2: Day and night
Gisborne (longitude 178°E) is one of the first cities in the world to see the sunrise each day. Perth in Western Australia is at longitude 116°E.
- The Earth turns through 360° in 24 hours. Calculate how many degrees it turns in one hour, and use this to calculate roughly how much later the Sun rises in Perth than in Gisborne.(up to Achieved)
- Explain why Gisborne sees the sunrise before Perth.(up to Merit)
Check your answer
Part a: what gets the marks
- Degrees per hour: 360° ÷ 24 h = 15° per hour
- Difference in longitude: 178° − 116° = 62°
- The Sun rises in Perth about 4 hours later than in Gisborne.
A full answer: The Earth turns 15° per hour. Perth is 62° further west, so the Sun rises there about 4 hours later (4.1 h) than in Gisborne.
Part b: what gets the marks
- The Earth spins from west to east, so Gisborne (178°E), further east, turns into the sunlight about 4 hours before Perth (116°E).
- Sunrise is when a place turns from the dark side of the Earth onto the sunlit side.
A full answer: Because the Earth spins from west to east, places further east are carried round into the Sun's light first. Gisborne is 62° further east than Perth, so it turns out of the night side and sees the Sun rise about 4 hours before Perth does.
What gets each grade
Question 3: Day and night
Gisborne (longitude 178°E) is one of the first cities in the world to see the sunrise each day. Perth in Western Australia is at longitude 116°E. In a darkened classroom, a lamp shines on one side of a globe with stickers on both cities.
- State which side of the globe is having day, and what turning the globe once represents.(up to Achieved)
- Describe why the Sun appears to rise in the east and set in the west.(up to Merit)
Check your answer
Part a: what gets the marks
- The lit half of the globe is having day, and turning the globe once represents one spin of the Earth, about 24 hours.
A full answer: The half of the globe facing the lamp is having day. Turning the globe once represents one spin of the Earth on its axis, about 24 hours.
Part b: what gets the marks
- The Earth spins from west to east, so the Sun appears to move across the sky from east to west, rising in the east and setting in the west.
A full answer: The Earth spins from west to east. As a place turns towards the Sun, the Sun first appears on its eastern horizon; as the place turns away, the Sun disappears below the western horizon. The Sun is not moving round the Earth.