INGOMAR MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE     NAME: ______________________ 
SUNSPOT CYCLE:  Sunspots                                          Period: ______ Date: ________ Score_____/20

DARK SPOTS APPEARING ON THE SUN ARE CALLED SUNSPOTS. THEY OFTEN APPEAR IN PAIRS, ARE MUCH COOLER THAN THE SURROUNDING GASES, MIGRATE ON THE SUN’S SURFACE AND OCCUR IN CYCLES. SEVERAL EVENTS ON THE EARTH SEEM TO BE AFFECTED BY THE PRESENCE OF SUNSPOTS.

OBJECTIVE: ILLUSTRATE THE OCCURRENCE OF SUNSPOTS AND INTERPRET A GRAPH.
                       YOU WILL CREATE AGRAPH PLOTTING THE OCCURRENCE OF SUNSPOTS.

MATERIALS: CR 121, WWW.SCIED.NET, EXCEL,(SEE DUMP FOLDER), THIS HANDOUT{Sunspot PO}.

PROCEDURE: GO TO THE (DUMP FOLDER) AND SELECT SUNSPOTSALL or SUNSPOTS-2010, THEN
 (IT WILL TAKE A LITTLE TIME AS IT HAS DATA BACK TO 1749 BY MONTH),

LABEL THE GRAPH AS FOLLOWS: CHART TITLE: SUNSPOT CYCLE FROM 1749 TO ________.

           X AXIS: DATE FROM 1749 TO _________           Y AXIS: NUMBER OF SUNSPOTS

INTERPRETIVE QUESTIONS:

1.  HOW MANY YEARS DOES IT TAKE TO GO FROM MINIMUM TO MAXIMUM IN THE LAST CYCLE?______
 

2.  HOW MANY YEARS DOES IT TAKE TO GO FROM MAXIMUM TO MINIMUM IN THE LAST CYCLE?______
 

3. HOW MANY YEARS DOES IT TAKE TO GO FROM MAXIMUM TO MAXIMUM IN THE LAST CYCLE? ______
 

4.  CHECK OUT THE LAST 5 CYCLES:  WHAT IS THE AVERAGE TIME BETWEEN THE MINIMUM TO
 
MAXIMUM IN YEARS? ______

5.  CHECK OUT THE LAST 5 CYCLES: HOW MANY YEARS DOES IT TAKE TO GO FROM MAXIMUM TO

 MINIMUM IN THE LAST CYCLE? ______

6.  CHECK OUT THE LAST 5 CYCLES WHAT IS THE AVERAGE TIME BETWEEN THE MAXIMUM TO MAXIMUM

  IN YEARS? ______

7.  HAVE THE LAST 5 CYCLES BEEN LONGER OR SHORTER THAN THE AVERAGE (SEE Q# 6)? ___________
 

8.  WHAT STAGE IS THE SUNSPOT CYCLE IN THIS YEAR (MINIMUM OR MAXIMUM)? ___________________
 

9.  WHAT STAGE WILL THE SUNSPOT CYCLE BE IN WHEN YOU GRADUATE (FROM HIGH SCHOOL=20_ ___)

(MINIMUM OR MAXIMUM)?  ___________________

10.               THE INTERNATIONAL GEOPHYSICAL YEAR IS IN A SUNSPOT MAXIMUM , WHEN WILL THE NEXT

 ONE OCCURR?    20______ . THE QUIET YEAR OF THE SUN WILL BE?    20______

11.               PREDICT THE NUMBER OF SUNSPOTS FOR NEXT YEAR? ______
 

12.               WHAT IS MEANT BY SPACE WEATHER (SEE THE WEATHER PAGE: Space Weather  2   3   4)?
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