The Awesome Power of the Sun

The sun is a medium sized star at the center of our solar system.  The surface area of the sun can hold 11,900 Earths.  The surface temperature is a warm 6,000 degrees Celsius.  Nice!    Out of the 100% Incoming Solar Radiation, the earth’s surface absorbs 51% of it.  The rest is reflected from the surface, and absorbed or reflected in the atmosphere.  The sun provides the energy the earth needs to sustain life.  God created a wonderful thing.  Don’t you agree?

The Insolation (Incoming Solar Radiation) is scattered as it comes in, but with careful details, that Insolation can be directed to create useful energy.  Take for example the experiment my Physical Science class performed the week before Christmas. 

Materials needed:

• A sunny day
• Glass plate
• Matches
• Magnifier
• Hershey Kiss
• Bored Students

Place the sixth Hershey Kiss (because the first five have been consumed) on a glass plate.

To show that the sun does have an extraordinary amount of power, the first thing you want to do is have a student light the Kiss with a match. 

All that happens is a bit of chocolate smoke and the smells of S’mores.  A few more Kisses disappear at this time, so make sure you have a full bag. 

At this point you would think the students would ooohhh and awwww over the fact that a match has no power to set a Kiss on fire, but no…the students are bored.

Next step:

Take the, eyes rolling into the back of their heads, bored students outside.  Place several glass plates on the ground away from dried rubble and sleeping students.  Place a Hershey Kiss on each plate.  Let the students take turns using a magnifier to direct the Insolation.

You want to pin-point a ray of sunlight onto the tip of the Hershey Kiss. 

At this time you will need to check all other students, including the ones not actually in your class.  Smack any that are trying to direct the Insolation to a dried up pinecone. 

Sometimes it takes a little patients.

And then all of a sudden it all comes together!

Waaahhh-laahhh!!

This is where you get the ooooos and awwwwws from the students, a few photos for the school yearbook, screams of horror from Chocolatechic, why didn’t I do that from Elaine, and a great job from Donna.  Plus comments from other Young Applies from my side bar.  😀

Explain again the awesome power of the sun to your students.  Collect all equipment, including the empty Hershey Kiss bag (because it is all consumed now), back into the class room.  Enjoy the rest of your day.

 This experiment idea was brought to me by none other than Tresses.  Please view her blog to appreciate all the hard work we homeschoolers go through.  School is tough; mix it with burning chocolate. 🙂