Next, hold the flashlight in the same place, but slowly move the top of the paper away from the light without bending the paper. The light should hit the paper less directly. Have students notice the size and brightness of the lighted area. Discuss which angle of light made the biggest lighted area. The angle that sunlight hits the earth causes different temperatures.
Direct sunlight causes higher temperatures.
Relate the concepts of how unequal absorption of radiation causes unequal heating of the earth's surface. Because the atmosphere is heated by the earth's surface, it too is heatd unequally. Have students refer to the world map. Relate to them that places near the equator would have higher temperatures because the air near the equator is heated more than air near the poles. Relate to them that because the earth is a sphere, the sun's rays strike different places at different angles.