SEA SO NS SEA SO NS
W inte r Falling betw eenau tu m nand s pring , w inter is the coldes t s eas onofthe year inboth polar and tem perate clim ates .
Spr ing Continu ing onits path, the Earth and the North Pole m ove tow ards the Su nag ain. The Su nappears to m ove u pw ards inou r s k ies and the daylig ht hou rs continu e to increas e. A g ain, am idpoint w henboth day and nig ht are 1 2 hou rs long is reached. This is k now nas the 'vernal’ or ‘s pring equ inox' and occu rs arou nd 21 M arch.
Sum m e r Falling betw eens pring and au tu m n, s u m m er is the w arm es t ofthe fou r tem perate s eas ons . A t the s u m m er
W inter is cau s ed by the axis ofthe Earth inthat hem is phere being oriented aw ay from the Su n. Different cu ltu res define different dates as the s tart of w inter and s om e u s e adefinitionbas ed onw eather. W henit is w inter inthe NorthernH em is phere it is s u m m er inthe Sou thernH em is phere, and vice vers a. Inm any reg ions , w inter is as s ociated w ith s now and freezing tem peratu res . There are three m ainreas ons w hy w e have s eas ons : • The Earth’s ‘tilt’ onits ’ axis ( onanim ag inary line ru nning throu g h both North and Sou th Poles ) • Rotation- The Earth orbits arou nd the Su n. • The North Pole alw ays points inthe s am e direction
s ols tice, the days are long es t and the nig hts are s hortes t, w ith day-leng th, decreas ing as the s eas onprog res s es after the s ols tice. The date ofthe beg inning of s u m m er varies according to clim ate, traditionand cu ltu re, bu t w henit is s u m m er inthe NorthernH em is phere it is w inter inthe Sou thernH em is phere, and vice vers a.
F un fac t - Se asons! M any think that the tem peratu re chang e is du e to the Earth being clos er to the Su nin s u m m er and fu rther aw ay inw inter. Infact, the Earth’s fu rther aw ay from the Su ninJ u ly and at its ’ clos es t inJ anu ary!
SEASO N S SEASO N S
The Earth's axis is tilted at anang le ofapproxim ately 23.5 deg rees . A s a res u lt, the Earth is alw ays directed to one s ide as it g oes arou nd the Su n. Som etim es the Su nis inthe directionthat the Earth is pointing , bu t not at other tim es . The varying levels ofs u nlig ht arou nd
des pite being s itu ated relatively clos e to the equ ator. From October
the Earth du ring the year, creates ou r s eas ons . The m ainreas onw hy s eas ons occu r is du e to the tilt ofthe Earth's axis . Du ring the w inter, the North Pole is tilted aw ay from the
throu g h M ay is k now nas the w et s eas on, w ith the rem aining fou r
Su n's rays . A s Earth travels arou nd the
A ccording to the K öppenclim ate clas s ifications ys tem , the city ofJ ak arta has a tropicalm ons oonclim ate. It has dis tinct w et and dry s eas ons ,
m onths , J u ne throu g h to Septem ber, being the dry s eas on. This is becau s e each ofthes e 4 m onths has anaverag e m onthly rainfallofles s than10 0 m m . Inthe U K and other parts ofthe w orld, the clim ate is g overned by the s eas ons . Som e think that certainm onths ofthe year are hotter becau s e ofthe pos itionofthe Su ninrelationto the Earth, bu t inactu alfact it is that the Earth is tilted. The Earth is rou nd s im ilar to a ball, bu t it is als o s lig htly
Su n, the tilt ofEarth chang es . By J u ne, ( s u m m er) the North Pole is tilted tow ards the Su nand the days becom e very long . Earth tak es a year to orbit the Su nand it is the tilt w hich creates the s eas ons . In betw eenthes e, s pring and au tu m nw ill occu r.
s qu as hed. Its s hape is rou g hly s pherical. The Earth travels arou nd the
Autum n
Su nonce every year.
The North Pole s tarts its jou rney aw ay from the Su n. The Su nris es
The Earth als o s pins onits ow naxis . The axis is anim ag inary line The Earth s pins rou nd once every 24 hou rs . This cau s es day and nig ht
low er inthe s k y, s o the days s tart g etting s horter. A rou nd 22 Septem ber, w e reach the 'au tu m nequ inox’, w henthe Su nis at its m id-point inthe s k y. This is w henboth day and nig ht are each 12
onEarth.
hou rs long and the recog nis ed birth ofau tu m n.
throu g h the centre ofthe Earth from the North Pole to the Sou th Pole.
•It is day onthe part ofthe Earth that is facing the Su n. •It is nig ht onthe part ofthe Earth that is facing aw ay from the Su n
TRAN S P O RTATIO N La n d , Air a n d S e a
Air Helicopter A helicopter is a much smaller flying aircraft than an aeroplane. A helicopter’s unique features include its rotors, either two or four dependent on its size, together with its ability to take off and land vertically (straight up and down) allowing it to navigate in smaller areas which an aeroplane couldn’t access.
Hot Air Balloon Recognised as the oldest and most successful modes of flying (dating back to 1783), hot air balloons are propelled by the air either by the power of the wind or through the use of a gas bottle blowing ‘hot air’ upwards into the balloon by lighting the gas through a burner. Passengers would travel within a basket which is suspended below the balloon.
Sea Boats Watercraft vessels or boats come in many different shapes, sizes and have a variety of purposes. Their basic design is obviously to float, but floating on what is of great importance. For example, a flat bottomed boat such as a barge or Italian gondola are designed for transporting people or cargo on rivers or canals on the whole, whereas cruise liner, tugboat, tanker, fishing or Vietnamese boat, are designed for transporting people or goods across seas and oceans. As a result, they are built bigger, stronger and usually with a ‘V’ design, which offers a smoother journey through rough waters. The bottom part of a boat is called the hull.
Fun fa c tw ith Ed ! Another mode of air transport of gargantuan proportion is an airship or a blimp. It is a lighter-than-air aircraft which navigates through the air using hydrogen, helium or hot air.
TR ANSPO R TATIO N Lan d , Air an d Se a
Lan d Taxis Although a taxi is a car, it has a specific purpose. That is to transport people, whether publicly or privately arranged, to and from any choice of destination. In other words, it provides a service for the passenger by providing them with a vehicle and a driver. This service originated as far back as 1605, which was in the 17th century and operated in London and Paris. They began as a carriage, drawn by a horse and driven by a coachman. The world’s very first gasoline powered taxi was built in 1897 by Gottlieb Daimler who named it Daimler Victoria. Inside, he installed a new invention of his called a taxi meter – a device which calculates the charge for the journey (the fare), based on the distance travelled. Variations of taxis around the world include a black, London Hackney cab, a yellow New York taxi and an Indian bicycle taxi, known as a ‘rickshaw’ or ‘pedicab’.
Trucks Also known as a lorry, trucks are used all around the world for transporting food and produce, materials, earth and rubble – basically any kind of goods! Although it is made along the same lines as a car, the parts needed to make a truck have to be much bigger and much stronger. This will then support and carry the load it has to transport. Most trucks and lorries will have more than four wheels. Some have six, some eighteen and some in their twenties (depending on the number of trailers they have). Variations of trucks are sometimes named due to their purpose or size. A ‘dumper’ or ‘tipper’ truck, for example, is used to transport loose materials (such as soils, sand, grit or gravel) for construction purposes. It will have an open box as the main body (similar to an empty shoebox), which uses a hydraulic piston to lift one side of it upwards so that its contents are dumped onto the ground behind it. A ‘juggernaut’, on the other hand, is the name given to either an articulated lorry or a large heavy truck, originating back to the nineteenth century.
TR ANS PO R TATIO N
W h e e ls, W in g s & S a ils S a ils Boats Large water vessels are usually called ships, whereas smaller water vessels are known as boats. Boats are used for transporting people, as well as for a numbers of other purposes. Their names differ dependening on their size and function. These include: recreation or for hobby purposes, which are human-powered, such as a rowing boat, sail boat, canoe, kayak or a dinghy. A sail boat is, however, propelled by the wind and its sails. A yacht is more of a luxury boat, which can also be referred to as a ‘super-yacht’ or ‘mega-yacht’, depending
W in g s Aeroplanes The first aeroplane was created and designed by Orville and Wilbur Wright (The Wright Brothers). Aeroplanes are used for many uses: recreational (going on holiday or visiting friends and family); research (gathering scientific or geographical information) and military (armed forces who help to protect us and keep us safe). Aeroplanes come in many different sizes. They have fixed wings di which are propelled through the air by engines. An unmanned aeroplane is called a drone and is controlled by a computer or remotely.
on its size. A raft is usually a flat quadrilateral shaped water vessel which sits on the top of the water but a submarine, which is a torpedo shaped water vessel, submerges and operates underneath the water.
Fun fa c t- Pla n e s! Airports in the US alone cater to about 29,000 domestic and international flights each day.
TR AN SPO R TATI ON
W h e e ls, W ing s & Sails W h e e ls Cars A car is the most common form of transport for both short and long journeys. Cars usually have four wheels and are also known as automobiles, autocars or motor cars, depending on where you are in the world. A car moves by using its own motor engine system, fuelled by diesel or petrol. However, nowadays, other systems are proving more environmentally friendly, such as electrical or computer based driven cars. The first mechanical propelled vehicle was invented in 1769 by Nicholas-Joseph Cugnot of France. The first modern day car was built in 1886 by a German inventor called Carl Benz. Different varieties of cars today
Trains Trains have been around for hundreds of years and play a very important role in the transportation of passengers and cargo. A train will travel along rail tracks made from steel which have been previously laid on the ground between towns, cities and even different countries. Trains are powered by different energy sources. Many years ago, things were moved by simple means such as horses, ropes or gravity. However, today we rely upon electricity, steam and diesel. A tram, tramway, trolley or streetcar is used as a combination type of vehicle, like a mixture between a train and a bus. It travels on tracks like a train in between smaller areas of towns and is used for transporting passengers in public (a method of ‘public transport’).
include family cars such as a hatchback or estate, sports cars, racing cars and jeeps. A van is part of the car family, with its similar outer body style.
Fun fac t- Car s! There are currently one billion cars in use on earth today..