(These Questions Were Taken From

Sunspot Analysis Questions

(These questions were taken from http://teacherlink.org/content/math/activities)

Exploring Sunspots (Graph 1)

Part 1: Importing and Graphing the Data

1.  Look at the data in tabular form. Do you notice any patterns?

2.  Describe the activity of the sun over this extended period of time. Do you notice any patterns in the graph?

3.  When was the largest peak? When was the smallest peak?

Part 2: Analyzing the Cyclic Behavior

1.  How many years elapse between low points? The graph of the average monthly sunspot numbers for each year shows a regular cycle of highs and lows. To estimate the cycle’s period, we can calculate the average number of years between successive low points. Calculate this average over at least 5 successive low points.

2.  Look at the graph closely. Are the cycles symmetric? (i.e., does it take the same number of years to go from a low to a peak as it does to go from a peak to a low?)

3.  Based on the pattern observed in the data, in what year should the next peak in sunspot activity occur? When should the next low occur?

Extensions:

·  What other phenomena might be periodic? (Hint: some weather related data is periodic!) Find data for the phenomenon of interest. The home page of the National Geophysical Data Center (http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov) provides links to lots of scientific data. Import the data into Excel and create a graph. If the data is periodic, estimate the period. Is the period similar to that for sunspots?

·  Can you think of any phenomenon that might be related to solar activity? Conjecture a possible phenomenon and its relationship to sunspot numbers. Find the data of interest, import it into a spreadsheet and compare it with the sunspot data. (The activity entitled Sunspots and Geomagnetic Disturbances will explore one such relationship in detail.)

Sunspots and Geomagnetic Disturbances (Graph 2)

Part 1: Analyzing Trends in Geomagnetic Activity

1. Look at the AA Index data in tabular form. Do you notice any patterns?

2. Create a connected scatterplot of the AA Index data from 1900-1997.

3. Describe the geomagnetic activity over this extended period of time. Do you notice any patterns in the

graph?

4.  When was the largest peak? When was the smallest peak?

5.  How many years elapse between low points? The graph of the AA index shows a cycle of highs and lows. To estimate the cycle’s period, we can calculate the average number of years between successive low points. Calculate this average over at least 5 successive low points.

6.  Based on the pattern observed in the data, in what year should the next high peak in geomagnetic activity occur? When should the next low occur?

7.  How does the period of the sunspot data (calculated in the Exploring Sunspots activity) compare to that of the AA index data?

Part 2: Comparing Sunspots and Geomagnetic Data

1.  Do the peaks and lows occur simultaneously? close together? or perhaps opposite (one peaks while the other is at a low)? Discuss possible reasons for any trends you observe.

2.  Discuss the geomagnetic disturbances during the declining phase of a solar cycle. What trends do you notice? For a further discussion of this, go to the following web page:

http://www.ips.gov.au/Educational/3/1/3

(Original page: http://www.ips.oz.au/papers/richard/disturbance_occ.html)

3.  Describe and interpret what you believe is the relationship between sunspots and geomagnetic disturbances.

Extensions:

·  Visit the following web sites to learn more about the relationship between sunspot numbers and the AA index.

Variation of Geomagnetic Activity Since 1844

http://www.ips.oz.au/papers/richard/geomagvar.html

Graph of AA index and Sunspot Numbers
ftp://ftp.ngdc.noaa.gov/STP/GEOMAGNETIC_DATA/AASTAR/aasspot.gif
(** Challenge: Create a graph in Excel that looks exactly like this one.)

Sunspots and U.S. Temperature (Graph 3)

1. Look at the temperature data in tabular (table) form. Do you see any trends in the numbers? If so, what are the trends?

2. Look at the graph of the temperature data. Do you see any trends? If so, what are the trends?

3. Does it look like there is a relationship between sunspots and temperature? If so, what’s the relationship? Are sunspots and temperature directly related, inversely related, or not related at all? What might be the reason for this relationship?

4. When was the highest temperature? When was the lowest temperature? Do these correlate with highs or lows in sunspot numbers?

Sunspots and U.S. Precipitation (Graph 4)

1. Look at the precipitation data in tabular (table) form. Do you see any trends in the numbers? If so, what are the trends?

2. Look at the graph of the precipitation data. Do you see any trends? If so, what are the trends?

3. Does it look like there is a relationship between sunspots and precipitation? If so, what’s the relationship? Are sunspots and precipitation directly related, inversely related, or not related at all? What might be the reason for this relationship?

4. When was the highest precipitation? When was the lowest precipitation? Do these correlate with highs or lows in sunspot numbers?

Extensions:

·  You have just compared sunspot numbers to yearly climate data for the entire United States. Now do a similar comparison using different climate data. Options are: climate data throughout the days of individual months or throughout the months of an individual year, climate data for a specific state or region, climate data for a specific country or province, climate data for the entire Earth, climate data for another planet, or some other combination of these. You may need to search through the sunspot data site to find sunspot data that matches your desired climate data. For example, ftp://ftp.ngdc.noaa.gov/STP/SOLAR_DATA/SUNSPOT_NUMBERS/2007 has the sunspot number for every day through the year 2007. Climate data for most of the U.S. can be found on the site provided, but for other areas, you will need to search online.