Michael Strong talks with 8-year-old Alana about why seasons change. She figures out that Earth's tilt causes different day lengths and temperatures, then explains how ancient people could have discovered this without leaving the planet. She also shares what history means to her and why learning matters.
Hello? Hello, Michael Strong.
How are you doing, Alana?
I'm good. How are you?
I'm well. I'm well. Are you going surfing today?
Yep.
All right. Good for you. Is the water cold or not too bad?
I haven't gone in yet, so I don't really know.
Okay. So I'm thinking about the difference between summer and winter. What would you say is the difference between summer and winter?
In the summer it's more hot, in the winter it's more and more cold. And in the summer, wow, in the summer like most things are alive, like bears aren't in hibernation and the flowers are blooming. And in the winter it's basically the opposite of that, the bears are all in hibernation and the flowers are Yeah.
Okay, all that makes sense. Are there any other differences between summer and winter?
Um, I think there's a lot, I just can't think of them.
Okay, do you know what causes— why is summer different than winter? That is, why isn't it the same all year round?
My guess is because maybe the Earth is tilted a different way each part of the year.
Okay. Have you learned a little bit about that in school or by watching videos or something?
I don't know, but I think my dad told me about it though. Aha.
Dads are good that way, and so are moms. Do you know if the length of the day stays the same year-round or does the length of the day change part of the year?
Um, I think it changes from like, yeah, I think it changes because in the summer the days are longer and the nights are shorter, but in the winter it's just, it's the exact, the exact opposite.
And do you have any idea why that is?
Um, I actually don't know.
Okay, so how do you think people figure out why summer is hotter than winter or why the days are longer in summer and shorter than winter? How could we possibly figure that stuff out?
Maybe for the summer is hotter and the winter is colder. I think they can just feel that because summer, like, the sun is more out of the sky sometimes, and in the winter it's maybe more cloudy.
Okay, so it sounds like you're saying you can kind of look at the situation and it's pretty easy to tell with more sunshine and longer days that that would make summer hotter, and with shorter days and more clouds, that would make winter cooler. Is that what you're saying?
Yeah.
Okay, but what do you think would cause the longer days in the summer and shorter days in the winter? How would we figure out what causes that?
Actually, I guess is like, like you said, maybe the Earth is tilted a different way for the Sun, and then each part of the Earth maybe changes.
Okay, and when you say tilted, um, tilted as compared to what?
Like maybe in the summer it's tilting like this And then in the winter, it's tilted like this.
Does it feel like the Earth is tilted?
I don't— well, it doesn't. I'm guessing because we are spinning with it, so we don't feel it.
Okay. How do you think scientists figured out that the Earth might be tilted in summer and winter? You have any idea how they could figure that kind of thing out?
Maybe they can send some astronauts to space and have them video the Earth for a little while and then report back.
Okay, so after we have astronauts, that kind of an approach might work. But what if I told you that they figured this out hundreds and hundreds of years before astronauts? How do you think they could have figured that out without going into space?
There were hundreds and hundreds of what?
They figured these things out more than 1,000 years ago, a very long time ago. So how did they figure it out before we had astronauts?
Maybe they could send maybe an act— like a little robot to space in a little capsule and then have it take a video of it.
And there were no robots, no going out to space at all. Do you think it's magic that they figured these things out before we could go to space?
Maybe, who knows?
Okay, so do you know if the sun goes around the earth or the earth goes around the sun or both?
The earth goes around the sun because it's pulled by the sun's gravity, so it goes around it.
And how do you think we figured that one out?
Technology?
Okay, and again, what if I told you we figured this out way before technology? You think that was just magic or a good guess? Or have any idea how they could have figured those things out?
Maybe they had some animal that's extinct now that could go up into space?
Well, that's an interesting hypothesis, but it turns out not to be the case. So this is— and there's no reason you should know this, but this is the history of science. So do you know anything about where science came from or how we got going with science?
Um, I don't think so.
Okay. Do you think that science is older than your dad?
Yes, I think so.
Older than your grandparents?
I think so.
Older than your great-grandparents?
I don't know.
Okay, so do you know very much about old books? What's the oldest book you know about?
I don't know. I've read one, I just forget what it's called.
No problem. Do you know what a century is?
100 years?
Yep, exactly. Do you have any idea what was going on 100 years ago?
Um, Other generations of humans.
That's absolutely correct. So I want to check in a little bit about— so this gets into history. What would you say history is?
History is what happened a long, long time ago.
And what do you know about history?
History has some wars, it has Famous people, maybe like Leonardo da Vinci or something like that.
Okay. And how do you learn about history?
Maybe you can read it from a book, or maybe you can watch a short show about, um, history, maybe.
Do you have any idea what was happening 10 years ago?
10 years ago, I was not born and my parents were alive.
Yep, so that was certainly happening. Do you know what was happening in the world 10 years ago?
Uh, nope.
Okay, um, how about, do you know who the President of the United States is today?
Right now?
Yep.
Donald Trump?
You know who the president was before Donald Trump?
Obama?
Yeah. You know who the president was before Obama?
Nope.
Okay. So this— do you know how long presidents are in office?
Since George Washington?
That's true. That's absolutely true because George Washington was the first president of the US. I meant how many years each president is in office typically.
I don't know.
Okay, no problem. So all of this history and science are things that you learn. Would you say that you like to learn about history and science?
Yeah.
And why might it be useful to know about history and science?
So you can get Smarter and learn more things.
Okay, so you would learn more things. And why is it smarter? Why is it valuable to get smarter?
Why is it valuable to what?
To get smarter.
Oh, sorry. So you can learn more and maybe you can tests and win rewards, or maybe you just like to know a lot so it'll affect you better in the future.
Okay, how would it affect you better in the future?
Maybe if you were in a contest and you knew a lot of the things that it was asking, you could win that, or maybe you got tested by another human, by another person, and all the others didn't know, but since you've learned a lot about history because maybe that was the topic, math or anything, you would win because you know a lot about history or anything else.
Got it, got it. Well, these are both big, huge topics. History and science are huge topics, so we don't have to figure out more today. Are you excited about going surfing?
I am.
Are you at all afraid, or you don't feel afraid at all?
I don't think I'm really scared.
Okay, you ever fall into the water while you're trying to surf?
Uh-huh, thousands of times.
And you're totally okay with that?
Yes.
Good for you, good for you. All right, well, I hope you have a wonderful day surfing and maybe we'll talk next week, okay?
Okay.
Bye-bye, Alana.
