1. The Sun Energy from the Sun

2. Where do people get the energy they need to live? From food they eat, including plants and other animals. From food they eat, including plants and other animals.

3. Where do plants get their energy? They convert energy from the sun’s light into food energy. They convert energy from the sun’s light into food energy.

4. How do plants serve as a link between the sun’s energy and people? When an animal eats plants—or eats animals that have eaten plants—it gets food energy that started with the sun. When an animal eats plants—or eats animals that have eaten plants—it gets food energy that started with the sun.

5. Look at pictures B116-117 How do the waves that travel from the sun to the Earth differ? How do the waves that travel from the sun to the Earth differ? Some are large, stretched-out waves; others are small, closely packed waves. Each carries a different amount of energy.

6. The sun produces energy by joining particles in a process called fusion. Which particles are fused in the sun to produce energy? Which particles are fused in the sun to produce energy? What do the fused particles form? How does this process produce energy? What is needed for fusion to occur?

7. Fusion NO! Not this kind of fusion!!!

8. fusion

9. The sun consists of layers of hot gases. What gases make up the sun? What gases make up the sun? Is each layer really distinct? Explain your answer.

11. Look at the pictures of the sun’s structure on pages B118-B119 What are the layers of the sun, from the innermost to the outermost? What are the layers of the sun, from the innermost to the outermost? Why does the surface of the sun appear grainy? What layer of the sun do solar flares come from? Where do sunspots occur? Why do they appear dark?

12. Where is the sun’s core located? At its center. At its center.

13. What can you infer about the pressure in the core? It is tremendous, greater than anywhere else on the sun. It is tremendous, greater than anywhere else on the sun.

14. If this tremendous pressure is causing fusion of hydrogen nuclei in the core, what can you infer about the temperature of the core? It must be very high. It must be very high.