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P5 General Studies: Earth, Sun and Moon, Day, Night and Seasons (Paper 3: challenge)
Tutor Prep Guide · rotation causing day and night, the orbit and tilted axis causing seasons, and time zones from longitude
P5 General Studies: Earth, Sun and Moon, Day, Night and Seasons (Paper 3: challenge)
Paper three pushes on: time zones and orbital speed both come from the same proportion.
Direct answers With two places and their times, draw a line with both places and the gap, then add or subtract; far safer than mental arithmetic.
01 Paper details (check answers afterwards)
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Questions | 10 |
| Suggested time | 20 |
| Difficulty mix | Foundation 3 · Intermediate 3 · Challenge 3 · Error redo 1 |
| Chapter | Chapter: P5 General Studies: Earth, Sun and Moon, Day, Night and Seasons |
| Level | rotation causing day and night, the orbit and tilted axis causing seasons, and time zones from longitude |
02 Questions (10 items)
- FoundationTokyo is 1 hour ahead of Hong Kong. If it is 9 am in Hong Kong, what time is it in Tokyo?
- FoundationPlace A is at 120 degrees east and place B at 60 degrees east. What is the time gap?
- FoundationEarth turns 15 degrees an hour. How long does 90 degrees take?
- IntermediateThe Moon takes 27.3 days per orbit. About how many orbits fit in 365.25 days?
- IntermediateOn the summer solstice Hong Kong has about 13.5 hours of daylight. How long is the night?
- IntermediateOne cycle of phases takes about 29.5 days. How much longer is that than one orbit of the Moon?
- ChallengeA flight leaves Hong Kong at 8 am and flies 12 hours to London, which is 8 hours behind. What is the arrival time in London?
- ChallengeThe orbit is about 940 million km and a year is about 31.56 million seconds. What is the average speed?
- ChallengeWhy is the cycle of phases longer than one orbit of the Moon?
- Error redoA student takes 27.3 days as the cycle of phases. What is the correct distinction?
03 Answers and one-line notes
| # | Answer | One-line note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 am | 9 plus 1 gives 10 am. |
| 2 | 4 hours | The longitude gap is 60 degrees, and 60 divided by 15 is 4 hours. |
| 3 | 6 hours | 90 divided by 15 gives 6 hours. |
| 4 | About 13.4 orbits | 365.25 divided by 27.3 is about 13.4 orbits. |
| 5 | 10.5 hours | 24 minus 13.5 leaves 10.5 hours. |
| 6 | 2.2 days | 29.5 minus 27.3 leaves 2.2 days. |
| 7 | 12 noon | Hong Kong time 8 plus 12 is 20:00, and taking away the 8 hour gap gives 12 noon. |
| 8 | About 29.8 km per second | 940,000,000 divided by 31,557,600 is about 29.8 km per second. |
| 9 | Because Earth also orbits the Sun meanwhile, so the Moon must travel further to return to the same phase | Earth moves along its orbit, so the Moon needs about 2.2 extra days to line up the same way. |
| 10 | 27.3 days is one orbit of the Moon; 29.5 days is one cycle of phases | The two differ by 2.2 days because Earth is orbiting at the same time. |
04 What to do after marking
- After marking, redo only the wrong items and write down which step went wrong (formula, unit, or misread number).
- Repeat the same item two days later; move to the next paper only when both attempts are correct.
- Parents only need the answer and note columns; there is no need to explain every item.
Paper four sorts out the causes of day and night against the causes of seasons.Tutor Registration →
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