Problem of the Week Archive
Summer Solstice – June 20, 2016
Problems & Solutions
The summer solstice marks the first day of summer. The timing of the
summer solstice depends on when the sun reaches its northernmost point of
the equator. This year the summer begins with the solstice on June 20th at
6:34 p.m. EDT.
The length of the day depends on geographical location. In Washington, DC,
on the first day of summer, the sun will rise at 5:43 a.m. and set at 8:36 p.m.
This is the longest day of the calendar year. The shortest day will occur on
December 21, 2016 – the winter solstice. On this day the sun will rise at 7:23 a.m. and set at
4:50 p.m. What is the difference in the length of the day, in hours and minutes, between the longest
and shortest day of the year in Washington, DC?
The longest day of the year lasts from 5:43 a.m. to 8:36 p.m. This day lasts 14 hours 53 minutes. The shortest day of the year
lasts from 7:23 a.m. to 4:50 p.m. This day lasts 9 hours 27 minutes. The longest day of the year will be 5 hours 26 minutes
longer than the shortest.
The first day of summer occurs on the summer solstice, June 20, 2016. The first day of fall will occur
on the autumnal equinox, September 22, 2016. The first day of winter occurs on the winter solstice,
December 21, 2016. The first day of spring occurs on the spring equinox, March 20, 2017. The first
day of summer next year occurs on the summer solstice, June 21, 2017. List the upcoming summer,
fall, winter and spring seasons from shortest to longest.
Summer will last from June 20th to September 21st. This will be 30 + 31 + 31 + 2 = 94 days. Fall will last from September
22nd to December 21st. This will be 30 + 31 + 30 – 1 = 90 days. Winter will last from December 21st to March 20th. This
will be 31 + 31 + 28 – 1 = 89 days. Spring will be from March 20th to June 21st. This will last 31 + 30 + 31 + 1 = 93 days.
The upcoming four seasons in order from shortest to longest are winter, fall, spring and summer.
Using your calculations from the previous problem. What is the ratio of the length of summer 2016
to the length of the 2016 calendar year? Express your answer as a decimal to the nearest
hundredth.
The 2016 calendar year is a leap year, so it has 366 days. From the previous problem we calculated that this summer will be
94 days long. This means the summer is 94/366 ≈ 0.26 of the calendar year.
Problem of the Week Archive
Summer Solstice – June 20, 2016
Problems
The summer solstice marks the first day of summer. The timing of the
summer solstice depends on when the sun reaches its northernmost point of
the equator. This year the summer begins with the solstice on June 20th at
6:34 p.m. EDT.
The length of the day depends on geographical location. In Washington, DC,
on the first day of summer, the sun will rise at 5:43 a.m. and set at 8:36 p.m.
This is the longest day of the calendar year. The shortest day will occur on
December 21, 2016 – the winter solstice. On this day the sun will rise at 7:23 a.m. and set at
4:50 p.m. What is the difference in the length of the day, in hours and minutes, between the longest
and shortest day of the year in Washington, DC?
The first day of summer occurs on the summer solstice, June 20, 2016. The first day of fall will occur
on the autumnal equinox, September 22, 2016. The first day of winter occurs on the winter solstice,
December 21, 2016. The first day of spring occurs on the spring equinox, March 20, 2017. The first
day of summer next year occurs on the summer solstice, June 21, 2017. List the upcoming summer,
fall, winter and spring seasons from shortest to longest.
Using your calculations from the previous problem. What is the ratio of the length of summer 2016
to the length of the 2016 calendar year? Express your answer as a decimal to the nearest
hundredth.