Properties and Motions of Objects in the Solar System

Use three physical properties (diameter, mass, density, surface temperature, etc.) of the planets in the solar system to group them into general categories or in general ways. 2. Write any general statements you can draw from your study of the properties that could be cited as patterns in the solar system. 3. Which planet would float in water? ___________________________________________________ (Hint: Less dense objects float in denser fluids, the density of water= 1g/cm³) 4. How long is a day on Jupiter? ____________, on Venus? _____________, on Mars? ____________ 5. How many Earth years go by before one Mars year has passed? _________________ 6. Which two planets account for 90% of the total mass of all of the planets? ________________________________ and __________________________________ 7. Refer to Table 2. Which planet seems unusually hot considering its distance from the sun? ___________________ 8. By looking at the data, suggest a reason for this extreme hot temperature. 9. Table 3 provides information about the density of common materials found on Earth. Compare the densities of metal, rock, ice, and gas to the average planetary densities in Table 1. What can you guess about the composition of each of the planets? Answer this by filling out Table 4. (Hint: You can answer in terms of mostly metal, rock, ice; or combinations of these.) Table 4 Planet Deduced Composition Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune
Sometimes graphs can give you a different perspective about data that reading a table cannot. In this activity you will graph selected data. Using the data in Table 1 and Table 2 make a three-line graph for each of the sets of data listed below. Use a different color or symbols for each line, the graph should be plotted on the next page. Average Density (g/cm˚) vs. Mean Distance from Sun (miles) Surface Temperature (˚K) vs. Mean Distance from Sun (miles) Period of Revolution (years) vs. Mean Distance from Sun (miles) Using your graph answer the following question: What does each line tell you? What trends becomes more clear or obvious? What stands out as a result of graphing the data? (These questions will require a long answer so feel free to use the on the back of the graph.)