Download 100 Apple Solar System

Title:
100 Apple Solar System
Author:
Submitted by Lauranne Hess
Original activity from Touching the Future – Linking the
Classroom with Space, a program of Challenger Center for
Space Science Education
Subject Area(s):
Astronomy/Space Science (Solar System)
Mass of Objects in our Solar System
Math (Fractions)
Grade(s):
5–7
Description of Lesson:
This demonstration activity provides a visual representation of the mass of objects
in the solar system. To appreciate the difference in mass among the objects in
our solar system, students see what percentage of 100 apples would represent each
object.
Length of Lesson:
20 – 40 minutes
Student Objectives:
• Students will
system.
• Students will
other objects.
• Students will
• Students will
gain an understanding of the distribution of mass in our solar
realize the enormity of our sun in comparison to the planets and
appreciate the relative smallness of Earth.
perform simple mathematical calculations
Materials:
•1 apple
•99 pieces of paper
• Sharp knife
Procedure:
•Anticipatory Set Questions
What is the biggest body in our solar system?
. Sun
What is the largest planet? Second largest?
. Jupiter
. Saturn
What are the next two, which are relatively close in size?
. Uranus
. Neptune
How do the objects in our solar system compare with each other?
•
Steps
Pass out 99 papers and ask the students to crumple them into balls the
size of apples. These, along with one real apple, will together be the 100
Apple Solar System.
o Cut the apple into 7 parts as equally as you can.
o Place six parts with the 99 other “apples.” Explain that this represents the
mass of the sun. The 1/7th of one apple represents ALL of the other
bodies in our solar system.
o Cut the remaining piece into 10 parts as equally as possible.
o Pick up 7 of those parts. These represent Jupiter, the largest planet. Set
them aside.
o Pick up 2 of the remaining parts. These represent Saturn. Set them aside.
o Cut the 1 remaining piece in half to represent Uranus and Neptune. Set
the pieces down.
o Ask, “What’s missing?”
. Mercury
. Venus
. Earth
. Mars
. Pluto
. All of the moons
. Comets
. Meteoroids
. Asteroids
o Ask, “Where are they?”
o Hold up the knife so that students can see the scraps that are clinging to
it. Tell them these scraps represent the remaining planets. A microscope
is needed to see moons, comets, meteoroids and asteroids.
Closing
o What percent of our solar system is our sun?
. 99.85%
o What percent is Earth?
. Negligible
Scientific Explanation:
• Website with nice scale animation to compare solar system objects:
http://www.messengereducation.
org/Interactives/ANIMATIONS/Planet_Mass_Comparison/planet_mass
_comp_full.htm
• Resource: http://www.solarviews.com/eng/solarsys.htm
The Sun contains 99.85% of all the matter in the Solar System. The planets,
which condensed out of the same disk of material that formed the Sun, contain
only 0.135% of the mass of the solar system. Jupiter contains more than twice
the matter of all the other planets combined. Satellites of the planets, comets,
asteroids, meteoroids, and the interplanetary medium constitute the remaining
0.015%. The following table is a list of the mass distribution within our Solar
System.
o Sun: 99.85%
o Planets: 0.135%
o Comets: 0.01% ?
o Satellites: 0.00005%
o Minor Planets: 0.0000002% ?
o Meteoroids: 0.0000001% ?
o Interplanetary Medium: 0.0000001% ?
Resource: http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/basics/bsf1-1.php
Because of its enormous mass, the Sun dominates the gravitational field of the
solar system. The motion of everything within a few light years of the Sun is
dominated by the effect of the solar mass. At 1.98892 X 1030 kilograms, or
roughly 333,000 times the mass of the Earth, it contains over 99 percent of the
solar system's mass. The planets, which condensed out of the same disk of
material that formed the Sun, contain just over a tenth of a percent the mass of
the solar system.
Mass Distribution Within the Solar System
99.85%
0.135%
0.015%
Sun
The 8 Classical Planets
Comets
Kuiper belt objects
Satellites of the planets
Dwarf Planets
Asteroids
Meteoroids
Interplanetary Medium
Assessment:
Group students into partners or small groups. Ask each group to demonstrate the
relative mass of objects in the solar system to the rest of the class using a
different media than apples; for example, an artistic representation, performance, or
technology.
Missouri and Kansas Standards Addressed:
Kansas Science Standards:
Standard 4, Benchmark 3: The student will identify and classify stars, planets,
and other solar system components.
Missouri Science Standards (GLE’s):
Strand 6, Concept 1A. The Earth, Sun and moon are part of a larger system that
includes other planets and smaller celestial bodies.