Download Astronomy Assignment #1

Astronomy Assignment #7
Your Name______________________________________
Your Class Meeting Time __________________________
This assignment is due on __________________________
Submit this cover sheet with your assignment.
Complete the assigned problems from the text listed below and address the Instructor Assigned Topic.
Mathematical problems may be hand written. Write out the problem, show your work in solving the problem and
state your answer in a complete sentence. Failure to complete all three of these tasks will result in less than full
credit awarded. The Instructor assigned topic must be typed.
Text Problems:
Unit Number
34
Questions for Review
Problems
13
Instructor Assigned Topic:
1.
This assignment will ask you to write a two paragraph quantitative description of the properties of the
Average Terrestrial and Jovian Planets. The paragraphs must have a parallel structure (quantitatively when
possible) summarizing the following properties of the Average Terrestrial and Jovian planet: distance from
the Sun in Astronomical Units, density in g/cm3, mass in Earth masses, radius in Earth radii, nature of the
surface, principle composition and depth (shallow or deep)* of the atmosphere, number of natural satellites,
rotation period in days (Ignore negative signs)
The information can be obtained from the text Appendix on Planetary Properties and in Unit 33.
Information not in these two locations may be found in the chapters covering each planet or through the
Internet at http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/. Each paragraph should describe the average
Terrestrial or Jovian planet using the known properties of the planets in our Solar System as a guide.
Describe the average Terrestrial and Jovian planet and give the range of their characteristics. You will find
it helpful to complete the table on the other side of this page before constructing the summary paragraphs.
*Note: A shallow atmosphere is any atmosphere whose depth is much smaller than the radius of the planet. Shallow atmospheres are
characterized by weak vertical winds and poorly transport heat away from the planet. A deep atmosphere is any atmosphere whose
depth is about the same as the radius of the planet. Deep atmospheres are characterized by strong vertical winds and efficiently
transport heat away from the planet.
2.
Create a written summary/outline of Sections 35.2, 35.3, 35.4 and 35.5. You are to summarize each
paragraph of these sections with one sentence. For example, you will be asked to summarize the seven
paragraphs in Section 35.2 in seven sentences. For example, I would summarize the third paragraph in
section 35.4 as follows…In the cold outer solar system, planets grew rapidly from their ice cores, due to
the 10 times abundance of ice over rock, and then captured deep atmospheres of H 2 and He making then
vastly larger than the inner warmer planets that had only a small amount of rock to form from, leaving
them unable to capture H2 and He.
Extra credit assignment: Counts only if the previous work is completed. Answer the following Questions for
Review
Unit Number
34
35
Questions for Review
4, 8, 9
5, 7, 8, 9
Table of Planetary Properties
Property
Distance
from the
Sun in A.U.
Density in
gm/cm3
Mercury
Venus
Earth
1.0
5.5
Mass in
Earth
masses
1.0
Radius in
Earth radii
1.0
Nature of
the surface
Rocky, active
volcanoes, plate
tectonics, ¾
covered by water,
Ice at the poles
Depth
(Shallow or
Deep) and
composition
of the
atmosphere
Shallow,
N2 & O 2
80% & 20%
Number of
natural
satellites
1
Rotation
Period
1 day
Mars
Average
Terrestrial
Planet
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Average
Jovian Planet
3