Lab Report_The Planets-5
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Porterville College *
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Course
110
Subject
Geology
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
docx
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7
Uploaded by ChiefFishMaster618
Geology
Name: _Adreanna Marin_
The Planets Lab Report
Complete your responses in a
color other than black or red
.
Part 1: Scale model of Earth layers
1.
Tape three sheets of paper together end to end to make a long sheet. Fold it in half the long
way to find the center line.
2.
Near one end of the center line, make a dot in pencil. This represents the center of the Earth,
so label it "Center." Then, using a protractor, draw a line in pencil at 7.5 degrees on each side
of the center line so that you have a 15-degree wedge. Using a meter stick or straight edge,
extend each of these lines all the way to the edge of the paper.
3.
The radius of the Earth is 6371 km. On your model, how big is this?
6371 km * 100,000 cm/km
=
63.71
cm
10,000,000
4.
Mark another dot at that distance along your two lines from the center. These two points are
on the surface of the Earth.
5.
Repeat steps 3 and 4
for each of the boundaries between Earth's layers: convert the real
depth of each boundary in km to the scaled model distance in cm (fill in the appropriate table
below
), write the depth on the outside of the line, next to the mark.
Boundary
Depth below Earth's surface (km)
Depth (scaled, cm)
Inner core/outer core
5155
51.55
Outer core/lower mantle
2885
28.85
Lower mantle/upper
mantle
670
0.67
Upper mantle/crust
7 (oceanic); 40 (continental)
0.007/0.40
6.
Make a large drafting compass out of string and a pencil (or other writing device) and use it
to draw the rounded surfaces.
1
Planets Lab Report
7.
Take a picture of your completed model and insert it here:
Part 2: Scale Model of the Solar System
Distance from Sun (AU)
Distance from Sun (AU)
Mercury
0.39
Jupiter
5.203
Venus
0.732
Saturn
9.539
Earth
1
Uranus
19.18
Mars
1.524
Neptune
30.06
Asteroid belt
2.2 – 3.2
Kuiper belt
30 – 50
1.
Subtract the distances to get the distance between each planet and the next. Then, using a
conversion factor of 15 cm per AU, calculate the distance in cm for each of the planets in
your model. Record your distances in the second and third columns
on the table below
(i.e.
2
Planets Lab Report
from the sun to Mercury, the distance is 0.39 AU per the table above. To convert to cm: 0.39
AU * 15 cm / AU = 5.9 cm). The resulting scale of this solar system model will be
1:10,000,000,000.
2.
After you have determined the scale distances, lay out your model of the solar system on the
floor. (You can go into a hallway, outside, or anywhere you have enough space.) Use
everyday items (cups, bowls, books, etc.) to represent each object in the model. Record the
objects you chose in the fourth column
in the table below:
1.
Distance in AU
Converted distance in cm
2.
Everyday Object
Sun – Mercury
0.39
5.9
Tennis ball/yellow
ball
Mercury – Venus
0.342
5.13
Marble ball
Venus – Earth
0.268
4.02
Orange Ball
Earth – Mars
0.524
7.86
Green Ball
Mars – Jupiter
3.679
55.185
Marble ball
Jupiter – Saturn
4.336
65.04
White Ball
Saturn – Uranus
9.641
144.615
Green Ball
Uranus – Neptune
10.88
163.2
Red marble Ball
3
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Planets Lab Report
3.
Take a picture of your model and insert it here:
4
Planets Lab Report
Part 3: Exoplanets
The following plot shows all the known exoplanets (planets orbiting stars other than the Sun).
1.
There are three main groups of planets visible on this Exoplanets Graph Plot. Using your
draw tool, circle each of these three groups using a
color other than black
.
(
Hint:
These
may end up looking more like ovals than circles!)
2.
Give an estimate of the values of mass (x) and separation (y) at its center
on the table below
:
Group of exoplanets
x (mass in Jupiter masses)
y (distance from star in AU)
Low mass, low separation
(left)
0.01
1
High mass, high separation
3
2
5
Planets Lab Report
(right top)
High mass, low separation
(right bottom)
1
.08
3.
Next, you are going to plot the solar planets on the Exoplanets Graph Plot. Start by
converting the numbers given for their masses below from Earth masses to Jupiter masses.
Since Jupiter is 318 times the size of Earth, you will do this by dividing each mass by 318.
Enter your results
on the table below
.
Size
in…
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Earths
0.06
0.32
1
0.11
318
95
14.6
17.2
Jupiters
0.00019
0.0010
0.0031
0.00035
1
.30
0.046
0.054
4.
Once you’ve calculated the values in Jupiter masses, plot all eight solar planets on the
Exoplanets Graph Plot
on your lab report
using a
color other than black
. The x-value of
each point is the planet’s mass in Jupiter masses; the y-value is its distance from the sun in
AU, which you used in
Part 2
of this lab.
5.
Do any of the solar planets fall into the groups that you circled in
Part 3 Question 1
on the
Exoplanets graph? If so, which planets and which groups?
Yes because they are within the low mass group and high mass group.
6.
Compare the properties of the planets in our Solar System to the properties of the extrasolar
planets you studied here, in terms of their mass and distance to their star.
Same mass further from the star
6
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Planets Lab Report
Part 4: Wrap-Up
1.
Which layer of the Earth is the largest? Which is the smallest? Was that what you
expected?
Upper mantle is the largest and the inner core is the smallest. I wasn’t even sure what to
expect.
2.
Now that you have seen how far apart the planets are in the solar system, what surprised
you the most and why?
What surprised me was seeing the actual distance between the planets in person.
3.
Do the planets in our solar system follow the conventions of the exoplanets in other solar
systems? (Are the dots you drew within the circles you drew?) Can you think of any reason
why this is (or isn't)?
They were in the upper and lower part of the graph.
4.
What would you do to improve this lab for future online students? How & why?
I wouldn’t have been able to work by myself because I fell like working together has helped
better understand instructions.
7