Vocabulary
Numerical information that can be organized and compared.
Statistical information
The measurement across a planet through its center.
Diameter
The path an object follows as it travels around another object in space.
Orbit
Examining information and explaining what it tells you.
Interpret data
An image made using a camera.
Photograph
The size of one object compared with another.
Relative size
Earth is 12,742 km across and Mars is 6,779 km across. Which is larger?
Earth
A distance unit approximately equal to Earth's average distance from the Sun.
Astronomical unit (AU)
Earth averages 1.00 AU from the Sun; Neptune averages 30.07 AU. Which is farther away?
Neptune
A representation used to explain or investigate an object or system.
Model
A collection of related measurements or observations organized for analysis.
Data set
Jupiter is 139,820 km across and Earth is 12,742 km across. About how many Earth diameters equal Jupiter's?
About 11
Mars is 1.52 AU from the Sun on average; Earth is 1.00 AU. Find the difference.
0.52 AU
Ceres is smaller than Mercury but farther from the Sun. Does this support the claim that the smallest object must be closest to the Sun?
No
A model shows planets at the correct relative sizes but places them too close together. What is a limitation?
It does not accurately represent the distances between planets.
Information used to support a scientific claim.
Evidence
Earth's diameter is 12,742 km and Venus's is 12,104 km. Find the difference.
638 km
Saturn averages 9.58 AU from the Sun; Jupiter averages 5.20 AU. Find the difference.
4.38 AU
Ganymede is 5,268 km across; Earth's Moon is 3,475 km across. Find the difference.
1,793 km
The amount of mass contained in a given volume.
Density
A representation using a consistent scale to show relative sizes or distances.
Scale model
A scale model shows Earth with a diameter of 1 cm. If Jupiter is about 11 times Earth’s diameter, what should Jupiter’s diameter be in the model?
About 11cm
Name the farthest and closest points in an object's orbit around the Sun.
Aphelion and perihelion
Why can't data about only a few moons prove that all of Jupiter's moons are larger than every other moon?
The data set does not include every moon, so the evidence is insufficient for that universal claim.
Saturn's average density is about 0.69 g/cm³, lower than water's. What does this tell us about the bathtub comparison?
Saturn would theoretically float in water, but a bathtub large enough to hold Saturn is not a realistic experiment.