The Solar System Walk

 

Background

You are a tour guide of the Solar System.  A small group of tourists is going on a journey in your “Pacecraft” starting at the Sun and ending at Pluto.  Like most tourists, these folks don’t really want to know everything about the sites they visit; they just want the important and most interesting facts.  Also of course it is very important to be able to simply navigate the Solar System and find all of the important stops on the tour.

 

Task

Determine the correct number of paces to your assigned Solar System object(s), find a suitable scale model for your object(s), and prepare a brief talk to present to the tourists.

 

Audience

Your audience consists of the space-tourists and other tour guides (your classmates) and the boss of Pacecraft Spacelines (Mr. M), who happens to be going along on this tour.

 

Purpose

Become familiar with the major components and experience the true scale of the Solar System.  Also learn how to produce a scale representation.

 

Procedure

  1. Research your assigned object(s) in the book.  All information needed for this activity can be found in Chapters 6 through 15.
  2. Determine three or four important and interesting facts that can be discussed in your brief talk with the other tourists.
  3. Using a scale factor 1 to 6,336,000,000, determine the diameter of a suitable model to represent your assigned object(s).  Find a suitable object with that diameter to represent your object.  It does not have to be exactly the right size but get it as close as possible – say within 10% of the correct diameter.  (Suggestion:  have all persons in your group bring a suitable object and then choose the best one the day of the tour.)
  4. Using the same scale factor, determine the number of paces (assuming each pace is 1.00 meter) to get from the previous stop on the tour to your object.  The tour begins at the Sun and progresses outward.  For example if you were assigned Jupiter you would determine the number of paces from the previous stop at the Asteroid Belt.  If you were assigned Saturn you would determine the number of paces from Jupiter and so on.
  5. Assign tasks within your group:  pacer, talk giver, object carrier, etc.  Try to be fair in sharing the responsibilities.  You may bring a note card or piece of paper with your information on it (I recommend this.)

 

List group members here:

 

 

Number of paces (meters) from previous stop to object(s):  (show work)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scale diameter or size of object(s):  (show work)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Important and interesting facts about the object(s):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assessment

 

 

Tasks

Point Value

Score

1

A suitable object with the correct scale size is presented.

4

 

2

The scale distance to the object is correctly paced off.

 

4

 

3

Three or four interesting and important facts about the object are discussed

12

 

 

Total Points:

 

20