Week 4: Our Solar System

In the lab, my group made a scale model of the Sun and the four inner planets to show their real sizes and distances. 1 centimeter in our model would equal 100,000 kilometers in space. We made the Sun 300 millimeters wide, and used small balls of Play-Doh for the planets. Then, we measured and placed each planet at the right distance from the Sun on the floor. This helped us see how huge the Sun is compared to the tiny planets and how far apart everything really is. The big question was, what does a scaled model of the solar system look like?


  1. What did you learn in Thursday’s discussion? I learned that the Sun is smaller than some stars like Sirius, Pollux, and Arcturus, and that stars can be different colors, such as white and red. The universe began about 13.7 billion years ago with the Big Bang, which was not an explosion but an expansion of space and time starting from a tiny subatomic particle. Earth formed around 4.5 billion years ago from a swirling disk of gas and dust called the solar nebula, which was left over after the Sun formed and took most of the mass. Gravity caused the dust and debris, probably from an exploded star, to clump together and create planets in a flat area called the plane of the ecliptic. The inner planets, including Earth, formed close to the Sun and are made mostly of dense, rocky material because lighter gases like hydrogen and helium were pushed away.
    ​
  2. Links to an external site.Chapter 4​
  1. What did you learn? I learned that the Sun is smaller than some stars and that stars can be different colors. The universe started a very long time ago with the Big Bang, which was not an explosion but a big stretch of space. Earth was made later from dust and gas that went around the Sun. The planets formed in a flat circle called the plane of the ecliptic. The four planets closest to the Sun are rocky because the Sun’s heat blew away the light gases. The other planets are bigger and made mostly of gas. Pluto is not a planet anymore because it shares its space with other objects.
    ​
  2. What was most helpful? The most helpful part was learning how the planets are different, like the rocky ones close to the Sun and the gas giants farther away. Also, understanding why Pluto is no longer considered a planet was really clear and interesting to learn. 

  3. What do you need more information on? I’d like to know more about how scientists figure out the distances and sizes of planets and stars

5. What questions, concerns, and/or comments do you have? Nothing right now 











Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 10

Image
  What did you learn this week?  This week, we learned about evolution and its four main drivers: natural selection, genetic drift, migration, and mutation. Natural selection is the only one that isn’t random because it helps organisms survive. We did a preying on beans activity to see how natural selection works. We also visited the School of the Wild and acted as students in their lessons. In the lab, we talked about mutations and genetic drift, which is when allele frequencies change randomly. Migration can change the biodiversity in populations over time. We also learned how adaptation relates to natural selection. Are you able to relate what you learned to what you already knew? Yes, I can relate what I learned to what I already knew. I knew natural selection was important, but I learned it’s the only driver that’s not random. I also knew about mutations, but now I understand how they can affect evolution, especially with genetic drift, which is random. Migration makes se...
Read more

Week 3: Space: The Moon

Image
What did you do in the lab today?  In lab, we learned about how the Moon looks different in different places and why some parts of it are darker. We did an experiment using flour and cocoa powder to model the Moon’s surface. We dropped different-sized marbles from different heights to see how craters form and why there are darker spots. When the marbles hit, the darker cocoa powder showed through, just like how real impacts on the Moon can make some areas look darker. We also talked about how the Earth rotates counterclockwise on its axis, and we learned the difference between rotate and revolve . Rotate means spinning on its own axis, and revolve means moving around something else. Then we used styrofoam balls and a globe to figure out where the Moon would be during its different phases, like new moon, quarter moon, and full moon . We also learned that the Moon has a front side, which is the side we always see  , and a back side, which is the far side we never see ...
Read more

Week 10: Layers of Earth, Convection Cells, and Plate Tectonics

Image
  What did you do in lab today?  In our lab, we talked about the layers of the Earth, such as the crust, mantle, and core, and learned that the iron core helps protect us from the sun’s radiation. We learned about convection cells and how heat and density make the Earth’s plates move, which can cause earthquakes and volcanoes. We shared our convection cell videos and talked about how convection is like what happens in ovens and ocean currents. We also talked about why earthquakes and volcanoes can happen away from plate boundaries. For our lab activity, we used graham crackers, rice cakes, and whipped cream to model the three types of plate boundaries: divergent, convergent, and transform. What was the big question?  What is the Theory of Plate Tectonics​ What did you learn in Thursday’s discussion? I learned that earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountains all happen because Earth’s plates move. Earthquakes are caused by pressure building up and then breaking. Big ones can be...
Read more