Intergalactic Planetary

The Modeling Process

Our first model (located above) was easily our worst. That model was based off of past knowledge that my team and I had. We did not have accurate measurements of distance or scale. For our next model, we included both accurate measurements of distance and scale. This was a vast improvement from our previous model. Along with that, we also included number of moons, day length, and time to complete an orbit. Our third model included the calculations for the force of gravity on the given planet. For our fourth model, we predicted the density of a planet based off of mass and diameter. Finally, for our fifth model, we showed how to predict orbital period, acceleration due to gravity, density, and temperature of a planet. I learned a lot from the process, such as what a good model includes, and that all models have a purpose, but also have limitations.

An Interesting Aspect About Our Universe:

An interesting fact that this project has taught me was that the universe is constantly expanding. The reason this is interesting is because there is no known force that pushes objects apart. We have gravity, but that pulls things together. It does not spread them apart. Another reason this is interesting is that we do not know what the universe is expanding into. We do not know what is beyond the universe.

What I Did Well

I believe that I thought critically quite well. I was able to think about how to solve problems, come up with equations, and answer questions with proof and evidence. I was able to justify my reasoning and come up with realistic models.

I was also quite creative. My team came up with an equation to calculate density. This was something no other team thought of doing. I also drew some very creative drawings for model 5.

What I Can Improve On

I believe I could have improved upon communication. I could have asked more questions about how different aspects of our solar system were measured. I also could have asked more questions to come up with a second equation to predict something else for one of our models.

I also could have improved on collaboration. There were a few times where I was stuck with not much work to do. Instead of asking "Do you need any help?", I could have asked "What else needs to be finished?" This question would have helped me and my team articulate what needs to be finished and the steps we could have taken.

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