Intergalactic Planetary

Evidence of Work

For this project, my partner Maya Gutierrez and I made 5 different models based on information we were given about planets and our solar system in general. In models 1-3, we went off most of our previous knowledge of space. In model 4 we had to make predictions about an unknown planet, and in model 5 we determined our weight on unknown planets. Below are all of the models.

This is our first model, whcih we later combined with our second one. For this model we were told to create a basic drawing of our solar system. My partner and I didn't know much about space and planets, so we came up with this very basic model including all of the planets and their orbital paths.

This is our third model. For this one, we were given a lot of information about the planets. We were also told to make the size of the planets more proportional. Our model includes the length of the days on each planet, the distance between the planets, and how many moons each planet has. We tried to make the planet sizes as proportional and realistic as we could.

planet relations

This is our fourth model. We were given much more information and were asked to find patterns in a planet data set and create a model off of it. On the document, you can see our thought process as we were trying to find patterns in that data and learn more about our pattern. We found a strong pattern that the mass and temperature of the planet determine if that planet has a ring system or not. Next we created a graph to make sure everything made sense. Then we had to create an equation that would prove our prediction for any planet. We came up with : (mass)(temp) <= -7,000 for the planet to have a ring system. Of course there are some limitations and unanswered questions for this equation, but this should work pretty well. We were given the unknown planet's (Planet X) mass and temperature, so we were able to determine that Planet X does not have a ring system.

This is our last model, model 5. For the first part of the model, we were given more information about Planet X, and another unknown planet, Planet Y. We were asked to make some simple predictions for the planets based on the information given. We also made mini models/pictures explaining more of the predictions. In the second part of this model, we used equations and information we had to calculate the orbit periods of Planet X, Planet Y, and Earth. Lastly, we calculated our weight in Newton's on each planet using the gravitational force equation.

Copy of Model 5: Equations and Calculations (Orbital Model)

Content

gravitational force -

the force between all masses in our universe
measured in Newtons (N)
found using the equation : F=(Gm1m2)/r^2 force = (gravitational constant x mass of object 1 x mass of object 2) / distance between the centers squared

orbit -

the celestial path that objects take around a sun, moon, planet, or something else

orbital period -

how long it takes for an object to make one rotation on the orbital path around the object it orbits
found using the equation : T=2(pi)d/v time = 2(pi)(distance)/velocity

orbital velocity -

the speed at which an object orbits around another

scientific notation -

a way to present large or small numbers in a more organized way
the decimal point is moved to one after the first number and the number of times you moved it over is the power that the 10 is raised to
ex : 456,000,000 would be 4.56x10^8
ex : 0.000007356 would be 7.356x10^-6

radius -

distance from the outer edge to the middle of the object
used in a lot of equations including finding the gravitational force
found using the equation : r=C/2pi radius = cirumference/2(pi)

acceleration due to gravity -

the acceleration of all objects in a gravitational field due to the force of gravity
never changes, will always be 9.8 m/s^2 or 9.8 meters per seconds squared

surface temperature, mass, distance to sun -

these were given to us about the known and unknown planets so we could find patterns and make predictions based off of these

Reflection

Overall, I think Maya and I did pretty well throughout this project. We were in tune and helped each other out a lot. Going into it, I thought that it would be pretty awkward since for this project we just had partners, but it actually wasn't at all. We both had the same goal in mind, and worked together to get there.

i think I did really good in the collaboration section for this project. As I said above, I thought Maya and I worked really well together. We each have our different strengths and it was cool to see us come together and make something great. Also, I think I really improved in the critical thinking portion for this project. In model 4, we had to find patterns out of a huge data set and create an equation based on it. At first, the task seemed really daunting, but as my partner and I got into it, we found ways to make it easier and pull out good patterns.

One thing I think I can improve on in the next project is really showing my work. Maya and I did a lot of brainstorming work in the beginning, but we ended up deleting it, because we didn't see worth in it. Mr. Williams eventually saw it and told us to put it back, so we did. Thinking about it now, that was a huge part of our project that we had practically just thrown away. It shows our entire thought process in finding our pattern and making our equation. Although once we brought it back, we had to add a bit more explaining it, since our ideas were not very clear. In the next project, I hope to make my words easier to understand to others, and see the worth in everything I work on for the project.

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