Intergalactic Planetary

Overview of Project:

We started off this project by using our basic knowledge of the solar system to design a model of the solar system as accurately as we could on paper. After learning a little more about the solar system, we were tasked with creating two more accurate models. Our main project for this unit was two create the fourth and fifth model, in which we were given certain information from Planet X and Planet Y. We later realized these planets shared the characteristics of existing dwarf planets Eris and Ceres. We used the information we learned to predict certain values and features of these two planets. 

Content:

F = (Gm1m2)/d2: This was one of the main equations we used for calculating our models. We used it to calculate the force of gravity of something. We used this equation to calculate our weights on separate planets for Model 5.

Gravational Constant: The G in the equation above represents the gravitational constant, which is 6.67 times 10 to the -11 power. This is always the value of the variable G, because it is a constant. 

Distance/radius: The denominator of the equation is d^2. This means the distance, but more specifically we were using the radius of Planet X, Planet Y, and Earth as the value for d. This is because the center of a planet is where the gravitational pull originates, so an object standing on the surface of a planet would have a distance of r, r being the radius of the planet. 

Red Shift: This was a concept we learned that was very interesting to me. Essentially, people realized they were viewing the planets with a slightly red tint, which led to the discovery that everything is moving away from us. From this discovery, we can wonder what the universe is expanding into, which is fascinating.

Big Bang: Because everything is expanding away from us, that means it must have all originated, in theory, from one center point. That was estimated to be around 13 billion years ago. The evidence of a "big bang" is that in deep space it is still 3 degrees above absolute zero, and it theorized that that heat is left over from that big bang.

Relativity: Relativity is the idea that as you move closer to the speed of light, time slows down around you, and your physical mass can change. You can experience this on a train, when you look out the window and people seem distorted. 

Reflection

Overall, I think this project went pretty well. I learned a lot about the universe that I found interesting, and I completed the task to the best of my ability. I also think that I improved a lot as a group member, because I tried working on being a better leader. 

Two thing I did well in this project were collaboration and critical thinking. We were allowed to choose our partners for this project, and I ended up with one of my friends. We both worked pretty well together and were able to stay on task. I was good at collaborating with her and being efficient with our time. I also think I was good at thinking critically. We chose a very challenging prompt to work on for our fourth model, and I think I did a good job at trying to make the best of it and figure out how to find new ways to complete the project to the best of my ability. Two things I could improve on next time is giving others work to do and managing time more effectively. It was difficult in this project for me to give my partner a chance to do some of the work, because I was focused more on improving my leadership skills. In addition to that, I also struggled with managing time effectively, especially when creating my fourth model.  Because we chose such a challenging prompt, we were stuck for a while trying to figure out how to go about getting the information we needed. This made us get behind, and we ended up rushing to complete the end of the project just before the deadline, which wasn't ideal.