Hands-On Activities for the Classroom (Abstract)

Volume 35 number 1 (2007)

D. L. Young

Abstract

(Abstract only) Concepts of scale of the Solar System are critical prerequisites for understanding the scale and nature of the universe. Most students and adults have difficulty comprehending how large space really is, and how large the planets and the Sun really are compared with everyday distances and objects, and also with how far away the Sun, Moon, and planets are from the Earth. Two hands-on activities will be presented to address the misconception that students have about these sizes and distances. The construction of a three-dimensional model of the Earth and Moon system will demonstrate the size, volume, and distance between these two objects. A second activity will involve the construction of the Sun and planets for a true size comparison of the Solar System family.