How Do You Make Size Scaled Planets For A School Project?
Our solar system is unfathomably large. Students often struggle to understand how our planet compares to others within the solar system, because the size of each heavenly body is too large for many young minds to comprehend. Teachers can make the size relationships more understandable by working with students to create scaled models of the planets. This process allows students to reflect upon not only the size of the earth but also how small they are in comparison to the massive universe in which we live. Step 1 Locate the circumferences of the sun and planets in kilometers using an encyclopedia, science text or Internet resource. Step 2 Perform a simple scale calculation by moving the decimal place of each kilometer measurement three spaces to the left and changing the unit of measure from kilometer to centimeter. Using this method, the earth, which measures 40,008 kilometers in circumference, would be scaled down to 40.008 centimeters. Step 3 Roll a handful of clay between your hands
