1. There is a disagreement with two students on how many planets are in the solar system.

Student
A claims there are 8 planets and Student B claims there are 12 planets. What is some evidence to
support each claim?
a. Answer: 8 because here are all the planets in order: Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn
Uranus Neptune.
b. They are both correct because if you count dwarf planets there are 12. If you don’t, there are 8.

2 .On which planet would you weigh the least? What is your evidence to prove this?

a. Answer: I think its Mercury because I think it’s the smallest.

b. You would weigh the least on Mercury and Mars but mostly Mars. This is because it has the
lowest mass and the mass of the planet is what gives us weight.

3. How does the mass of our planet compare to the other inner planets?

a. I don’t know. But it might be the average size.

b. Earth is the most massive of the inner planets.

4. Dr. Grumbles claims that it is colder during the winter because Earth is farther from the sun.
Provide evidence to prove him right or wrong.

a. When I was in 1st or kindergarten, I know someone taught me this but it’ a blank. I think
Dr. Grumbles is correct.

b. Dr. Grumbles is not correct. The distance from the sun does not cause seasons. Seasons
are caused by the tilt of the Earth.

5. How does the path of the sun in the sky change during seasons?

a. I don’t think it’s the Sun that is moving closer, I think it’s the Earth itself moving closer.
The Earth spins in circles in bigger circles in bigger circles.

b. the path of the sun is shorter in winter and longer in the summer.
6. How would seasons on Uranus be different from Earth?

a. Really cold, because if the Sun didn’t exist life wouldn’t be possible. So, I think seasons will be colder.

b. the tilt is so much that the seasons are extreme. No sunlight in autumn and no darkness in spring.