The solar system (age 11+)

Question 1

Which of the following groups of four statements correctly matches each type of object in the solar system?

Accepted Answer

Planet – a large body that orbits the Sun and has cleared its orbital path; Dwarf planet – a round body that orbits the Sun but has not cleared its orbit; Asteroid – a small, rocky body that orbits the Sun and is usually irregularly shaped; Comet – an icy body that orbits the Sun and develops a bright tail when it gets close to the Sun.

Answer

Planet – a small, icy body that sometimes has a tail; Dwarf planet – a body that never orbits the Sun; Asteroid – a large round body that cleared its orbit; Comet – a rocky body that never leaves a tail.

Answer

Planet – any object that is farther than Mars; Dwarf planet – any object that is smaller than the Moon; Asteroid – any object that has a tail; Comet – any object that has rings.

Answer

Planet – an object that orbits Earth and shines at night; Dwarf planet – a very bright star; Asteroid – a piece of space junk that crashes into planets; Comet – a moon that circles a planet.

Question 2

A newly discovered dwarf planet named Eldoria orbits the Sun at a distance of 9 astronomical units (AU). Using the relationship that a planet’s orbital period (in Earth years) is the square‑root of the cube of its distance from the Sun (P = √(a³)), approximately how many Earth years does Eldoria take to go once around the Sun?

Accepted Answer

27 years

Answer

81 years

Answer

9 years

Answer

1 year

Question 3

A 3‑kg toy is placed on a planet where the gravitational field strength is 5 N kg⁻¹. What is the toy’s weight on that planet?

Accepted Answer

15 N

Answer

0 N

Answer

8 N

Answer

3 N

Try three questions

Which of the following groups of four statements correctly matches each type of object in the solar system?

A 3‑kg toy is placed on a planet where the gravitational field strength is 5 N kg⁻¹. What is the toy’s weight on that planet?

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