Unit 6 – Models of the Solar System (Total 17 days, 346 pages): $30

In this unit students will learn about the various models of the solar system which have attempted to explain the odd motions of the planets observed in unit 5. The unit begins by explaining several of the mysteries using the Copernican model of the solar system.  Historical perspective is given by a PowerPoint-based lecture which outlines the basic history of the development of the models of the solar system.  Ellipses and Kepler’s Laws are introduced and used to make predictions about the behavior of planets already discovered and yet to be discovered.   The final activities in this unit include having students invent their own solar system and plan a space mission to another planet.

Motivation: The big motivator for this unit is the promise that you will be able to show students how to calculate the time it takes to travel to another planet using a least energy transfer orbit.  This is not the only way people can get from one planet to another, but it is the simplest one-way trip.

Topics include Speed and Perspective, Stellarium Simulation: Speed, Inferior vs. Superior, Explaining Retrograde Motion, History of Solar System Models, Timeline of Astronomy, Synodic period of a clock, Synodic vs. sidereal, Orbits, Ellipse, Kepler’s Laws, Scale Model Solar System, The Size of Venus’ Orbit, Design a Space Probe Mission, The Mass of Jupiter, Newton’s Form of Kepler’s Third law, Gravity and Centripetal Force.