How to Make a Scale Model of the Planet's Distance From the Sun
Our orbit around the sun is not circular, so the distance between it and the Earth varies. The sun is approximately 150 million kilometers away from Earth. By contrast, the Earth has an average diameter of only 12,742 kilometers. The vast distance makes a scale model challenging, even when you start with a small object representing the Earth. Once you choose the object representing the Earth, making a scale model requires the ability to use a tape measure, and some basic math.
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Instructions
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Establish a scale for the model. The one-centimeter wide marble represents the diameter of the Earth, or 12,742 kilometers. If you use a different object for the Earth, divide the diameter of the Earth by the diameter of the object, in centimeters, to discover how many kilometers are represented by one centimeter. For example, a table tennis ball has a diameter of 4cm, so because 12,742 divided by 4 equals 3,185.5, at that scale one centimeter represents 3,185.5 kilometers.
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Divide the distance to the sun by the number of kilometers represented by one centimeter. If one centimeter represents 12,742 kilometers, the answer, 11,772, is the distance of the sun from the Earth, in centimeters. Convert this to meters by dividing 11,772 by 100, giving a distance of 117.72 meters.
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Calculate the scale size of the sun by dividing the diameter of the sun, 1.4 million kilometers, by 12,742. The answer is the diameter of the scale version of the sun, a sphere with a diameter of nearly 110 cm.
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Lay out the model by placing the marble at one end of a running track, or at the edge of a large playing field. Measure a straight line 117 meters and 72 centimeters long. Place a beach ball with a 110 cm diameter at the other end of the line. That's a model of the distance from the Earth to the sun, represented to scale.
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Tips & Warnings
Always start with a very small object representing the Earth.
If you used a table tennis ball as the Earth, the sun would be 471 meters away, and the height of two men standing on top of each other.
In a one-meter long model, the Earth would be 12 times smaller than the head of a pin.
References
- Photo Credit Sun image by Danni from Fotolia.com
