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Juan made the following bar graph shown to represent the relative distances of four different astronomical bodies from Earth.

The title of the bar graph is Distance of Bodies in Space from Earth. Four bars are labeled A, B, C, and D. Bar C is the shortest. Bar D is about three times the size of bar C. Bar A is about six times the size of bar C. Bar B is about eight times the size of bar C.

If D represents Mars, which of the following could be represented by B and C?

B could be the moon, and C could be the sun.
B could be the sun, and C could be the moon.
B could be the sun, and C could be planet Uranus.
B could be the moon, and C could be planet Uranus.

1 answer

To analyze the bar graph and determine the distances of various astronomical bodies from Earth, we can use the information given about the relative sizes of the bars. Let's summarize the information we have:

  • Bar C is the shortest.
  • Bar D (which represents Mars) is about three times the size of Bar C.
  • Bar A is about six times the size of Bar C.
  • Bar B is about eight times the size of Bar C.

Now, let’s assign approximate distances based on the information:

  1. Bar C (the shortest): Let's assume Bar C represents a distance of 1 unit. Thus:
    • Bar D (Mars) = 3 units
    • Bar A = 6 units
    • Bar B = 8 units

Understanding typical distances in space, we can compare:

  • Moon: About 0.000384 million kilometers (or 1 unit in our scale).
  • Mars: About 227.9 million kilometers (or 3 units in our scale).
  • Sun: About 149.6 million kilometers (or significantly more than 6 or 8 units).
  • Uranus: About 2.87 billion kilometers (far more than Mars, more than 8 times the distance of the moon in this context).

Now analyzing the options:

  1. B could be the moon, and C could be the sun: This is not possible because the moon is much closer than the sun.

  2. B could be the sun, and C could be the moon: This is not possible because the moon is closest, and the sun is much farther away.

  3. B could be the sun, and C could be planet Uranus: This is not feasible since Uranus is much farther than the sun.

  4. B could be the moon, and C could be planet Uranus: This is also not feasible since Uranus is much farther than our moon.

The only comparison that fits relative distances accurately based on the common astronomical knowledge is B could be the sun, and C could be the moon. Thus, unless I've misinterpreted any of the distances, none of the pairs presented seem accurate based on known distances of these celestial bodies.

However, since Bar C has to represent a much shorter distance (like the moon), and Bar B represents a larger distance itself, thus indicating the only one possible conclusion regarding B and C could be:

B could be Mars and C could be the Moon, or B could be Sun, C could be Moon. The right option would depend on what the right pairing was interpreted given scale representation.

On occurrence with known distances, perhaps B could be the sun, and C could be moon seems logically acceptable against known parameters presented in your inquiry.