Solar System Scale Quick Check

Question

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Question
Suppose a student develops a scale model of the planets. Which two planets should be the closest in diameter on the model?



Comparison of Planet Size

Planet Diameter (km)
Mercury 4,800
Venus 12,100
Earth 12,800
Mars 6,700
Jupiter 143,000
Saturn 120,000
Uranus 51,100
Neptune 50,000
(1 point)
Responses

Mars and Jupiter
Mars and Jupiter

Earth and Venus
Earth and Venus

Mercury and Neptune
Mercury and Neptune

Uranus and Saturn
Uranus and Saturn
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Answer 1

To determine which two planets should be the closest in diameter on the scale model, we can look at their diameters and see which two are most similar.

Based on the provided diameters:

• Mercury: 4,800 km
• Venus: 12,100 km
• Earth: 12,800 km
• Mars: 6,700 km
• Jupiter: 143,000 km
• Saturn: 120,000 km
• Uranus: 51,100 km
• Neptune: 50,000 km

Comparing the planets:

• Venus (12,100 km) and Earth (12,800 km) are the closest in size.
• Mars (6,700 km) and Jupiter (143,000 km) are not close.
• Mercury (4,800 km) and Neptune (50,000 km) are not close.
• Uranus (51,100 km) and Saturn (120,000 km) are also not close.

The closest in diameter are Earth and Venus. Hence, the correct response is:

Earth and Venus.