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

Earth and Venus
Earth and Venus

Mercury and Neptune
Mercury and Neptune

Uranus and Saturn
Uranus and Saturn

Mars and Jupiter
Mars and Jupiter
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1 answer

To determine which two planets should be the closest in diameter on the model, we can compare the diameters of the planets listed:

  • 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

Looking at the diameters, the two planets with the closest sizes are:

  • Uranus: 51,100 km
  • Neptune: 50,000 km

Their diameters differ by only 1,100 km, which is significantly closer than the differences between the other planet pairs.

Thus, the answer is Uranus and Neptune.