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Observing Mars in the Night Sky
High schoolers compare and contrast the orbits of Earth and Mars, locate the planet Mars, and diagram its retrograde motion.
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Orbital Motion
Students use a formula to measure the eccentricity of an ellipse, then state Kepler's Law of Elliptical Orbits. They predict the solar energy received at different positions in a planet's orbit.
CK-12 Foundation
Orbital Motion
Why do planets orbit the sun in ellipses when moons orbit their planet in circles? Pupils control the semi-major axis, eccentricity of the orbit, and position angle. The resulting orbital appears with the related force vectors as...
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Was Kepler Correct?
Students are introduced to Kepler's 2nd law of Planetary Motion. The lesson reinforces the understanding of focal points. They calculate the sector area of an ellipse.Students expand understanding by modeling Kepler's 2nd Law of...
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Solar System
Eighth graders identify the basic concepts of celestial bodies. They discover the difference between perihelion and aphelion and demonstrate how the universe is expanding. They also discover how gravity and centrifugal force are...
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The Orbit Of Planet Gamma
Students investigate the concept of common errors that are made in the laboratory setting while analyzing the data of an experiment. They are given a scenario and are asked to measure the data of the major and minor axis. The purpose is...
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How Does a Satellite Stay in Orbit?
Students explore placing a satellite into orbit, then about forces needed to keep an object in orbit. They examine how satellites orbit in elliptical paths and about properties of ellipses. They learn Kepler's 3rd Law of Planetary Motion
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TE Activity: A Roundabout Way to Mars
Students investigate Hohmann orbit transfers using cardboard and string while focusing on the orbits of Earth and Mars. They look at the planets orbits around the sun and transfer orbit form one planet to another to determine what a...
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Kepler and his Laws
High schoolers examine Kepler's Laws. They confirm Kepler's 3rd law by comparing orbital periods and mean distances for all major planets and study conic sections, qualitatively.
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Modeling Martian Motion
Students explore the difference between stars and planets and take on the role of these objects to simulate the relative motions of Mars and the Earth around the Sun.
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Formation of The Solar System
For this science worksheet, students use basic scientific concepts to complete the series of puzzles that are intended to increase science literacy about the parts and formation of the solar system.
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Johannes Kepler
In this online interactive history worksheet, students respond to 10 short answer and essay questions about the achievements of Johannes Kepler. Students may check some of their answers on the interactive worksheet.
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Kepler's Laws Review
In this Kepler's Laws worksheet, students answer questions about Kepler's three specific laws. They identify what the Elliptical Orbit Law, the Equal Area Law and the Harmonic Law mean.
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Kepler And His Laws
High schoolers engage in an overview of the story of Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler, and of Kepler's laws. Each of Kepler's laws be studied separately in more detail in later lessons. They examine Kepler's 3rd law.
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Does the Distance Between the Earth and Sun Cause the seasons?
Students reflect upon the concepts of seasons. The concepts are taught using a variety of different teaching approaches. A activities lead to a reflection that will help students to make a cognitive transfer of information form...
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Earth and Sun's Distance
Students consider the shape of the Earth's orbit around the Sun. They view the first segment of Science Court video and use Timeliner software to construct a scale of the distance between the Earth and the Sun.
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Worksheet 12
In this math worksheet, students explain the vector parametric equation for a line, scalar parametric equations, symmetric equations, and the implicit equation for a line.
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Worksheet 21 Spring 1996
In this math activity, students consider a path around the unit circle parameterized by σ on the interval [0, 1] with σ(t) = sin(5πt − π), cos(5πt − π). Then they find the vector.
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Nature of Meteor Showers
Ninth graders describe, in general terms, the distribution of matter in space and
identify evidence for, and describe characteristics of, bodies that make up the solar system. They then investigate predictions about the motion,...