Physics: Planetary Scale Model Activity for Gravity…
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$3.00
Regular price $2.50Instant digital download -- no physical shipping.
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✓
NGSS Aligned
✓
Instant Digital Download
✓
Created by a 7+ Year Physics Teacher
📦 Save with the Gravity Unit Bundle: Get every gravity resource I sell — quizzes, slide decks, labs, crosswords, warmups, the test, and the escape room — bundled for $48.75. Get the Physics Gravity Unit Bundle — NGSS Grades 9-12 →
Help your physics students truly grasp the mind-boggling scale of our solar system through this hands-on modeling activity. Watch as abstract astronomical distances become concrete and meaningful when students calculate, create, and display their own planetary scale models.
What's Included:
- ✓ Complete student activity sheets with step-by-step procedures
- ✓ Data tables for planetary size and distance calculations
- ✓ Guided questions that develop critical thinking about scale and ratios
- ✓ Materials list for easy classroom preparation
- ✓ Answer key for quick grading and student self-assessment
- ✓ Display guidelines for sharing student models school-wide
Why Teachers Love This:
- No-prep digital format prints easily for immediate classroom use
- Students develop deeper conceptual understanding through kinesthetic learning
- Reinforces mathematical skills (ratios, proportions) within physics context
- Creates impressive visual displays that showcase student learning
- Aligns with NGSS HS-PS2-4 standards requirements
- Works equally well for in-person and distance learning scenarios
Perfect For:
- High school physics gravity and orbital mechanics units
- Conceptual physics courses emphasizing mathematical reasoning
- Earth science classes studying solar system structure
- Cross-curricular math and science integration projects
- Grades 9-12 students ready for astronomical scale challenges
Pro Tip: Set up the distance scale in your school hallway to create a walking tour that amazes students and staff alike.
📦 Get the complete Gravity unit
This resource is part of the Gravity Unit Bundle — all lessons, labs, assessments, and review materials for the full unit.
Update your location to see state-specific standards (only available in the US).
NGSS HS-PS2-2
Use mathematical representations to support the claim that the total momentum of a system of objects is conserved when there is no net force on the system. Emphasis is on the quantitative conservation of momentum in interactions and the qualitative meaning of this principle. Assessment is limited to systems of two macroscopic bodies moving in one dimension.
NGSS HS-PS3-1
Create a computational model to calculate the change in the energy of one component in a system when the change in energy of the other component(s) and energy flows in and out of the system are known. Emphasis is on explaining the meaning of mathematical expressions used in the model. Assessment is limited to basic algebraic expressions or computations; to systems of two or three components; and to thermal energy, kinetic energy, and/or the energies in gravitational, magnetic, or electric fields.
NGSS HS-PS2-1
Analyze data to support the claim that Newton’s second law of motion describes the mathematical relationship among the net force on a macroscopic object, its mass, and its acceleration. Assessment is limited to one-dimensional motion and to macroscopic objects moving at non-relativistic speeds. Examples of data could include tables or graphs of position or velocity as a function of time for objects subject to a net unbalanced force, such as a falling object, an object sliding down a ramp, or a moving object being pulled by a constant force.
NGSS HS-PS4-1
Use mathematical representations to support a claim regarding relationships among the frequency, wavelength, and speed of waves traveling in various media. Examples of data could include electromagnetic radiation traveling in a vacuum and glass, sound waves traveling through air and water, and seismic waves traveling through the earth. Assessment is limited to algebraic relationships and describing those relationships qualitatively.
NGSS HS-PS2-3
Apply scientific and engineering ideas to design, evaluate, and refine a device that minimizes the force on a macroscopic object during a collision. Examples of evaluation and refinement could include determining the success of the device at protecting an object from damage and modifying the design to improve it. Examples of a device could include a football helmet or a parachute. Assessment is limited to qualitative evaluations and/or algebraic manipulations.
NGSS HS-PS2-2
Use mathematical representations to support the claim that the total momentum of a system of objects is conserved when there is no net force on the system. Emphasis is on the quantitative conservation of momentum in interactions and the qualitative meaning of this principle. Assessment is limited to systems of two macroscopic bodies moving in one dimension.
NGSS HS-PS3-1
Create a computational model to calculate the change in the energy of one component in a system when the change in energy of the other component(s) and energy flows in and out of the system are known. Emphasis is on explaining the meaning of mathematical expressions used in the model. Assessment is limited to basic algebraic expressions or computations; to systems of two or three components; and to thermal energy, kinetic energy, and/or the energies in gravitational, magnetic, or electric fields.
NGSS HS-PS2-1
Analyze data to support the claim that Newton’s second law of motion describes the mathematical relationship among the net force on a macroscopic object, its mass, and its acceleration. Assessment is limited to one-dimensional motion and to macroscopic objects moving at non-relativistic speeds. Examples of data could include tables or graphs of position or velocity as a function of time for objects subject to a net unbalanced force, such as a falling object, an object sliding down a ramp, or a moving object being pulled by a constant force.
NGSS HS-PS4-1
Use mathematical representations to support a claim regarding relationships among the frequency, wavelength, and speed of waves traveling in various media. Examples of data could include electromagnetic radiation traveling in a vacuum and glass, sound waves traveling through air and water, and seismic waves traveling through the earth. Assessment is limited to algebraic relationships and describing those relationships qualitatively.
NGSS HS-PS2-3
Apply scientific and engineering ideas to design, evaluate, and refine a device that minimizes the force on a macroscopic object during a collision. Examples of evaluation and refinement could include determining the success of the device at protecting an object from damage and modifying the design to improve it. Examples of a device could include a football helmet or a parachute. Assessment is limited to qualitative evaluations and/or algebraic manipulations.
Physics: Planetary Scale Model Activity for Gravity…
Sale price
$3.00
Regular price $2.50Instant digital download -- no physical shipping.
✓
NGSS Aligned
✓
Instant Digital Download
✓
Created by a 7+ Year Physics Teacher
📦 Save with the Gravity Unit Bundle: Get every gravity resource I sell — quizzes, slide decks, labs, crosswords, warmups, the test, and the escape room — bundled for $48.75. Get the Physics Gravity Unit Bundle — NGSS Grades 9-12 →
Help your physics students truly grasp the mind-boggling scale of our solar system through this hands-on modeling activity. Watch as abstract astronomical distances become concrete and meaningful when students calculate, create, and display their own planetary scale models.
What's Included:
- ✓ Complete student activity sheets with step-by-step procedures
- ✓ Data tables for planetary size and distance calculations
- ✓ Guided questions that develop critical thinking about scale and ratios
- ✓ Materials list for easy classroom preparation
- ✓ Answer key for quick grading and student self-assessment
- ✓ Display guidelines for sharing student models school-wide
Why Teachers Love This:
- No-prep digital format prints easily for immediate classroom use
- Students develop deeper conceptual understanding through kinesthetic learning
- Reinforces mathematical skills (ratios, proportions) within physics context
- Creates impressive visual displays that showcase student learning
- Aligns with NGSS HS-PS2-4 standards requirements
- Works equally well for in-person and distance learning scenarios
Perfect For:
- High school physics gravity and orbital mechanics units
- Conceptual physics courses emphasizing mathematical reasoning
- Earth science classes studying solar system structure
- Cross-curricular math and science integration projects
- Grades 9-12 students ready for astronomical scale challenges
Pro Tip: Set up the distance scale in your school hallway to create a walking tour that amazes students and staff alike.
📦 Get the complete Gravity unit
This resource is part of the Gravity Unit Bundle — all lessons, labs, assessments, and review materials for the full unit.
Update your location to see state-specific standards (only available in the US).
NGSS HS-PS2-2
Use mathematical representations to support the claim that the total momentum of a system of objects is conserved when there is no net force on the system. Emphasis is on the quantitative conservation of momentum in interactions and the qualitative meaning of this principle. Assessment is limited to systems of two macroscopic bodies moving in one dimension.
NGSS HS-PS3-1
Create a computational model to calculate the change in the energy of one component in a system when the change in energy of the other component(s) and energy flows in and out of the system are known. Emphasis is on explaining the meaning of mathematical expressions used in the model. Assessment is limited to basic algebraic expressions or computations; to systems of two or three components; and to thermal energy, kinetic energy, and/or the energies in gravitational, magnetic, or electric fields.
NGSS HS-PS2-1
Analyze data to support the claim that Newton’s second law of motion describes the mathematical relationship among the net force on a macroscopic object, its mass, and its acceleration. Assessment is limited to one-dimensional motion and to macroscopic objects moving at non-relativistic speeds. Examples of data could include tables or graphs of position or velocity as a function of time for objects subject to a net unbalanced force, such as a falling object, an object sliding down a ramp, or a moving object being pulled by a constant force.
NGSS HS-PS4-1
Use mathematical representations to support a claim regarding relationships among the frequency, wavelength, and speed of waves traveling in various media. Examples of data could include electromagnetic radiation traveling in a vacuum and glass, sound waves traveling through air and water, and seismic waves traveling through the earth. Assessment is limited to algebraic relationships and describing those relationships qualitatively.
NGSS HS-PS2-3
Apply scientific and engineering ideas to design, evaluate, and refine a device that minimizes the force on a macroscopic object during a collision. Examples of evaluation and refinement could include determining the success of the device at protecting an object from damage and modifying the design to improve it. Examples of a device could include a football helmet or a parachute. Assessment is limited to qualitative evaluations and/or algebraic manipulations.
NGSS HS-PS2-2
Use mathematical representations to support the claim that the total momentum of a system of objects is conserved when there is no net force on the system. Emphasis is on the quantitative conservation of momentum in interactions and the qualitative meaning of this principle. Assessment is limited to systems of two macroscopic bodies moving in one dimension.
NGSS HS-PS3-1
Create a computational model to calculate the change in the energy of one component in a system when the change in energy of the other component(s) and energy flows in and out of the system are known. Emphasis is on explaining the meaning of mathematical expressions used in the model. Assessment is limited to basic algebraic expressions or computations; to systems of two or three components; and to thermal energy, kinetic energy, and/or the energies in gravitational, magnetic, or electric fields.
NGSS HS-PS2-1
Analyze data to support the claim that Newton’s second law of motion describes the mathematical relationship among the net force on a macroscopic object, its mass, and its acceleration. Assessment is limited to one-dimensional motion and to macroscopic objects moving at non-relativistic speeds. Examples of data could include tables or graphs of position or velocity as a function of time for objects subject to a net unbalanced force, such as a falling object, an object sliding down a ramp, or a moving object being pulled by a constant force.
NGSS HS-PS4-1
Use mathematical representations to support a claim regarding relationships among the frequency, wavelength, and speed of waves traveling in various media. Examples of data could include electromagnetic radiation traveling in a vacuum and glass, sound waves traveling through air and water, and seismic waves traveling through the earth. Assessment is limited to algebraic relationships and describing those relationships qualitatively.
NGSS HS-PS2-3
Apply scientific and engineering ideas to design, evaluate, and refine a device that minimizes the force on a macroscopic object during a collision. Examples of evaluation and refinement could include determining the success of the device at protecting an object from damage and modifying the design to improve it. Examples of a device could include a football helmet or a parachute. Assessment is limited to qualitative evaluations and/or algebraic manipulations.
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