1. What is the name of planet A in the above picture?
2. What is the name of planet B in the above picture?
3. The planets shown in the figure are sometimes called the outer planets. Why?
You can find a planet or star's average density by dividing its mass M by 4R3/3, where R is its radius. In doing such calculations you need to be SURE to use the proper units. Density is often expressed in grams per cubic cm. Therefore the mass must be in grams and the radius in cm.
For example, suppose we want to calculate the density of Uranus. We therefore need its mass and radius which we can find in a table of properties of planets. Its mass is 8.68x1025 kg. Its radius is 25,559 km. Round this off in the following to 2.6x104 km.
We first convert the mass to grams. One kg = 1000 grams.
Therefore to convert Kgs to gms, simply multiply by 1000 = 103.
5. What is Uranus's mass in gm?
We must next convert the radius in km to a radius in cm.
1 km = 1000 meters and 1 meter = 100 cm.
Therefore 1 km = 1000x100 =105 cm.
Thus, to convert km to cm, multiply by 105.
= M/(4R3/3)
= 8.68x1028/(4(2.6x109)3/3)
= 8.68x1028 /(4x3.14..x(2.63x109x3/3)
= 8.68x 10 28-27/(73.6)
= 1.18 gm/cm3.
You can also find the density of an object by comparing its mass and radius to the mass and radius of an object of known density as follows: a) Increasing the mass by a given factor, increases the density by the same amount.. b) Increasing the radius by a given factor, decreases the density by the amount cubed.
For example: If its mass were the same as the Earth's but its radius were 3 times larger, its density would be 5 gm/cm3 /(33) = 5/27 = 0.185 (approx). Likewise, if its radius were the same but its mass were 3 times larger, its density would be 5 gm/cm3 X 3 = 15 gm/cm3.
7. The Earth's density is about 5 gm/cm 3. If an object's mass were ten times larger and its size the same as the Earth's, its density (in gm/cm3) would be
9. Rock has a density of about 3 gm/cm 3, and iron has a density of about 8 gm/cm 3. What does this suggest about what Jupiter is made of?
11. The planet Neptune is named for what deity?
12. The planet Jupiter is named for the Roman King of the Gods. Why is this name appropriate for the planet?
13. The planet Pluto is named for what deity?
14. What are some reasons that some astronomers feel that Pluto should not be considered an Jovian planet?
15. The picture of Jupiter above shows strongly colored bands. These are caused by
17.The Coriolis effect itself arises because a planet
The Coriolis Effect occurs when an object moves across the surface or through the atmosphere of a spinning planet. Even though the object moves in a straight line as seen by an observer in space, it moves along a curved path as seen by an observer on the planet. This "twists" air currents that would otherwise flow from pole to equator into currents that flow around the planet. Earth's tradewinds and westerlies (such as the jet stream) arise this way. On the outer planets they create the cloud bands we see there.
In watching the animation, note that the particle that starts at the pole moves in a straight line (vertically up the screen) but its track on the Earth is curved.