How the Solar System Works Worksheet

Objectives – Describe and compare the components of the Solar System; Identify the role gravity plays in the structure of the Solar System.

Name ______

How the Solar System Works Worksheet

1. In our Solar System, things move, spin, and circle through space.

a. Trueb. False

2. Which of the following is not a part of our Solar System?

a. Asteroidse. Moons and rings

b. Cometsf. Planets

c. Gravityg. Pulsars

d. Lots of spaceh. Sun

3. The Sun’s ______holds the Solar System together.

a. gravityc. magic

b. magnetismd. inertia

4. A contracting nebula formed the Sun.

a. Trueb. False

5. Leftover gas and dust from the Sun became…

a. another star.c. planets.

b. protostars.

6. Gravity is…

a. the force that keeps things moving in certain ways.

b. the force that pulls one object to another.

7. Without gravity, there would be no Solar System.

a. Trueb. False

8. If there were no gravity, what would happen to the planets?

a. They would be pulled into the Sun.

b. They would continue to revolve around the Sun.

c. They would fall away from the Sun.

d. They wouldn’t move.

9. Bigger objects have weaker pull.

a. Trueb. False

10. The Sun has ______% of the Solar System’s total mass. (Enter a number)

11. A second force called ______keeps the planets from falling into the Sun.

a. gravityc. magic

b. magnetismd. inertia

12. Inertia keeps things moving in a certain way.

a. Trueb. False

13. ______tries to move planets in a straight line. ______keeps them in orbit. (There are two answers to this question. Be sure to enter both answers in your clicker!)

a. gravityb. magnetism

b. inertiad. strong force

14. Planets ______because the original nebula spun.

a. revolveb. spin

15. The Sun is made mostly of which gas?

a. Oxygenc. Helium

b. Methaned. Hydrogen

16. The four inner planets are called…

a. gas giants.c. rocky worlds.

b. icy worlds.d. asteroids.

17. The inner rocky planets…

a. are small.d. all appear Earth-like.

b. have crusts of rock.e. All of the above.

c. are denser than the outer gas giants are.

18. Gas Giants are different from Rocky Planets in which of the following ways?

a. Gas Giants are denser than rocky planets.

b. Gas Giants have poisonous atmospheres.

c. Gas Giants weigh less than rocky planets.

19. The sunlight that reaches Neptune is about ______times dimmer than Earth. (Enter a number)

20. This world was called a planet in the video, but since 2006 has been classified as a dwarf planet.

a. Marsc. Neptune

b. Mercuryd. Pluto

21. Pluto shares its orbit with thousands of…

a. Kuiper Belt objects.c. asteroids.

b. comets.d. Oort Cloud objects.

22. Most asteroids are found between the orbits of which planets? (There are two answers to this question. Be sure to enter both answers in your clicker!)

a. Earthe. Neptune

b. Jupiterf. Saturn

c. Marsg. Uranus

d. Mercuryh. Venus

23. Which of the following are additional parts to the Solar System?

a. Cometsc. Oort Cloud

b. Heliopaused. All of the above.

24. The word terrestrial refers to which of the following?

a. Sunc. Moon

b. Earthd. Rocky Planets

25. The Solar System is part of which galaxy?

a. M51c. Sombrero

b. Milky Wayd. Pinwheel

How the Solar System Works Worksheet

1. In our Solar System, things move, spin, and circle through space.

a. Trueb. False

a. True (2 choices)

2. Which of the following is not a part of our Solar System?

a. Asteroidse. Moons and rings

b. Cometsf. Planets

c. Gravityg. Pulsars

d. Lots of spaceh. Sun

g. Pulsars (8 choices)

3. The Sun’s ______holds the Solar System together.

a. gravityc. magic

b. magnetismd. inertia

a. gravity

4. A contracting nebula formed the Sun.

a. Trueb. False

a. True

5. Leftover gas and dust from the Sun became…

a. another star.c. planets.

b. protostars.

c. planets. (3 choices)

6. Gravity is…

a. the force that keeps things moving in certain ways.

b. the force that pulls one object to another.

b. the force that pulls one object to another. (2 choices)

7. Without gravity, there would be no Solar System.

a. Trueb. False

a. True (2 choices)

8. If there were no gravity, what would happen to the planets?

a. They would be pulled into the Sun.

b. They would continue to revolve around the Sun.

c. They would fall away from the Sun.

d. They wouldn’t move.

c. They would fall away from the Sun.

9. Bigger objects have weaker pull.

a. Trueb. False

b. False (2 choices)

10. The Sun has ______% of the Solar System’s total mass. (Enter a number)

99

11. A second force called ______keeps the planets from falling into the Sun.

a. gravityc. magic

b. magnetismd. inertia

d. inertia

12. Inertia keeps things moving in a certain way.

a. Trueb. False

a. True (2 choices)

13. ______tries to move planets in a straight line. ______keeps them in orbit. (There are two answers to this question. Be sure to enter both answers in your clicker!)

a. gravityb. magnetism

b. inertiad. strong force

a. gravity; b. inertia

14. Planets ______because the original nebula spun.

a. revolveb. spin

b. spin (2 choices)

15. The Sun is made mostly of which gas?

a. Oxygenc. Helium

b. Methaned. Hydrogen

d. Hydrogen

16. The four inner planets are called…

a. gas giants.c. rocky worlds.

b. icy worlds.d. asteroids.

c. rocky worlds

17. The inner rocky planets…

a. are small.d. all appear Earth-like.

b. have crusts of rock.e. All of the above.

c. are denser than the outer gas giants are.

e. All of the above (5 choices)

18. Gas Giants are different from Rocky Planets in which of the following ways?

a. Gas Giants are denser than rocky planets.

b. Gas Giants have poisonous atmospheres.

c. Gas Giants weigh less than rocky planets.

b. Gas Giants have poisonous atmospheres. (3 choices)

19. The sunlight that reaches Neptune is about ______times dimmer than Earth. (Enter a number)

1000

20. This world was called a planet in the video, but since 2006 has been classified as a dwarf planet.

a. Marsc. Neptune

b. Mercuryd. Pluto

d. Pluto

21. Pluto shares its orbit with thousands of…

a. Kuiper Belt objects.c. asteroids.

b. comets.d. Oort Cloud objects.

a. Kuiper Belt objects.

22. Most asteroids are found between the orbits of which planets? (There are two answers to this question. Be sure to enter both answers in your clicker!)

a. Earthe. Neptune

b. Jupiterf. Saturn

c. Marsg. Uranus

d. Mercuryh. Venus

a. Earth; b. Jupiter (8 choices)

23. Which of the following are additional parts to the Solar System?

a. Cometsc. Oort Cloud

b. Heliopaused. All of the above.

d. All of the above

24. The word terrestrial refers to which of the following?

a. Sunc. Moon

b. Earthd. Rocky Planets

b. Earth

25. The Solar System is part of which galaxy?

a. M51c. Sombrero

b. Milky Wayd. Pinwheel

b. Milky Way

How the Solar System Works Worksheet – Scoring Guide

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