ARSC/GEOL 2110
Physical Science of the Earth System
Earth's Place in the Solar System?
Fall 2001

Lab Report for Week 3 - Due Thursday, Sept. 20 - Earth's Place in the Solar System

Draw on the solar system walk and Chapter 2 in your text to answer these questions. Hints are provided to help you develop your skill in interpreting questions and thus knowing what exactly needs to go into the answer. This is an important and very useful general skill.

1. Describe some important differences between the inner and outer planets in our solar system. (hint: a 'describe' question means you are stating and organizing some facts or observations - not explaining them yet).
2. Summarize the process by which our solar system formed, starting with the formation of our Sun. (hint: since you are to 'summarize' a process, listing a series of steps would be one way to organize your answer to this question).
3. Link these ideas: Explain how the differences you listed in #1 result from the formation process you described in #2. (This may include differences that continued to evolve after the planets' initial formation, but that do depend on where the planets are in the solar system and what they are like). (now it's an 'explain' question, so you need to deal with the hows and whys)
4. Explain how the increasing distance between planets as you travel out from the Sun is also a result of the process of formation. Hint: where does the stuff to make a planet come from? (here's another how and why, about one specific difference in the inner and outer planet)