 Earth
is the planet we live on and the one with water and life as we know it. It is the third
largest planet of the nine that orbit the sun. The planets provide a lot of interesting
numbers for measurement and computation. We will first examine the distance and size of
the planets. Then we will study weight and age if we were to travel to different planets.
The main purpose of this page is to learn scientific notation. For additional
information about the subject, click here to go to the
'Powers Quiz' page.
How far are the planets from the Sun?
Planets |
Distance
from Sun in km |
Approx.
diameter in km |
| Mercury |
5.8 x 107 |
4, 840 |
| Venus |
1.03 x 108 |
12, 200 |
| Earth |
1.55 x 108 |
12, 756 |
| Mars |
2.28 x 108 |
6, 787 |
| Jupiter |
7.78 x 108 |
142, 200 |
| Saturn |
1.427 x 109 |
120, 600 |
| Uranus |
2.87 x 109 |
51, 300 |
| Neptune |
4.497 x 109 |
49, 100 |
| Pluto |
5.9 x 109 |
2, 300 |
Light travels at 300,000 km/second. How much time will it take to send a radio wave
from Pluto to the Sun. (assume radio waves travel at the speed of light).
 
5,900,000,000 / 300,000 = 19,666.7 seconds / 60
= 327.8 minutes / 60
= 5.46 hours
John traveled in a Boeing 747 at 1,200 km/hr. About how long will it take him to
go around the Earth once?
Estimate the Answer:
 Less than 20 hours
Between 20 and 30 hours
More than 30 hours
 
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