Homework Set 7
DUE: Tuesday, July 2
Some of these questions entail looking up concepts and numbers in the book and in the Handout 5, "The Kuiper Belt". Please use a separate piece of paper for your answers.
1. Each planet of the solar system has a special symbol. Draw the symbol for each planet, and label it with the planet's name. Make up a symbol for the Earth's Moon, and draw and label it, too.
2. Why do Uranus and Neptune have more Earth-like colors (bluish) than Jupiter and Saturn?
3. Where would Bode's rule, if extended, predict a tenth planet? Would it be easier to detect if covered with snow or rock? Why?
4. Draw a picture of Pluto in orbit around the Sun. Then draw in its moon, Charon, and indicate Charon's orbit around Pluto. Make sure you get the correct orientation of Charon's orbit with respect to Pluto's orbit around the Sun.
5. When was the first Kuiper Belt object discovered? Why wasn't one discovered before this time?
6. Let's figure out how much water is stored in the outer solar system.
a. How much water is in the Kuiper Belt? Assume it is made up of 35,000 giant comets, each 50 km in radius. Also assume that comets are half water, half rock. The formula for the volume of a sphere is V = 4/3*p*R3. Express your answer in terms of cubic kilometers.
b. Assume the amount of water in the Earth's oceans is 500 million cubic kilometers. How does this compare with the amount of water in the Kuiper Belt?
c. How much water is in the Oort Cloud? Assume it is made up of 100 billion comets, each 1 km in radius. Also assume that these comets are half water, half rock. Express your answer in terms of cubic kilometers.
d. How does the amount of water in the Earth's oceans compare with the amount of water in the Oort Cloud?
6/27/96