Name:_____________________________________________
Toilet Paper Solar System
Objective: Students will be able to model the distance as well as the size of the planets in our solar
system.
Materials:

felt tip or gel pens and colored pencils

scissors

100 sheets (42 ft.) one roll of toilet paper

meter stick/ruler
Part I- Distance between the planets:
1. Begin by testing and practicing writing skills on a loose piece of toilet paper with the gel pens.
2. Make a dot on the seam between the first two sheets of toilet paper. This is the SUN. Write
the word Sun beside the dot.
3. Use the data table to mark the distance (sheets of TP) for each planet. However, understand
that each distance is measured from the distance from the sun NOT the previous planet. For
example, after you get to Mercury, you 1.8 more sheets to get to Venus.
4. You will need to create a DOT for EACH planet. NOTE-that Saturn nearly doubles the distance
of Jupiter from the sun and the same is for Uranus in comparison to Saturn.
Note: 100 Sheets of toilet paper stretch out nearly 42 feet.
Remember that each measurement is the distance from the sun not the closest planet.
To help your measurements, measure the width of 1 sheet here:_____________
Planet
Squares of toilet paper
(distance from the Sun)
Mercury
1.0
Venus
1.8
Earth
2.5
Mars
3.8
Ceres
7.0
Jupiter
13.2
Saturn
24.2
Uranus
48.6
Neptune
76.3
Pluto
100
Part II- Scale Diameter of the Planets.
1. Obtain a large piece of construction to cut-out the appropriate diameters of each planet.
2. Using the measurements below, as well as assistance from your group members, measure and cut
out the diameter of each planet. Watch your UNITS carefully!
Planets/dwarf planet:
Actual Diameter in
Miles:
Actual Diameter in km
Drawn to scale in mm
(only 1 number after
the decimal)
Mercury
3,029 miles
4,880km
4.9mm
Venus
7,521 miles
12,104km
12.1mm
Earth
7,926 miles
12,756km
12.8mm
Mars
4,213 miles
6,787km
6.8mm
Jupiter
88,846 miles
142,800km
14.3cm
Saturn
74,898 miles
120,000km
12.0cm
Uranus
31,763 miles
51,800km
5.2cm
Neptune
30,760 miles
49,500km
5.0cm
Pluto (Dwarf)
1,432 miles
2,300km
2.3mm
3. Then, COLOR each planet to resemble the appearance of the characteristics of each planet.
4. Next, CAREFULLY tape each planet cut-out directly on the dot of the measured location for each
planet.
5. Neatly write the name in marker in the center of each planet.
6. You have now completed your TP Solar System
Analysis and Conclusion Questions:
1. What is the difference between a perihelion and aphelion?
2. How does speed vary from each position and why?
3. Next, knowing that Pluto is an estimated 100 toilet paper sheets from the “Sun” and your
measurements have shown that one sheet of toilet is paper is ____________cm, predict the
number of sheets of toilet paper for the rest of our dwarf planets using the graph below.
a. Haumea:_____________________________________
b. Makemake:_______________________________________
c. Eris:____________________________________________
4.
What are THREE distinct characteristics for EACH of the three categories of planets in our
solar system:
a. Terrestrial
b. Jovian
c. Dwarf: