TEKS 6.11B understand that gravity is the force that governs the motion of our solar system
Planetary Soda- Pop
Objective:
 Demonstrate the relative masses of the planets.
 Predict weight on another planet.
 Use tools to collect data by measuring.
Materials:
 1 full aluminum
soda can
 1200 pennies
(small washers can
be substituted)
 9 empty aluminum
soda cans
 9 pull tabs (from
the soda cans)
 Index cards
Background:
People often use the terms mass and weight to mean the same thing. While they
are related, they are not the same thing. Weight is the pull of gravity on an
object. Mass is the amount of matter that makes up the object. We measure
weight with a spring scale and mass on a triple beam balance. The unit for weight
is the Newton (N). The unit for mass is the gram (g).
Suppose you have a rock in your pocket that has a mass of 120 g. If you hang the
rock from a spring scale, its weight will read about 1.2N. What if you took the rock
to the moon? On the moon the rock would still have a mass of 120 g, because it
still contains the same amount of matter. But if you found the rock’s weight on the
Moon, it would be much different. Since the moon is made out of less matter than
Earth, the Moon has less gravitational force to pull on the rock. The rock would
have a weight of about 0.2 N on the Moon.
In this activity, we will compare the pull of gravity to the masses of the moon and
the planets. (For this activity, we will include poor Pluto!)
Set Up and Procedures:
The gravities and masses in this activity are approximate.
1. Collect 10, non-crushed, aluminum soda cans. Make sure that 9 of the cans are
empty and one is full and unopened. Remove the pull tabs from the 9 empty
cans, and save them for the planet Pluto. *Note: you may use plastic zipper
bags or plastic containers.
2. Split the class into groups and assign each group a number. The number
corresponds to a planet or the moon.
3. Have the students fill their can with the appropriate number of pennies. *Note:
You may substitute washer for the pennies, provided each has an
average mass of 2.7 grams. You may pre-fill the cans, which makes reuse
much easier!.
4. Have the groups mass the cans with the pennies. **note that the triple
beam balances may not accommodate a large mass such as that of
Jupiter. You can put two balances together with a ruler between them and
combine the masses.
Average Mass of a Full Can of Soda
Average Mass of an Empty Can
Average Mass of a penny
= 390g
= 17g
=2.74g
5. Have each group write the number of their planet/moon on an index card along
with the mass.
6. Line up the cans, with the cards displayed in front of them, and have
students predict which can represents each planet.
7. Discuss the predictions and provide students with the planet/moon names.
8.
Have students construct a bar graph of the masses.
# of Pennies
Relative
Surface
Gravity
Mass
(g)
48
0.38
146.6
2. Venus
120
0.89
341
3. Earth
Unopened can
(or 135)
1.00
381.5
4. Moon
17
0.166
62.9
5. Mars
62
0.48
184.4
6. Jupiter
355
2.54
975.5
7. Saturn
146
1.07
411.2
8. Uranus
119
0.88
338.3
9. Neptune
153
1.14
430.1
9 Pull Tabs
0.028
9
Planets
1. Mercury
10.
Pluto
Analysis Questions:
For these questions, we will consider Pluto a planet.
1. Which planet has the greatest mass? Jupiter
2. Which planet has the least amount of mass? Pluto
3. How does the moon’s mass compare to that of the other planets? The
moon’s mass is much smaller than all but Pluto
4. What is the relationship between an object’s mass and the force of gravity?
The higher the mass, the greater the pull of gravity
5. If you have an object that has a mass of 500 grams, on which planet would
it weigh the most? Jupiter The least? Pluto
6. Explain in your own words, the difference between mass and weight.
Answers will vary
7. If mass and gravity were used to classify planets, would Pluto be a planet?
What about the Moon? Answers will vary
TEKS 6.11B understand that gravity is the force that governs the motion of our solar system
Planetary Soda Pop
Objective:
 Demonstrate the relative masses of the planets.
 Predict weight on another planet.
 Use tools to collect data by measuring.
Background:
People often use the terms mass and weight to mean the same thing. While they
are related, they are not the same thing. Weight is the pull of gravity on an
object. Mass is the amount of matter that makes up the object. We measure
weight with a spring scale and mass on a triple beam balance.
Suppose you have a rock in your pocket that has a mass of 120 g. If you hang the
rock from a spring scale, its weight will read about 1.2N. What if you took the rock
to the moon? On the moon the rock would still have a mass of 120 g, because it
still contains the same amount of matter. But if you found the rock’s weight on the
Moon, it would be much different. Since the moon is made out of less matter than
Earth, the Moon has less gravitational force to pull on the rock. The rock would
have a weight of about 0.2 N on the Moon.
In this activity, we will compare the pull of gravity to the masses of the moon and
the planets. (For this activity, we will include poor Pluto!)
Procedure:
Planet or moon number: __________
1. Fill the can with the number of pennies for the planet or moon you were
assigned.
2. Find the mass of the can with the pennies.
3. Write the number of your planet or moon in large print on an index card. Write
the mass below the number.
4. Predict the names of the planets based on the masses. Remember that one can
represents the moon.
5. In the data table, fill in the actual names of the planets and moon provided by
your teacher.
6. Construct a bar graph of the masses of each planet and moon. Remember to
label the axes and make a key.
Data Chart
Relative Surface
Gravity
# of Pennies
1.
0.38
48
2.
0.89
120
3.
1.00
Unopened can
(or 135)
4.
0.166
17
5.
0.48
62
6.
2.54
355
7.
1.07
146
8.
0.88
119
9.
1.14
153
0.028
9 Pull Tabs
Planet Name
10.
Planetary Mass
(g)
Analysis Questions:
For these questions, we will consider Pluto a planet.
1. Which planet has the greatest mass?
2. Which planet has the least amount of mass?
3. How does the moon’s mass compare to that of the other planets?
4. What is the relationship between an object’s mass and the force of gravity?
5. If you have an object that has a mass of 500 grams, on which planet would
it weigh the most? The least?
6. Explain in your own words, the difference between mass and weight.
7. If mass and gravity were used to classify planets, would Pluto be a planet?
What about the Moon?