Question

the bar graph below shows one planetary characteristic, identified as x, plotted for the planets of our solar system.

planet characteristic

bar graph with y-axis labeled characteristic x (scale 0.00 to 0.30) and x-axis labeled planet (mercury, venus, earth, mars, jupiter, saturn, uranus, neptune)

which characteristic of the planets in our solar system is represented by x?

1. mass
2. density
3. eccentricity of orbit
4. period of rotation

Explanation:

Step1: Recall Planetary Properties

Mass: Mercury has much less mass than gas giants (Jupiter, Saturn, etc.), but in the graph, Mercury has a high value, so mass is out.

Step2: Analyze Density

Density: Mercury (metal - rich) has high density (~5.4 g/cm³), gas giants (Jupiter, Saturn) have low density (~1.3 - 0.7 g/cm³), which matches the graph (Mercury's bar is tall, gas giants' are short).

Step3: Check Eccentricity

Eccentricity: Mercury's orbit is most eccentric (~0.21), but other planets’ eccentricities are lower, but the graph doesn’t show Mercury as the only tall bar for eccentricity (e.g., Mars’ eccentricity is ~0.09, but in graph Mars’ bar is moderate, not matching eccentricity trends).

Step4: Check Rotation Period

Rotation Period: Venus has a long rotation period, Mercury’s is short, but the graph doesn’t align with known rotation periods (e.g., Venus’ bar is short, conflicting with its long period).

Answer:

1. density