Question

part a

scientists refer to half of the planets as inner planets because they are relatively close to the sun. they refer to the other half as outer planets. using the data in the table, classify the planets into one of the two groups.

Explanation:

Identify the classification criteria

The problem states that half of the eight planets are classified as inner planets because they are relatively close to the Sun, and the other half are classified as outer planets. This means we need to divide the eight planets into two groups of four based on their distance from the Sun.

Analyze the distance data

Using the Solar System Structure concept, we examine the distances from the Sun (in millions of kilometers) provided in the table:

• Mercury: \(57.9\)
• Venus: \(108.2\)
• Earth: \(149.6\)
• Mars: \(227.9\)
• Jupiter: \(778.6\)
• Saturn: \(1,433.5\)
• Uranus: \(2,872.5\)
• Neptune: \(4,495.1\)

Group the planets

The four planets closest to the Sun are Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. The four planets furthest from the Sun are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

Answer:

• Inner Planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
• Outer Planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune