How can a Model Show us Interactions Between Objects?

Use the model of the Earth and Sun below to answer the questions:
NGSS Phenomena: An animation of the earth moving around the sun. The sun is off center, and the earth gets much closer to it during half of the orbit. As the earth move around, the side that's not facing the sun is dark.
By WillowW CC BY 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons

1. One of your classmates makes the comment below after watching the above image.
Underline the two claims they make and label them with a “1” and “2.”

Color

Width

2. Use the following statement by one of your classmates to answer the question below:



“One thing I would change about the model is that Earth spins around one time for every day, so for this model to be correct Earth would have to spin 365 times for each full revolution around the Sun. The model does a great job of showing how the Earth is closer to the Sun during the summer.”



Evaluate the first claim your classmate makes. If you think the student has a misconception, explain to your classmate what’s really going on. For the parts of their statement that are correct, use what you’ve learned and seen where you live to give evidence that supports their claim.

3. Use the following statement by one of your classmates to answer the below question:



“One thing I would change about the model is that Earth spins around one time for every day, so for this model to be correct Earth would have to spin 365 times for each full revolution around the Sun. The model does a great job of showing how the Earth is closer to the Sun during the summer.”



Evaluate the second claim your classmate makes. If you think the student has a misconception, explain to your classmate what’s really going on. For the parts of their statement that are correct, use what you’ve learned and seen where you live to give evidence that supports their claim.

4. Explain 2 limitations of this model and what changes you would recommend to improve the model.

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