Kepler decided to think outside the box and discovered that planets orbit in elliptical patterns. An engaging activity demonstrates the elliptical orbit pattern in relationship to the area of a planet to explain Kepler's Second Law. Pupils examine the orbit of several planets to compare the effect of their locations in the solar system and their sizes.

Concepts

kepler's laws, ellipses, orbiting, planets

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Make a mathematical connection by writing the equation for the elliptical orbit
• Sketch an example of the orbit of each planet and shade portions of equal area

Classroom Considerations

• Requires a basic understanding of Kepler's Second Law

• This content requires Adobe Flash to view

Pros

• Includes several parts to the interactive component to illustrate Kepler's Second Law effectively
• Incorporates color to enhance the illustrations

Cons

• None