Scale Models
A scale model is a representation of an object that is larger or smaller than the actual object. Architects often use scale models to represent building designs—a scale model of a building is a much smaller version of the real thing.
The solar system is so big that it is very difficult to represent both the sizes of the planets and the distances between them on the same scale model. To accurately create such a model, you would need a lot of space. For example, if the Sun were represented by an 8-inch (20-centimeter) ball, Earth would be about the size of a peppercorn located about 26 yards (24 meters) away. On the same model, Neptune would be about the size of a coffee bean located nearly half a mile (about 0.8 kilometers) away from the Sun and Eris would be smaller than a pinhead, located about a mile (about 1.6 kilometers) away.
Do you think it would be more helpful to see a scale model of the relative sizes of the planets of the solar system or a model of their relative locations? Explain your answer in the notes box below.
