Page 3 - Class VI Worksheets Forces and Energy

Subtopic: 3.2 Forma+on of solar system & 3.3 Movement in Space

1 New Horizons is a space probe launched in 2006. It conducted a flyby of Pluto in 2015 and is
now traveling further into the Kuiper Belt at a speed of approximately 14 kilometers per second.
Explain why New Horizons could not travel at this speed on Earth.

2 a) How do scienUsts gather evidence to support theories about the formaUon of the Solar
System, and what observaUons have they made that align with the hypothesis of
formaUon from a cloud of dust and gas?
b) What contradicUons or challenges exist regarding the hypothesis of the Solar System
forming from a cloud of dust and gas, and how do scienUsts address these
inconsistencies?

3 Comets follow highly ellipUcal orbits. As a comet travels along its orbit, its distance from the Sun
changes significantly. Explain how the speed of a comet varies with its distance from the Sun
during its orbit.

4 a) Describe the role of the Sun's gravitaUonal force in maintaining the circular orbit of a
planet. What would happen to the planet's moUon if this gravitaUonal force suddenly
disappeared?
b) Explain how the Sun’s gravitaUonal force can hold Neptune in orbit despite Neptune
being 30 Umes farther from the Sun than Earth. Consider the effects of both the distance
and the mass of Neptune in your explanaUon.

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