Speed of Small Worlds All of your observations in the Small Worlds Sim have assumed you were viewing the solar system from the Sun. Now we provide...

Speed of Small Worlds

All of your observations in the Small Worlds Sim have assumed you were viewing the solar system from the Sun. Now we provide Earth as a reference point for your observations. Earth is a distance of 1 AU away from the Sun and is an easy number to work with. Take a look at the Small Worlds Sim again. Observe the objects you have identified closely. How fast are they moving compared to Earth? To figure this out, we will need to use a proportional equation. For this exercise, our reference, the Earth, has its speed set to 1.  

Using the proportional equation above and the data in the questions below, solve for the "Speed of Small World." This speed represents the speed of the object, not its relationship to Earth. To find this relationship to Earth, you will need to divide Earth's speed (1) by the speed of the small world.

For a MAB, its average distance is around 3 AU. Its speed is  

3

9

0.33

0.90

 and its relative speed compared to Earth is  

3

9

0.33

0.90

.