Investigating how the rocky and gas planets were formed

This investigation provides students with a hands-on experience to demonstrate how gravity separated the planets. Students work in teams to conduct and record findings in a fair test investigation to demonstrate how the planets were separated in the Solar System. Each team fills three plastic cups with sand, rocks and water. The students take turns to gently tap each cup with equal force and then measure how far the contents spread. Students record their findings and data on the worksheet. The students use the data to construct a column graph. Final slide includes review questions.