Comparing Size Using Models

Olympus Mons is actually Mount Olympus on Mars which is a shield volcano located near Mar’s equator. This volcano is the largest in the solar system. The activity represented in this artic... See More

Olympus Mons is actually Mount Olympus on Mars which is a shield volcano located near Mar’s equator. This volcano is the largest in the solar system. The activity represented in this article helps students to use modeling cubes to demonstrate (and scale) this volcano and to compare it to Mt. Everest on Earth. Using a model from the solar system and comparing it to something on Earth makes the size really become visual which then helps students to remember how large Mars really is. This article also provides some Internet resources.

Another nice article on models

This article has students using blocks to build a model. From the model, students can get an appreciation for the size of Olympus Mons. This can lead to a nice transition to discussing spa... See More

This article has students using blocks to build a model. From the model, students can get an appreciation for the size of Olympus Mons. This can lead to a nice transition to discussing space or more earth science topics using comparative planetology.